Postgame Quotes: Kings vs Hornets
November 30, 2009 by kingsconnect
Head Coach Paul Westphal
“I was glad to see us come out and beat a hot team who has been playing really well. I think that we did it with our defense and rebounding, as well as cutting down on the turnovers. Really, everybody that played gave us a big contribution. It was interesting that they set their whole defense to stop Tyreke (Evans) – your 16th game into your career, that’s quite a tip of the hat to what he’s been doing for us. We had a lot of open players because of that and we found them and knocked the shots down. So it was another good team win and I really like the way we’re playing defense, rebounding and moving the ball.”
“We’ve been finding different ways pretty much every game. Our team is getting to know each other and I think they have confidence in each other. Some nights it’s one guy; another night it’s someone else. It’s really something good happening.”
“Sergio (Rodriguez) has just been playing better and better all the time. For awhile there, we were trying to figure out a way to get him into the game. Lately we’ve been playing two small guards together because Beno (Udrih) has been playing great, and obviously Tyreke has been playing great. So playing two point guards and sometimes three, we’ve done that the last couple of games. As long as we can get the rebound, that’s a great way to play. The way Jason (Thompson), Kenny (Thomas) and (Jon) Brockman were rebounding the ball it let us have that kind of lineup and kind of unleash Sergio. So he’s got that in him. He’s very, very quick and creative; guys love playing with him.”
Tyreke Evans
“I look for the open guys, and if I see the double team then I would kick it out to guys like (Andres) Nocioni, Sergio (Rodriquez) and Donte (Greene) and look for the open pass. It was just going well for us tonight. I said that if we got a “W”, I would be happy.”
On his confidence:
“Chris Paul had a talk with me tonight about my game. A lot of teams are starting to watch a lot of film on me now, so I just need to keep playing the way that I am playing. I need to look for the open guys and just let the rest come to me. I thought about that before the game started.”
Sergio Rodriguez
“Tonight was successful for me and the team. I am really happy and enjoyed playing here tonight. I am very comfortable on the court.”
On how gratifying it is being in Sacramento:
“The most important thing, and what makes me so happy, is when I get to play. That is all that I ask. When I didn’t play a few games ago, it was tough. I knew that when I got in (Coach Westphal) would let me play and that is the whole thing. I am enjoying playing here and I am enjoying playing for him.”
On if he was frustrated not playing:
“Practicing kept me in shape, my mind right and I knew when my opportunity would come I was going to take advantage of it.”
Jon Brockman
“We always have to get our hand on the ball. When everyone crashes like that it forces them to box out more people. When it is one-on-one sometimes things get mixed up, it is a lot easier to get our hands on the ball, get offensive rebounds and as soon as you get a offensive rebound that is when the defense is scattered. I couldn’t find the shooters as you saw, but we had some guys spot up and make some shots.”
On Spencer being out:
“Whenever you have someone out like that, it’s terrible. You can sit and be sad about it, but really the fact of the matter is, people have to step up and we have to find a way to fill his shoes. You can’t exactly fill his shoes the way he does, but you can do it in other ways. Tonight, I think Sergio stepped up huge. You never know whose night it is going to be.”
Hornets Head Coach Jeff Bower
On the defense not getting it done
“We had stretches where we had a really hard time getting their pick and roll under control. A lot of it is due to the speed and quickness of the Kings’ players. (Sergio) Rodriguez was really effective and (Beno) Udrih with his shooting. It was a hard cover for us. They did a real good job keeping the pressure on us.”
On turning the ball over
“There were stretches where our turnovers were the variety that was hard to understand like the ball being thrown away. We would rather they be turnovers of aggression. Tonight we had a couple of them that got away from us. We would like to have those back.”
On playing a confident team
“We watched them score 61 and 59 points in the first half in their last two games. We know they have a lot of confidence playing at home. In order for us to come out of here with a win, we were going to have to keep their pick-and-roll game under control. And we weren’t able to do that.”
Hornet Forward David West
On the Kings’ pick-and-roll offense
“We just couldn’t contain them. We didn’t figure out a way to deal with it. They were turning the corner too fluidly. To their credit, they just stuck with it.”
On the Kings pushing ahead in the second quarter
“I just don’t think we got into a good rhythm. We didn’t play together. We didn’t work the game as a unit. Guys tried to do too much individually.”
On getting back in the third quarter
“We were sharing the ball. Again, we stopped doing it. I thought we worked the ball well. We really attacked them and defensively we were attacking them. We have to change our attitude as far as having more of a team approach to this thing. We can’t start thinking about I, I, I. A team like Sacramento is sharing the ball and everyone is touching the ball and moving it around. Conversely, we are not doing the same. It is something we haven’t been doing the past few games.”
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