Rick Carlisle Quotations | Page 4

It's been like this the last two or three times he's come back. It's been hard to get what you call real practice time because of the frequency of games.

The last six games, we've done a lot of things very well. We've done certain things better than we were doing them before.

The last couple games we've gotten things back on track a little bit and we've got to keep going in that vein. We still are not in (the playoffs). We have a long way to go. We're going to have to win our way in because everybody else we're fighting against has got favorable schedules and are playing well.

That's an unbelievable streak. It shows how those guys work to take care of themselves and why they have the best record in the league.

That move gives them more scoring off the bench. Gordon is a guy that proved last year he's instant offense. They have Chandler also coming off the bench, giving them size and mobility and energy there.

It's been tough for Fred this year because of the thumb; he's been in and out of it. He played great in the first two games, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to start and play a real significant stretch of minutes. We struggled to get him the ball (Saturday). I have to do a better job of putting him in a position where he can attack the basket and make plays. He wasn't able to do that, that's his game.

It's been tough. We're still in the midst of the playoff picture and we'll have to win our way in. We aren't going to back our way in, that's pretty clear.

It's certainly a step in the right direction. He continues to make gradual progress. We just hope things continue to get better.

It's important to be playing well and we played better the last three games. If we hadn't won three straight games, we could easily be out of the playoff picture.

It seemed like we were throwing it to the guys in orange the entire first half. We were (lazy) with the ball and on defense and they were able to build a double-digit lead. Second half, we were able to buckle down, get some stops, get the lead, and hold on for a much-needed win.

It's critical, let's face it. We're in a must-win situation almost every night. We have to win games. I just thought the guys came together as a team and did some really great things. It's important to be a playoff team. We've got a string of years we need to keep going.

It's different, but he played college ball at Maryland in the ACC so he's very familiar with American basketball and he knows the NBA game because he studied it a lot and he's played against a lot of the players. The learning curve for him as a 29-year-old shouldn't be that great.

They certainly competed on a higher level than we did, and that was probably the most disappointing part of it.

They are not the same team without Vince Carter.

It helps to have him available because of how it changes things on the offensive end for us. They're going to have to guard him wherever he is on the floor. Defensively, it makes it hard on him because he's guarding guys who are quick. We're going to have to have a lot of help ready.

His conditioning for the game is getting where it needs to be and his rhythm is coming back.

I know it's hurting him. A lot of guys wouldn't play through this. He hasn't missed a game because of his hand. There's been times where it's swollen up like a balloon. You have to give him a lot of credit for wanting to help the team.

In the second half, his disposition was different at both ends. He made great decisions, he played unselfishly and he made big shots when we had to have them. We couldn't have done it without him.

His approach to the season has been so diligent, so professional, that we knew at some point we were going to have to give him an opportunity to play.

Before the game when (Foster) was warming up, before we went out for real warm-ups, he moved a certain way and it went out on him.

His abilities as a player are breathtaking. He's brought his game up to another level since he's come to New Jersey. I know Jason Kidd has had a lot to do with that. This isn't any news flash. This guy is a great player, he's been a great player and now he's a great playoff player.

He's experienced and has played him a lot. He's done well with him in the past and he's the best guy that we have. We're fortunate that he's feeling better for a game that we're playing against the biggest, strongest guy in the game.

He's experienced, he's a great shooter, he fits in with our personnel and the style we want to play,

He's feeling better. To what extent, I don't know. It's calmed down a little bit the last couple days.

He's struggled lately shooting the ball and I was concerned he was due to come out of it. He's playing very well. What he's doing defensively has everybody in the league taking notice.

Hopefully he can fly out on Wednesday. It's going to depend on how he's feeling.

He's working hard to get to the point where he can come back. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later. We'll see.

I don't know; it's not really a conversation until it's a reality. We'll see. A lot can happen between now and when (Tinsley) comes back. It's a situation that we'll resolve when it comes time to resolve it.

I don't know if there's a realistic chance, but I suppose there's always a chance. It's more likely (he'll play) in Sacramento.

He's an important guy on the floor and an important guy in the locker room, too. He's one of our leaders on this team. It's great having him back.

He's a guy who can score the ball, yet I don't see him referred to a lot as a big scorer. He's a winner. And he's done it in a lot of different situations.

He's a guy who can score, yet I don't see him referred to a lot as a big scorer. He's a winner. And he's done it in a lot of different situations.

He said he couldn't play. We weren't approaching it like he would play (against Orlando) and not play (against Miami). It's a situation we're aware of. He's worked himself back to the point where he can play. We'll just play it by ear.

He's a professional. He doesn't say much; he just works and wants to win. He wants to play the game the right way and wants to be a part of a successful team. Those are the type of guys you love to have.

This is a very important time for us if we're going to be a team that makes the playoffs. We can't afford to show up and not play a great game for 48 minutes.

They were shredding us; they have the players to do it. We weren't doing a good job.

It was one of those games we needed everybody to play well and they did.

It looked like he labored a bit. I think it's a tough situation to not be in for a while and now be in the middle of a hotly-contested playoff series.

It looked like it was pretty clean, but we could have gotten a better look, which I had hoped.

It'll be one of the questions when you look back in history. How good could this guy have been? I'm not sure that there was any limit to his potential. It was just not to be.

It's clear off the last few games that he's a difference maker for us. I'm not going to look to play three guys just to play three guys. I'm going to look to try to have a rotation where guys can be comfortable. But you have to be accountable and play your minutes hard. Otherwise there are good players behind you; that's the fact. Our point position hasn't been this strong in a long time. It's good news for us.

It was a big bounce back game for our team. I thought Jermaine set the tone for our team early in the game. The way it unfolded, it appeared he had a pretty good sense on how to establish himself.

It was a good effort by our team. Very solid and our shot making was there. We feel like it was a really good win for us, especially coming off the West Coast road trip.

After games, emotions sometimes take over a little bit. The bottom line is we have six games to make this right. We'll find out if we deserve it or not.

Any help we can get will be appreciated.

Anything involving speculation and 'what's up' can be saved for another time. If there is a trade at some point, you'll hear about it.

Any loss right now is a big factor for all the teams involved. Another thing I think is important to point out is Tony Brown did a great job taking over for Doc Rivers. He's a former assistant coach of mine. I'm happy for him. I'm not happy for us. We're in a precarious position right now.

Anthony Johnson is a guy you can count on.

Anthony Johnson is a guy you can count on. There are guys on your roster you know are going to be ready to play and take care of themselves and be professional, knowledgeable, they like the game. He is one of those guys who fits that description.

Anthony Johnson played a terrific game. He's playing with great aggressiveness and savvy and understanding the pulse of the team he is running.

The group that was out there was going good. I didn't want to disrupt that momentum at that point. You're getting into a high frequency of games. If you find a group that's clicking, you have to stick with them.

You've go to keep playing and stay the course. We're in the midst of the playoff picture, and we'll have to win our way in. We're not going to back in.

You've got to have character to bounce back from a disappointing night like last night. You've got to have character and poise to withstand a furious run in a very loud building. You've just got to keep your boots strapped up and keep playing. Our guys did that and they earned the win.

You've got to keep playing and stay the course. We were able to get some big stops and Jermaine had a couple of key blocks. We're certainly happy to get on the winning side of the game.

The guy's at the top of his game. It's a rare opportunity to see a guy perform at this level.

The guys got together and decided to make a stand. If we hadn't won three straight games, we could easily be out of the playoff picture.

The injuries are disappointing, but I'm not dismayed about it because we don't have anything that's really severe, and guys are getting better.

Their offensive rebounding hurt us. It was the first game in a while that the rebounding differential on the offensive boards came back to haunt us. You can make a case that was the game (considering how) much that happened at the end of the game.

The emotionally charged and highly competitive nature of our games is one of the things that makes it compelling to our fans. The fine line you walk as a player or coach is that you have to channel those emotions in a way that's not harmful to your team or the game. That's the situation we're dealing with. My sense was it was getting better year to year.

The margin for error for us is nonexistent. You have to really be great in all areas and playing at the highest (levels) in all areas. There were some things that happened that were mistakes that can't happen on the court. From a coaching standpoint, those things are part of the game and one of the things that makes it so difficult.

The first half was disappointing again and we have to solve that. This is a very important time for us if we're going to be a team that makes the playoffs.

The key part of the game was the end of the second quarter. They did a great job finishing plays and giving themselves a chance to win. ... We couldn't get over the hump.

You could make a case that those had as much to do with the game as the things that happened at the end.

You could tell it was affecting his game offensively just because so many things involved with shooting the ball happen with your left hand. Rhythmically, he just wasn't the same over the last week or 10 days.

This has been tough for him. He's been out of the rotation the last couple of weeks. He keeps working and keeps himself ready to play. Guys like him, you don't worry about.

These guys aren't coming out of nowhere anymore. People know who the good people are, what teams they're on, what their contract situations are.

A.J. again was terrific. A lot of guys did good things. We need to have five or six guys play at high level to win, whether we are at home or on the road.

A.J. had a great night. In the second half he did a great job of running the team. His efficiency in shot making and courage to step up in some tough spots put us in a position to win.

A.J. is playing with great awareness and great savvy. He just looks like a guy who understands the pulse of the team he runs. He knows his team as well as any player I've had an opportunity to coach.

A.J. is playing with great awareness and great savvy. He looks like a guy that understands the pulse of the team he's running. The majority of the game, he's making our calls and directing us into things. He's a guy that really knows this team, as well as any player that I've had the opportunity to work with as a coach.

It's the biggest challenge we have, and frankly everyone involved in bird dogs and quail hunting have.

It just didn't seem like we were really right all night. I don't have a reason why that is. Even in the first quarter when we won it by two. We were stagnant at both ends and never really got anything sustained.

(It) just didn't seem like we were really right all night. I don't really have an answer for that. That guy that got us was Arenas. Unfortunately, we couldn't get him under control. We got the lead back, but couldn't sustain it. We had our chances down the stretch.

It just goes to show you even if you shoot well, the turnovers are going to get you. You would love to have a chance to see if you can continue to shoot a good percentage, but those balls you lose to turnovers are fast-break opportunities for the other team. The wins, you take them and run.

It's the worst thing you can say about your team that you got outworked, ... They outworked us and they rubbed our faces in it, and they should have.

It's the worst thing you can say about your team that you got outworked. They outworked us and they rubbed our faces in it, and they should have.

It's always good to win and we had a lot of good things happen. The way we are structured right now, we have to play more up tempo, but the key to the game was the way we picked up our intensity on defense in the second half.

It's not what we had in mind coming in, but it's a meaningful short-term goal.

It's a huge win. As big a win as I can remember in a long time.

It's very close with teams four through eight. There are some teams out at nine and 10 that are realistically in the picture. You are aware of possibilities and things like that. We're light-years from talking about playoff seeding right now. It's too long to go.

It's something I talked to A.J. about. At some point it was probably going to be time to make that switch. A.J. has been great about communicating back with me about it. Jermaine and Tinsley need to be together in the starting lineup on both ends of the floor.

It's not an ideal situation, but Danny has started a lot of games (17) for us this year. We've been down that road.

That's something the medical people have to discuss. It's a conversation I haven't been involved in and I don't know what point it's at. You have to look at the long-term future of a young player as well as the short-term gains you have by playing him.

It's like inviting an assassin to a gathering of living presidents. You know he can score a zillion points. I have the utmost respect for Kobe Bryant. He competes at the highest of the highest echelon.

You can't look at their record. They've been a problem for us the last two years. We did some good things to put us in a strong situation and made some mistakes.

They didn't do a great job with the coverage, but, hey, the way Tinsley played tonight, he put the defense in a tough situation. That was a huge play because it was so hard for Jermaine to get open looks around the basket. It gave our team some energy at the defensive end.

They outworked us and rubbed our faces in it too and they should have,

They played great and we didn't give them much of a game tonight. Our margin for error is slim. We can't have any slippage. Our rebounding was a disappointment. We've got to do better.

They played like they have something to play for.

They are a tough team to play at any time. But from a schedule standpoint, our fourth (game) in five nights, it's really tough. That on top of the fact that we shot poorly in the first half, and we're without some key guys made it tougher.

They are a well-balanced team that has become very efficient at both ends of the floor. I think (coach Maurice) Cheeks has done a great job of figuring out a lineup. A lot of it is going to come back to Iverson and Webber because they are two great players. Iverson, in the last two weeks, he's been playing by his standards at a higher level.

They got into the paint time and time again in the third quarter, and that was the story of how the game went. . . . You give up 29 points in the third and that tells you the momentum of the game, because we had put ourselves in a strong position before that.

It's essential that we have some time to get him re-integrated into our team. There's going to be an adjustment here because we've been running a lot more, we've been doing a lot more movement stuff. We're going to have to continue with that but at times the ball is going to have to go through him inside.

There is no trade right now and there may not be a trade. There's nothing to talk about because there is no trade.

It was clear that having him out there tonight would be the wrong thing to do. He just wasn't able to cut on it and move the way he needs to.

It was clear to me he knew the situation. He knew to spread the floor and look for an opportunity to break down the defense. He made a great play.

It's a tough loss, but we fought back to give ourselves a chance at the end. Over a 48-minute game, you hope it doesn't come down to a last play. That last play didn't tell the story of the game.

It's a significant situation. It is day to day, but it's one of these things that's tough to gauge. We hope he feels good enough to play in Game 6, but I don't know; we'll have to wait and see.

It's just too bad, because we really played hard for three quarters. The second quarter was really a disaster for us. It put us in a bad position at halftime, but we fought back and really put ourselves in a good position to win.

It's just one of those plays great players make. When he took it, I just turned my head.