Here’s a collection of post-game comments after the Grizzlies’ 91-88 victory over the Spurs.
Thanks to the Grizzlies’ media services department for this sampling of quotes from both locker rooms after the games.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich:
On the final play:
“That was my fault. I wasn’t quick enough to get it (the timeout). He (Manu Ginobli) got out of there so quick. I should’ve been all over the referee to get the timeout, but I didn’t do it. That was my fault – not George’s.”
On Tony Parker’s performance:
“A lot of what a point guard does is decision making. They play boxes and elbows, so they have to adjust to that. We didn’t do a very good job of that. In the third quarter, we had seven turnovers; that was a killer. We played hard for the 24 minutes in the third and fourth quarters but not necessarily well (in the first half). We played hard enough to win a game in the second half. Unfortunately for the first 24 (minutes), we just went through the paces, while they were out there playing their (butts) off.”
On Tim Duncan guarding Zach Randolph:
“I thought Timmy (Duncan) did a good job. One would probably think that you would like Zach (Randolph) to shoot the three, rather than continue to lay it in against you. It was a heck of a shot; part of the playoffs is about making shots. Him, (O.J.) Mayo and (Marc) Gasol all made shots down the stretch, and once we got back in it, that was the end of that.”
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili
On the final play:
“I thought I had little more time (on the clock), but they played good defense. I saw Marc (Gasol) stretching out with his long arms. When I tried to go right, (Mike) Conley jumped on me too. I lost the ball a little bit. I couldn’t get the shot off, but at the same time, it was my bad in the sense that I had a couple of more seconds. When I saw that I couldn’t get it off, I threw it to someone at the top of the key. There wasn’t enough time. It’s now easier to say we should’ve called a timeout, but we didn’t. I guess we didn’t make the right read.”
On playing with an injured arm:
“There was a little incident there where I felt it (hurt). I played through it. It was hurting for a few minutes, but then Pop (Gregg Popovich) took me out, and then I got better for the last quarter. No big deal.”
On team’s 3-point shooting struggles:
“I think it’s a combination of things. Of course we have to watch the video, the game finished just 10 minutes ago. Sometimes what you see on the court, isn’t exactly what I think first that it was Tony’s (Parker) and my mistake not to find our teammates when they were open. We were not sharp enough in finding our teammates. Then, I think they are making an effort of not leaving the corners open for shots. Two-for-15 is not us. We’ve been the best 3-point shooting team in the league for 82 games.”
Spurs guard George Hill
On Popovich not calling a timeout at the end of the game:
“It is not just one person. It is all of us. We win them together and we have got to lose them together. We will figure out what we are going to do next time.”
On playing from behind the whole game:
“It is the playoffs. Memphis did a great job. They had a great game plan and jumped on us early. Shots weren’t falling or going our way.”
On the physical aspect of the game:
“It is basketball. There is nothing that they are doing different that is hurting us. If you are in the wrong place at the wrong time then injuries happen. It is something we have to deal with and just have to keep moving forward.”
Spurs forward Tim Duncan
On not being able to take the lead:
“We just could not get over the hump. We fought all the way back. We got into a tie situation, but we couldn’t get over that hump. They made some great plays. Zach (Randolph) hit that big three. We still had an opportunity to tie at the end, but it just didn’t go right.”
On the Grizzlies:
“It is playoff basketball. They are playing hard. They are playing good defense. They are big bodies and they are taking some stuff away from us. We are just not reacting as well as we usually do to what is open and to what we have. We just need to react better.”
On Randolph’s 3-point shot at the end of the game:
“I didn’t assume that was in his arsenal at that point of the game. I leaned back and tried to make sure that there wasn’t a quick big-to-big roll, but he hit a three from that range. It was a great shot.”
Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins
On Zach Randolph’s 3-point shot:
“I’m glad he did it. We were trying to run a play on the weak side, and we didn’t think (Tim) Duncan would leave Zach, but he did. Zach got the ball back and hit a big three. Juice (O.J. Mayo) hit a big three earlier. I thought our defense was really good early on. Our energy was really good. The defense was good late as well. I think there were seven times when we had three stops in a row. It led a spurt that kept a ten or eleven point lead, and then finally they worked it down to what I think was two. Then Marc (Gasol) hit a big shot. We just made big plays. In this atmosphere it’s just the case that you have to make plays to win the game. They (Spurs) are not going anywhere. As I told the players, it’s going to be a dogfight. This was a battle. It was very aggressive and very physical. There was a lot of bumping and grinding– just the way we like to play. I’m just glad we have a win.”
On the crowd:
“It was special, very special. I was excited. I’m excited for the city of Memphis. I’m excited for our fans who have stuck by us all year long, and for the players and what they’ve done to get to this point. We’ve still got miles to go, but I’m happy we are where we are. We could be in that position in that other locker room, so it’s nice to be where we are. It’s nice to get a victory at home in front of our fans in a playoff. That’s special as well because they’ve been wanting and hoping for one, and we came in and got in first opportunity.”
Grizzlies guard Mike Conley
On if this win makes the Grizzlies for real:
“I hope so. If we’re not now then we will be. We’re not worried about what people think. We’re just going to keep grinding and playing our way until people give us respect and respect us. I know the Spurs respect us. I know our opponents respect us but until the outside world and everybody that doesn’t get to see the Grizzlies sees us play and sees us doing what we’re doing in these playoffs, they’ll eventually start to respect us and see what kind of team we are.”
On his defense on Tony Parker:
“I think early on we did a good job of getting him into foul trouble. With him off the floor, it’s the best case scenario. He’s so good. You want him to get into foul trouble and out of the game, but I was just being aggressive with him and, defensively, trying to make him shoot jumpers and try to shoot over the top of you. You have to give our big guys a lot of credit. Tony (Allen) and those guys did a great job at helping and being in positions to stop him from getting those lay-ups.”
On having to play 40-plus minutes per night:
“It’s tough because I have to make a lot of plays for people. They count on me to shoot the ball more and be more active offensively, but then I have to guard George (Hill) and Tony (Parker) the rest of the game so it takes a toll on you. It’s a physical game but I’ve worked for it. My conditioning is pretty good. There are times when I try to take breaks and get rested during the game and during timeouts and foul shot opportunities. But for the most part, I’m fine with it.”
Grizzlies guard Tony Allen
On what stands out from this game:
“I look at our turnovers and we only had 10. I also look at the rebounding edge. They beat us on the rebounding edge, but we were able to get that back by pounding the ball inside and having Zach (Randolph) go to the free-throw line. Zach went to the line 10 times and he made eight out of 10. Once the game got close, we didn’t fold. We were able to stick together and hang our hats on the defensive end.”
On his individual performance:
“It’s not about me. I just wanted to be able to do something to help my team win, whatever it is. Today, I fouled out. I’ll look at film tomorrow and see where I made my mistakes, but for the most part, I’m just happy we got the win. It’s bigger than me. It’s way bigger than me.”
On the win:
“The crowd was big. We knew that the crowd was going to be pumped but we just had to focus on what was going on, on that hardwood floor. I think all the guys stuck together from the jump-ball until the end. You have to give Zach Randolph big credit for hitting a big shot. He came through for his team today. It was important we hung our hats on the defensive end.”
Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph
On his 3-point shot: “I got the ball with five seconds left on the shot clock. I had a little space to see it, so I just shot the shot and it went in. That’s the shot I work on and practice every day. It felt good when it left my hands.”
On the game: “It felt real good to hit that shot, especially at that time of the game. We got the win, so it feels good. We’re not done yet. We still have to stay humble. We’ve got a quick turnaround Monday. We have to be ready and prepared for the Monday game.”
On the fans: “The crowd was great tonight. You could feel that buzz as soon as you walked in to the building. That’s what we need. It’s playoff basketball, and the fans are behind us. We need the fans definitely at home. They were great tonight.”
