Eddie Jordan Defensive Quotations

He is really embracing the role that we assigned him as the defensive captain.

Gilbert carried us tonight. One of the coaches compared this lineup with Philadelphia's a few years ago - (Allen) Iverson and eight defensive players. That's what it seemed like tonight. Caron carried some of the weight and Daniels hit some big shots, but (Arenas) was the steady scorer.

Today there was a collective effort. We are riding the momentum that we started three games ago. Caron did a really good job defensively. He is really embracing the role that we assigned him as the defensive captain, and we are just riding a wave right now.

We don't have designated defensive studs out there. We have to do it by committee. We have to do it by team.

The second quarter was like a defensive clinic for us. Holding somebody like the Celtics, who shoot close to 50 percent, holding them down to only 10 points. That kind of jump started us.

The thing that stood out to me is that Andray seems to have an excellent feel for the game, ... He passes well, he defends well, he can step out and shoot the ball. He competes on the glass. He doesn't back down on the defensive end. Those are the kinds of things you like to see from a young player getting his first taste of competition at this level.

This is just what the doctor ordered. I respect what Mike Woodson has done with Atlanta. They are a dangerous team. We wanted to make sure that there was 100 percent defensive commitment from our players for the first four to six minutes of the game. We hoped that if we continued to put the pressure on Atlanta, then the pressure would bother them.

It says a lot about the direction we're going in, with the new starting lineup a huge, huge defensive emphasis. Some guys didn't play as many minutes tonight as normal, but we really cared about doing the things that it takes to win and not about what's going to shoot up in the stat sheet.

We just wanted to establish a defensive mind-set. We're showing each other that we're willing to do anything it takes to get better and to win.