Tim Thomas Quotations

New Jersey is still an option. I'm not sitting here saying that at the end of the year if they offered me a deal I would turn it down, or not think about it. But right now, my main interest is helping this team the best way I can, to win basketball games.

I was looking forward to showing some character by giving a good effort all the way to the end of the year. I thought there was a good chance that maybe we could end the season with a win and feel good about ourselves. But it wasn't to be.

There are so many parallels through our high school careers. It's almost scary how things have gone. For this to happen, I don't think you could have gotten a pen and scripted it any other way. We're just so thankful to have this opportunity.

From that point, it was like, 'Go figure. I'm still trying to figure it out.

I feel good about it. I actually feel like I could've played better today, not necessarily on the goals but I was giving up a few rebounds that I don't normally give up.

I got away with fouling him. I did foul. I definitely fouled him.

I don't respect what he did still, but it's done.

I actually liked the fact we broke the seal on Huet.

I actually liked the fact we broke the seal on Huet. Then he let in the soft one in the third, so I thought it was our night.

He was off balance when he went up and I blocked his shot. And he kind of just rolled on it. Right now, I'm just trying to determine how bad it is and take it day-by-day. It's more of my Achilles, it's not like a sprained ankle, it's in the back on my heel and Achilles. It's just extremely sore.

When they made it 2-2, I just didn't have the sense that it would totally switch the other way even though they caught up.

He got me last time when we were in Boston on a pretty good shot so it was my turn today.

Keep it simple and try to play it not like it's any old game because let's face it, it's not any old game for me. It's more important than that.

I was aggressive at both ends and took advantage of my opportunities.

It is disappointing, but it's been a season of disappointments. At least we showed heart and came back in the third.

Right now, the biggest concern for him is his health, that's the most important, that's No. 1. From there, for the rest of us, it's our job to pick it up, and that's what we're here for.

I was very fortunate to coach with Chick Campbell. He gave me a lot of responsibilities there, so now being the head guy at North is not a total shock. It made it easier on my part. I am lucky to have a good staff with me. They're willing to put a lot of work in (to start to) build this program.

It also reminds them people back home in the Savannah-Hinesville area are supportive of them and they haven't forgotten about them, so it truly means a lot and we appreciate what WTOC and the schools have done in donating.

I think we gave a good effort and we did just about everything right in order to win hockey games, except for scoring goals. I have to hand Huet credit. He played a good game -- a really good game. But you forget about this one and go again (today at the Garden against Carolina). That's what you do.

I wasn't surprised, really. I obviously wasn't at my best. I don't want to make excuses. I can't say I was tired. It just wasn't there for me. I will take the blame for what happened. I didn't get the bounces and I probably made some of the saves harder than they needed to be.

We didn't scout like we had been doing. We decided to just wing it. I didn't know what they were going to do and that seemed to help.

You just can't go out at home like that. For us, it was a must win and we got it done. Now the focus is on just trying to win in Los Angeles.

Yeah, definitely. Everybody who is in that situation believes that way.

We knew Ottawa as hungry for a win. Sure enough, they came out with fire in the first. We battled to stay in it and we battled to tie it up. It shows we never quit. Unfortunately, we lost.

I've been in that situation before, just coming off the bench and being ready to play. There was a nice flow. A nice rhythm. It's just a matter of me getting a better feel each and every game.

That's what you want as a player, to play the way you grew up on the playground and YMCA. Look around here. Guys here are loose.

Although we ask women to come along with their husbands during the antenatal clinics as a way of getting the support of the husband, it is not mandatory.

The result wasn't what we wanted it to be, but the effort pretty much was. Obviously, we were just a little off. They're a good team, but we had the lead. We should have won the game.

Thirteen million (dollars) to sit down and watch basketball? To work out on your own? I mean, knowing that I could have helped that team? That team is just trying to get into the playoffs. It wasn't my decision. I wanted to play basketball. They didn't want me to play basketball.

This game was a microcosm of our season. We had a chance to win every game.

After the short-handed goal, we could've just quit, but we didn't. We are disappointed we are not getting two points, but afterwards we'll appreciate getting one point from a good team.

I'm just going with the flow now. I'd seen tape of the previous game and knew how high the score was. It's just a matter of me getting a better feel each and every game with my own teammates and my own sets here.

I knew that Ottawa was hungry for a win and sure enough they came out on fire in the first and made it 2-0. I just tried to keep it close and give us a chance, and we got back into it.

I'm just happy that the hard work has paid off to be able to come in and contribute to a team that runs like this. To get thrown in the mix and be a part of that is special. To come in and help a team that's been down 0-2 (to Dallas) and almost get a double-double is great.

That is what we do best, we shoot the 3-ball. We do a great job of spacing the floor. With the spacing that we have and me being able to shoot the basketball, it makes things a whole lot easier.

That is what you work for. The whole Chicago situation was what it was -- pretty much nothing. I spent that time wisely working out and constantly shooting and getting prepared for this situation right here.

It's not about circulation, it's about readership. And with The Sun , our readers choose how many papers to distribute.

That's done. I don't respect what he did still, but it's done. We've got the same agent. He knows how to get in contact with me. If I wanted something done to him, I'm from Jersey, it's nothing but a phone call. I wish I was on (a) team at the time that somebody would have taken somebody else out like that. What can I say?

I didn't expect it because it's a difficult move to pull off. You can look great like he did or you can look like an idiot. It's a great move.

I didn't think he'd have the guts to do it in an actual game. It's very easy to lose the puck and not even get a shot on net in that situation.

I don't know. I thought I saved him. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

It was just a total team effort. We did a good job making everything tough for them.

It was one of the best worst seasons I've ever had.

The game is not at our normal pace. It's just one of those things we can't allow to happen. We pride ourselves on running.

This is a great situation. To come right in and play heavy minutes, and now we're trying to make this push in the playoffs, it's the best situation to be in. Basketball is definitely fun again.

It was definitely a big shot because it was going back and forth and they were trying to get back in the game. Boris did a good job finding me in the corner and I just knocked it down.

It's just L.A. We can't worry about who's sitting on the sidelines. We have to play basketball. They came to see us.

We were playing a good game and beating the team that's been charging lately, so it wasn't hard to get the morale up before the game or during. It's just low now.

We lost everything. That's a challenge. Not many of these kids have had a whole lot of varsity experience. I have a lot of seniors on this team and I've challenged them to continue what last year's team did.

It wasn't my decision. I wanted to play basketball. They didn't want me to play basketball.

It's a good spot for me to go out and prove to people that I'm still a scorer. There's a lot of movement in the offense, guys are very unselfish, and I can still run the floor. It's a great situation for me.

It's been a long time coming. I guess if you get in enough of them you're bound to win one sooner or later. Having said that, it was a great feeling.

It's been a long time coming. It's nice to know what the teams that have been beating us in the shootouts feel like.

They're good. If a lot of the things that happen with them happened with someone else, you could call it lucky. But you can't call it lucky for them, because it happens all the time. They're just pretty good. We actually did a fairly good job of going up against them. But they still got to us in the end. We were right in that game. It was pretty much even. They just got the bounce toward the end. Or made a great play. A little bit of both.

I don't want to say there's not a problem with that (waivers) portion of the CBA just because I made it through.