Damon Jones Quotations

When I got to the league, I learned and looked up to guys who had long-lasting careers because they didn't partake in alcohol. I'd say it's very rare (for an NBA player), but I'm already high on life and I enjoy living, so I don't need any extra additives.

My focus is always going to be on basketball. That's No. 1 goal, my No. 1 job. That's how I feed my family. And anything else, I'm going to take it in stride and I deal with it when it comes about.

If we execute and share the basketball and move bodies, then we are a tough team to defend because we have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things on the offensive end. Defensively, we turned it up and held them to one shot, and because of it, we got momentum.

I don't have a 7-foot, 300-pound guy on my (butt) telling me if I don't hit a shot he's going to send me to Siberia.

I am fully aware of the false accusations that have been made against me. When the investigation is over, I feel like I will be vindicated of all charges.

I am fully aware of the false accusations that have been made against me. I've been very cooperative with the Westlake police and their investigation of this whole matter.

But we had to play well to get those leads. That's what we have to keep building on. That's the way we're going to have to play in the playoffs.

He understands that being a great player comes down to how you can help your team win games. That's what his focus is right now. He's not worried about MVP or anything like that. He's just trying to help his team win games.

He (Mourning) came in there in that fourth quarter for about a four or five minute stretch where his intensity and his energy were more hurtful than anything. Not only did it energize the crowd, but it energized the other players on his team.

There is no competition between me and Eric Snow. We're working together to win basketball games. The only thing that matters is that after each game the Cleveland Cavaliers will have won and the other team loses.

Right now, that's the best we can do. We just want to do the best job we can to stay in that position, not to be content with only being in that spot, but taking our game to another level, because playoff basketball is totally different.

It does wonders for us because he's not only making plays for others, but he's also in attack mode from one end to the other.

We were able to get out in transition and share the ball extremely well.

When I first came to Cleveland, everyone said I would add shooting to the mix. I missed my first five shots (Thursday), so I had to get the crowd into it the best way I can. So I had to pull out my Harlem Globetrotters tricks and hopefully I can swing the fans back in my favor knowing that I can make shots.

This was a great game to watch and definitely a great game to play in. I like my teammate first, but I love to watch D-Wade perform. Both guys are going to be the face of this league for a long time.

When the game is on the line we have a lot of guys who can make plays and get us over the hump. (Charlotte) was a great test for us. I'm not glad it happened the way it did, but for us to be able to overcome a game like that is going to help us down the road. It let us know we can't take anything for granted.

We've been like that all season long ? very inconsistent.

This was playoffs personified. This felt like the Eastern Conference Finals last year (with Miami).

You have to give credit to Dallas, they came up with a great game plan in the second half to speed the game up and get the momentum down in there place. They came in here and tried to do the same thing, but because we learned from our prior mistakes. We were able to move the basketball and get some good looks.

We're very confident. We feel like if we do the necessary things for as close to 48 minutes as possible, we can beat anybody.

The whole time I said that I was innocent. I knew there was an investigation that had to happen and I respect that process. I was fully cooperative and I'm just glad it's over.

Definitely, we're relieved. When we first started hearing about his discomfort we were all kind of worried. But the doctors did a great job of finding the problem and getting on top of it.

That's what myself and Donyell were brought here to do ? create space for (James). We were able to make shots and open the floodgates up. He was able to get to the basket and was able to make plays for Z on the inside. It was a total team effort.

It's no pressure at all. I think I'm one of the top five shooters in the world. I love to shoot the basketball. I work on my shot a lot.

The offense is wide open. (Former coach) Larry Brown wasn't too fond of the 3-point shot. Flip wants his guys to do what they do best. They have a lot of freedom out there. They are playing with a lot of confidence and not looking over their shoulders.

That routine was when I was getting 10-15 shots a night. That isn't the case anymore. So I need to make sure I'm ready to take advantage of my chances.

It's win or go home. If you think you've arrived as a basketball team just because you make the playoffs, you tend to come out a little lackadaisical. We can't take anything for granted ? not one game, one quarter, one play, one possession, one minute, one second. We're not taking anything for granted.

That's a long time ago, the Black Hills days. I know the atmosphere is going to be great this year in the playoffs because these fans have waited a long time. They deserve some excitement.

I hope they appreciated me. We both enjoyed each other. They were great fans.

If you're going to boo, then boo. Don't be fair-weather fans. I'd rather not be applauded anymore.

I never thought I'd get booed here. Anything is possible. I hope not. You never know how they perceive the reason why I left. I'm not even nervous about the actual game. When I check into the game, I'm worried about their reaction.

His intensity hurt us more than anything. Not only did it energize the crowd, but it energized the other players on his team.

Hopefully, the critics will get off (James') back now. It was good for it to happen now going into the playoffs.

He's an inspiration on and off the floor, the way he carries himself. He's been a professional all year long. He's been (criticized), even though he's scoring 30-some points a night, people are still not satisfied. Because of it, he's prepared his team for the playoffs. I want to see what the kid is capable of.

Game, set, match, I knew it was over.

He blamed the struggles of this team on me. He told me that I know better because I've been there before and I've been on good teams and I should be passing along the way we approached games last year.

You can't take him (James) on full court because he's an aggressive driver and you can't sag off him because then he'll hit his jumper. You have to pick your poison.

All I was saying was to guard Randolph like he guards you. And from then on he was on another planet.

The marquee guy is going to get the majority of the accolades and the majority of the press coverage. Because of it, some guys get overlooked for some special things that they do, but that's the nature of athletics. If you're in it for the publicity, you're in it for the wrong reason.