Postgame Quotes-vs. Philadelphia

KingKong

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http://www.nba.com/kings/news/Postgame_Quotesvs_Philadelph-136819-58.html

Postgame Quotes-vs. Philadelphia


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Kings Coach Rick Adelman
“What are all these cameras here for, not for me I know that. What’s the deal?”

“This was a good win for us. With (Allen) Iverson and Chris (Webber) on the team, they are a dangerous team and the team was terrific tonight and they played well. All the starters, Mike (Bibby) especially in the fourth quarter, finally got it going. It was a win we had to have before we go on the road to play Detroit and Cleveland, and like I keep saying, we just have to keep winning games, as many as we can, and we have to win the home games especially and this is a big win before the road.”

What was it like to try to devise a game plan to try to stop Webber instead of trying to get him shots?
“I don’t think it was anything to do with that actually. As you may have noticed their offense is centered around Iverson. We watched that game last night and they had like 90 something possessions and he had a part in 55 of them, so Iverson is the guy we are concerned about and we knew what Chris could do certainly. I told the team this morning, it’s all about how we play. It’s not about the trades or the hoopla and everything else. It’s about we need a win and we need to know what they are going to try to do and we knew Iverson was going to attack and he was going to shoot a lot and we knew that the other guy they were going to go to was Chris. So, I knew after seven years what he was going to do and where he was going to be. Fortunately, neither one of them (Iverson or Webber) shot the ball very well so that helped us.”

“The trade was a while back so believe it or not I was more concerned with how we were going to play and how our guys were going to approach the game. We needed to play well as a team. I wasn’t trying to get it over with, I was just trying to be sure we got a win.”


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Brian Skinner:
“It has sentimental value. Anytime you play against a team that trades you, you always want to do well. I didn’t want to rush things, I didn’t want to do too much, I just wanted it to come to me and play off it.”

“He (Thomas) was hitting a lot of open shots. He’s always had that 18-foot jumper. Everybody else was finding him, and he was knocking them down. He can do a lot of things. He drive, put the ball on the floor, he plays the four-position, but he can really play three different positions. He’s just very versatile.”

“It was an emotional game with Chris (Webber) coming back. They fans love him. You see a lot of players that say things about their hometown and fans boo them, but not here. The fans are very passionate about players that have played here in the past. It shows tonight. There was a standing ovation for about five minutes. It was good.”

“I think both times I’ve been in Philadelphia, I’ve learned a little bit about perseverance, commitment, and just striving to be a better player. This past season, it was more of just sitting on the bench and trying to stay in shape and trying to stay mentally focused about every opportunity to play. I’m just jumping up inside a little more because I did that and was committed to doing that, and I guess I did prove the (Sixers) organization wrong in the sense of saying that I can play and that I’m a good player and I can play productive minutes. I play hard and I’m very passionate about the game.”

“I think on the road, we haven’t been consistent, a lot of teams have gotten off to a quick start in the first quarter and we’ve been down and we’ve had to come back from that. Games that we’ve been consistent in and games that we’ve stayed in the first quarter and didn’t let teams make big runs, we’ve won those games. We’re hitting shots now, and we’ve got a lot of guys that contribute in different a lot of different things offensively. We’re starting to play a lot better defensively and we’re just going to try to play more consistently.”


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Kenny Thomas:
“I was just trying to come out with a lot of energy. I know everybody’s been hyping this up, of course. It was his (Webber) first game back. It was going to be a little strange. It was strange for me when I was going to play in Philadelphia for the first game and he (Webber) came out with a lot of energy too and he was knocking down a lot of shots. Overall, our energy was unbelievable. I think this was one of the best games we’ve played since I’ve been here.”

“I went to bed at around 8 o’clock last night so I was really looking forward to it. It was just one of those wins because we were right there in the middle in the playoff run. We needed it bad and we’ve got to win at least all of them out of our next 10. We’re going to go on the road and try and get some more wins.”

“It’s all about where you are in playoffs now. Homecourt advantage, or course, everybody wants that. We’re right there, right behind Dallas. If we just keep winning and keep passing the ball and stuff like that, we’re going to be alright.”

“They’ve got a lot of history here. He (Webber) has been here for about seven or eight years. The fans are great. They cheer for us just as loud as they cheer for him. But it’s over with now and we’ve got to try to get a win over in Detroit.”
 
(contd.)

PHILADELPHIA 76ers

Head Coach Jim O’Brien

“(Iverson) played 40 minutes last night, he played 40 tonight, and sometimes they just don’t fall for you. But I thought we got the ball where we wanted to get it, and sometimes they fell down for us and sometimes they didn’t.”

“It’s hard, our plan was to make sure that we chased their shooters over pick and rolls and over screens. So, if you’re out there that opens up some things for the four and five men. It’s a very difficult order when you’re guarding [Mike] Bibby, [Peja] Stojakovic, and [Cuttino] Mobley. They all shoot the three, all drive, the use their bigs to screen. It’s a tough, tall order to defend that. That’s why they’re second in the league in field goal offense and one of the highest scoring teams in the league.”


Guard Allen Iverson

“I’m just glad everything is over. All of the excitement around the whole thing is over, and you know now he (Chris Webber) can officially get out of Sacramento and make Philly his home. I’m just glad all of it over.”

Was it a little bit draining because of the Laker game the night before?

“That’s not an excuse. This is our profession and we know what we do. We have to prepare ourselves to get it done. That’s not an excuse. It was just a lot of excitement with this game, just because Chris [Webber] came from this team. It was just excitement. Emotions were running high out there and they got the win.”


“They have always been a tough team. They have got great shooters all over the court and they pass the ball real well. They set good screens to get guys open. In the beginning of the game they were kind of hitting their shots, but at the end they were hitting everything.”


Was it ironic for Brian Skinner to get a career high rebounds?

“I don’t think so. I don’t think it was ironic. I know he has it in him. He has the capabilities to do that night in and night out. And if he chooses to do so, that remains to be seen. I told him on the court that he has been playing great with those guys and just to keep it up. I told him he looked real good.”



Forward Kyle Korver

What about Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner?

“They’re playing really well right now. We knew they were big players everyday back in Philly. I’m sure they had a lot of emotions in this game to and they wanted to play well.”



Forward Chris Webber:

“I enjoyed my time and it was great and now it is officially closed and hopefully it won’t come up with as much frequency of how was it here. It was the best time of my professional career and now I’m trying to make this the best time of my professional career.”

“Even though we lost it’s something that you have to deal with. It’s good to be in this locker room now and hopefully me and the little man [Iverson] can make some history.”

“The ovation was great. You can’t do anything to an ovation except sit there. I was definitely humbled; let me say that first of all. I told Korv (Kyle Korver), I feel so stupid right now, I’m so glad you’re standing next to me. It has never happened so I didn’t know what to do. It meant a lot. I was happy about it.”

“I really tried not to focus on this game. You all have got to remember that I’m still friends with these guys, so I talk to them everyday or mostly everyday about everything. I was talking to Mike (Bibby) the other day, he really reminded me, he was like, ‘Thursday you’re going to be here, so I’m going to come pick you up.’ So I was like ‘damn, we are going to play you guys.’ It’s something I’ve tried not to make a big deal about. I want to keep these memories here in Sacramento as the best I’ve ever had. The only way to keep it that way is to not play mind games and ‘think this’ and ‘why that’ and to just enjoy what I had here.”

“It’s disappointing because every time I’ve made a return with another team, we’ve won and so that really hurts. But besides that, I know this team (Sacramento) and I knew what they were going to do before they did it, so it just shows you how talented this team is. But I am glad that it’s over.”


On the emotional impact of this game:

“None of this compares to being traded. After the day of being traded, it’s not a big deal. That’s the biggest deal you can go with. What I mean by ‘not a big deal,’ doesn’t mean you don’t want to come back and don’t want to see those people that love you. What I mean by ‘not a big deal,’ is that there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve known that I’ve been traded. I’ve known that everyday since I left. Like I said, it’s almost like coming in and trying to separate just this day as a different part of my career. I enjoyed my time here. I didn’t want this to be me versus them (the Kings). I wanted to win but it’s going to me and those guys in the (Kings) locker room that I’m going to be friends with when we can’t even walk from all this playing. To think of something negatively or to try and make it something big in your head, I did not want this that way at all. I wanted to come here, win, smile, see the families and the kids, and keep a good memory of Sacramento.”
 
“The ovation was great. You can’t do anything to an ovation except sit there. I was definitely humbled; let me say that first of all. I told Korv (Kyle Korver), I feel so stupid right now, I’m so glad you’re standing next to me. It has never happened so I didn’t know what to do. It meant a lot. I was happy about it.”

aww...:tear: ::sigh::

Im actually glad its over as well...

good lookin out KK
 
I thought I was done crying but I guess not sigh I'd really be bawling if I had actually seen it. I need some of VF's tissues.
 
iheartBrad said:
“The ovation was great. You can’t do anything to an ovation except sit there. I was definitely humbled; let me say that first of all. I told Korv (Kyle Korver), I feel so stupid right now, I’m so glad you’re standing next to me. It has never happened so I didn’t know what to do. It meant a lot. I was happy about it.”

aww...:tear: ::sigh::

Im actually glad its over as well...

good lookin out KK

Dang, I thought I was done crying over this too! Mentioned it in another thread, but in one of the post game quotes Webb said "we could have had a great year." It tore me up inside, because as much as he is moving on, a part of him is still wishing he was a King. Great ovation, great fans, great team, and a great man. Throughout this entire ordeal, I have been so impressed with Webb's handling of the situation. He could have been bitter, he could have blown it off, there's a million ways he could have played the tough guy, but instead he has put his heart on his sleeve, and said over and over how much he loved it here. He is a classy guy.
 
Guard Allen Iverson

“I’m just glad everything is over. All of the excitement around the whole thing is over, and you know now he (Chris Webber) can officially get out of Sacramento and make Philly his home. I’m just glad all of it over.”

Was it a little bit draining because of the Laker game the night before?

“That’s not an excuse. This is our profession and we know what we do. We have to prepare ourselves to get it done. That’s not an excuse. It was just a lot of excitement with this game, just because Chris [Webber] came from this team. It was just excitement. Emotions were running high out there and they got the win.”

Okay, am I the only one who thinks that sounds just a little bitter, a little petulant? I honestly think AI was more than a little miffed about all the attention being given Webber by the fans of his former team. I think it's something AI simply cannot comprehend. Of course, with Philly as the only real fans he's known, maybe I shouldn't be so judgmental.

;)
 
Here's some quotes from Kings.com before game time vs 76ers:

Practice Quotes-03/28/05


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Brian Skinner:
On staying ready even though he wasn't playing in Philly:
“It wasn’t that hard. I worked out 10-12 months out of the year. I told myself that I was going to stay focused and I did that. It’s my job to stay in shape and be ready if the opportunity came. If the coach didn’t put me in, I wanted the reason to be that I played a bad game, not that I wasn’t in shape.”

“I don’t talk too much unless provoked, but that’s about it. I don’t know what’s going to be said tonight, but I have a lot of friends on Philadelphia. You guys are going to be the ones that are going to hype it up, it’s not going to be us. We’re going to go out and play basketball, and the better team is going to win tonight—hopefully it’s us.”

On his thumbs
“They’re sore, it’s the same thing as a sprain, when you sprain your ankle or anything else. It’s sore, but without basketball you can’t have your hands, without your hands you can’t play basketball. It’s anything, catching, holding, pushing off—little things like that. They feel a lot better than the first time I ever did that. You don’t really understand how much you use your hands in basketball with holding, grabbing, pushing, and catching the basketball. How many people are there who don’t have any hands that play basketball?”

On Philadelphia and the media:
“It’s a different area, a different city. There is a lot of competition with the Eagles and everything else. They’re real direct and real blunt—they’ll come out and ask any kind of controversial question trying to find out what you might say and what you might think. You love them sometimes, sometimes you don’t necessarily agree with them, but that’s their job.”


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Kenny Thomas:
“It’s behind me now, I’ve been traded before. I’m just looking forward to playing tonight.”

On Chris Webber returning:
“I don’t even care about that. He’s not here any more, we’re here now. We just got to come out and have a good game and try to get a win.”

Do you still follow Philly?
“Not really. I still talk to a couple of them, but I really haven’t kept a lot of contact.”

Did you watch the Lakers-76ers game on Sunday?
“Nope, it was Easter.”
 
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