NBA FINALS: PISTONS v SPURS

June 12, 2005

Larry Brown

COACH LARRY BROWN: Next question.

COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, I'm not worried about 3-pointers. Our big problem now is we're having trouble stopping them. You know, their execution is great. You know, they are shooting the ball well. We've got 82 shots up, our field goal by four and less by 21. I think most of the shots we take are contested. They are keeping us off the line, we have never been a team that, you know, concentrates on the 3-point shot. We haven't done it, you know, in two years. They are a team that can spread you out. They have got a really good post game. They move the ball well, and they shot it extremely well from the outside. But I think most of those things occur when you get beat on dribble penetration, you have trouble keeping people in front and you've got to help. That's why they get open looks.

COACH LARRY BROWN: Well, I hope so. But right now, the way they are playing, and with the way they are executing, the contribution they are getting from a lot of people, you know, they have just dominated two ballgames. I wasn't real excited about, you know, our aggressiveness early, but we got into foul trouble so quickly, it's going to take a little aggressiveness away from you. But the second half I thought we got after them pretty good. You know, got back in the game with some effort and every time we did, they had an answer. You know, hopefully with our crowd, we'll start out from the beginning, you know, throwing the first punch and being aggressive and, you know, you never know what can happen. They have been tough to beat at home all year. I don't think we've won a game here in about seven, eight years. So I'm hopeful that, you know, we'll be tough and our crowd will be as enthusiastic as them and maybe get some confidence back.

COACH LARRY BROWN: I don't think we've been nearly as aggressive as them. I think we've kind of, you know, gotten frustrated and went on our own a little bit too much. I think defensively we've been real soft. We haven't been able to keep people in front of us and that's been a key. We didn't have a block the first half. We didn't take a charge. I think they drove the ball from the 3-point line or beyond to the front of the rim or from deep corner to the front of the rim and we didn't have people coming over and challenging shots. I think they have hit us with the first punch and we've been back on our heels and haven't responded very well. Second half, though in, both games, we got down 17 or 18 in Game 1, cut it to seven and couldn't come up with a key rebound. Tonight we had a couple of situations like that. Brent Barry got his hands on the ball and we got a foul, we got a foul and the 24-second clock was running down. Key plays in games, you know, when they came up with a big play and we just didn't do it.

COACH LARRY BROWN: No, we were getting beat on dribble penetration, and you know, when you get beat on dribble penetration, then you've got to help. Somebody is going to be open, and they seem to make the extra pass over and over again. That was beautiful to watch, you know, in terms of their execution. I thought they established it inside, they established it off the dribble, you know, 11-for-24 is pretty tough. But I think a lot of their shots were open shots as a result of good ball movement and great penetration.

COACH LARRY BROWN: You know, when you take 24 threes out of 62 shots, and you shoot 34 free throws, I haven't been in a lot of games like that. You know, we took 82 shots and six 3-pointers and shoot 16 free throws, I haven't been in a lot of games like that. I'm sitting there watching, and I thought every extra pass that needed to be made, they made. They set great screens, they got the ball in positions on the floor, you know, where they really hurt us. I didn't think the first half, you know, we really challenged them. It was almost like they were scripting plays. Second half, you know, I thought we fought and challenged them, but we got frustrated. There's some things that are happening out there that we're allowing to get us down, and you can't. You've got to keep playing. You've got to keep figuring it out. You know, hopefully we'll be able to do that.