Pat Riley Fourth Quotations

I hated to break up the energy level we had going early in the fourth quarter.

Late in the fourth quarter, everyone hit a critical shot. Tony Parker hit one, Bowen hit a couple and Brent Barry had the one which pretty much was the nail in the coffin.

We just didn't make enough stops in the fourth quarter.

We were hanging on, and we have to give him credit. He just stepped up. He wasn't that mobile, but he did have an effect once he got a little bit warm. He had a great fourth quarter.

We got it done at both ends of the court in that fourth quarter. That's the type of effort we need night in and night out.

We had a great fourth quarter defensively. We did not get into foul trouble early and made some really big defensive plays. They shot the ball extremely well tonight. We were down going into the fourth quarter and really raised the level of our defense.

We have a distinct disadvantage, being the fourth game in five nights. But we're playing good; they're playing good. When it really counts, if things were to remain the same as they are today, and we're successful and they're successful in the playoffs, we wouldn't play 'em when it counts for two more months. Things could change a lot by then.

We had to buckle down, and I thought in the second half, especially in winning time that period in the fourth quarter when we had to make stops, we made some tough spots.

Strange things happen when you think things are at their worst. I thought Gary (Payton) did a great job of running the offense and making some big plays in the fourth quarter. James Posey had timely shots and two big offensive tip-outs. We had other players step up when we had to.

Any time he gets in foul trouble and sits down, that sets him back and sets us back. You have to try to keep him on the floor for normal minutes. But when he gets that third and fourth foul, we get out of rhythm.