Jerry Stackhouse Quotations

When you've got a system that works, it doesn't matter the pieces. But it's a lot better when you've got all the pieces working.

We're spoiled. We're at a point now where we expect to win them all. We're among the top teams in the Western Conference, if not the top team. We expect to win all the time.

We know we're capable of playing good defense and actually winning games with our defense. I think Game 1 was indicative of that and (in) Game 2, we were able to get in a good flow offensively, as well as put good defense on them in the second half.

We're still a great team in a great position. We still have a lot that we want to prove once the playoffs get here, no matter what seed we are or who we're playing. But I'm kind of glad the Golden State Warriors aren't one of the eight (playoff teams). We've had a tough time against them this year.

We've been here a long time. We seem to tighten things up on the road. We've been experiencing a little bit of a lull. But we played good basketball for a lot longer stretch than we've been playing not-so-good basketball.

We have yet to play our best basketball. That?s a good sign to be up 2-0 and not have hit on all cylinders yet.

We didn't want to let down after last night. We got them on their heels early and kept it up.

We're just focused on achieving our goals, and that's to continue to get better for the playoffs.

Last year, we had a letdown. We didn't want to work as hard as we did this season, then give it away. Now hopefully we can do what we did on the road last year.

Since he signed a letter of intent, why not? He can't help that he's so good he just had to skip over and go to the NBA. He was on the right track.

None, quite frankly. Maybe a couple games just to get some rhythm. But it's not important. I didn't play in the preseason last year either, and I was there on opening night.

Obviously, I've hit a quite a few shots in this league.

Nobody in this league is going to tell you that they don't want to start. I've bought into it, hoping there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. But do I feel I could be starting on this team? Hell, yeah.

I felt good. It was in good rhythm. I think I still had a nice breathing to it. I never felt winded, didn't feel fatigued.

Have I come out of the game making a defensive mistake? Yeah. He doesn't really discriminate. Everybody is held accountable ... He seldom pulls a guy for an offensive mistake, taking a bad shot, anything like that. The leash is shorter on the defensive end.

He's going to bruise some egos and brush some people the wrong way. He has everywhere he's been.

He's played great and he's been steady for us all season and this past month, he's just been on a tear.

I went for a rebound, felt a stiff-arm, and it was Horry. It was a basketball play, a heat-of-the-moment thing. I didn't see him try to bite me.

I was able to make sure we got the last shot and I rose up and hit it. I had a couple before that I thought were going down, but I'm glad I got the one that counted.

I was able to get him (Davis) off balance. I think he might of thought I was going to raise up and I was able to get a good pull-up. I knew I didn't have enough time probably to get all the way to the basket because I kind of squared him up but it came right in the nick of time.

Our identity as an offensive team is set. As a defensive team, we're still a question mark to the masses. But we know we're capable of winning that way.

Our veteran guys have to step up. Our younger guys, we can't expect them to be there yet. As talented and as good as they are, we can't expect them to create their energy and their enthusiasm. Sometimes you've got to force it out of them and I think that's what Avery wants to see happen and that's what we've just got to do. Quite frankly, we haven't been doing as good a job as we need to be.

Maybe teams do focus on us a little more. But we just didn't play well offensively. It was just a bad night.

We can't be satisfied with just tying up the series with this win. We're going to probably see this team somewhere down the road in the playoffs.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying: Keep it coming, keep it coming. It's all good.

We were just not in the game. We were totally knocked on our heels in the first half.

We don't have to depend on Dirk in every game. We have guys on this team who can do a lot of things.

We don't have to deal with staying on the West Coast for an extra day or traveling overnight to get home. That's big for us, I think.

We still have a lot to prove. Once the playoffs get here, it doesn't matter what seed we are or who we are playing. I am glad that the Golden State Warriors are not one of the eight teams going because we have had a tough time against them this year. They are a difficult team to play. They have nothing to lose. They have something to build on for next year. Our only concern is us.

We've been doing it all season. It's become who we are. We feel we can win those kind of games.

We would like to think that everything we're doing now is geared toward the playoffs. We know we're better than how we've been playing lately. It's been good to talk about the race with San Antonio, but we have to worry about getting back on track.

We're much better than what we showed tonight, especially late in the game. We normally close games out a lot better than what we did.

The only thing we need to be working on right now is getting stronger and improving our seeding for the playoffs.

We need to free our minds, get in hotels and build that camaraderie. It's still there, but I think that it goes up on the road. I'm looking forward to a nice dinner with the guys (Wednesday).

Tonight was a big night for us. But so is (Saturday) night. If we stub our toe (against New Orleans), then this one means nothing.

We got a lot to be upset about. We weren't the team we were for the last 20-some games. We were stagnant, didn't move the ball, Dirk wasn't himself, letting Bruce Bowen get under his skin. He's better than that. We're better than that. So everybody is taking their fair share of responsibility for that game. We all did uncharacteristic things.

We got a lot of guys who can get it done. We're still a little shorthanded. But if we get those guys back against San Antonio, it'll be even better.

You have to teach him the Bill Russell rule and tap it to yourself so we can get on the break.

This would really cap off the trip to come back home and win. It's almost like a six-game trip.

We just focused on coming out in the second half and not letting up. We wanted to try extend our lead as opposed to just exchanging baskets.

We were really focused tonight. Even after the game, we were all businesslike. We did what we set out to do, and now we're just trying to move forward.

We might have lost three games but look who we lost to. It was a different stage for us, and we got knocked back on our heels.

We don't worry about what San Antonio is doing. We know we're a playoff team and we'll see how things fall.

Dirk wasn't himself in letting Bruce Bowen kind of get under his skin a little bit. He's better than that. We're better than that.

Once we started missing, we started pressing. Just a bad night. Won't be the last one, either.

Defense is great, but if you don't put some points on the board, you're not going to win games.

Devin's play was the play of the game. To be able to take a gamble like that just shows the confidence in his ability. Then to go down and convert the shot like he did to give us a 3-point play was huge for us.

Anything can happen in this league. San Antonio could possibly lose three games.

Avery is the heartbeat of our team. He knows what we need. He pushes the right buttons.

Avery called a timeout and drew up some things for us to attack the zone. We did it a couple of times, got some good looks, and Dirk hit some big 3s.

That team plays hard. You're not going to find any team in the NBA that plays harder than them. It was a good test for us.

You're going to find out right away that he's going to do it his way, and if not, then maybe another team is better suited for you.

This is starting to become who we are. We feel that we are going to win these games and have the wherewithal to sustain anything any team throws at us.

They got off to a pretty good start, and we were pretty much sleepwalking through the first half. Really the key was our rebounding and getting them to work on the offensive end. We started to get some second-chance opportunities, and we held them to one shot.

There were some botched plays and missed dunks. ... You have to win like that sometimes.

It was for JT if we could get him the ball because of the game he was having, or we would have liked Dirk to take the shot.

It was some good defense and some good fortune. We'll take them both.

It's a win, and you're happy with it and leave it at that. It makes the final couple of games of the season fun. They have something to play for, and we have something to play for. Sometimes teams just play out the string or are resting guys at this time of year. We're going to have something to chase.

It's a game within the game. We don't want to be close and all of the sudden, play as well as we did last year and end up with the No. 4 seed. So why not try to shoot for the best and have the advantage throughout the playoffs if you can?

It's all positive. It's getting there. I don't look at it as if I've arrived and it's all behind me. I'm still cognizant of it.

It only takes five to play, but obviously we want to get everybody back healthy and ready for the stretch run and for the playoffs. We don't want to take our chances with guys coming in and out. We've just got to with what we have. We know we have enough to get it done.

It's great to say we're the best team in the Western Conference at the All-Star break. What we'd really like to say is we're the best team in the Western Conference at the end of the season, and the best team in the league in June.

It speaks to the depth of our team. Guys are going to have off nights. Dirk's going to deliver more often than not, but it's good that he doesn't feel pressure every night to score 25 or 30 points.

Everyone responded. We knew it was just a bad first half.

They did a good job on him early, but as the game went on we found ways to get him some shots. Josh Howard kept us afloat and then Dirk was huge in the second half and down the stretch.

They've really become important to me. I've had a couple groin injuries and they help me get comfortable. I wear thigh sleeves, too, and the tights also help keep them from sliding down my legs. They just hold everything together.

Any time they go inside that knee, that's what you're looking at four months. But I don't think it's realistic that he'll be back to his true form until next season.

I'm really proud of the guys for taking time out to play in this game because it's for a really good cause. I'm just really happy how it went and hope the game continues to grow each year.

I love him; he's a Carolina guy. And I know he's about the right thing. But he screams just a little bit too much for me. The ones that are able to deal with the screaming, up and down the court, will do fine. The ones that won't will probably be like me - somewhere else.

I like playing with Damp. People make a lot about him being out of the starting lineup and coming off the bench, but I think he feels comfortable playing with me because he gets a few more shots maybe than he gets in the starting lineup. So it's been working out well. Hopefully we can continue to get better.

I like starting the game, getting into a flow early. It's like sitting on pins and needles waiting to get into the game off the bench. I've done it for a year and half. It was cool, but I feel more in my element (starting).

I'm just thankful the time has come for me to be out there.

In the second half, we didn't play well offensively and couldn't get into a good posture defensively either. They got their confidence and we started pressing a bit. They escalated and we went on a downslide.

He's the best center in the NBA on one end now. The team has to focus on him more than any center in the NBA, even Shaq.

He's tough and he had it going tonight. We just tried to make the other guys not beat us. As long as you can keep the other guys down, you should be all right.

If I'd made a couple more shots, and Damp hadn't taken away all my rebounds, I'd have had a triple-double.

You will get a lot of each other. That will happen in the next three or four weeks. We want to put a little doubt in their minds.

A lot has happened in a day and a half, and we are still able to smile about it. I think that's the good thing about this game and this league. A lot of things happen and as long as you continue to smile and go out and do what we enjoy doing, everything's going to be all right. Sometimes you've got to blow the stack a little bit - no pun intended.

The game ball goes to those guys. If they keep playing like that ... all I can do is keep shaking my head.

All of these games are important. We have to take each one individually and go out and give our best effort.

The kid was very enthusiastic and gave us a lot of energy. It was good to see some of these young kids play with all the injuries we've been having.