Eddie Jordan Quotations | Page 2

We don't have designated defensive studs out there. We have to do it by committee. We have to do it by team.

We are defensively challenged, and we've got to continue to work at it. We've got to step our games up. No question about that.

We played well for a full 48 minutes today. We did a lot of good things out there, particularly with our defense.

We played well for a full 48 minutes today.

We play like crap with the lead. We can't stand prosperity, but we're resilient.

We didn't play smart down the stretch tonight. But we won. When you win, it builds and it builds and it helps you. Again, we didn't play smart. We haven't played smart in the last two games, but basically who cares. It's a win.

We're not going out there playing a 50-win Seattle team of last year. We're not going out there to play a Sacramento team that's won 92 percent of its games at home. It's a little bit of a different flavor out there.

We're not going out there playing a 50-win Seattle team of last year.

You look down, he had 17 (points) at halftime, and he ends up with 40, and yet we're in the game.

We dodged two or three bullets last night coming down the stretch with a gamble here or a gamble there or someone didn't box out, yet we got the rebound, ... We've been dodging bullets for three games and it finally caught up to us. We had a lead. We didn't need to gamble. You have to play good, solid defense.

We'd like to go into the New Year saying we have a five-game package, that we're going to take it game by game and respect our opponents. We feel that we are coming together. We are competing. We've competed down to the last second most every game. We just have to continue to believe in each other and believe in the system.

We gave them a run for their money, 36 to 5. People talk about the X-factor. Today we had the Z-factor, for zero.

We stayed disciplined in our offensive possessions. Guys were a little bit jagged out there the first game, a little bit self-absorbed. Tonight we just pulled for each other.

We're looking at a healing process tomorrow. We're going to need some type of therapy. We've got to get our minds on positive things. It's not easy getting over things like this, but we've got to move ahead.

We were not competing in the paint, and we are getting distracted a little bit by what's going on out on the floor, not getting through a little bit of adversity whether you think it's a bad call or good defense against you. But for the most part they just outplayed us, and they deserved to win.

We closed out two good quarters. We had some runs and we kind of absorbed their runs and we made the important free throws.

We have guys who fill their roles, and we have pretty much a perfect fit with guys that come off the bench. They're both defensive- and offensive-minded, so we've got a really well-balanced team.

This road trip isn't over. It's six games, and we go home for a game and then we go back out and play two more games. So it's really a nine-game road trip. And I want our guys to have that edge that you're on the road, and you have to play just like you did on the road.

We said it was going to be war going out. Literally, we spilled blood. It was a physical road trip. I'm glad it came down to that. We've grown up a little. Hopefully we can carry it out the last two weeks.

We said it in pre-game that even though they've been down and we've been doing pretty good, the way they are now is how we were at one point. Just one win gets it going and we were very aware that they could get it going.

We said there were three keys to victory. We wanted to defend Redd, we wanted to rebound and be physical.

We knew it wasn't going to be easy. They are a very competitive team and always have been. I think it took Miami a 16-0 run in the second half to win the game last night. They are so depleted with injuries and my heart goes out to Bernie.

We're not really concerned about who's in front of us or who's behind us. We know we are in fifth, and we'd like to hold on to it.

We're not holding back. If he's ready, he's ready.

We didn't have a big rotation, but the guys that did play played with their hearts and souls.

We didn't have a big rotation, but the guys in there played with their heart and soul. We've got a lot of bumps and bruises, and we've got a lot of fatigued bodies, but we gave a great effort.

We always say that one win can get you going and that one loss can get you going the other way. We just have to shift into another gear like we did in the last quarter and a half and come at with the same intensity and stay at that intensity.

When you know a player from the outside, you don't know all of him. You don't know his warts when he gets to your gym. You don't know the intrinsic value that he may have. You just see him on tape and on scouting reports, and that's the surface of the guy.

We've got to find ways to limit his touches.

We've been looking at this road trip since the schedule came out in August. If this is our defining moment, then let's get at it.

We had a six-game road trip and we liked the fact that we competed in every game out there. We competed on every possession on this trip. We shared the ball and we played the right way.

We all know, everybody in this organization, everybody in this arena, that we have a special player.

Tonight was a good win but we were not as productive overall as I would have liked. We just had too many turnovers against their press and their scrambling defense.

Two different teams -- us. We were on top of things in Utah. We played 48 minutes of concentrated basketball. Here was just the opposite. I hope it's just a one-time thing. I'm searching for answers when guys don't play well; I'm trying to find the right mix. It just didn't work out today.

Those two have really raised their games. They help their teammates get their opportunities and they know when to get their own. That's why they are good players and why we are a well-rounded team.

This was a relief. We left here almost three and a half weeks ago in the fifth spot with all of the trials and tribulations. We came back in the fifth spot so we are happy.

We got a little bit disjointed, a little bit distracted.

We gave ourselves a chance and they hit a tough shot at the end. The credit goes to them.

We kind of rode his coattails, ... He carried us. We went from a tie game to up 11 because he got going. Now, they hang on to him and say, 'Thanks Gil.' We should play with poise; we've got veterans now with playoff experience. And that should help us in back-to-back games. We've got a good mix of scorers and defenders. And we've got a guy who can make everybody better. When that thing got real tight tonight, it was, 'Thanks Gil.'

We just want to go out and play the way that we did in the second quarter. We need to start winning these games on the road.

We just wanted to establish a defensive mind-set. We're showing each other that we're willing to do anything it takes to get better and to win.

We just had some poor possessions offensively down the stretch. The last four, five possessions, we didn't have to make a big play, we just had to make normal plays, and we didn't come up with it.

We withstood their run and all the energy in the building. We knew we had to maintain our composure.

We're going through some hard times. Let's see how tough and resilient we are.

We don't want to say 'We're in' and be satisfied. I think our records show we might be a little bit better against Cleveland than Miami, and I think that's where we want to end up.

We didn't play as hard as they did. They made shots. They played harder, longer. They're just a better team than we are.

We didn't have the right intensity early. I thought we didn't have our legs, but in the second half we dug down deep.

We had positive energy. We've never wavered in confidence with each other or for each other.

Even though we were up 20 at halftime, we knew the Bulls would make a run at us. That is the type of team they are. They are a disciplined, well-coached team. Our game plan was to get up in the wings and stay with the dribble penetration, and we did a good job with that.

Either he's going to be in uniform doing some damage or he's going to be on the sidelines calling out our plays like he did when we played them in the preseason, ... I'm hoping that he's not anywhere to be seen. He's a heck of a player and I hope that he takes another day off.

There's no question that he's a special player for us, ... I can play him at forward or center and he switches out on guards on pick-and-rolls. I can play him after he sits there for three quarters and he does a great job. I can play him when I feel we need a more physical presence tonight, more defense. He does everything for us. He's important for us.

There's no sympathy in this league ... not for a team that came in here limping a little bit. They have taken their lumps on the road the last three games now, and it's a been a tough stretch for them.

The time when we made the change in the lineup was a true wake-up call. It said that we've done enough with the X's and the O's and the repetitive talking, this and that and film work. Now it is time to change the people. When players see that, they say this is serious business.

Is he deserving of an all-star? He might be a little tardy in his production, but maybe he does, yeah.

I've been very fortunate to coach a guy like Gilbert. His growth and maturity has improved tremendously since his first season. He cares about the team. He cares about winning. He's a tremendous talent and he's only 24.

These are the playoffs. We didn't play playoff basketball in the first game. Playoff basketball is war and hell. We go to war and give them hell.

The rooms are in chaos, ... It looked like a hurricane had been inside the evidence room. The stench was overwhelming.

It was very positive. Really, we were all very united. Everyone wants to see serious cost savings over the future. I was enormously pleased at the outcome because it was all so one-sided.

It was another really gutsy effort from our guys. We looked like we were stuck in the mud but we found a way.

The second quarter was like a defensive clinic for us. Holding somebody like the Celtics, who shoot close to 50 percent, holding them down to only 10 points. That kind of jump started us.

The thing that stood out to me is that Andray seems to have an excellent feel for the game, ... He passes well, he defends well, he can step out and shoot the ball. He competes on the glass. He doesn't back down on the defensive end. Those are the kinds of things you like to see from a young player getting his first taste of competition at this level.

I've always said that it's about talent, toughness, experience and character in this league, ... We've added two other players, and Antonio Daniels, who give us all of those qualities. The heart is bigger than the man sometimes, and that's what we have. We have competitive players. Guys who are experienced, guys who are talented. We think that is going to take us to another level.

Thank goodness we had one game under our belt with everybody, ... Sometimes that kind of thing can happen in training camp and you never get everyone healthy. It's something that happens to pretty much every team in the league. The teams that stay healthy are able to have success.

Ralph is going to stay in the hospital for 24 hours for observation. That is perfectly routine. Professor Watkins, the FIA medical delegate, reported that Ralph made a very quick recovery.

Probably Sunday, probably. We're going to give it another 48 hours and then we'll see.

A disappointing loss. But to start the new year, we have a five-game mission in front of us. We're down one, and we're still going to stay positive. We'll see where the remaining four games of the five-game package will take us, and we'll measure ourselves after that.

After playing a good first half, we gave up 61 points in the second half. We gave ourselves a chance, and they hit a tough shot at the end. The credit goes to them. They really brought it to us in the second half.

No, we?re not going to do anything flagrant. As long as it?s not flagrant. We?re not the toughest team in the NBA. We?re not very physical, but tonight we brought it out. We?re not going to flagrantly foul anybody on purpose. It?s just going to be good sportsmanship, hard fouls.

Now, it's our turn. We have to do something significant.

Coming into this game, we talked about being more energized, more enthusiastic and have more camaraderie, and that was the most important thing. All the things we didn't see in the first game -- outside of the stats -- we just didn't have enough energy and enthusiasm. We didn't have that and that is the stuff that is going to get you out of a lot of bad situations and put you in a good one.

Antonio had a terrific fourth quarter at both ends of the floor. As a team, we just believed and we fought.

As long as it's not flagrant. We're not the toughest team in the NBA, but tonight we brought it out.

That's when he hurts you. He can shoot the three off the pick and roll, which a lot of guys don't do. And then there's the occasional catch and shoot.

That's just what the best teams do, they went to a different level. I thought our guys competed, but right now they're just better than us.

You see a lot of good coaches just coaching their players, making changes and trying to help their teams win. I see Larry Brown sitting guys down. Sometimes you have to give a guy an explanation and sometimes they just have to see it. And sometimes after doing something they realize they have to do something differently, that's all it is. I admire those coaches and I want to be a good coach.

This is a tough one to lose. We gave ourselves a chance to win even though we played bad in the second half, you just can't give up 60 points in the paint and expect to win.

They took it to us. It should not have happened like that. They just came off a six-game road trip and we thought we could bring the force and the energy to them.

A lot of guys took on the challenge and came up big in a tough situation.

They made shots with hands in their face. They got the energy going. There was a point in the game when the momentum was changing and we lost our composure just a little bit and that's all it takes.

They execute their roles and play at a high level. That's how good basketball teams win, when the top guys play at the highest level.

They are the model, ... They remind me of the old Celtics.

This is the time of year for veterans. Guys like Antonio who've been to the playoffs. This is when you expect to see them come to the front.

They're just a hard team for us to defend right now and beat. They're better than us right now.

They're good players and they're going to compete.

It's been bothering him for about the last seven or eight days. Last night the pain got really bad, so the best thing to do for him right now is rest him.

It seems like it's always like this. It might not be four and five teams but it always seems like there are at least two or three.

It's early. They've been on an East Coast trip. I don't want to measure our team as far as predicting how good we are or will be.

It seems like we've been on the road forever. We've had some injuries, but that's the league. You've got to deal with it. It seems like everybody got healthy on us at home: Philadelphia, Milwaukee and now Chicago. And now we've got to get healthy at home against Cleveland. That's what it boils down to.

It's a situation where we're going to have to monitor Jarvis as the season goes along, ... That's just a part of coaching in the NBA. Injuries are going to happen throughout the season and you have to adjust.

It says a lot about the direction we're going in, with the new starting lineup a huge, huge defensive emphasis. Some guys didn't play as many minutes tonight as normal, but we really cared about doing the things that it takes to win and not about what's going to shoot up in the stat sheet.

It's a fact of life that we've been on the West Coast so it's going to be nice to get back home and have some practices on our home court, ... The good thing is that we've had some real lively practices out here. Guys have been really competing and that's what you want to see as you get ready for the season.

It's a fragile, sensitive league, but it's not going to make or break the season.

It's a little bit more up-tempo because they've got guys healthy now.

I told them that going 2-1 on the road trip isn't bad. We're just going to correct some mistakes, go to practice and wipe it off. You can't get your head down. It's a war every night, and you got to bounce back.

It is unconscionable that some of our citizens have decided to take advantage of this natural disaster by stealing from their own fellow citizens. This is a time when people need to come together.

It's offense against defense. We have to do what's been good for us.

It's talent, toughness, experience and character. We've added two players that give us all those qualities. The heart is bigger than the man sometimes. That's what we have. We think that's going to take us to another level.

It's the first time I've ever seen Dwayne Wade under control from our team. And yet they still prevailed.

It is the time of year for our veterans and guys who have been to the playoffs to step up for us. Antonio has done that.

It's going to get better once they stay in the routine of practices, ... We're demanding a lot of things from them. It will get better.