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Gregg Popovich: "I'm thrilled that David ends his career with a game like that"
Posted: June 16, 2003

It's got to be weird and strange to think about next year, I know you're celebrating now, but not to have David Robinson around. Have you spoken to him?

Did you say David?

Yes, please, David?

Not a bit. David's way too smart to continue fooling around with basketball. He's got a lot more important priorities that mean a lot more to people than basketball.

Am I allowed to take a couple minutes here?

I'd like to take my hat off to Byron and the Nets because I thought that they really created a lot of problems for us. They played hard every night, never let up, as was evidenced by tonight. They had a singular purpose. I was really impressed with what they did, and it caused us a lot of problems.

I just want to congratulate them on a great season.

For our part, I'm thrilled for our players. Obviously, you know, David is a sentimental thought with all of us, but our young guys, obviously, came together a lot quicker than any of us would have imagined or than we expected ourselves in the beginning of the year. So it's been sort of a magical ride.

But having said that, I have to really thank my assistants, Mike Budenholzer, Mike Brown, PJ, who I couldn't get along without. Very honestly. And being able to add PJ to the staff this year really gave me somebody that I could talk basketball with, have a glass of wine once in a while, and really was a good filter for what we did. He was fantastic for us.

So I'm really grateful to all of them because we couldn't have done it without them. They're very important to what we do.

Could you talk a little bit about how Tim and David basically kept you in striking distance in the third quarter and early in the fourth before other guys started heating up?

Yeah, I'm just thrilled that David ends his career with a game like that. His effort was really wonderful. He really dug down deep and showed how important it was to him to help us get this victory tonight.

Obviously, Tim played like an MVP, as he always does. So the two of them out there, it was nice to see because David isn't able to do that every night. For him to finish it off that way was really special. They did keep us in with their defense, their boards. We had a lot of other guys come off the bench and do well for us. But those two were kind of like the constant or the common denominator for us.

Tim just sat here a few minutes ago and said he basically didn't realize he was that close to a quadruple double. Is that sort of typical Tim, that he performs at that level without really any consequence?

Absolutely. I'm sure he had absolutely no clue what his stats were, what was going on statistically. He just knows what's going on in the game and what needs to be done.

As smart as you are, can you tell when Stephen Jackson is going to go from a disaster to a hero, like he did tonight? I mean, you must be tempted sometimes to hook him, and then he makes shots that nobody else could make.

If I knew that, I would have told everybody about Mount Saint Helen's before it erupted. I have no clue.

That's all I get to do? I won a championship, I'm loving this. I thought I'd be here 30 minutes or so. Get the hell out of here. More questions. How many times is this going to happen? Do I look like Phil Jackson? This is Popovich.

Congratulations.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Can you talk about the transition that took place in the fourth quarter when finally guys got over the hump and it was like you were a mad scientist pressing buttons until finally it clicked with the group that was in there.

We did make quite a few changes trying to find somebody that would knock down a shot and balance what we were doing underneath with Tim and David.

It's one thing about Jack, it doesn't matter whether he's in the feast mode or the famine mode. At some point, it's gonna change to the other one.

He was quite a bit of the famine deal most of the night, and he came in and knocked down some big shots. Manu was always going to make a steal, get a rebound, do something to help you win a basketball game. I thought Speedy was wonderful tonight. He did himself proud, and came into the game and was solid for a very long time and really got us over the hump, kept us together.

You look at the group collectively and the stories behind guys like Bruce and Jackson and Manu. It's kind of a different group. If you didn't know what you knew, how different is this group and how unlikely is it that it's a group that would win a championship?

It is an eclectic group. They are all the strangest backgrounds you can imagine, both individually, on the planet, and basketball-wise.

That's why I said, even at the beginning of the playoffs, we didn't know where we were going to be this season because there were so many unanswered questions. All these guys came through. There is one common thread, they're all very competitive. They're all tough-minded. They all get after each other every day in practice, and they do have that competitive gene in their bodies.

The other thing they have is they allow us to coach them. We can watch film, we can criticize, and they don't blame other people. They don't take it personally. They try to take it the right way to become better players, and I think that's served them well through the year.

We were fortunate. There are other teams out there that are just as good and they had some problems health-wise. If you don't have your horses, you don't get it done. We learned that when Timmy got hurt after our '99 championship. So we had some good fortune, too, and we took advantage of it, did a good job.

You didn't really get a fair chance to repeat that last time. What did you learn about the mindset and challenge of repeating?

I think everybody who's been there once, getting to the Finals, knows what an awesome challenge it is and how much it is to be respected, because you don't know what's going to happen in your future. So many things are uncontrollable.

We really took that to heart as the playoffs began, realizing that we're becoming a pretty good team, that maybe we had a chance to do something. We gained confidence with each round. So that's always important.

Bruce Bowen: "Nobody can take this away from us"

How does it feel?

To do what we did, nobody can take this away from us. We are the champions of 2003. Nobody else. San Antonio Spurs, baby, that’s what it’s all about. When it’s all said and done, they were hard-fought series, each series. It was another obstacle we had to conquer: Phoenix, the Lakers, Dallas, now New Jersey, we just continued to fight, fight, fight and that’s what it’s been all season. You don’t understand what I’m feeling right now. I’m just so happy, thinking about everyone in here who never had a championship.

How emotionally satisfying is this for you?

It’s not about my personal struggles. It’s about our team. We did a great thing in winning a championship.

Tim Duncan: "It's an incredible feeling"

Can you talk a little bit about the transition there in the fourth quarter and how it all came to pass from your vision.

I thought this was the most poise we've shown all season long and it's great working up to this point and having the pitfalls that we've had throughout these playoffs, then to put a game together like we did today, where we're down the entire game but we just keep playing, it didn't matter what happened, guys kept playing, guys were confident. We were all confident that something would happen, that we would turn the game to our favor, and it did.

Guys made shots. A lot of guys stepped up: Speedy, Jack, Manu, those guys took over on the offensive end. Just found a way to end.

First of all, congratulations. Second, you're losing a key part of this team in David Robinson. Can you talk about what you're going to miss most about him?

Dave's been an incredible part of this team for a lot of years. I can't even imagine, honestly. For a second there on the court, last couple seconds, I really thought, "You know what, I'm not gonna play with this guy again. I'm gonna have to come out on this court without him. It's gonna be weird." I don't know what to expect.

But likely enough, our guys have done a great job putting things together, RC and Pop, those guys have done an incredible job of getting players and putting them on the floor and giving us a chance to win.

We'll fill a void and we'll find a way to hopefully get back here.

What effect did winning your first championship have on your confidence and what do you think this championship will do for the younger guys on your team?

I think it will do an incredible amount for the younger guys, especially guys like Stephen Jackson, Bruce Bowen, it's gonna help a lot of guys. This experience, to make it this far, to be the last team standing, to go through all the trials and tribulations we have all season long, the ups-and-downs.

It was so much to learn from this season, I think not only this playoff, this series right here, but the entire season in general. It was a great one for these guys.

Your last victory came four years ago, far away in New York. This time you're on the home court. What kind of feeling is that?

It's an incredible feeling. I don't think I've ever won a series at home in the playoffs. It's an incredible feeling to do it here.

The stress coming into here, you think you want to finish it in four or five games and get it over with. To be here, have an opportunity to win in front of our fans, give our fans a kind of a treat, it's great for them, it's great for us.

You've become kind of a point guard with all the assists. Did you know that you were close to having a quadruple double? Do you care about those things?

No, I didn't. That's cool (laughter).

No, I honestly, down the stretch, my shot wasn't exactly there and luckily enough I was drawing double teams and those guys were hitting shots. So I'm gonna give them the ball every time they're open. Guys were absolutely open at the top of the key, Stephen Jackson, a couple times, those guys get the ball. They played all season long with a lot of confidence. When they get those shots, those are familiar shots to them, they've been shooting them all year long. Those guys knocked them out, they were incredible.

Speedy Claxton: "All the practice paid off"

How does it feel?

It feels great. I knew Jason Kidd was going to try to take over, and I was guarding him and if I did a good job, we had a good chance of winning.

How were you able to control the tempo in the second half?

I just tried to get us going. It feels great. A lot of people doubted me along the way, but I think I proved a lot of people wrong.

How does it feel coming from Hofstra to an NBA championship locker room?

Oh my God. It feels great. Not too many people get the chance to do this. Just for me to make it to the NBA is an achievement, and now, to contribute to a championship, there are no words for it.

How did you defend Jason Kidd in that fourth quarter?

I just tried to stay in front of him and get a hand on every shot they took. He hit a couple of shots but I still think I defended him pretty well.

Looks like all that work on your jumpshot paid off.

All the practice paid off. All the hours in the summertime in the gym shooting shots, it paid off. People doubted that part of my game, and tonight I made the Nets pay for leaving me open.

Steve Kerr: "This would be hell of a way to go out"

How does it feel?

Unbelievable. I’m getting fitted on my thumb. This is No. 5. I’ve been so lucky to play with the guys I’ve played with: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and now Tim (Duncan) and Dave (Robinson). It’s just an amazing feeling to be so lucky and to be on so many great teams.

Tell us you’re not really retiring.

You don’t think I should? This would be a hell of a way to go out. I don’t know how it’s going to play out. I’m going to take some time and see what I want to do. We’ll figure it out later.

What was it like to be a part of David Robinson’s last game?

It was awesome, not only because we won but the way he played. He was phenomenal. What a way to go out. I’m so happy for him. He deserves it. He’s worked so hard, and he’s carried this franchise for a lot of years.

What does this mean?

It’s the greatest feeling on Earth, especially that moment when you know the game is over, it’s an amazing feeling.

Talk about the 19-0 run in the fourth quarter.

Pop talked today at shootaround about grinding it out. I’ve been a part of a couple of championships that we had to close out at home and to me it’s tougher at home than it is on the road. Too many distractions.

Did you think you would win the championship this year?

Who knew what was going to happen? I knew we’d win this series eventually, and that’s all that matters.

Stephen Jackson: "I struggled all series"

Stephen, we talked earlier about your long road and we worked on a piece together about the road you've taken to get here, now you've beat the team that gave you a chance but cut you short. Just talk about it a little bit.

Jackson: Well, first of all, I want to thank God for putting me here. I think the road I took is definitely a blessing in disguise. Everything I went through made me stronger, humble, made me work to the point where I had to get here and not give up. I credit a lot of that to my family, friends, to God a lot. There's a lot of times where I almost gave up. This is definitely extra sweet. If I had to take that trip around the world to do it all over again, I would definitely do it.

Can you compare your European Championship you had to this year?

Ginobili: This is unbelievable. I feel really great after the first European League because that was my dream.

But I took it like a step to get here. I don't know if I expected to win in the first year, but it feels so good. I'm so happy, so proud, of being part of this great team. It's difficult to be happier than me.

Can you talk about your fourth quarter, knocking down those shots, how it felt?

Jackson: I think the thing was --

Ginobili: Wait, wait, wait, he's going to be shy about it. He did great. Those 3-pointers were awesome. He's gonna say, "Yeah, we did a great job, played D," but we did it, in the offense. Big shots. I'm very proud of him, too. Don't ask him, because he's gonna be all this humble and all that... (Laughter) he was awesome.

Jackson: Thanks, I love him.

Like he said, I struggled all series. My teammates kept confidence in me. I think the situation is Pop having me and Gino on the court the same time. We're not afraid to fail. We're not afraid to take tough shots. We take a shot any time of the game. I kept getting the ball, had a good look, shot it with confidence and was able to knock them down.

Could either of you guys talk about David Robinson? I know you were here listening to his press conference. What went through your mind throughout the game and now?

Jackson: Well, you know, I think a lot of guys were motivated to win it for David, simple fact of what he's done for this team, the city. I know he's done a lot for me as far as teaching me how to be a man and also a professional in this game, on and off the court.

Dave's been big for me. In the two years for me I've played with him, it's definitely special for me. Coming here I wasn't being a professional, wasn't focused, wasn't being a man, wasn't concentrating on basketball as a job. Dave takes pride, working in the offseason, working to prepare ourselves to play well, at his age, it shows a lot. We have a lot of veterans on our team, Steve, Kevin Willis, it's extra sweet for David because he definitely deserves it. Even Kevin Willis, Steve Smith, those guys have been in the league a long time, true professionals. Good things come to good people.

Last year, you get the silver medal at the World Cup in Indianapolis, now you win this championship. Do you think this great success from you, it's like starting a new year for Argentina basketball?

Jackson: Yes.

Ginobili: It began really, really well for our country with the national team. It was a great motivation for people in my country to begin playing basketball and follow our sport a little more.

So I think this is a big step, too. It's not usual to see our flag in a maximum stage of basketball. So I'm very proud of representing my country. I'm really proud of, as I said before, being part of this. So I think that a lot of people in Argentina would be feeling really happy for me and for seeing a part of Argentina community being there.

You guys, considering how different all your backgrounds are, different journeys you've taken to get here, how odd is this whole group to have won a World Championship?

Jackson: You know what, the funniest thing is me and him, we're from totally different places, but we're exactly alike. We're from different places.

Ginobili: I look better, though (laughter).

Jackson: You know what... I think this was definitely a blessing in disguise for Gino to be here. I think putting me and him on the court, I love playing with him. Like I said, we're just the same people from different places. I think it was meant for us to be together. Hopefully we can have a long time, a long career together.

How did all this happen? How did they find you? How did it work?

Jackson: I have no idea where they found him. But I know where they found me at, somewhere in a small city, somewhere down in Texas. But, you know, it shows a lot for them to bring us two guys here, just to take a chance with us. A lot of people didn't know too much about Gino until he came out in those games and really made a name for himself. He came in the league and did the same thing. You gonna expect a lot from him but you haven't heard the end of me and Gino, you're gonna see us a lot.

Do you think Ginobili is a better player than the joker?

Jackson: Than who? Who is joker?

Joker.

Ginobili: Is he a prankster? Is that what you're asking? He's a comedian. He is a joker. I think he's the only person that can throw a basketball from one end of the court to the other end and make it three times in a row. So, you know, he's the only person that plays soccer with a basketball. Gino is very weird off the court. He does a lot of things off the court but I love him. If I had to pick my backcourt man, I would love playing with Gino for the rest of my career and I mean that.

What impressed you most about Tim's performance tonight?

Jackson: That we won. You know, we had so many guys step up all year and for me to hit those shots it definitely feels good. It could have been anybody on our team. We have a lot of guys that can step up and knock down the shots. It's extra sweet to win against Jersey, my old team, it's definitely something I wanted to do. It feels extra sweet to beat them, regardless of whether or not I performed, we're champions now. My performance doesn't really matter as long as we win.

Did you ever play with someone even close to Tim Duncan, the ability he has to do everything on the court, be kind of a point guard from a power forward?

Ginobili: I don't think anybody ever played with a guy like him, only guys that have opportunity to play on this team. He's unique, he's so good, he's so gifted.

So we are really lucky of being here, of having the chance to play with him and take proud of him. The fact of playing with him, there's a lot of room for everybody. It's not a secret that the biggest part of this success is because of him.

Jackson: He definitely makes our job easy.

Is he like the best player in the world?

Jackson: By far. Especially to me. If you sit down and watch him play, all season, being on this team, see what he does, how easy it makes our job, you definitely have to have respect for him. For him to be two-time MVP, not many guys have done that. For a guy to be two-time MVP, you have to say something, you have to have respect for him, he's definitely a great player.

David Robinson:"How could you write a better script than this?"

Can you talk about the emotion tonight. Playing at home, home court, what's going through your head right now?

Well, there was absolutely nothing bitter about it. It was all sweet.

As the game was going on, I just was thinking, you know, "We cannot lose this game." I kind of geared my game to say, "This was going to be my last home game."

At halftime, we were talking about it. I said, "Hey, guys, we're not gonna lose this game. We've got to do whatever it takes to win this one. We're gonna come and get this." This was going through my mind the whole time.

When we kept turning the ball over, we gave them some transition buckets, I was thinking, "We got to do something dramatic to get this thing turned around." That was probably the lowest that I felt, kind of felt like -- I actually thought there may be a Game 7.

But, you know, you just keep fighting through that stuff. That's what we kept doing. That fourth quarter was just unbelievable, it was fantastic. We finally made some shots. Stephen made some big threes and helped turn us around.

It was an up-and-down game a little bit, but kind of figured that we'd fight through it.

Congratulations for tonight and a remarkable career.

Thank you.

When you wake up tomorrow and realize it's over, what are you going to do? Second question, why have you chosen to give so much back to this city?

Well, the first question is that, the answer is that I've seen this coming for a long time. So it's no surprise, you know?

Last year, when we prayed about this, my wife and I sat down, prayed about it, we sat down and that's -- we made that decision at the beginning of the year because my heart was just settled. I knew that this was it. I knew that this was supposed to be the time. Sometimes God speaks to your heart and you have a settled feeling about it and I knew that.

All year long I just kind of enjoyed it. Everything that came along, I just swallowed up and it even now confirms it, the way it's come to end, you know? Just my last game, streamers flying... World champions. How could you write a better script than this, man? This is unbelievable.

I've had some ups and downs in my career, but I'm gonna end on the highest of highs. I just praise God. This has been unbelievable. I've seen it coming.

I know it's almost like graduating from high school or college or something, I just know there's the next phase of my life and I'm excited about it. There are lots of opportunities out there. But that's tomorrow. I'll tackle that challenge tomorrow. Today, I'm kind of -- I'm just gonna enjoy the finish of the first phase of my life.

Do you drink champagne? This morning, could you ever have dreamed you would end up with 17 rebounds in this game? Could you have imagined that? Third of all, who is gonna be the spiritual and competitive and enthusiastic leader to take over your role in the future on this team?

Yeah, that's -- first of all, no, I just wear champagne, I don't drink it (laughter).

Second of all, God, I remember that third question... The second one now, what was the second one?

About 17 rebounds.

I didn't figure that I'd get 17. I just knew I wanted to make an impact in this game. Actually, to be honest with you, coming into the game, I was thinking, "I almost don't want to do too much. When I have a pretty decent game, we don't win." I was thinking, "Okay, I want to block some shots, make some things happen, but I don't want my stats to look too good. We seem to lose when I actually get some decent stats." I wasn't that concerned about statistics. I just wanted to make an impact in the game.

Fortunately, early on, I could feel I was going to make an impact on this game.

In regards to the third question, coming up this year, really Malik is kind of the best guy to come in succession. He's really -- he's really grown a lot spiritually- and maturity-wise. He's becoming more of a leader; more of an example guy. We get together and we always get -- study our word together. I see him growing as a man.

Kevin Willis was one of my -- that was my strong brother this year. I love Kevin, I love him to death. I hope he's around this next year for -- I know he's gonna play, I hope he plays here this next year so he can be one of those guys to keep everybody steady. You have to have that in our locker room. That's been the strength of our team. We have a lot of young guys that go off the deep end at any time. They have often this year. Pop has done a good job of reeling guys in. He's benched some guys, shifted our line-up around a little bit but all those guys came around and responded terrifically.

I think a lot of it was because of that leadership, Kevin's voice in the locker room, Steve Kerr's voice in the locker room, Steve Smith's voice, my voice, and obviously Tim Duncan stepping up and being the leader he is.

As far as spiritual leaders go, I think Malik is the most obvious guy, and probably Kevin stepping up and becoming that.

You talked about the situation having the streamers, winning the Championship on your floor. There was another player who's leaving with you this year who had that very similar situation and decided to come back; can you talk about how you knew this was the moment to leave, and Michael didn't?

Michael's a different situation. Who can compare themselves to Michael? Michael is Michael (smiling).

This is, you know, this is just my life. I know it's right for me. For him, he wanted to come back. I mean, the first time he came back, he did an unbelievable job. They won three more championships. He's unbelievable.

But for me, I know. I feel great about it. So, I mean, like I was saying earlier, there's no bitter to it, it's all sweet. It's just great.

Kevin Willis: "It was a long time coming"

What’s your feeling tonight?

It was a long time coming. It was a looooooooooong time coming. It’s well worth the wait.

Can you talk about the Nets?

They played hard. You have to give those guys a lot of credit. They played hard, but we persevered, stuck in there, hung in there. We put the shot in when we needed to. The defense was incredible.

What spurred the fourth-quarter run?

The defense. Defense, for sure. Blocked shots by David Robinson, Tim Duncan. Speedy’s pressure, Jack’s big shots. Down the stretch, we played incredible.

What does this championship mean to you?

I can’t explain it. I can’t even fathom it right now. You have to hit me with that question some other time. Right now, it’s time to celebrate.

Byron Scott: "I feel pretty good about this team's future"

Could you first talk about your level of disappointment and then, second, talk about that 19-0 run in the fourth quarter, how that happened, what went wrong?

Could I first talk about that.

Well, you know, obviously you're disappointed. I thought for three quarters we played pretty well. We had, in the first half, a lot of defensive breakdowns that we talked about at halftime. Especially in the fourth quarter, those things seemed to reappear again.

But, you know, you have to give San Antonio a lot of credit. It's a great basketball team, great coaching staff. Pop is doing a fantastic job with those guys.

They have one of the best players in this league in Tim Duncan. I think he proved that tonight.

Kenyon's performance, 3 for 23. How does that happen?

I don't know. He just had one of those games where he just couldn't throw it in the ocean. It had nothing to do with him not being aggressive because I thought he was aggressive. He was playing hard, he just couldn't make a basket.

Could you talk about Dave Robinson, what he did tonight, what you think his legacy will be?

Well, you're talking about one of the greatest players that ever played the game, David Robinson, a guy I truly admire as a basketball player and person. I think he's a class act, one of the best people that's been in this league in a long time.

If anybody were gonna have a farewell, to go out on top, besides us winning it, you would want David Robinson to because of the type of person he is.

I'm just happy for him. I had a lot of battles when he was here, when he was in his younger days. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Could you talk a little bit about what you sensed in the fourth quarter when all the momentum shifted and you called time-out? What did happen to your offense, or was it just sort of a massive offensive explosion from them that really took control of the game?

I thought it all started on the defensive end with them. Like I said, they got aggressive, really started being a little bit more physical. We got out of our flow. We started rushing shots, we started taking bad shots. Then, you know, their defense, I thought, got them going offensively.

Having been to the Finals two years in a row, how do you feel about this team's future and what do you think it's going to take to make the next step?

I feel pretty good about this team's future. We still have, like I said, a relatively young team. I think we're going to continue to get better as a team. We've got two young forwards that are young, very, very talented. I think they're going to continue to grow and improve. So the future to me looks pretty bright in New Jersey.

What do you think it is going to take for you to make the next step?

We just have to continue to grow. I don't know if it's a certain player that you're trying to get me to say or what, I just think as a team, what we have right now, we just got to get better as a team. Experience is going to help us. The more we continue to play together, the better we're going to be. Like I said, I think the future is bright.

What affect did Speedy Claxton have in the game?

I thought Speedy played great. He was a guy that came off the bench, we didn't give him much respect at the beginning of this series as far as his outside shooting was concerned, but he was able to prove time and time again that he was able to knock down shots, especially open shots, on a consistent basis.

When he's doing that, it kind of changes your strategy as far as defense is concerned. But I thought Speedy was big for them. All series long he came up pretty big in games where Tony wasn't playing real well. He came in and it didn't seem like they missed a beat.

Could you talk about how Jason played tonight, especially in the third quarter when you built a lead? Also, did you two say anything to each other after the game?

I thought J-Kidd played well. I thought he was aggressive. He came here to win. That was the bottom line.

After the game, we didn't really speak. I went down and talked to Popovich for a minute, to express my feelings to David Robinson and the career that he had, and talked to Stevey Jackson and Tim Duncan and some of those other players. When we got in the locker room, we just said a few words and we came together as a team.

Talk about the future of the team, how important Jason is going to be to the future of this team?

Well, I think everybody knows how important he is. You know, he's the engine to this team. He makes us go.

So, obviously, this is going to be a big summer for us, and, you know, like I said, J-Kidd, he's a basketball player but he's also a business person also. So he's going to explore his options, he's going to see what's best for him and his family. Hopefully, when he comes to his conclusion, it will be New Jersey.

Richard Jefferson: "It hurts the same as it did last year"

Can you describe the feeling you have?

We lost. We played hard. You feel bad, you feel like the teams that lost in the first round don’t feel as bad as we do, but hey, suck it up, live on, come back again next year.

What do you think about the future for next year?

We’re the best team in the East. No one can really contend with us. We just have to have a better regular season and then continue in the playoffs and come back again. We’ve probably played a quarter of what we were capable of doing this year.

When they’re going on a 19-0 run and you’re watching them, what’s going through your mind?

That’s tough to put into words. Just try and get the ball into the right guy’s hands for good quality shots and I don’t think we were doing that.

Do you think the team’s shooting in this series let you guys down?

I think, for the most part both teams shot low percentages – horrible percentages. What’s the difference between 30 percent and 28 percent? Probably about two victories, you know, but that was really the difference.

What kind of credit do you give their ball club for winning it all?

All the credit in the world. They went through the best conference and then won the Championship. It doesn’t matter the amount of credit that I give them, they won the Championship.

You worked so hard to get to this point and had a chance in this series. How bad does it hurt?

It hurts the same as it did last year. You get an opportunity and things don’t go your way. You have to give credit to them and tip your hat to them.

Do you wonder about the future of this team and Jason Kidd?

No, I haven’t thought that. J-Kidd will be fine. Like I said, whether he stays or goes, I wish him the best. Whatever he does is going to be what’s best for him and his family. If that’s to stay in New Jersey, then stay in New Jersey. If that’s to be someplace else, then how can you fault a man?

Jason Kidd: "I don't want to fall in the category of the bridesmaid"

Can you talk about the effect of losing in the Finals the second year in a row, what effect that will have on your decision to stay or leave the Nets?

Well, it's always tough when you lose, especially at this stage in the season, because this is for one thing and one thing only - that's the Championship trophy.

For us to fall short, it hurts, just like last year it hurt. But we lost to the better team. You got to give San Antonio a lot of credit.

Unfortunately, we just couldn't get over the hump. That has no bearing on what I will decide this summer. I've got to find a way -- I play this game to win. Again, this is my second time coming short of winning that Championship trophy. So I've got to find a team or stay with the Nets, that has a better chance of winning that Championship trophy. That's what I play this game for. Unfortunately, came up short.

Did you guys come unglued when they made the 19-0 run?

A little bit. I mean, I didn't know they were on a 19-0 run until after the game when somebody said that.

For us, we lost our composure. There's little things that changes the momentum of the game, and we had control of the game pretty much in hand. We would go eight, six, you know, go back up to twelve.

I thought one of the turning points was when Ginobili got the steal from RJ and laid it up. I think from that point on we kind of unraveled.

Then we had some miscues on the defensive end.

Were you surprised Kerry was out in the beginning of the fourth quarter for quite some time? Also, do you think that there could have been some adjustments made during that slide?

Kerry played -- he set the tone defensively. He got his hand on a lot of balls. I thought he played a great game tonight.

As a player, I don't know who's in and who's out. I just know who's on the court at the time. Unfortunately, I don't know how long Kerry was out in the fourth quarter but, you know, that's up to the coaching staff. That lies on them to get guys who are going in the game.

You've got to play with the guys out there. Unfortunately, we just couldn't make shots again. That's been the whole theme in this series.

Last team who's hot normally wins the game, and San Antonio was hot at the end.

Obviously, if you stay with the Nets, you can maybe come back to the Finals year after year. Whether you can compete with the West will still be a big question mark. Does that thought appeal to you, keep coming back to the Finals, or can you see yourself doing this several more times if you keep losing?

Well, I would love to come back year after year. But I don't want to be like, you know, I don't want to fall in the category of the bridesmaid.

We felt we could compete with the West, no matter if it was anybody who came out of the West. It was San Antonio. We felt we could give them a run for their money. Unfortunately, you know, we couldn't make shots and they could when it got in the nuts of the game, they stepped up and made them and got stops.

Hopefully, the bridesmaid thing will come to an end if I do return back as a Net.

What problems did Speedy create when he was guarding you, especially in the fourth quarter?

Well, I think Speedy must have made every shot he took, and he was big for them off the bench. With the pick-and-roll, he's extremely quick. He was a big X factor for them throughout this series, because it seemed like he made every shot or he found an open guy.

So if Tony wasn't going, they had Speedy coming off to pick up the slack. So Speedy played his game, the pick-and-roll, got to the basket, found an open guy. Or, if he went to help off of Speedy, he knocked down a shot.

Can you talk about, how does this one feel compared to last year? Does this one hurt more? What kind of taste will this leave in your mouth as you go into free agency?

They both hurt. Losing is not something that you, as an athlete, like to be on that side of the coin. You hate losing.

It hurts just like last year. Last year was more of an embarrassing situation in a sense of, you know, losing, getting swept in the Finals. This year, we tried, one, to win a game; but, two, to compete to win a championship. We felt we could do that. Unfortunately, we came up short.

Kerry Kittles: "We've got to get better"

Do you feel like it slipped away out there?

Yeah, we felt that way. Late in the game, they made plays – in the fourth quarter. Tim Duncan is a great player and whenever you have to double him, he’s finding the open players and knocking down shots. Stephen Jackson made some threes – big shots, big shots.

This is clearly an emotional loss. You had them until midway through the fourth quarter …

Midway through the fourth we just collapsed defensively. Our offense was coming and going the whole series and we played pretty good by how our offense was scoring up until that point. So we hit that little skid offensively and that’s all they really needed to get some good looks and they were making really nice plays on the other end of the floor, making us pay for it.

Losing last year, and now this year, can you put it into words?

No, really you can’t. You work all offseason to prepare yourself for a successful season and you have a great bunch of guys that you’re playing with. You love playing basketball with these guys. You’re working hard for the same objective. You all have the same goals in mind. You put everything aside and work hard together for that goal and then come up short. It’s tough to swallow.

How did Byron Scott address the team after the game?

He said we played hard and we did what we had to do. There’re no moral victories. We’ve got to get better.

Did you feel the team’s field goal shooting in this series let you down?

It did. But you’ve got to credit them for the defense that they did play. Their coach was very smart to go zone against us. It really got us off track in Game 2 and we really didn’t overcome it until tonight where we were a little bit better offensively. We made some plays – they didn’t play much zone, they played more man. But credit them for tremendous defense throughout the entire series. They were very, very solid and that’s why they won.

Kenyon Martin: "It's disappointing"

What’s the most difficult part of knowing you’re season has now come to a close?

It’s simply the fact that the season is over. There are no more games to play until next year. It’s tough to explain. We just came up short. It’s disappointing.

For a while it looked like you guys had it in your grasp. Was it just too much in the fourth?

We were up. No excuses. We were up. It was our game to win, we just gave it up. It’s a rough thing to have happen and it doesn’t matter why. A loss is a loss.

Can you look at the season and pull out positives?

There are no moral victories. We just didn’t get it done this season. We had a mediocre regular season, a decent postseason, but in the end we just didn’t get it done. The ultimate goal we did not get done.

Did you feel like the team’s shooting would eventually come around?

You have to take the shots if they are there. The shots I missed are shots I take every day, and shots I usually make every day. They made shots. You have to give them credit, those guys over there. Jackson made some huge shots for the Spurs. They made them when we didn’t. That’s the bottom line.

Lucious Harris: "I don't think this is the end of an era"

Having your season come to a close is always difficult, but how difficult is this for you?

This really hurts because we wanted a championship and felt like we had it in our sights at times. We also didn’t always play as well as we are capable of playing; so that makes it even tougher.

Was it just too much Spurs in the fourth quarter?

We had a few breakdowns, but when it came down to it they just made shots. You have to give them a lot of credit. They played like champions down the stretch. Defensively, you have to give them credit as well. They made stops when it mattered most and then turned around and hit some threes when they needed them.

Is this perhaps the end of an era with some of the free agents on this team?

Is this the end of an era here? I don’t think so. I think we are just getting started here. Back-to-back trips to the Finals give us a lot to build on.

The biggest disappointment?

The most difficult part is knowing there are no more ball games to play, and you go out on a loss. We know that we went to the Finals and that is a positive but it’s always tough to go out on a loss. The team is disappointed; myself in particular. I feel like I let the team down a little but as a team we accomplished something a lot of people thought we were not capable of and didn’t think we could do.

The transcription of the press conference is provided by the NBA

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