Rick Carlisle Fact Quotations

I would believe the concerns for a loved one in the stands and the fact he just went up to see if everything was OK would be a mitigating circumstance. It would be a scary situation if you had concerns for a wife or child in the stands. I can understand why he went up there.

I'd like to keep him in the mid-20s if there's any way possible to do that, because that gives him enough energy to really pursue the ball and finish off plays on the inside. I thought the fact that we had to play him 37 minutes the other night in Houston had an effect on that one play late where he got to the rim, but couldn't quite get it in.

I think the guys rallied behind the fact that we lost (O'Neal). It's important for us to understand what can be accomplished collectively when we share the ball and work at the defensive end.

Our undoing was the fact we're not playing 48 minutes at home at a high level. That's got to change.

You do learn a lot about hanging in there. You learn about hard times and the fact that character is often identified in the hardest of times.

They are a tough team to play at any time. But from a schedule standpoint, our fourth (game) in five nights, it's really tough. That on top of the fact that we shot poorly in the first half, and we're without some key guys made it tougher.

I've got confidence in young players who work hard. I'm more impressed with the fact he started slowly and came back and played well. You always want to see how a young guy comes back from an adverse situation.