Terry Stotts Quotations

When we didn't turn the ball over, we got some good opportunities. Michael's approach was terrific. He got in little more of a rhythm and made some timely shots.

We felt if we won this game, there was good chance we'd have the tie-breaker at the end of the season. That was definitely on our minds.

We held them off and made shots. We did a lot of good things.

Obviously, we had a hard time scoring. We didn't score any points in 10 minutes and you compound that with McGrady getting hot and on a roll . . . that's what Houston wanted to do. They wanted to keep it close in the fourth quarter and have McGrady take over. But offensively it's tough when the ball doesn't go in.

Right now he doesn't need to be an offensive force for us. He made some good plays, was available on penetration. We don't need him to score every time he touches the ball. He's very mature with his approach. That showed.

Point guard is the most difficult position to replace. When you lose someone at another position, you can makeshift it a bit. But you need to have ball-handlers out there, especially against a team like Charlotte that wants to pressure you. It's a challenge.

One of the reasons we got him was because he's always been a very good defender. But he really improved his scoring overseas. He brings a nice balance, and it seems when he is on the court, good things tend to happen.

I was really proud of the way we came out both halves. Offensively we were good, but I think what we did at the defensive end contributed to our offense. T.J. did a good job pushing.

I wish we could bottle it up. Shooting 60% and shooting like that from threes. Shooting is a lot about confidence and rhythm and not only did our shooters have that but I felt the way we were playing fed into the rhythm and the confidence. Everybody feeds off each other. One shot led to another.

I was pleased with the way we played. Seattle's a dangerous team, the way they can put points on the board quickly, because they can create turnovers and their three-point shot is effective. It was good to get it -- we had a couple moments -- but to hang onto a double-digit lead for most of the game, it's good we kept that margin.

I'd like to be able to put him off the ball and have him catch the ball with a live dribble. He's so good with pick and rolls, I'd like to get him in different pick and roll situations rather than just coming down and running it. It just adds to our game.

I could see just from how the players were responding just how much it meant to them.

Basketball-wise, I think everybody realized it made sense for our team,

Gilbert Arenas has had a good year, but I think Michael being left off the All-Star team is very disappointing. He's having the best year of his career. He's leading a team that hasn't been under .500 all year. He's scored in double figures every game. He's improved every part of his game. And I think it's a shame that he's not on the team.

From what I read, I think it's a reasonable dress code.

I don't think anyone should confuse when a team plays a very good offensive team like the Kings and they have a first half like they did, it's not because of our lack of fire.

I don't think we want to throw him out there 25 minutes. We'll ease him back in there, just from a personal standpoint and a team standpoint.

Give Sacramento credit; they're a very good offensive team that passes the ball very well. They can get you in situations that can make you look bad.

I always hesitate to go too far (ahead on the schedule).

He made two good reads. He got it down to Joe. That's where Mike wants to get to. Not only be able to score, but to be able to make players around him better. Those were two big plays.

When he pushes it like that, the team follows.

Having all these guys come together, it's a very deep team. Getting them established and playing together on both ends of the floor is my biggest concern.

He's a great player and he did just what great players do. He was able to keep his confidence in a game where things weren't going his way.

There is an adjustment when you take a player, no matter who it is, (and put him back in the lineup). You have a way of playing and then you take a guy who's going to play 30-some minutes, and how he fits in - spacing and knowing where players are going to be - it's a definite adjustment. But they played much better than their record.

He was really good. He would make some really big shots, but then they would make a big shot.

He can run, and he has a high basketball IQ. You'll see the ball in his hands as a playmaker. He's very competitive, and he wants to win. I liked his demeanor on the court and the way he reacted with his teammates. It's reassuring.

He can run, and he has a high basketball IQ, ... You'll see the ball in his hands as a playmaker. He's very competitive, and he wants to win. I liked his demeanor on the court and the way he reacted with his teammates. It's reassuring.

He creates an up-tempo game for us. I think his shooting is probably better than people anticipated.

Kobe had a terrific game. We probably did a good job on him, actually -- after the way he started off. He made his foul shots down the stretch, but for 2 1-2 quarters, we did as good a job as you could ask for.

Joe is still playing limited minutes and he's still in an adjustment period as far as managing the game. And managing if you want to save his (last) 2 or 3 minutes until the end of the game or not.

Joe and Charlie's rehabs are going well, but we haven't even looked at a return date for those two guys. They're both on track and where we want them to be.

I think it's always nice when you can have multiple ball-handlers and multiple passers, because it gives you a little more flexibility,

It didn't look good. It's very disappointing. You try to get everybody healthy. We're trying to build a rhythm and he kind of had a bounce to his step the last couple of games.

I think what this trade does is put us, hopefully, in the forefront of being a playoff team. We want to make the transition easy for Andrew.

Our turnovers led to their transition and we didn't do much to stop them.

That's what Houston wanted to do - keep it close, get to the fourth quarter and have McGrady take over. Offensively, it's tough when the ball doesn't go in.

Michael played a terrific game. It was entertaining, but I'm not taking much consolation in that.

You kind of get in a rhythm of playing. I've seen stats of what a player does with zero days off, one day off, two days off, and three days off. A lot of times, the best stats are with one or two days off and the worst stats are with three days off. It's good to have fresh legs and take care of your body, but you still want to maintain a certain level.

Well it was a bad combination going 3-of-17 with eight turnovers. We were probably lucky to have eight points. I give Memphis a little bit of credit, they are a good defensive team. That probably had something to do with it, but I thought we played a little too much off the dribble. Certainly we missed some shots that we could've had.

We came out in the second half and competed. To get down 18 and still have a three to tie the game, I'm proud of the way the team came back and fought. But the first half was a big disappointment.

Yeah, that's about how I saw it. Them and San Antonio are probably the two most physical teams in the league, yet both of them go to the foul line more than anyone else.

We need March to be a good month for us. Between home games and everything else, we need March to be a good month. We were one game under .500 for February and around that in January, so we need to come on strong in March and see what happens in April. But this is the time that we should be able to separate a little bit.

We need everybody. We can't rely on Michael to always have 25 or 30 points. Whether it's Bobby or Mo or T.J. (Ford), or we get Toni back, or our big guys inside, it can't come from one guy.

We need everybody. We can't rely on Michael to always have 25, 30 points, and we've done that all year. It can't come from one guy, it has to be contributions from everybody.

We got the lead in the fourth quarter, but our quick shots got them back in the game. If we would have had the patience to move the ball a little bit more, we probably could have extended the lead.

We got off to a good start, but we were digging out of a hole the entire second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter. We've got to keep playing through it.

When you're not shooting the ball well, you have to defend a little harder and we just couldn't quite get there.

We didn't do a good job, obviously, of guarding Carter down the stretch. He got to the rim two times. It was too easy.

We're coming back to the Bradley Center, and the Bradley Center has been a great building in the playoffs. They call it home-court advantage for a reason so we've got to go home and take advantage of it.

With a four-point lead, we didn't do a good enough job of stopping Carter down the stretch. You want to make him shoot as far out as possible and keep him away from the basket. He got a lot of calls going to the basket.

When Dirk has his jump shot, he's going to be a tough cover. They put him in a lot of different situations, and he takes advantage.

Both team wanted to get the fifth seed. I told the team we're disappointed now and we should be disappointed. But we can't dwell on this and let the disappointment of this loss carry over into the playoffs.

Both teams wanted to get the fifth seed. They may have had a little more in the tank but I was proud of the way our team competed. We were down and to come back in the fourth quarter we just couldn't keep them off the free-throw line. Washington played well and deserved to win.

The good thing about tights is, it makes even 48-year-old legs look better. But I would say of the five of us, I don't think any of them were anything to write home about.

We wanted to take advantage of both those guys inside, they finished around the basket. They did a nice job of fighting when they were open.

Toni threw a great pass and that's what we wanted to get. Andrew obviously made a great catch and shot. That's what we were looking to get.

Two games in a row (against Washington). At their place the first time we played them, T.J. made a big defensive play - he got an offensive foul. He made the steal this time.

Two areas that were our biggest concerns going into the series were the free throw line and turnovers. This is the first game of the series where the turnover differential was substantial.

Those two guys that they added, Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox , have made a big difference. I sense they're playing with a lot of freedom.

This was a big win for us. There is no two ways about it. Boston has been playing well and we needed a win in a big way and I was proud of the way our guys gutted it out and we had a lot of contributions from a lot of people and we did a lot of the little things that you need to do to win on the road.

Washington has won a lot of games with Arenas at the end. For T.J. to get that steal was just a huge play.

Everybody knew that our division was going to be tough.

Beating Dallas, as good a team as they are, is nice,

And we were a dominant team in the league.

During a game, having players wear a sport coat is reasonable,

There's no limitations at all. I know there's a lot of concern and interest, but from our perspective, he's 100 percent been cleared. He's ready to go and he's quick as ever.

I've been impressed by how hard he's worked,

They are a good defensive team. That probably had something to do with it. But we played a little too much off the dribble. Certainly, we missed some shots that we could have had. The eight turnovers really puts you behind the 8-ball.

It was a performance that we needed. Defensively, that was one of our better games. Our defense contributed to our offense and a lot of times it's the other way around. You like to have a game like that this time of the year.

The starting lineup has been solid. Some nights they get off to good starts, some nights they don't. If you do make a change in the starting lineup, it kind of singles out a guy. I think we're close to having a lot more wins than we have and I don't think changing the starting lineup does anything.

I've always had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the way Toni plays the game. In addition to his solid, veteran presence on the floor, Toni's knowledge and experience will be an invaluable asset to the younger players on our roster.

Our defense got us over the hump. It was one of those games. Boston did a nice job defensively and both teams struggled to score. We stayed with our defense and fought through.

As good as we were in Seattle over that five-year period, and that five-year period was as good a five-year period as there had been in the history of the league, I don't know if we had a 14-game winning streak.

They obviously made Mike a priority. They didn't give him any open looks.

They're an explosive team, but their style of play allows you to get back into games too. We kept fighting. We kept trying to make things happen and it seemed like every time we got close, we'd miss an easy one and they'd come down and make one.

They really took the challenge defensively and we won with defensive. T.J.'s three-point play was big, but that came off a defensive play.

It's been slow going, but we're hopeful to have him Saturday.

It's easy for people to remember Michael making a 3, but the way we competed defensively kept us in the game.

It was the first time all night where we let (James) go away from the screen. All the help was to the screen.

It was a quality win against a good team. I'm really proud of how we've picked it up defensively over the last 10 games. ... I thought the contributions from everybody were really good. Our starters defensively set the tone early and they stood up late.

It was a tough game. I was real proud at how hard we competed.

It was a tough game. And we pressed for 36 minutes. In the fourth game in five nights, to show commitment to winning a game we needed to have, the guys showed a lot of heart and character.

It was a tough game all the way. Chicago played well and we knew they'd play hard. We were fortunate to make some plays at the end. Jiri is very good off the ball and sees things very well. He was there at the right time.

It's a challenge. I want to put players in a position where they can succeed, and obviously, so we can succeed. ... How we do that, that's part of the process of building a team.

It's a combination of things. Against Cleveland in the first game, we didn't shoot the ball well. Against Chicago, they were a little more aggressive. Tonight they got hot at the right time. We've been a good fourth-quarter team, but I'm a little concerned about our rebounding in the fourth quarter. One of our goals was not to lose three in a row. We've bounced back all year, so we've got to bounce back now.

It is very disappointing. He was finally getting the bounce back in his step, but we just gotta hope it's not serious and move on.

It's a different game because when he plays he's a focal point of their offense and he gets the ball a lot on the block. They play through him.

It's a pivotal game. Both teams realize it. The tie-breaker is at stake. If we win, it goes to the second tie-breaker, which is conference record, and right now we have an advantage with that. All the players, all the coaches know it's a pivotal game.

I told the team before the game that I really felt our offense would come even though we were missing Michael, and we had to focus on the defensive end of the court to win the game.

It's kind of gone back and forth. His hamstring has been bothering him and this is more of a thigh. What's keeping him out now is the thigh.

It's frustrating to lose. You know, you do what you can. They were hitting their three-point shots tonight (10-of-25) and a lot of them were momentum threes. We need to speed the game up. But I have been disappointed with how they are scoring in transition. Forty-nine points is too many. We have to work on that.

It's up to us. You want to be in position to control your own destiny. You can't ask for anything more than that.

It's unusual. It doesn't happen very often that I can remember. Our bench has been very good and very productive and we count on them. It was a little bit of an anomaly, but it was part of the game tonight.

Everybody seems to want to take away from accomplishments. The fact all five teams made it is a testament to each of those teams. Cleveland and us weren't in the playoffs last year, and the fact we jumped into the playoffs shows you even more about the division.

It's certainly a different feel, and I think it does keep your legs warm. Joe wears it because he had a sleeve on his one knee and just wanted to have the same feel for both legs. I think it's a personal (preference). I can see why guys would want to wear them.

It's hard, as much as Rip was holding and grabbing.

It seemed like when they wanted to turn up their defensive pressure, they did. They challenged a lot of our shots, but during that stretch on the offensive end, we had three or four opportunities that didn't go, and they ran the other way with it. The lead went from four to 12 pretty quickly.

It seemed like when they wanted to turn up their defensive pressure they did.

It was a competitive scrimmage. We still have a long way to go, but it's reassuring that the work we did this week is showing up a little bit.

I want to be aggressive and keep playing. It seemed like we were getting tentative . . . We have to understand the urgency of the little things in the last 3 or 4 minutes of the game.