Postgame quotes: Celtics 98, Blazers 95 OT
Official postgame quotes following the Portland Trail Blazers’ 98-95 road loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night at TD Garden.
Celtics-Trailblazers Post-Game Quotes
Portland Trailblazers
Head Coach Nate McMillan
Re Without Brandon: “Yeah you know they keep fighting. Andre and LaMarcus played heavy minutes tonight. I thought Andre made some turnovers late from being tired and trying to carry the team. Rudy’s legs were heavy, I think, tonight and I thought that did have an effect late when we were trying to attack and just couldn’t keep up or get our shots off.”
Re LaMarcus long rebound in OT he flipped back: “I’ll have to see it again. I thought he was just trying to tip it back or get control of it. I don’t think he had control of it, I thought he was trying to beat whoever to the ball.”
Re Hold your breath when Ray shoots: “Well we lost him early. I think a possession before that he missed a three and then we lost him again and he hit that shot. You know he’s gonna knock that shot down. They’re lookin for him, he had time to see the rim and early on he missed that first one and that second one that usually doesn’t happen again.”
Re. Andre: “I thought he kept us in it, helped us fight back to take the lead. Ended up being aggressive, pressuring him to bring the ball down the floor. He made some big plays, we tried to go to him. I thought that last three he took, he had heavy legs. I think he wanted to try and go but just couldn’t on that possession.”
LaMarcus Aldridge
Re: What was difference down the stretch? “They made their shots and we didn’t down the stretch. Both teams had oppurtunities to make shots and win the game and they made them and we didn’t.
Re:Long rebound towards end of game: “ I couldn’t catch it because it was already out of bounds. I was trying to save it from going out of bounds, I was just trying to go get it.
Re: Andre’s game: “ He’s doing what he’s been doing, being inside, giving us everything hes got, posting up getting to the basket, getting guys shots, that’s what he always does.
Re: Blazers effort/results: “I didn’t worry about our fight, I felt like we should have executed more and got the win, we didn’t come here to be close, we have to learn from it and try to get after it tomorrow.”
Andre Miller
Re: Fight of team on the road: “ There’s no moral victories, but we let another one slip away. We talked about our execution down the stretch, we had turnovers at the wrong time, and that’s the game.”
Re: Amount of minutes: “I tossed up a three because I was tired, if it went in we would have gone up 5, my legs started to get a little heavy, but I was trying to focus on defense rather than offense at that point.”
Re: Down 11 comeback, what was difference in comeback and first half: “They shot like 70% first half, we buckled down a little on defense and took some charges, but they had some open shots that didn’t go down either, so that allowed us to get back in the game.”
Boston Celtics
Head Coach Doc Rivers
Re did he have any idea Ray Allen would win the game after a tough shooting night: “Well, you can just call me stubborn because we just kept running. I mean, I ran three plays in a row. The funniest comment of the day was the third play: Rondo turns to me and says, ‘You know Ray’s going to be wide open on this.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah that was the idea.’ You know, Ray’s a shooter and you’ve just got to keep shooting. And thank gosh he made one.”
Re Ray Allen’s shooting: “We got him good shots. We got him – we got some great picks; the picks were great for him. Listen, he had one of those nights. I think he missed two technical foul shots and – probably for the first time in his career. I don’t know; who knows? But shooters shoot and eventually you just have to think the odds: every missed meant the odds were on our side more is the way I was looking at it.”
Re did he think Ray Allen had any doubts about his shot: “No. He has too much history of makes to ever doubt what he does. Guys, you know, that separates the good from the great. It always does. A good player wouldn’t have taken another shot the rest of the game, and the great ones, they truly believe the next one’s going in.”
Re not a “pretty” win but a win nonetheless: “Yeah, it was a good victory for us in the fact that, I mean, we offensively couldn’t ask for better shots. We missed lay-ups, free throws. I think in the third – second quarter – I think we had that three lay-up in a row stretch we missed. Rondo missed a big lay-up down the stretch. We missed wide-open shots. We missed free throws. But our defense hung in there. And what we’ve been talking about the last two or three days is that at some point we’ve got to turn back into that defensive team that doesn’t rely on great offense. You know, I believe we’re going to be great offensively, the numbers say it. You know, field goal percentage and all that. We’re going to get good shots. But when you’re offense fails, you’ve got to be able to be a great defensive team and get stops. And that’s what this game turned into. And so it was pretty, but in some ways for us the way we won may have been better for us.”
Re how Kevin Garnett looked to him: “He looked great. He looked tentative as far as offense. His rhythm was off. He got great shots too. I really tried to stay away from him as far as post and even the jump shot because when you miss the games that he missed, you know your touch is going to be off a little bit. But overall defensively he looked terrific. Just absolutely terrific.”
Re is he expecting Garnett to play on Monday: “Yeah. And it is early. So we don’t know yet, but yes, that’s the plan.”
Re last time they battling foul trouble like this: “I don’t know. The way we play defense you’d think a lot but it’s rare. We don’t get in – it doesn’t happen very often.”
Kevin Garnett
Re How it felt to be back “It felt good man, I thought I had some decent energy. I really wasn’t worrying about my wind a little bit. As far as showing on picks and the schemes and things we do, I wasn’t really worried about too much. When we had that overtime I thought about it a little bit. I was mad that I was in foul trouble, you don’t really help your team when you’re doing things like that but for the most part man I kept asking Paul, kept asking Ray, kept asking Rondo and the other guards how was my shows and things of that such. My timing’s off a little bit as far as rebounding but you know I’ll get that. That’s all watching film and stuff but other than that I felt good out there, confident, strong.”
Re looked like you were lugging it at times “I just got banged a couple of times, it’s part of the game you get roughed up. But I’m ok man, I’m alright”
Re how hard to watch the up and down play the last few weeks “Its very difficult sitting there watching,. I don’t sit on the bench for a reason and I try not to say anything til after the game. I go to guys individually and give them my take on the game. You’re almost helpless, that’s the word I’m going to use here. Sitting there watching your guys and knowing that you can’t be out there. The impact that I think I can give this team is tremendous. I bring a lot of energy when it comes to defense. I look for guys, I get guys open, some of the small things I think we’ve been lacking the last couple of games. Tonight I thought pretty much I set solid picks, something that I didn’t think we was doing the last coupe of games. Got some guys some easy lay-ups, some easy baskets. I knocked down my own shot, was aggressive and got to the free throw line a couple times. Those are the things that we’re gonna need, especially taking pressure off Paul, pressure off Rajon, pressure off Ray. Continue to keeping Perk composed and confident and letting him play. Just bringing energy, talking on ‘d’ tring to wreak havoc out there basically. I’m excited to be back and hopefully we can get better going into the all-star break.”
Re Having to sit do to fouls “I actually thought it helped me calm down. As the game went on, having to sit for fould reasons I thought I got a little more composed, a little more under control. I was able to see the game and how it was being played rather than being a deer in the headlights. For the most part I feel like I was pretty solid. I feel like I can get better and I will.”
Re being named as an all-star starter “Thank you fans. Thank you to everybody who voted for me. I always gotta thank my teammates, Doc and the coaching staff and the organization cause without them I wouldn’t be anything. But hopefully a couple of these guys on this team will be joining me and we’ll see.”
Paul Pierce
Re Did you need this win “Yeah especially with the way we’ve been playing. I mean we’re definitely happy for the win, we definitely know we can play better and it’s gonna come. Getting Kevin back out there was great, our emotional leader, we kind of fed off that from the start to the finish. We gotta stop playing in spurts, we’re still playing in spurts in time to time on defense and I think we’re gonna build on this going into the all-star break and try to build some momentum going into the second half of the season.”
Re Feeding Ray the ball, even on an off-night for him “You know, Ray is one of the great shooters of all time, he’s right behind me. I told him that in the huddle, he had the looks but the one we needed he was able to knock it down and that’s how much we believe in Ray.”
Re Did you say anything to Ray “We told him keep shooting Ray, and he came up the very next play he had the wide open look. That’s what we expect from Ray. We believe in him that much no matter how his night is going.”
Re Rondo becoming the next Paul Pierce “Not really, he’s going to be the next Rondo. He’s grown up right before our eyes and pretty soon he’s going to be here, the face of the franchise when we’re all gone in our rocking chairs. He’s doing a great job, just maturing this year, doing everything Doc and Danny are asking him to do. It’s fun watching him grow and become a complete player.”
Re What Kevin does that the team has been lacking the last few games “Its amazing that you ask this because if you look at all the superstars around the league, he does all the things that those superstars don’t do. The way he talks of defense, the way he helps everybody on the court on defense, sets screens. Those things are really overlooked throughout the league and to be a superstar we could give him the ball every play. But he’s so selfless, one of the most unselfish to ever play the game. All those little things add up and he does all those things.”
Glen Davis
Must be a great feeling to win and get KG back: “It’s good to get that feeling back and also having one of our biggest contributors back on the team. His energy and him being wise is helping us.”
The team had to regroup mentally during the 4th quarter and overtime: “We had to regroup mentally, especially in overtime. Paul went out, one of our big guys, and a lot of guys stepped up like Tony Allen, who made some big plays. Ray stepped up and made some big plays, and that’s what we needed.”
What was the feeling on the floor, with Ray’s three pointer: “There is a saying that we always say…You may not come when you want them, but he sure is damn on time.”
Early in the season with the thumb, you had to sit out games, playing today was today important to turn the page: “It is a great feeling to be back on the team, but I am not where I want to be, as far as my game. I don’t I am where I should be. It is going to take time. I am just trying to do my role right now for the team, and what they need me to do. I try to bring energy to the team.”
Kendrick Perkins
You have to be proud of the way that you played tonight in overtime with out Paul: “Yes, Ray hit a big shot down the stretch, Rondo hit a big shot. I think that we are cracking down on the defensive end. We got some stops and lose balls. Guys were covering for each other. We just had a pretty good defensive game today.”
With Ray, is it that everyone knows that he is going to hit that shot: “He is one of the best shooters in the game. After he missed one three, it kind of went in and out. We told him to shoot it again, and he shot it again, and he hit it. You just have to keep giving the guy confidence, when he is going through a shooting slump or whatever it maybe during the time of the game.”
