Final Postgame Quotes

[mavsfanforever]

Mavericks Head Coach Don Nelson
Congratulations to the Kings. I thought it was a great basketball game. I thought it was a game we should have won. But we didn’t. We had our opportunities. I knew all the games were going to be like this. It was a game that we should have won.

Our inability to control (Mike) Bibby was probably our demise. I thought he played an outstanding game Not only did he score, but he rebounded and was the assist guy. So, I thought he played a marvelous game.

I thought our gameplan was solid. But our defense wasn’t as strong as the other games. They’re going to move on and we’re going to go home and try to find ways to improve our basketball club.

(Bibby’s) a hard guard for us. Certainly, we tried to concentrate on him. But we didn’t get the job done. He’s a very good basketball player. I don’t have to tell you the strengths of this basketball team. They’re terrific. And he’s part of it. We could not stop him. Whatever we tried to do, they countered.

On the last play:
We deserved to go to the free throw line on that last play. They were trying to foul. And he (Dirk Nowitzki) was fouled twice. We should have gotten one. And then the bonus. There was no call there. I have no control over that. It was embarrassing that nothing was called because they were trying to foul. It was a good strategy. We were trying to get it in the act of shooting. But it wasn’t called. We should be going home to play another good basketball game. Instead, we’re going home and playing nobody for a very long time. We got exactly what we wanted. It was a play where we’ve had a lot of success. We got it to our best player on one-one-one coverage. We executed it, got it in the right spot. But nothing was called. So, we’ll move on.

My guys are playing so good, I can’t get them out of the game. (Antoine) Walker had an excellent game. He was sensational. I had no time for Eddie (Najera). I was going to make more substitutions.

We’ve played well enough to win. It’s tough to win here. So, I have no problems with this team. It was a great game, with great teams. It was great for the league. You had some of the greatest basketball games played in the playoffs. This one was one of those. And I think the league should be proud of the game.

Mavericks Guard Steve Nash
I thought we might have made a mistake by playing to the score instead of just playing. We were complacent. Our defense let us down. We let them go on a run with a couple of turnovers.

Mike (Bibby) was outstanding. He played a great series. We had the same energy. He really killed us. He made some big shots. He made some shots down the stretch as well. It was a great game in a lot of ways. It was real unfortunate. But the whole series was unfortunate for us.

I’m already thinking about (free agency) in some ways. I’m hoping I can play with my teammates for the rest of my career. It’s hard enough. I don’t know what is going to happen. I’m unsure of what is going to transpire. I’ve been here for six years and I want to continue playing with them. But I know some things will take care of itself.

If we need to change personnel, we need to change our identity. We need to be better defensively and have more role players. Maybe it will take more time. Maybe next year, we’ll find more rhythm. Maybe it’s not the right formula.

I love playing for Nellie (Dallas Head Coach Don Nelson). We’ve come a long way with his leadership. He’s as good a coach and innovator as there is. Like last year, he was a reflection of the success we had. Nellie’s a great coach. He’s taught me a lot.

Mavericks Forward Antawn Jamison
We weren’t going to fold. We were just going to go out fighting, and it went down to the last shot. We didn’t accomplish a lot of the things we wanted to, and we put ourselves in a hole, and we just didn’t find a way to get it down. But you really have to commend those guys. They did a good job of executing and making it difficult for us in this series. … In three games we had the opportunity to win, and that’s the sort of thing you knock yourself up along side the head about. I mean, we had an opportunity to win this thing and we just didn’t get it done.

Sacramento Head Coach Rick Adelman
That’s the game we were waiting for between these two teams. We just kept coming back and coming back and staying with it. We just wanted to keep playing and put pressure on them. It just came down to one shot. I thought Dallas played a great series. It could have gone either way.

Mike (Bibby) had it going. He was shoting the ball really well. I was really impressed by his game. We needed him. (Dirk) Nowitzki had it going. (Steve) Nash had it going. I thought it was great for the league and for TV to see a game like that.

In the second quarter, Darius (Songaila), Anthony (Peeler), and Brad (Miller) came in and they did a great job, helping us come back. I wasn’t worried about anyone being tired. I just wanted to win. Those are the ones that are going to take us to the next run. And they did.

I thought Peja (Stojakovic) was good the whole game on both ends of the court. He was a key guy for this team. He guarded Nash on the switch, and he guarded Nowitzki on the post. He always found a way to be effective. Give him credit. I think there should be a recount for the All-Defensive teams.

I thought we tightened up defensively tonight. We had chances. But we just couldn’t convert anything. But they didn’t convert anything either. We tried about five to six different things. We have a lot of different things we can do. They made it tough on us. Both teams really competed on the defensive ends.

I thought we were doing pretty well at the start of the fourth quarter. And they were just knocking shot after shot after shot. And it wasn’t just one guy. Nash was hitting shots, and Nowitzki was hitting shots. We knew they were going to attack us at the basket. They’re going to make shots. I told them we had to build possession by possession. We needed to settle down.

They were attacking the ball (in the second quarter). They were being aggressive. That group just really got active. I was just going to let them ride. We had a good run, we had a whole half to go. It was a momentum thing. The aggression was there in the second quarter.


Kings Guard Mike Bibby
I was just trying to be aggressive. I wasn’t aggressive in the first quarter. When Webb (Chris Webber) went to the bench, I wanted to try and make things happen and get things going for the team.

When you have games like this, you have to take the good with the bad.

I was just trying to bring the team back. I think that got the energy going. Once we were hitting shots, the energy went up. I think we play better when we just play.

Basketball is a game of runs. It’s just a matter of when they’re going to run. We knew we were playing at home. The crowd was behind us. I knew everyone didn’t want to go back to Dallas. We wanted to handle it tonight.

The shots were going in for us. We made the stops. AP (Anthony Peeler) was making shots. It was a physical game.


Kings Forward/Center Brad Miller
I’m real happy. This is my first time in the second round. (When I was with Indiana) We got beat 3-2 (New Jersey), 4-2 (Boston). It just feels good to get out of this first round and not go home.

It was nice to just let it go and have confidence.

It feels good (shoulder). Before the series started, it shot up. If you’re not banged up even a little bit, you’re not playing hard enough.

I’m assuming we’re playing Minnesota. I expect them to come back with an attitude that they don’t want to go back to Denver. I pretty much want Minnesota. We’ve had some pretty good battles. We’re just going to go out and have some fun.

I think just going and having a good game was good for our confidence. Winning our last game is something I haven’t been involved with, having never gone to the second round in my career. I’m just glad it’s over and we can move on.

They can score 37 points in a quarter very easily (Dallas scored 37 first-quarter points). When they’re up 16, you can’t worry too much about it when you’re playing at home.

[mavsfanforever]

Interesting quote by Nash:

If we need to change personnel, we need to change our identity. We need to be better defensively and have more role players. Maybe it will take more time. Maybe next year, we’ll find more rhythm. Maybe it’s not the right formula.

[MavsFanatik33]

Did anyone see the interview with Walker on the postgame show on UPN? Antoine Walker said he was going to sit down with his agent about whether to opt out of his contract. I think he is really questioning whether to stay here. The only thing against it is he said he doesnt want to be a guy that gets traded his whole career. Maybe we can get rid of his money and use it to get Dampier or K-Mart....

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: MavsFanatik33
Did anyone see the interview with Walker on the postgame show on UPN? Antoine Walker said he was going to sit down with his agent about whether to opt out of his contract. I think he is really questioning whether to stay here. The only thing against it is he said he doesnt want to be a guy that gets traded his whole career. Maybe we can get rid of his money and use it to get Dampier or K-Mart....

And Walker's agent will say "you are a FOOL if you opt out of your contract". Suck it up and collect your $14M next year - you aren't going to see that much money in THREE years on your next contract."

[Max Power]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever
Interesting quote by Nash:

If we need to change personnel, we need to change our identity. We need to be better defensively and have more role players. Maybe it will take more time. Maybe next year, we’ll find more rhythm. Maybe it’s not the right formula.

Its funny that the WORST defender on the team says "we" need to be better defensively.

[irontoad]

(Antoine) Walker had an excellent game. He was sensational.

Would the members of the board here agree with this statement by Nellie???

[MavsFanatik33]

Originally posted by: irontoad

Would the members of the board here agree with this statement by Nellie???

I dont know if sensational would be the right word, but hey....nellie is no english major

[MightyToine]

Originally posted by: MavsFanatik33

I dont know if sensational would be the right word, but hey....nellie is no english major

Well Walker was sensational for the 1st 3 quarters...then he totally BOMBED in the 4th so...

I'd downgrade him to "VERY GOOD" last night. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[MightyToine]

Originally posted by: Max Power

And Walker's agent will say "you are a FOOL if you opt out of your contract". Suck it up and collect your $14M next year - you aren't going to see that much money in THREE years on your next contract."

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WALKER READS THESE FORUMS!! (or maybe his agent does?)


I made the simple suggestion which was shot down in my face about Walk "considering" opting out of his contract and lo & behold!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]



If Walk DOES do this "stupid" thing, I'd love to use the money freed up to try and get K-MART, too....Then, if Walk still wants to play here in dallas, I'd sign him to a 3 year deal ONLY....and he'd have to play CENTER ALL THE TIME here..... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[grndmstr_c]

I'd love to use the money freed up to try and get K-MART

That's not how the cap works, MT. Since Dallas is over the cap, their ability to sign FA's will come from three sources:
#1 the MLE , which figures to be somewhere around 4.5 mil give or take
#2 the LLE, which figures to be somewhere around 1.5 mil give or take
#3 FA's at the vet minimum.

[Psychedelic Fuzz]

One final post in defense of Walker, because he won't be around too much longer.

He didn't blow the game any more than nash, dirk, finley or bad officiating blew the game. Walker had some TO's but so did Nash. At the beginning of the game, he was a monster on the boards, and rebounds are what kept us in it.

Through the series, this team played some passable defense, and although Najera was a big factor, Walker wasn't exactly a turnstile.

The whole team blew a double digit lead, and it shouldn't have been as tight as it was in the 4th anyway...

So Antoine Walker, good luck in Chicago or wherever you end up.

[PubaNWO]

Originally posted by: irontoad

Would the members of the board here agree with this statement by Nellie???

Nellie was just trying to keep AW's value up.....if it's every possible [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

He didn't have as bad a series as he did against the Nets last year and we all know that the playoffs is the lasting imaging in a lot of ppl's minds.....Nellie HAD to say good things about the team and AW so the fans and others don't lose hope....

I really hope you guys don't lose hope.....it's not a good feeling ask me I should know....I follow the Craptics....

[madape]

If Nelson's back, Walker will be too. I'm betting that both will still be here in October.

[Simon2]

What else do you expect the Mavs to say? You want them whining about the refs? The Kings beat them so I'm glad the Mavs are gracious enough to give them their props. Its a classy organization with a classy response. You know the Kings have the utmost respect for the Mavs. The Kings know that this year, the machine is "broken" and needs to be fixed. Next year will be a different story.

[mavsman55]

I hate to be a whiner or a sore loser, but that last play should be looked into a little bit more by the NBA. Dirk was fouled twice, including one on the shot, which was not called. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal. But on the game-winning shot of a win-or-go-home playoff game, the refs have to make those calls. It wasn't the entire reason we lost, but we probably would have tied or won if Nowitzki would have gotten to the line like he deserved to.

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Originally posted by: mavsman55
I hate to be a whiner or a sore loser, but that last play should be looked into a little bit more by the NBA. Dirk was fouled twice, including one on the shot, which was not called. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal. But on the game-winning shot of a win-or-go-home playoff game, the refs have to make those calls. It wasn't the entire reason we lost, but we probably would have tied or won if Nowitzki would have gotten to the line like he deserved to.

I'm going to have to disagree mavsman. Yes, Dirk was fouled before he attempted to shoot. That was the strategy of the kings, using their fould to give. That is where the refs screwed up.

However, I don't really think that Dirk was fouled that hard, and that's what it comes down to in the NBA on last second shots. Unless the foul is very very very VERY clear, referees will not call it, because they do not want to be the one to decide the game, especially if they are making the call against the home team. It's the politics of the NBA, and it's been that way for as long as I've watched basketball. Whatever happens, 95% of the time they will not end the game with a foul.

and in my opinion, fouled or not, dirk still had a good enough look at the shot and time to adjust after the possible foul to hit it. That actually might be another factor. dirk got a decent shot off. If dirk had acted a little and the ball completely airballed, maybe he gets that call, maybe not. that's just how it works.

[grndmstr_c]

The NBA's tendencies aside, if a foul is committed, a foul should be called. Period.

[dirno2000]

Dirk should have went up stronger. In his defense, Nellie as done a poor job of grooming him to take that shot.

[MightyToine]

Originally posted by: madape
If Nelson's back, Walker will be too. I'm betting that both will still be here in October.

Interesting point, madape. But also note that it's more advantageous for Cuban to wait until the Deadline if he plans on making a big trade.

[mavsman55]

Originally posted by: SaltwaterChaffy

I'm going to have to disagree mavsman. Yes, Dirk was fouled before he attempted to shoot. That was the strategy of the kings, using their fould to give. That is where the refs screwed up.

However, I don't really think that Dirk was fouled that hard, and that's what it comes down to in the NBA on last second shots. Unless the foul is very very very VERY clear, referees will not call it, because they do not want to be the one to decide the game, especially if they are making the call against the home team. It's the politics of the NBA, and it's been that way for as long as I've watched basketball. Whatever happens, 95% of the time they will not end the game with a foul.

and in my opinion, fouled or not, dirk still had a good enough look at the shot and time to adjust after the possible foul to hit it. That actually might be another factor. dirk got a decent shot off. If dirk had acted a little and the ball completely airballed, maybe he gets that call, maybe not. that's just how it works.

You're absolutely right. And if you ask me, it's pretty pathetic the way officials shy away from blowing the whistle at the end of the game. You make good points, but officials shouldn't shy away from making calls like that at the end of the game. Yes, Dirk got a great shot but he still deserved the free throws afterwards because he got hit on the arm. Whether it was hard or not, he got hit, and should have gotten two attempts from the line. You are right about them not wanting to end games with a whistle. But look what happened when Michael Henderson employed this strategy in that Denver vs. LA Lakers game a few months back. I think it was either Phoenix or Miami got robbed because nobody called the foul on a 3 point shot when the free throws could have tied the game. You are absolutely right, but that's my point. Refs shouldn't shy away from calls at the end of games. In fact, they should always make the calls, and then be able to review them later to determine whether or not the call was accurate. Because in this situation we were in last night, whether or whether not they blew the whistle, the game would be decided by their call... so it shouldn't matter to them.

[Evilmav2]

Originally posted by: irontoad

Would the members of the board here agree with this statement by Nellie???

No. With the exception of those terribly timed turnovers at the end of the game, Walker played superbly last night.

I know the man is not the most popular player on our team, but I don't think he deserves the kind of blithely scapegoating condemnation that far too many fans have tarred him with all year. If the cadaver-tendoned Raef LaFrentz had averaged 14 pts, 8.5 rbs, and 4.5 assists last year, many fans would have crapped their pants in happiness, but when Antoine does it he gets nothing but ill-informed criticism and boos from our fans.

Antoine Walker is one hell of a skilled player who plays with a lot of heart, and he is a guy who could be a real asset to this team on the court and in the locker room. I know his expiring contract makes it highly likely that he will be "one and done" in his Dallas career, but I for one will be sad to see him go if that happens.