Suns 106, Lakers 93
Post-Game Quotes
Posted: Jan. 20, 2006
D'Antoni
SUNS HEAD COACH MIKE D’ANTONI: “Raja Bell did an unbelievable job on both ends of the floor, which is very important, especially when you are guarding Kobe [Bryant].We really hounded Kobe as much as we could and he still got 37 points and that is how good he is. Eddie House really got us started in the second quarter because we were having trouble and he really got in there for us. Shawn [Marion] had his normal 22 points and 16 rebounds. All our guys did an unbelievable job. It was a good win for us.
“When we are up by 10 or more points, we still like to have a good cushion to make sure Kobe doesn’t go crazy. If you are five or six points up, that is only two possessions for him [Bryant] and with the way he is playing right now, that is not something you can take for granted. Even if we are up twenty points or more we still can’t relax for a second, it gets hairy. I think we did a pretty good job. We seemed to lose our concentration at twenty points and you do not want to give him [Bryant] the chance to see the basket.”
Marion
SUNS FORWARD SHAWN MARION (22 PTS, 16 REBS): “It was a great game. The fans got a great show from both teams tonight. Kobe hit some real tough shots, but we came out and executed our game plan real well tonight. We just tried to stay active on defense. When you keep forcing them to take tough, contested shots, they’re going to start missing at some point. We got some long rebounds and that started some breaks for us, leading to some easy baskets. We started knocking down shots from the outside, and that allowed us to get open looks inside. We started hitting shots from all around, and that made it an easier night for us.”
Bell
SUNS GUARD RAJA BELL (18 PTS, 2 ASTS): “We’re a team of spurts. Eddie (House) really came in and got us going in the second quarter. We were going through the motions for a while, and it was important to get established and get back into the game. We really locked down on defense in the third quarter. I thought that was one of the best quarters of defense I’ve seen this team play all year.
“Our game plan was to try to contain everyone else (besides Bryant), and hope that what Kobe ended up with wouldn’t beat all 12 of our guys combined. We held him in check for the most part, but he got going in the fourth quarter. He’s a guy who will continue to push the issue, and when he gets on a roll, you just have to hold on.”
Jackson
LAKERS HEAD COACH PHIL JACKSON: “Can we go home now? They got their veterans back on the floor in the second quarter, and they started running their screen-and-rolls, their special stuff that they like to run with a variety of people, but mostly with Marion and Nash. And they got baskets that way. They were able to play some defense and they shut us down after we made a run in the second quarter.”
(On Eddie House)
“I thought guys chased him pretty well, but he got open looks. Most of the stuff that hurt us was in transition.”
(On Kobe Bryant’s play)
“I didn’t think he had good legs. He told me in the fourth quarter he was going to get hot, that he felt like he was getting in his rhythm, and he hit in a few in the fourth quarter. But, he was really bothered by [Raja] Bell. He did a great job on him.”
Bryant
LAKERS GUARD KOBE BRYANT (37 PTS, 2 ASTS): “They played Phoenix Suns style basketball. They get up and down, shoot a lot of quick shots, and when they start falling for them, they jump out to a big lead. I think we came out and played hard. Phoenix just had more shooters, and they caught a good rhythm in the third quarter with a 9-2 run that broke the game open.”
(On his shot)
“They just weren’t falling. Some nights I’m on fire, and other nights I have nights like tonight where the shots just aren’t going.”
(On Steve Nash)
“You have to be physical with him. You’ve have to get him early. I’ve had to guard him before and it’s a full-time commitment. It’s a full-time job. You can’t relax and decide to take off a possession. You have to stay on that guy the whole time. You have to commit yourself to doing it.”
(On whether the defense of Raja Bell made a difference)
“Oh, come on. You’ve got to be kidding me, man. I had good looks, but missed them. It’s as simple as that.”
Mihm
LAKERS CENTER CHRIS MIHM (10 PTS, 7 REBS): “They’re a dangerous team. They’re a team that goes on runs. We watched video, and we knew that they usually have a big quarter where they kind of blow up and get big leads on teams. Eddie House came in and did a phenomenal job tonight. He had 12 points before even blinked — in like two minutes. He was hitting everything he threw up. It was a really good performance by him. They played hard. I give them credit because they did what it took to win. We might have been a step slow tonight, but they got the job done.”
