What They Said!! Grizzlies at Hornets 12-26-15

POSTGAME QUOTES

Charlotte Hornets vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Charlotte 98, Memphis 92

 

 

 

DAVE JOERGER – GRIZZLIES HEAD COACH

On the game:

“Wasn’t a completely beautiful game to watch, but a very competitive game. Hats off to them, they’ve got a good team with a lot of fight in them, and they’ve got a lot of shot makers. They came out early and made a lot shots, but we weathered the storm. Marc [Gasol] got really aggressive in the second quarter and that was really good for us. First four possessions of the third quarter they scored 12 points and our defense is getting killed by our offense.  Our inability to score the basketball and our turnovers, it seems like they scored on every one of our turnovers. We call them catastrophic turnovers where the other team runs out and has a chance for a layup [off a turnover]. We went 11-21 from the foul line so we kind of did it to ourselves. They got to the line 32 times. When we made it a slow-down game and we were able to put the ball in the post. I thought we were effective. That helped set our defense. Tony Allen was excellent defensively and gave us a big boost. Mike Conley is just trying to make sure ‘you know what it’s not going to be my fault we lose, you can put it on me I’m going to attack and I’m going to try to make every play I can’ and the guy is out there fighting his tail off.”

 

On the challenges of making coaching changes on the fly:

“It’s a tough stretch. Tomorrow is the end of a tough month. We haven’t had a chance to spend a lot of time practicing. We have no offensive identity without playing the two bigs [Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph]. Right now we don’t know what we are offensively. We try to go to it [two bigs lineup] a lot. We are still an inside-out team. Once we made the game more of a physical game, then they didn’t get to run up and down and play free and loose.”

 

MARC GASOL – CENTER

On tonight’s loss:

“I don’t think we executed very well down the stretch and the ball didn’t go in for us. And they [Charlotte] made that three from the top [at the end of the game] and that really put the game in a tough spot for us.”

 

On taking over in the second quarter:

“I tried to get sort of a rhythm offensively, but that didn’t work out very long.”

 

On combatting their ups and downs:

“Try and get consistency. Try to get consistent with it. Try to get a rhythm going and hopefully put in a bunch of good games and a lot of wins and hopefully get over the hump.”

 

ZACH RANDOLPH – FORWARD

On matchup up against Hornets rookie Frank Kaminsky:

“[Frank] Kaminsky is good. That’s how I play; Kaminsky or anybody. He’s a good young player, [Cody] Zeller and other kids. You know he got a lot of game. He work hard and they got a good guy. He work hard, both of them, two young guys.”

 

On coming off the bench:

“I’m adjusting to it more. Just come out and play my hardest, do whatever they want me to do.”

“Whatever we got to do to win games, I’m all in for it. I’m a team guy first and that’s what’s important.

 

 

STEVE CLIFFORD – HORNETS HEAD COACH

On the game:

“The first half we were really totally lucky to be in that game at halftime. It was total fool’s gold. They pounded us as much as you can get dominated physically in an NBA and even be close, but we made so many threes that we were in it. In the second half, those guys did a great job. I know our fours and fives really struggled to rebound at all in the first half. Jeremy Lin, Kemba [Walker] and Nic [Batum] got in there a lot more in the second half. Obviously, Kemba made some huge plays and our defense was really good in the fourth quarter.”

 

On the team’s fastbreak points:

“We’re going to frame this. It’s going to go up in the locker room. We’re going to keep it. Plus we had a huge one, we always talk about wanting to run late. Kemba’s big one when we thought we were up one, but I knew that basket was no good, so really down one, but he got the ball I think with 2:02 left. I was going to take a time out there because you lose one and he just had a head of steam and he beat him to the basket. That was a huge play obviously.”

 

On if Nicolas Batum is worthy of being included in the All-Star discussion:

“I think they [Batum and Walker] both do. I think Kemba has played at an All-Star level most nights also. It’s pretty early I would say, I mean, but I think both of those guys have to be at their positions definitely so far worthy of being included. I haven’t looked at the other guys or anything, but I think they both have played All-Star caliber basketball.”

 

KEMBA WALKER – GUARD

On getting the win after three straight losses:

“It was very important. Nobody likes to lose, especially three straight. We haven’t been playing so well, so we just wanted to come out here with some intensity and try to get back on track.”

 

On his play:

“I think I was just confident. I played very confident tonight. I was a little upset with myself the way I played these last couple of games. I knew I could be better. I wanted to come out here tonight and just get a little better. I was able to make some big plays down the stretch.”

 

On his performance down the stretch:

“I just try to make plays. Nic [Batum] came to me and said they are blitzing it pretty hard and for me to take over. I just wanted to try to make the best plays possible. I’m trying to draw two defenders and find the next guy. I was able to get J [Jeremy] Lin a three. He made a big one. I made some free throws and I got a big basket down the stretch as well. Whatever the defense gives me, I will try to take.”

 

NICOLAS BATUM – GUARD/FORWARD

On how they match up against the Grizzlies:

“Team defense. You can’t match big guy against big guy because they have some of the biggest men in the NBA. Cody [Zeller] and Frank [Kaminsky] did a great job tonight playing defense.”

 

On making three-points shots:

“Because they are big you have to try to move them. We try to drive the ball and kick out. We got a lot of open threes and made them tonigh