NBA FINALS: PISTONS v LAKERS

June 6, 2004

Larry Brown

COACH LARRY BROWN: Yeah.

COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, you know, to hold them to 75 points, I think is pretty incredible defensive performance. You know, we got in early foul trouble. Rasheed plays eight minutes the first half, and, you know, Rip struggled. But we played great. I don't know if we could ever defend better. We contested shots. We did an unbelievable job and I think that's what it's going to take.

COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, our bench was great, because Elden, you know, I thought did a great job, as well. But those guys come in and defend, I think Corliss got seven points in the first half on two shots. Memo, I guess played five minutes, but, you know, he at least gave us an opportunity to keep Rasheed on the bench without him picking up his third. And Lindsey's defensive presence is so vital because we had to kind of extend our defense a little bit in order to have any chance of stopping them.

COACH LARRY BROWN: You know, he plays great sometimes when he doesn't score. Tonight with Rip struggling, I thought Kobe and Kareem and a lot of them did a really good job of trying to take him away from us. We needed somebody to step up, and he really did. He really delivered. He took great shots for the most part. He took one bad one and I got on him, like I always do. But he defended his position, because, you know, Gary got in foul trouble and I thought that had an impact on the game, and maybe Chauncey being aggressive helped in that regard. But when we don't have a lot of scoring options, it's not the players' fault; it's probably my fault because we are selective in what we call. But we needed somebody to step up when our primary scorer and Rasheed were in foul trouble, and he did that.

COACH LARRY BROWN: If I had a speech for every experience I've been in, it would be terrible. But I think we've been talking about this all year. We're not only talking about the next game, we're talking about each possession. I think we're trying to play the right way each possession. So, I think they understand. We all watch television, we all see how good they are, how well-coached they are. I did experience firsthand, you're right. I mentioned that before we even started this series. You know, we're a different team. We had a chance to win Game 2 and didn't get it done. And I don't want them to be satisfied with coming here and, you know, feeling our oats because we won our first game. We've got to continue to play the same way if we have any chance.

COACH LARRY BROWN: No. Remember 2001, we had the lead and then gave it away and then found a way to win it in overtime, I think, if I recall. I think from a personal standpoint, I had the same kind of feeling going into the game, that if you take four, five, six days off, you've got a chance. You know, they were sitting here waiting at home and I thought we had time to prepare, we're coming off a real tough series, and I think mentally, we were into this game. I thought it would take them a little bit to get into it, but I'm saying this again, I don't know if we can play better. You know, to hold them to 75 points, with Shaquille going 13 for 16, I think that was pretty darn significant. And they got a lot of points off turnovers from us. So I don't know how we could defend any better.

COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, if you're long, that's one thing, but if you can generally keep people in front of you, that's the critical thing. He's gotten better. I don't think, you know, he's ever played anybody as good as Kobe. But the last three series, we've had -- he's had unique match-ups with Desmond Mason and then Richard Jefferson, who is really becoming a star, and then Ron Artest who is a post-up player, can go outside, is very physically strong. But he's gotten better. He's learned to keep people in front of him and use his size, and it's not a matter of blocking shots; it's a matter of contesting shots. But the big thing -- the only way you can have any success against Kobe is if you keep him from getting cheap baskets in transition and I think they only got two baskets, if I'm remembering. That impacts him a lot.

COACH LARRY BROWN: I played golf with Michael in the summer and he calls me Seabiscuit. I don't look at us as underdogs. How can you be a coach going into the locker room. The kids play 82 games for you and you get into the playoffs and you walk in, act like you're the underdog. I would never want to be in that position. Every year I've ever coached, our goal is to win a championship. And then at the end of the year, we always talk about, did we play up to our potential or not? But we recognize, they have got a coach who has won nine championships. I haven't pissed a lick, excuse me. (Laughter) they Have got arguably the most dominant big player and a young kid who is phenomenal. But our players look at themselves as pretty special in their own right and that's the way I would approach it as a coach.