What They Said!! Grizzlies vs Rockets 1-12-16

POST GAME QUOTES

GRIZZLIES 91, ROCKETS 107

 

GRIZZLIES HEAD COACH DAVE JOERGER

Opening Statement:

“Tough night, we didn’t play hard enough in the first half. We didn’t play with enough pace. At the end of the day the story line is too many turnovers and too many offensive rebounds for them. We talked about turnovers being a big issue. We struggled entering the ball in the post. When they put the ball on the floor in the first half they came and had six guys in the paint and they were doing different things. We are certainly seeing different schemes against our bigs. But the last couple of games it’s been significantly different. So they scored 56 points off of our turnovers and offensive rebounds. It seemed like every time they got an offensive rebound it was a three-pointer and not just a put-back. Guys played hard, especially in the second half. We made more multiple efforts. We can’t keep digging ourselves a hole like we did in the first half. Tonight the ball actually went in for us but they had too many open threes off of broken plays and second chance opportunities. I thought Tony (Allen) did a terrific job on James Harden. I mean he gets 25 but he made it tough. He made some tough shots and that’s what he does. That’s what he is paid to do and he is certainly a good player. Terrence Jones had a nice night. But they’ve got seven guys who hit threes; six out of those seven hit more than one so that’s a tough deal to overcome.”

 

On Jeff Green not playing in the second half:

“Coach’s decision, he was not injured. That’s my decision for various reasons I’m not going to go into. It wasn’t a disciplinary action at all. I just thought that Vince (Carter) was giving us a little bit of a spark. I thought Courtney (Lee) had some fresh legs and I just wanted to go in that direction.”

 

On Marc Gasol getting back to his top form:

“Not quite but he is coming around. It’s been three games where he has been better. We are getting him shots and he’s taking shots. We can do a better job at finding him. Too many times we put it to him in the post and they got reach-arounds. He could’ve got a couple more touches. We’ve got to go a little quicker. When he gets it, he’s got to go a little quicker. We’ve got get it to him a little quicker and a little bit more cleanly and make it a little bit easier for him.”

 

On not having Matt Barnes to guard the perimeter:

“It was certainly difficult. He’s one of our better post entry guys also. Turnovers just killed us, they absolutely just tortured us and Matt is a terrific rebounder as well. He’s very competitive. It was just a multiple effort deal. We didn’t make the second and the third effort. When you get that many shots taken against you, if you’re that team that gets all those shots you feel like, ‘What the heck.’ Then you start letting it fly then all of a sudden Terrence Jones is heating it up from the perimeter.”

 

GRIZZLIES FORWARD TONY ALLEN (17 points, 7 rebounds)

On Rockets taking control at the end of the game:

“They were able to milk one of their bread and butter plays. They went to the 1-2 pick-and-roll. They made the hustle plays down the stretch and like I said earlier today, you can’t let the others beat us. Guys like Terrence Jones, Thornton (Marcus), those guys definitely played a big role in those guys getting a win. We obviously didn’t change, we always want to come in and be a force. But like I say, those other guys, we have to be able to match their intensity and I thought we did a bad job of that down the stretch.”

 

On his defensive performance against James Harden:

“We lost. There isn’t really a grade, we lost. Like I said earlier, it’s not about me and him, it’s about the Grizzlies and the Rockets. Obviously, he had a good game, but overall we took the ‘L’ and they came in and were aggressive and they won.”

 

On upcoming matchup against the Detroit Pistons:

“That’s a team where we got out of there with a win by a buzzer-beater, but we have to play well against those guys. They are coming in young and athletic, they’re pretty good on the perimeter and they move the ball. We just have to come in and try to bounce back and play hard for 48 minutes. We’re going to need everybody collectively buying in on the defensive end and doing what Coach Joerger (Dave) wants us to do offensively.”

 

On improving beyond the arc:

“I’m just working, opportunity is there and I’m taking advantage of it. But, like I said, this isn’t about me, it’s about the Grizzlies and us getting a win and getting on the road so we can collectively come together as a unit and blossom together. It’s not about me.”

 

 

GRIZZLIES FORWARD ZACH RANDOLPH (10 points, 9 rebounds)

On why the Rockets were able to get the win:

“They have one of the best scorers in the league and he took shots. We didn’t do a great job trying to contain offensive rebounds. They’re hitting threes. It’s just one of those games.”

 

On rebounding difference between Grizzlies and Rockets:

“They got rebounds, they got to a lot of balls, offensive rebounds, our turnovers. They’re a good rebounding team and we are too, but they got the best of us tonight.”

 

On facing the Detroit Pistons:

“Detroit’s a good team, a young team with a great coach. They have one of the best young centers in the game in Drummond (Andre). It’s going to be a tough match, we have to be ready.”

 

 

ROCKETS INTERIM HEAD COACH J.B. BICKERSTAFF:

On Terrence Jones:

“If he’s open, he’s going to shoot it. You know T.J. and if he’s open, he’s going to take that shot. Like you said, he works on it every single day. Every day he practices those shots and with him it’s about his confidence, too. If he sees the first one go, next one, now he’s a believer. He’s shooting it with confidence and when you shoot it with confidence you give yourself a better shot.”

 

On tonight’s game:

“They came out to close the second quarter, I think they went on a little bit of a run. Courtney Lee hit the big shot. That can be a momentum changer. Then they come out early and they go on a run and tie the game back up, even took a lead at some point in the third quarter, but our guys didn’t give in. There was opportunities. The crowd got in the game. When some calls didn’t go our way and things of that nature, they went to the free throw line, but our guys didn’t lose their composure. They kept competing and kept playing.”

 

On his team:

“We’re trying to win. I think our guys are in a great spot right now. There’s confidence, there’s belief, there’s togetherness, there’s poise. All those things that we talked about in October are starting to come to fruition and it’s because of the stick-to-it-ness of our guys. They stick with it. Things kept coming, times got hard. We didn’t fracture, we stayed together. We’re starting to see the fruits of it now.”

 

ROCKETS FORWARD TERRENCE JONES (20 POINTS, 4 REBOUNDS)

 On hitting multiple threes tonight:

“It’s because of repetition and confidence. My teammates believe in me to shoot the open three, and I just want to go out there and make us better by doing that. Keeping the floor spread is very important for our offense. To be out there and keep it spread, you’ve got to be able to knock down threes.”

 

On pulling a big defender away from the basket:

“I feel like I’m a spread four, and that I can make plays off the dribble for my teammates and myself. Coach expects me to do that on pick and pops. I felt like I did a good job of that today.”

 

On the physicality of tonight’s game:

“It’s a challenge coming in this building and trying to get a win. We saw that they were coming to fight by battling back and going on runs, so we just wanted to step up to the challenge.”

 

ROCKETS GUARD JAMES HARDEN  (25 POINTS, 5 ASSISTS)

On the offense clicking in the second half:

“I was being a little bit too passive [in the first half], and that was causing turnovers. I was being a little too unselfish, instead of looking for my shot.  I tried to do that in the second half and made some shots.”

 

On everyone contributing in the last few games:

“It makes my job a lot easier. I think guys are getting in rhythm. T.J. (Terrance Jones) did a great job, not only knocking down threes, but doing a good job on Zach Randolph.”