Eddie Jordan Game Quotations

If we go into the next game and come out with a win, 5-5 isn't too bad over the last 10.

Give them credit. I thought they played well. They made shots with a hand in their face. There was a part in the game when the momentum was changing a little bit and we lost our composure.

He's a terrific player. He hurts you from the three. He hurts you from the post. We wanted to see if he could control the game one-on-one. He's very focused. He's a hell of a player, no doubt about it.

Starting with that six-game road trip, that was our defining moment. Right now we're coming through with flying colors. We went 3-3 on that trip but it's how we've played. We played physical and together and we were in every ball game and we're carrying that throughout the end of the season.

I tell you what, Toronto's got a scrappy, young team, ... They kicked our butts on the boards early in the game and they just keep coming at you. The young guys really give them a spark and I didn't think Graham was going to miss at first and then they just started hurting us on the boards. It's a good scrappy team and we were lucky to get out of it with the win.

It hurts. You have to let it seep out of you as the night goes along, and tomorrow morning you go back to work for the game on Sunday.

We'll get a day's rest and close to a full day on Monday and then show up for a 7 o'clock game in Philadelphia. And then we can suck it up. That's what playing big-time basketball is about.

We have to let it seep out and get over it. And as the night goes along and it turns into a long morning we have to come back together and go to work and win a game on Sunday.

We'd like to go into the New Year saying we have a five-game package, that we're going to take it game by game and respect our opponents. We feel that we are coming together. We are competing. We've competed down to the last second most every game. We just have to continue to believe in each other and believe in the system.

This road trip isn't over. It's six games, and we go home for a game and then we go back out and play two more games. So it's really a nine-game road trip. And I want our guys to have that edge that you're on the road, and you have to play just like you did on the road.

We knew it wasn't going to be easy. They are a very competitive team and always have been. I think it took Miami a 16-0 run in the second half to win the game last night. They are so depleted with injuries and my heart goes out to Bernie.

We wanted to win this game in the worst way. Its a tough, tough loss, but we have to deal with it and get ready for Miami tomorrow night.

We had a six-game road trip and we liked the fact that we competed in every game out there. We competed on every possession on this trip. We shared the ball and we played the right way.

Even though we were up 20 at halftime, we knew the Bulls would make a run at us. That is the type of team they are. They are a disciplined, well-coached team. Our game plan was to get up in the wings and stay with the dribble penetration, and we did a good job with that.

Thank goodness we had one game under our belt with everybody, ... Sometimes that kind of thing can happen in training camp and you never get everyone healthy. It's something that happens to pretty much every team in the league. The teams that stay healthy are able to have success.

Coming into this game, we talked about being more energized, more enthusiastic and have more camaraderie, and that was the most important thing. All the things we didn't see in the first game -- outside of the stats -- we just didn't have enough energy and enthusiasm. We didn't have that and that is the stuff that is going to get you out of a lot of bad situations and put you in a good one.

I haven't put a lot of stock into that number. It's good that we won a game tonight and that we are continuing to move up in the standings.

You've got to give them (Memphis) credit. They came back with a lot more energy in the second half and they got the juice. I felt we were distracted by some of the officials' calls and we lost our focus. That was the part of the game I was disappointed in.

This history part of it is just that -- it's history. It's a single game with its own personality. We were very competitive down there, and we thought we should have won down there, and that's as far as it goes.

They made shots with hands in their face. They got the energy going. There was a point in the game when the momentum was changing and we lost our composure just a little bit and that's all it takes.

We kind of rode his coattails, ... He carried us. We went from a tie game to up 11 because he got going. Now, they hang on to him and say, 'Thanks Gil.' We should play with poise; we've got veterans now with playoff experience. And that should help us in back-to-back games. We've got a good mix of scorers and defenders. And we've got a guy who can make everybody better. When that thing got real tight tonight, it was, 'Thanks Gil.'

Caron is as tough as they come. It was his will and determination that won the game for us. He forced his will upon the game, and other guys really stepped up.