Doc Rivers Defense Quotations

It is nice when you are a scorer like Ricky and you can make a contribution in another way besides scoring. That first quarter might have been the worst defense we played all season, but they turned it around with the way (Davis and Pierce) played in the fourth quarter.

We played really hard tonight and I thought our defense was phenomenal. On most nights it would have been enough to win.

We never had any rhythm. In the second half the defense was much better and we cut into it a little bit. But when you spot a team (19) points, and that team has Kobe, you know eventually during your run that he is going to make a shot.

The defense in the second half was phenomenal. They switched. They talked. They communicated. That was absolutely incredible.

If you're not talking, you're not playing defense

If you're a great defensive player, you're a great defensive player 100% of the time. You can't be a great defensive player half of the time because you didn't get the ball once or twice. That can't sidetrack you. It's got to be 'I live for my defense, and my offense I'll get. But I can't let it affect my defense. Nothing affects my defense.'

The defense was good for the most part all night. I thought early on, Chris Paul, that was the game plan, just try to get the ball out of his hands and make somebody else make plays.

Even if we got it up court, we wouldn't have gotten a good shot off. It's a tough loss. The game felt like the last team who had the ball was going to score. Nobody was playing defense on either team.

It's a tough loss. The game felt like the team who had the ball last was going to score. Nobody was playing defense on either team. I guess that's what people want to watch. I don't.

Their defense really bothered us. Paul had to work way too hard to get his offense. I thought it took a toll on him.