Maurice Cheeks Game Quotations

We know how these games are. We've been on the other side. We had games we thought we won, and the other team came back. San Antonio had the game won.

He had some flu-like symptoms last night. He just came to the game and felt OK to play. It got worse.

We've been there, where we've been up 18 or 19 points. We've been there, where we've been up seven or eight points with two minutes to go in the game. So we've been in a lot of situations where we know the game could turn around. We had plays that turned the game around for us.

I thought our guys played well. It was a young group. When you throw a young group against a veteran group, you may be able to win a game like that. A veteran group is going to use their brain a little bit, and that's what they did.

It is a tough way to start the game when you put yourself in a hole against a team like the Mavericks. The pressure bothered us a little.

Steven has taken advantage of the opportunity, and that's what this game is about.

We need one. We're entitled to one, I think. We've been going down to the wire a lot of games. Sometimes it feels good for the players and myself to play a game where you don't have to worry about somebody getting an offensive rebound or making a last-second shot to win a basketball game. For us, we needed that.

We had a lot of guys step up when (Iverson) went out. This was not a game of stats. This was about our guys going out there and just trying to play. Everyone had a part in winning this game.

We didn't drive the ball like we did in the first half. We shot all jump shots and that allowed them back in the game and eventually win the game because we didn't continue doing the things we were doing.

We can?t rely on going home. We have to start building ourselves a little momentum -- take it one step at a time and take it one game at a time.

This was a heck of a win. Everyone fought hard for us all game. This game was a prime example of a team effort to not lose a game.

When you have two 7-footers in the game like that, it does a lot for your defense.

We just had a very brief meeting, and we realize that we have to win (tonight) against Boston and it?s tied up again and realizing we?re going to Chicago. So ..I think everyone still feels like we?re there. We just have to win the game against Boston.

Us coming off back to backs and playing a team that gets out and runs was going to be a challenge for us. I'm not totally upset about this game. We knew it was going to be a tough game just based on the way they play.

Coming into a building like this, playing a very good basketball team like this, you know if you get up 20 points they're going to make a run. They had a chance at the end. But our attention to detail was big, from the first minute of the game to the last minute.

Down in the stretch of the game when we needed points, that's what they did. That's what they have to do.

Everything we did tonight was energized by Allen not being there. We knew we had to raise our game on the offensive and the defensive end.

Sometimes, when you play in a game of this magnitude, it can wear on you a little bit. I don?t think the guys came out there intentionally to be a step slower. I thought our effort was pretty good. They were just better.

No, we lost four of five games and it didn't matter who it was. We had to win a basketball game and it so happened to be against Portland.

That part of the game is better than the overall game. We'd like our defense to get better for 48 minutes. But I think as the game unfolds and when another team needs a basket, I think our defense gets a little bit better. Certainly if you're going to win games, it has to be better down the stretch.

That's how we got back in the game. We didn't let them get offensive rebounds and we got some turnovers.

That one hurts. It hurts because we fought our game. We were fighting up hill all game and we finally get it and we are up one, ball out on the side and we gave up a lay-up. I don't mind getting beat, shooting a jump shot, but we gave up a lay-up.

That game was a prime example of a team effort and a team really trying not to lose a basketball game.

That game is embarrassing for me and embarrassing for the players.

This game was a quality game for us because Memphis is a quality team. The other night I challenged our team on the defensive end and our defense was great tonight.

They knew we played an overtime game last night. They came out pushing the ball and running the floor to keep us on our heels. That game was embarrassing for me and it was embarrassing for the players. It was an embarrassing loss.

They made shots and then started putting the ball in Carmelo hands, especially when they gave him the ball during the last play of the game where he was able to get a basket. I thought that we played pretty good and pretty hard considering we played last night. Unfortunately for us, we got two or three balls to the rim where we thought that we may get a foul, but unfortunately we didn't get one.

They opened the game up with some threes. I think it was a five-point game, we had two foul shots, we had a missed dunk, and it opened up after that.

They don't usually push that type of tempo for 48 minutes, but they did to have us expend some energy. We got back in the game a little bit, but never really threatened enough to have a chance.

It's a shame that we lose a game like that after having to make a comeback like that.

It?s not over yet, and we and I will keep going and see if we can put that unit together and get enough guys to win a game tomorrow night against Boston and then go into Chicago and win on Saturday.

It's great for us to win a game like this. Understanding the game is not over when we were down really paid off for us.

It's something we talked about in this new season; to do different things in terms of being a leader out on the floor. That means sharing the basketball and taking over the game when he has to. These three games, he has been phenomenal.

Everyone had to raise their game a little higher and I thought everyone did.

They just controlling the game and our defense was not that good. Everyone that we had out on the floor was not playing defense. I tried to insert some guys that were going to give us a little energy, give us a little defense and they turned the game around. Those guys that I put in there helped us get back in the game. Everyone that came in the game had a part in the victory.

Once he got his rhythm, he was back doing the things that he normally does. The impact he has on the game itself is unreal.

I'm very anxious to see how he plays. I don't have any second-guessing that he will not play the same. He's been very good at the things he's been doing - driving the ball, running the team. I'm very interested to see him out there in a game situation.

I knew it was gonna be a tough game. The essence of that game was that they played harder than we did. ... It was our first quarter and third quarter that put us in the hole.

If there's anything wrong with him at all, I'd rather him sit out and play in a regular-season game than a preseason one, ... But I think guys need to get a game or two under their belt to get ready for the regular season. It's not (that) they have to, but I'd like to see it.

He throws the long pass. He didn't panic. Those teams and guys like that understand about playing the game and not hurrying.

Come on, the game was much more important for us than for them. We came out and defended and got out early, and that was the game, really.

Andre gets in foul trouble, wasn't able to play a lot of minutes, Johnny and Kyle come in and do a very nice job, and then Andre comes back in at the end of the game and defends Tracy (McGrady) extremely well.

The game was such a seesaw game. We were down 16 points and it didn't look like we had a chance of getting back in the game, and then things started transpiring. ... Hopefully we can build off that (today) and let the emotion from that game just carry us throughout.

The game was much more important for us than them, but we just came out, we defended, we got out early. That was the game, really. We defended, we rebounded the basketball. Really it was taking away the transition baskets and our attention to detail.

The game was much more important for us than it was for them. We got out early and defended. They got some transition baskets, but for the most part, our defense was good.