Rick Carlisle Guys Quotations

We're finding out more about this group every game. We have a lot of guys that can contribute, but I have to evaluate it based on performance, the rotation, all those things. These (past) three games will be important to look at.

We're still doing a lot of things we wanted to do, but when you don't have three 7-footers out there to go through stuff, it makes it hard. We have to roll with it and hope we can get guys back as quickly as possibly but not rush them back.

We know we are going to have some sluggish stretches here with guys getting back. We're just going to have to fight our way through it.

One of the things we talked about was our need to be more purposeful with our transaction offense. When we take quick, it puts us in a poor position defensively. The guys did a great job of decision-making in transition. Our execution on offense put us in great position to guard and rebound.

One of the things that's real positive with this group is that we can put five guys on the court and run something and be very comfortable with any of those guys taking the shot,

I believe (the new rule is) a luxury rather than have guys making up injuries. If you have a team with a lot of depth, there are certain situations where it's an advantage. Right now we don't have that.

Give the guys credit for hanging in there and gutting it out.

He's here to play, he's here to win, ... His moods are much more affected by winning and losing than anything else. I love having guys like that.

Jamaal plays a big part of our success. We're going to have to deal with it. It's tough. We got guys that can step in. We'll re-evaluate where he's at after three games.

I think the guys rallied behind the fact that we lost (O'Neal). It's important for us to understand what can be accomplished collectively when we share the ball and work at the defensive end.

I thought our guys showed a lot guts, hanging and finding a way to claw back in the game. Jermaine O'Neal was great and we had a lot of other guys who stepped up and played big. We had a chance, we gave ourselves a chance.

Our point guard position was really tremendous, especially in the second half. That's the kind of production we need at all our positions. Let's face it, we're the kind of team right now where we're playing eight guys (Friday). We need six out of eight (players) playing at a high level to beat a team like Sacramento.

I won't know what our health situation is going to be until probably Sunday. We have a couple of days to try to get guys healthier.

That's a tough one, a tough one to lose. It's too bad, the guys really fought hard. If we had gotten a couple more stops the last couple of minutes, it would have been a different story.

We have to hope Pollard is feeling better and we're going to have to depend on guys like David (Harrison) and Austin and Jeff (Foster) to pull through and we're going to have to find scoring as a team. Every team goes through their fair share of problems. We're just going to have to play through this.

We have a lot of confidence in all of our guys. If you have good players you need to use them, because not every team has this kind of depth. If guys play well they stay in the game. It gives us a chance to keep our starters fresh. It was a real key.

We had one of the best practices we've had in the 21/2 years I've been here. Guys really seemed committed to getting better. Little things like that are good signs. You hope it translates to the games, but you never know.

We fought back after a horrendous first half where we really didn't play with much passion and we really showed signs of being a selfish team. That can't be what our team has to be about. We talked about some things at halftime and our guys really came out and fought and earned one of the toughest wins we've gotten all year long.

Yao has been playing great for a long stretch. I thought our guys battled him and did a good job in a lot of areas, but we could have done better as a team. You give up 38, that's a lot.

We felt the like the playoffs are our second chance, and guys played like it really meant something to them. My hat is off to them.

Both of these guys we're bringing in have NBA experience,

There's a feeling that our players are misinterpreted and a little misunderstood because of various factors. Dress would be one of them. As a league, we know we have good people. We have great guys on our team. . . . I feel like what our team did last year (after the brawl) is a much better indicator of the character and quality of people in our league than anything else people might want to surmise in terms of perception.

Things weren't looking great after the first quarter. But our guys hung in there and got two sub-20-point quarters, and that's tough against a team like Sacramento.

The way it happened, there were some guys open for a split second. The timing was just off enough that we couldn't get anything.

Opportunity is available for everybody. I think it's pretty clear that the coaching staff doesn't care who gets the minutes. We have to find guys that are opportunistic, that take advantage when they get a chance and can do it over a period of time. It was great for David to have a great game; now he has to do it again and keep doing it. That's where it's going to get tougher.

Anthony Johnson is a guy you can count on. There are guys on your roster you know are going to be ready to play and take care of themselves and be professional, knowledgeable, they like the game. He is one of those guys who fits that description.

As a staff we have to keep coaching hard and keep getting these guys prepared to play. The games keep coming. That's just the way it is in this league. We're going to fight our way out of this as a group collectively: players, coaches and everybody. Losing streaks are no fun.

You're on a back-to-back, Chicago has been sitting here for three days and you lose Jermaine O'Neal in the first half -- our guys showed a lot of character. It was great.

They are a tough team to play at any time. But from a schedule standpoint, our fourth (game) in five nights, it's really tough. That on top of the fact that we shot poorly in the first half, and we're without some key guys made it tougher.

It's about winning games, and right now, we have to focus in on the guys we have and doing our best possible job at playing at a high level to give ourselves a chance to win.

It's about learning the league, learning the guys he's playing against, what their tendencies are and what their strengths are because those are important things to defend well, ... We have a system of defense that's solid and he's in the process of learning that. For him, he's an experienced enough player and certainly has a high enough basketball IQ that he can pick it up quickly.

It made it an extra challenge because guys coming back needed the reps. The schedule is what it is. We're about to go through another stretch after this two-day break.

Considering the circumstances, I was happy with our competitive spirit out there. We had a lot of guys that played hard.

It's clear off the last few games that he's a difference maker for us. I'm not going to look to play three guys just to play three guys. I'm going to look to try to have a rotation where guys can be comfortable. But you have to be accountable and play your minutes hard. Otherwise there are good players behind you; that's the fact. Our point position hasn't been this strong in a long time. It's good news for us.

It's critical, let's face it. We're in a must-win situation almost every night. We have to win games. I just thought the guys came together as a team and did some really great things. It's important to be a playoff team. We've got a string of years we need to keep going.

It seemed like we were throwing it to the guys in orange the entire first half. We were (lazy) with the ball and on defense and they were able to build a double-digit lead. Second half, we were able to buckle down, get some stops, get the lead, and hold on for a much-needed win.

It was a deceptive final score. It was obviously a very difficult game. Our bench struggled, but the guys that started held it together. Anthony Johnson played just a tremendous all around game. He's really playing at a high level right now. He is getting the job done, simply as that.

Anytime you're on a losing streak you want to get out of it. As we found out last year, they're no fun. They never are. You have to fight your way out of it as a team. I thought the guys really did that by playing together.

That's an unbelievable streak. It shows how those guys work to take care of themselves and why they have the best record in the league.

I know it's hurting him. A lot of guys wouldn't play through this. He hasn't missed a game because of his hand. There's been times where it's swollen up like a balloon. You have to give him a lot of credit for wanting to help the team.

It helps to have him available because of how it changes things on the offensive end for us. They're going to have to guard him wherever he is on the floor. Defensively, it makes it hard on him because he's guarding guys who are quick. We're going to have to have a lot of help ready.

He's a professional. He doesn't say much; he just works and wants to win. He wants to play the game the right way and wants to be a part of a successful team. Those are the type of guys you love to have.

The injuries are disappointing, but I'm not dismayed about it because we don't have anything that's really severe, and guys are getting better.

These guys aren't coming out of nowhere anymore. People know who the good people are, what teams they're on, what their contract situations are.

This has been tough for him. He's been out of the rotation the last couple of weeks. He keeps working and keeps himself ready to play. Guys like him, you don't worry about.

A.J. again was terrific. A lot of guys did good things. We need to have five or six guys play at high level to win, whether we are at home or on the road.

The guys got together and decided to make a stand. If we hadn't won three straight games, we could easily be out of the playoff picture.

You've got to have character to bounce back from a disappointing night like last night. You've got to have character and poise to withstand a furious run in a very loud building. You've just got to keep your boots strapped up and keep playing. Our guys did that and they earned the win.