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I thought we had a good defensive first half. We capitalized off the steals and turnovers. I don't think we finished well, but the win tonight was good for our confidence.
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They know they can get scoring from three players every night, and sometimes all five can score. It's an all-inclusive thing.
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Like life, basketball is messy and unpredictable. It has its way with you, no matter how hard you try to control it. The trick is to experience each moment with a clear mind and open heart. When you do that, the game - and life - will take care of itself.
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We're not looking for Kobe to score 50 or 30 or 80. We're just looking for it to fit together. We want players to blend their talents together.
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They had a game plan against Kobe that was effective, getting the ball out of his hands.
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I didn't get any satisfaction from their reasoning.
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This is a day and age when the perimeter players are scoring more than the interior players.
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Teams that have lost a lot of games are dangerous teams and we knew that coming in. We just have no excuses. They outplayed us tonight.
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I think that Shaq measures himself against a season. I've always given him credit for that. He knows what the end goal is, and he's got a tremendous amount of pride. He'll be there when the playoffs are going, and he's going to be probably at his peak at that time.
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That's what happens when a team plays with some desperation.
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They're playing at a very high level. They're still there as far as going after the record. A lot of things can go down in the second half of the season, but they are very good.
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He plays beyond pain a lot of times. He'll be fresh-legged.
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What moves me is watching young men bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus with their whole heart and soul on something greater than themselves. Once you've experienced that, it's something you never forget.
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When Stephen got hurt...it was either a motivating force for the Pacers to get their run, but at the same time he was turning the ball over a lot, so he may have been an asset by default.
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They really crowded Shaq well and did not give him a good look in the lane. He struggled to find a position in the lane all night.
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He is coming up with some key plays for us. And at the offensive end, he is doing things that help him finish at the basket. When a player plays extended minutes, you fall into that rhythm. Kwame has set himself up to have this sort of success.
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He reached behind to knock the ball loose, and (Palmer) made the call. This is the second game where we've had inconsequential plays land us on the free-throw line in the last seconds of the game.
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I think they felt intimidated at some point in this playoff. ...Our big guys have been effective. ... They just wanted to make a stand and make a statement.
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You go in the weight room and you lift weights and you do all these things to strengthen your body. This is strengthening your mind. When you can stay focused and you can use that focus to always come back with your breath to center yourself, so that you're kind of floating in the moment, in the spirit.
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Determined, dedicated, disciplined. I think he's ready to play. For Kobe, it's about re-establishing his dominance in the game.
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When it doesn't produce wins, that's the fine line. And then players . . . also have to feel like they're a part of it. If they are, then they play at a better level.
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I am pleased with Kobe and how he controlled the offense. We had people open because they were doubling him and that got some people open and we found them.
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I think all our players were encouraged by the effort, and thought we had the right idea. Our execution came up a little bit short.
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Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.