Mike Dunleavy Quotations

We started out good. We started out doing what we wanted to do. Then we got soft. Our bench came in and was soft.

We're better than we've been since I've been here, but we're also more disappointed, because we have the talent to be over .500. You just have to stick with it and fight through it. Who knows how good this team can be or where we'll finish up?

We've said this a bunch this season ... but we really played the game well and came up a rebound or two short. If we can move on from this and build, then it's a good thing.

When you come head-to-head with those kind of teams and beat them, then you get the feeling that you can take yourself up a couple of notches on the totem pole. Right now, I think we're a team that can make the playoffs if we stay healthy and continue to play the type of basketball we're playing.

I was really worried about this game, obviously, playing a team that has not won yet, ... I knew they were going to come out and play hard. They gave a great effort and the longer you let them stay around, hang around, the more confidence builds, the more opportunity they have to win.

I don't even know if he has anything he's lacking.

I'd like to win every game left. If we do that, we'll be playing at an extremely high level going into the playoffs.

I don't know of a player who has had bigger (improvement) from rookie to second to third year. He's much more than I ever expected.

But we haven't played any of the elite teams,

He's had a great year. His all-around game has improved. Offensively, he's got the low-post game. He's very explosive off the dribble. He's a good finisher. I think his outside shooting is getting better all the time. . . . He's so young, he'll continue to get better and better each year (in the playoffs) with experience.

We talked about the ways we're going to use him and how he'll fit in,

He's got ice water in his veins. He just comes in and makes big plays.

He's got ice water in his veins. He comes in and makes plays. We set it up for him and he knocks it down.

He's got to be able to show that he can counteract his (5-9) size with his speed and quickness, make plays, not turn the ball over and make open shots. And then, defensively, he has to use his speed and quickness to harass guys, make them use the clock, as opposed to getting in a position where the post him up.

I think it's a great opportunity for both players. We were looking for another dimension, a guy who could go out and stroke the ball. And this will give us an opportunity to play a different style, or change it up in certain games and match up better against certain teams.

I thought our guys came out and gave a good effort defensively tonight. These guys were playing great coming in and to hold them to 36 percent (shooting) is a good thing.

Our guys played great in overtime along with at the end of regulation to get back into it. We made them miss in overtime and our execution in overtime was tremendous.

Our coaching staff did do a great job. We knew that play was coming.

I was getting ready to take him out anyway, because we've got to play again tomorrow night. So maybe it was better for him to get his frustrations out that way.

I was getting ready to take him out anyway.

I think I'm coming along well, ... I got off to a rocky start early on. There were a lot of expectations, and they already had a bunch of players at my position. Through that, I've persevered, and I'm well on my way. I'm pleased with where I'm at and where I'm headed.

I thought I could bring something different to the table. Having that firepower off the bench is great. We're starting to get our fire back and getting a little bit of an identity.

That would be nice. But I've come to realize that might not happen. I'm just going to be ready. You've got to be ready for the ball, you've got to make cuts, you've got to find other ways to score, put points on the board, make the team better. If I don't get plays called for me, I'll figure something else out.

That's what I get for showing our guys a film of how good we were defensively last night (at Houston). We started out good, then we got soft. Our bench came in and was soft. A team that loses eight games in a row is going to come out fighting for their lives. That message was delivered, and we didn't respond.

I wasn't pleased with the way we started tonight. I don't know if it was a hangover from the road trip, but in the second half, the guys came out and played much harder and did a good job. We had a hot hand with Elton Brand and we just rode it.

Who cares? It's not an issue from our standpoint. It's getting to the playoffs and moving forward. That's what it's all about.

We could never get it straight to what we were trying to get to. It was a combination. Our guards were getting hung up on the pick. They definitely burned us on it.

To let (Sacramento) shoot 55 percent in the game and still be as close as we were was amazing in itself. We came down at the end of the game and executed pretty well for ourselves, but they had the extra possession.

Troy, he was huge tonight. When he hits those shots, we're almost impossible to guard, because he spreads the court out so well.

You know he's going to shoot 50 percent and if he catches the ball in deep, he's going to take care of business. Plus, he's a good defender, as well. He plays the total game.

We came, we blocked, we attacked. The shots we gave up weren't high-percentage shots.

We haven't double-teamed as much against a lot of teams. Therefore, what we do is try and keep people in front of us. And if we do a good job of it, the field goal percentage is down.

We didn't really post him up. We just tried to put him in an isolation situation and let him make the play, and I thought he was awesome with it.

Yaroslav is a very skilled player and has a great feel for the game. I think having him here to learn our system and work with our coaches on an individual basis will speed up the learning process.

We're not quite there yet. We're definitely a playoff team, but we're not with the elite teams of the league.

This year, we've been able to sustain it. We've been able to make adjustments, figure it out and understand better than we have in the past.

We didn't get rotated to him. We let him get off in the first half three or four shots that he made. Now you let the cat out of the bag and then, even if you're close to him, he has the confidence that he can make shots.

The part about playing hard, we've got that down pretty good. We play hard every night. No matter how many we get down, guys are resilient and we bounce back. We missed some opportunities down the stretch, as far as being late with some of our execution, but I was really pleased at the way we played. If we play like this every night, it will be a successful trip.

We had to get after it because (the Hornets) are so athletic. So, we went to a zone to slow them down.

We had the hot hand in (Brand) and we just rode it.

When it counts he knocks down the shots and makes his free throws. We had to hang on but we played a solid game.

You feel bad about the loss, but you can't always come out on top.

We're disappointed. We would have liked to have played this game a little bit better. But 4-2 is a great trip for us. Now we'll go home and hopefully start getting healthy and get a stretch run in for the playoffs.

We did a great job controlling the boards, overall defensively we did really well.

We went to Elton and he delivered. That is what he has been doing all year long. He can play a number of places on the floor and you saw that tonight.

Everybody knows he's playing at an unbelievable level right now. All we can do is be aware of where he is, every time down the court, and try to make his shots as hard as possible. That's not really a big deal for Kobe, but you've got to try.

Cuttino is a great addition to our club. We were looking for a player that would add some key dimensions to our team that we were lacking. His 3-point shooting ability was third best in the league last season. He is a solid defender and excellent all-around player.

Elton Brand is a lock. It would be one of the biggest upsets of all time if he didn't make it.

Sam was terrific. He made big shots again. It's an unbelievable knack that he has.

Q was terrific. We brought him back in and he guarded Bobby Jackson in the fourth quarter. He did a great job on anyone he was on.

Defensively, we really showed up tonight. We did a great job at both ends of the floor. Our offense dictated our defense, and our defense was very solid.

There were a lot of good parts to this game, but in the third quarter we let them back in it. They are a good team and are fighting for playoff positioning, so we knew it was going to be a tough game.

They're a team that could win it all. Obviously they have to be in one of their rolls. As long as they're making their shots and don't hit any real cold spell they're tough - they're a monster.

They're a good team. I don't care what their record is. They're not too far away from being a very good team in the East.

It's just frustrating. We did everything we needed to do to win it and we were one free throw short. It makes it tougher to take.

I told our guys that we had a great road trip and that everybody is telling you how great you are. The reality is, we have 35 games left and we have to take care of business. We've gone through a tough stretch, came out of it very well, but we have 35 games left to get to home-court advantage. We've got 35 games left to catch Phoenix. There are all kinds of things out there left for us to do. Right now, our goal shouldn't be to make the playoffs. Our goal should be to get home-court advantage.

It's really the toughest part of our schedule.

It's probably more gratifying to them because of what they've been through, not that it's been their fault. I'm sure it was frustrating for them to go year after year and not be able to compete in the playoffs.

It's our maturity. We know defensively that we're good and that we can make stops.

It's not even a question. If he's not an All-Star they better line people up for some kind of testing. He's got all of the requirements.

That hurt us obviously, because at the end of the game he would have been the guy playing the pick-and-roll at the top. He's our best guy at getting over screens and shutting that down.

It was a game we felt we had to have. We built up a big lead, and then we let them back in the ball game. We started taking shortcuts in our execution. We had too many turnovers.

It was a game we felt we had to have, in regards to our playoff seeding.

It was a great two-game sweep. We got two tremendous defensive efforts from our guys.

It was a great trip. Obviously, we are a bit disappointed, we would have liked to play Detroit a bit better than what we did. Hopefully we can go home and all start getting healthy and make a stretch run for the playoffs.

They can put points on the board in a hurry, but at times they'll let you back into the game. You've got to execute and get a tempo and we did.

I'm not catching it in a corner as much where I can't do as much. If I'm moving around and get it out on the floor, I can be more productive.

I knew his back was bothering him a little bit, but tonight he didn't feel like it was good enough to go. It was literally right before the game.

If you put someone in position to hit a lucky shot and they're capable of doing it, it happens.

I just looked at playing and winning games for us. We really shouldn't have been paying attention to (the playoff picture) all season long.

I guess I was pretty surprised by it. The league made a decision, I guess, based on the information that we all had, but they didn't see fit to suspend Reggie. Personally, I thought he would be suspended.

He's totally fine. We just didn't feel like last night we would take a chance and not have a body if we needed one. I assume he'll be ready for practice tomorrow.

He's just been on a roll. We gave him a blow to start the fourth quarter and he was chomping at the bit to get back in.

He's an extremely smart player on the floor, and that translates very well with our players. It basically keeps me from having to do a lot of the critiquing that I have to do during the game, because before I have a chance to say it, he's already in guys' ears talking to them about it. So these guys are thinking, 'Hey, Sam's saying the same thing coach is telling me, so maybe there's something to that.' So it's a real positive.

These are killers. You feel it in the ankles because the foam wants to roll out. But you feel it everywhere, too, like in your abdominals. It looks so easy, but it's the most challenging thing.

These are killers, ... You feel it in the ankles because the foam wants to roll out. But you feel it everywhere, too, like in your abdominals. It looks so easy, but it's the most challenging thing.

The important thing is to not let (Anthony) shoot the shots he wants and to have him shoot the ones -we're willing to give up.

The game was a lot closer than the score indicates. They played extremely hard and had a good showing.

The difference in the game was our careless turnovers that turned into easy points for them. Our turnovers and shot selection weren't very good. I credit their defense.

The Mavericks are getting the short end of the stick. They're playing the five seed when they should be playing the seven. The fair way to do it is just seed one through eight based on records.

The Mavericks are getting the short end of the stick.