Postgame Quotes-vs. Denver

KingKong

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http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Postgame_Quotesvs_Denver-128353-58.html

Postgame Quotes-vs. Denver

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Kings Coach Rick Adelman
“I really thought that was a terrific win with everything that’s gone on and people out and having nine people. Kevin and Maurice were terrific tonight and everybody who played gave us the lift and it was just a great win.”

“It was a really tough situation and it came up really quickly on Monday and it was just mixed feelings, we talked it through and we felt it was the right thing to do going forward for out team. Friday was a tough one for me, since the time Doug has been here we’ve won 65% of our games and he has been a huge part of that in the last 4 ½ years. He’s a coach’s dream. Everyday I knew what I was going to get from him; game, practice, meeting, tape—it didn’t matter so it was a really hard day to make that decision to move him. But you hope it’s going to be the right thing—that Cuttino (Mobley) is going to give us the scoring there that we haven’t had. One thing I think he can do is break people down off the dribble and create situations for us that no one else can do.


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Peja Stojakovic
“It was a great win. We found out last night that the team traded Doug. It was emotional, especially this morning at practice. So it was a great team effort tonight. It looked kind of strange at warm-up, we only had nine guys. As the game progressed, we kind of got better. We started moving the ball. I think our zone was the key. I think they [Denver] had good shooters, but they couldn’t find a way to break up our zone. So I think that was the key tonight."

On the atmosphere of the game tonight with Doug gone:
“It was very quiet. I really couldn’t believe it, especially when I heard it last night. I went to Doug’s house last night. We understand that it’s a business and that we are professionals and tomorrow it could be me. I can only say that Doug is a great person. He was one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. I learned a lot from him, being here for five years. I can only tell him to keep playing hard and wish him all the best, and wish his family all the best. He was just a great person.”

“It was around eight O’clock when I heard it. I went to see him and it was really emotional. I didn’t know what to say to him. I just tried to encourage him. He understands it, and that’s the NBA. But it’s weird, when you play with a guy for five years and we’ve been through a lot of good and bad things.”


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Maurice Evans
“The game could have been a little closer than what it could have been had we not hit our shots. That’s part of the game, we make some and we miss some.”

“We stepped up our aggressiveness. We tried to rebound and tried to defend and just try to play together. We got great looks at the basket. We didn’t shoot a great percentage and we missed free throws tonight. But for the most part we were focused and we were able to get the victory and that’s what’s important.”

“It’s mentally tougher not to play than not to play. You come into every situation with the highest expectation. So I came in here expecting this role and I’m grateful and appreciative that they allow me to help this team and allow me to play and they believe in me.”

“Doug was a very experienced player, a great locker room guy, and very effective. He was one of the guys you can really learn a lot from because he’s got so many tricks, he’s been doing it for so long and he’s so willing to share his basketball knowledge with you.”




Denver Nuggets
Michael Cooper
“We should have beaten them. It was a situation where they didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves. Turning the ball over, not boxing out, and all the other little things. We were up on them in fast-break points, we out rebounded them, we out-assisted them, but again you have 19 turnovers and that’s not going to win any games.”

“No, it’s not frustrating, I just feel for the guys because I see them playing so hard. Again it’s just the little things. It’s going to take time for things to come. This is still a new venture. We’ve only had four practices in about six or seven games.”

Were you surprised to be down only three in the last few minutes of the game?
“I wasn’t surprised because we’re a very good ball club. We just didn’t have enough second shots. I think they had 21 points in second shots and that’s way too many. If we just handle or business in that area we will give ourselves a better chance to win. Right now we’re not doing all the little things that it takes for champoinship teams to win.”

Marcus Camby
“ It doesn’t really matter who they have out there. We just have to grinding and there’s another game tomarrow so hopefully we can get over the hump and get a win.”

“Greg (Buckner) played well today. He came in there and he cut the basket. He does all the little things that we missed on the last couple of weeks.”

“We had a good start tonight and we let them back in the ball game and they hit a bunch of threes and we dug ourselves a little hole. I think we were down 11 to start the fourth and when you spot a good shooting team like that (The Kings) 11 points it’s pretty tough to overcome.”

Carmelo Anthony
“We look at a lot of games that we lost we should’ve won. Right now we can’t reflect on that. We just have to figure out as a whole how to win games. The last couple of games we’ve cutting the leads to two points and they other team has just been taking it away. Any loss is frustrating, especially on the road.”

“All I can do is keep shooting. A slump is a slump and I’ve been in one before. I’ve got out of it so all I can do is keep doing what I’m doing, keep playing and hopefully get on the winning roll.”
 
The Inside Dish-vs. Denver

http://www.nba.com/kings/news/The_Inside_Dishvs_Denver-128352-58.html

The Inside Dish-vs. Denver
by Devin Blankenship | January 11, 2005 | Kings vs. Denver


Bench Play…
This is going to sound really egotistical, but hey, you only live once.

I don’t want to say I told you so, but I told you so. Actually, that felt really good, I guess I did want to say it.

Back at the beginning of the season, pundits remarked how the Kings bench was SO much weaker than it had been in years past and that the team would suffer for it. I, on the other hand, felt that it was more of a problem with Rick Adelman understandably not feeling comfortable with his new roster, and that it would take time for the new guys to figure things out.

Well, after Tuesday’s performance in which the Kings bench basically carried the team to a victory over the Denver Nuggets, no longer are the non-starting five getting no respect—you could in essence say that they have figured things out.

Already shorthanded thanks to the Doug Christie trade, and without Chris Webber due to a sore knee, the Kings bench players—Maurice Evans, Darius Songaila, Kevin Martin, Greg Ostertag, and Matt Barnes—equaled their deep counterparts from the Rocky Mountains and continued to open peoples’ eyes.

Evans and Martin in particular bring athleticism and quickness that the team hasn’t had for awhile. Maurice has really been impressive, and has almost single-handedly raised Mike Bibby’s per game assist total thanks to the two to three alley-oop dunks he gets every night. He is sort of a mini-Cedric Ceballos around the basket—gobbling up offensive rebounds and getting easy putbacks. If he is near the basket with the ball, the defender has almost no shot of stopping him.

Now add to the mix Eddie House, who saw his first action in a Kings’ uni against Denver, and all of a sudden the Kings once again become one of the deeper teams in the league.

It’s funny how quickly things change.

Retro Night…
Get ready for the baby blues!

The Kings first retro night of the season is coming up, and this season the Kings are going to wear the same blue jersey’s that the team wore when they first came to Sacramento, in honor of the team’s 20-year anniversary.

It’ll be like Reggie Theus and Mark Olberding taking the court again in all their glory…er, well, it’ll at least look cool.

Random Thoughts…

My favorite Doug Christie moment will always be the time Darius Songaila danced for Chris Webber last season at the practice facility. Some of the vets wanted to surprise Webber for his birthday, so they kicked the media out and placed Darius in Spandex and a dog collar and paraded him out onto the playing floor to an unsuspecting CWebb. The whole thing was hilarious, and guys were rolling on the floor laughing. Doug Christie in particular came running into the training room with tears streaming down his eyes, and yelled, “I love this team!” Enough said. (I wish I was there for that)
* Mike Bibby is a warrior. He returned after spraining his ankle in early in the fourth quarter and helped end a 9-0 Nuggets run that started when he left the floor.

* I just can’t get over the way Evans finishes at the basket. He is such a good athlete and is so graceful and quick around the goal, he reminds me somewhat of a young Vince Carter. If he can develop the rest of his game as Carter has, watch out.

* The Kings have been struggling lately at the free throw line. They are usually one of the best in the league from the charity stripe, but missed 13 of 41 attempts against the Nuggets.

* One more thing on the Doug Christie trade: I know that there are a lot of heart-broken people who hate to see Doug go. He really is a class act. But you also have to think with your head, and the trade made too much sense for the Kings. Geoff Petrie is the best in the business, and there is a reason the Kings are as good as they are—because of Geoff's moves. There was a similar outcry when Petrie decided to draft an unknown European player in the late 90's, with people questioning his sanity. That player ended up being Peja Stojakovic. Fans sometimes need to realize that players and teams can't and don't last together forever. Success is always fleeting, and in order to stay at the top of the game you need to be proactive, which is what the Kings organization is great at doing.


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Peja Stojakovic
Peja stepped it up with the team shorthanded, scoring 27 points in 40 minutes.

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“It’s mentally tougher not to play than not to play. You come into every situation with the highest expectation. So I came in here expecting this role and I’m grateful and appreciative that they allow me to help this team and allow me to play and they believe in me.”
-Maurice Evans

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Brad Miller’s bounce pass to Maurice Evans resulted in a high-flying lay up with two minutes to go to give the Kings a nice seven-point lead.

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Free Thows: Sacramento 28-41, Denver 22-29



 
Last edited:
KingKong said:
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Postgame_Quotesvs_Denver-128353-58.html

Postgame Quotes-vs. Denver

Kings Coach Rick Adelman
“It was a really tough situation and it came up really quickly on Monday and it was just mixed feelings, we talked it through and we felt it was the right thing to do going forward for out team. Friday was a tough one for me, since the time Doug has been here we’ve won 65% of our games and he has been a huge part of that in the last 4 ½ years. He’s a coach’s dream. Everyday I knew what I was going to get from him; game, practice, meeting, tape—it didn’t matter so it was a really hard day to make that decision to move him."


Peja Stojakovic
On the atmosphere of the game tonight with Doug gone:
“It was very quiet. I really couldn’t believe it, especially when I heard it last night. I went to Doug’s house last night. We understand that it’s a business and that we are professionals and tomorrow it could be me. I can only say that Doug is a great person. He was one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. I learned a lot from him, being here for five years. I can only tell him to keep playing hard and wish him all the best, and wish his family all the best. He was just a great person.”

“It was around eight O’clock when I heard it. I went to see him and it was really emotional. I didn’t know what to say to him. I just tried to encourage him. He understands it, and that’s the NBA. But it’s weird, when you play with a guy for five years and we’ve been through a lot of good and bad things.”

Thanks for the quotes.... I've wanted to know how the team felt, and it's great to know these tidbits.

Sorry, I still can't get over it... I mean, I know there's no such thing as forever in the NBA as far as players and teams go, but it still feels kind of surreal. :sniff:
 
KingKong said:
http://www.nba.com/kings/news/The_Inside_Dishvs_Denver-128352-58.html
My favorite Doug Christie moment will always be the time Darius Songaila danced for Chris Webber last season at the practice facility. Some of the vets wanted to surprise Webber for his birthday, so they kicked the media out and placed Darius in Spandex and a dog collar and paraded him out onto the playing floor to an unsuspecting CWebb. The whole thing was hilarious, and guys were rolling on the floor laughing. Doug Christie in particular came running into the training room with tears streaming down his eyes, and yelled, “I love this team!” Enough said. (I wish I was there for that)

Yeah when I heard about that, couldn't help wishing I was there for it! Ha!

And yup, :sniff: I love this team, too!!! :sniff: Heaps and heaps and heaps! :sniff:
 
KingKong said:
Denver Nuggets
Michael Cooper
“We should have beaten them. It was a situation where they didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves. Turning the ball over, not boxing out, and all the other little things. We were up on them in fast-break points, we out rebounded them, we out-assisted them, but again you have 19 turnovers and that’s not going to win any games.”

“No, it’s not frustrating, I just feel for the guys because I see them playing so hard. Again it’s just the little things. It’s going to take time for things to come. This is still a new venture. We’ve only had four practices in about six or seven games.”

Were you surprised to be down only three in the last few minutes of the game?
“I wasn’t surprised because we’re a very good ball club. We just didn’t have enough second shots. I think they had 21 points in second shots and that’s way too many. If we just handle or business in that area we will give ourselves a better chance to win. Right now we’re not doing all the little things that it takes for champoinship teams to win.”

This statement just irritates me. Basically he blames his loss on them making mistakes and being unlucky and making excuses. It wouldn't hurt him to give a depleted Kings team a little praise for stepping it up. We beat them fair and square and we had a lot of adjustments to make in last 24 hours.

Maybe it's just me.
 
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