[FONT="]HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS[/FONT] [FONT="]“I was really pleased with the focus we came out with at both ends of the court. Defensively, I thought we were really locked in on what we needed to do. It was fun to see the threes go in the first half. I liked the way we shared the ball. We had 17 assists on I think 20 field goals in the first half. We shared the ball really well on offense and it gave us a rhythm on our shots. Defensively, I thought we were solid all night and kept them away from the rim. Obviously, they’re undermanned, they didn’t have their guys but still it was a win we needed to get.”[/FONT] [FONT="]On Freeland’s contributions: [/FONT] [FONT="]“Joel had just been solid. He does what he does well. He plays very hard. He plays his minutes hard. He goes after balls. He gives a great effort defensively. He had what 17 rebounds the other night? He just is very conscientious about how hard he plays his minutes.”[/FONT] [FONT="]On Batum finding rhythm offensively:[/FONT] [FONT="]“It was good to see him make threes. Obviously, everybody’s been talking about his shot and I think it was good for him and us to see the ball go in like that in one game. I think that bodes well for us going down the line.”[/FONT] [FONT="]Is it easier to let Aldridge get healthy when getting contributions from players and winning games:[/FONT] [FONT="]“I just want LA to get healthy. I’m glad we’re getting wins and people are getting a chance to contribute but I want LA to get healthy. We need him. We’ve got some tough games coming up, but we’re not going to force it until he’s ready to go. Getting him healthy is the thing that’s paramount.”[/FONT] [FONT="]On Claver’s play and rotation/backup 4 position minutes:[/FONT] [FONT="]“It’s a tough situation for him and Thomas. Look, when LA is healthy, LA is going to play 36 minutes. That’s 12 minutes of backup 4. Joel has been playing a lot of his minutes at center because RoLo has been out. When we get healthy, it’s a tough situation for guys on the bench to get in the game. That being said, I think he’s shown that he can play, just as Thomas has, just has Joel has. Dorell has played very well. Dorell was playing 4 in San Antonio, in Oklahoma City, and again tonight. So he’s played well at 4. So it’s everybody’s job to just do their best when they get an opportunity and we’ll go from there.”[/FONT] [FONT="]WESLEY MATTHEWS[/FONT] [FONT="]On three point shooting, rhythm:[/FONT] [FONT="]“It’s contagious. It was just a good vibe from the jump. I think I missed the first one, but Nic hit one, Dame hit one and I think the flood gates really opened.”[/FONT] [FONT="]What’s been working lately?[/FONT] [FONT="]“Defending. We’re top five in the league as far as defense and that’s our calling card. We know we can get it going offensively. Earlier in the season when we didn’t have it going offensively, we could rely on our defense. We’re playing with an edge and a hunger.”[/FONT] [FONT="]Did you try to do more offensively with Aldridge out?[/FONT] [FONT="]“No, just playing basketball and teammates are finding me and I’m letting it go.”[/FONT] [FONT="]On ball movement and getting good looks:[/FONT] [FONT="]“That’s our thing. That’s our game. We’ve had a great long streak of 20 plus assists. That’s the kind of team we are, the ball is moving, flying around, and we’re getting rhythm shots. For the most part, I think I probably took the worst ones, but they were all good looks and I think coach would be happy with all of them or most of them.”[/FONT]
HEAD COACH DEREK FISHER On Carmelo Anthony: “Just a little bit sore. Not necessarily more than last night, but considering where we were at the half, and that he was experiencing some soreness and some fatigue, we just decided to have him sit out the second half.” On shelving Carmelo until the playoffs: “Carmelo is Carmelo. We don’t necessarily make decisions for him. He’s a part of the conversation, so we have our opinions that we’ve expressed to him. We talk about different things, but really it a decision that he has to also want to make for him and his career, but he’s also concerned about the team and him teammates, and so we’ll continue to find a right balance of it all. Right now he wants to be in there. He feels that he’s capable of being that way, even though sometimes it’s daytoday. I think he’s smart enough to know when he’s jeopardizing more than just day to day and week to week. On combating the Blazers’ threes and what made it difficult on making them miss: “It balances out. I think in the first half they hit 11 threes. Some of those were mistakes on our part. They do have good shooters, but that always kind of balances out. They took 36 threes. They made five of 15 in the second half, so that comes back around. Teams that take 30 plus threes are going to make some.” On how he characterizes how the team played tonight: “I think guys are fighting and showing some grit and some toughness. We have to now combine that with high performance. We can’t have one or the other. At times, we’ve had really good performance without their fight and grit, and now we have to put it together, even if we’re shorthanded. Now we have a couple days to try to kind of reboot a little bit and continue to push forward.” On Cole Aldrich: “He’s just taking advantage of the opportunity. Cole is a guy whose daily habits are the same. He comes in early, he’s working hard every day, and he’s preparing himself for the opportunity. He’s taking advantage of it. We have a number of guys who have and will get these opportunities and they have to make the most of it.” On losing optimism due to injuries and losses: “External things can’t impact your personal optimism. There are things in life you can’t control, so you can’t get overly stressed over those things. You have to focus on the players that are playing. The guys that are in and hopefully you get guys back, and you lead them to get better as a team. Optimism is a choice. You still have to find ways to wake up every day and be positive about what you have got going on. That’s what we have to do even if we struggle.” Carmelo Anthony On when it became too much for his knee: “The more I was running and jumping. Going into the second quarter, I was trying to get offensive rebounds and trying to run back and I looked at coach and told him ‘Come get me, come get me’ but then there weren’t any timeouts, no fouls, no ball stops, so I just played the rest of the quarter. I came in [the locker room] and the coaches and staff told me to sit out the second half.” On how he thinks he’ll be for the Clippers game: “We have three days, that’s a long time, enough time to get the proper rest and rehab that I need. Any other time I’ve had three days to rest, I’ve come back and felt great.” On if he feels this is the time to take some time off the rest: “I haven’t really thought about that, it’s been just a matter of getting through today and obviously I couldn’t finish the game.” On where he is emotionally at this point in time: “It’s tough, it’s a tough situation. To come into each game and get the same result night in and night out, it’s tough, mentally it’s tough, and emotionally it’s tough. So when you don’t have those things clicking or on the right page, everything is crumbling and that’s the feeling right now.” On if he would’ve come back the second half should nothing have been said: “I tried, but [coach] told me ‘don’t even try, it’s not even worth it, just sit out’. Get me the proper treatment I need and focus on the next couple days.”
Hey Nate, did you see tweets of the night? http://www.nba.com/blazers/tweets-night-trail-blazers-vs.-knicks
I feel like someone else used that cool name for Wes that you made up and tweeted as the #1 tweet of the night. -By Joe Freeman
Damn, this tweet blew up! I feel like such a twitter celebrity now! [TWEET]549414773268312064[/TWEET]
Hey, I came up with that the game before. [TWEET]548687782357393409[/TWEET] But you did come up with a nice twist of changing deen to threen.
This is totally your theme song Sly. [video=youtube;kdemFfbS5H0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0[/video]
BLAZERACE, LIVE IN-ARENA On Meyers Leonard missing a wide-open layup: "Meyers, YOU SUCK!" On Wesniss Everthreen's outside shooting: "How many arrows does he have in his quiver??? This bowman is unconscious." What was going through Derek Fisher's mind as the game wore on? "He was thinking, 'What is Wheels is going to say about me?' I was thinking of some, too. Confused, condemned, and concerned? Disgusted, dismayed, and disgruntled? Perturbed, perplexed, and pissed?" How did you catch that t-shirt? "I didn't even know they launched one near me until someone missed it and it hit my shoulder. That's my thing, though. That's my game. It's all in the timing and movement, and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity."
The arrow thing is cute and all but I'd prefer les showboating and more focus on getting back on defense.
