NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v SUNS

May 22, 2005

Mike D'Antoni

COACH D'ANTONI: Only changes we'll make defensively, we'll try and tweak some things obviously to gear up for them but obviously we are going to do the same thing, attack the same way, try the same pace of the game and see what happens.

COACH D'ANTONI: Well, because they are more talented yes. That will happen, yes. It's a tougher team. They are the best. So we'll have our work cut out for us. As the series goes on we'll make little adjustments but you will see us playing the same style and I am sure you will see San Antonio playing the same style. You just don't change styles. It will be a great contest of wills and whoever plays their style the best will win.

COACH D'ANTONI: I think he's getting used to wearing the suits. He's looking good. I think he likes that. He might be (laughs) Better off on the court this way. I don't know. Yeah, conditioning timing, it's kind of crazy to bring him back if he's not ready to go at home especially. We need to get him some practice, make sure he's at the highest level because if he comes on the court he's not going to help us unless he's ready to go.

COACH D'ANTONI: I haven't. I think it will be a day-to-day. I think it will be hard. I don't see it happening, but just never know. We'll see how it goes tomorrow and see how it goes Tuesday morning and then he will make a decision. We'll make a decision, but again I just think we're going to be cautious and make sure that his level of play is up to where we need it.

COACH D'ANTONI: That will help a whole lot. We'll have practices with the team. Any time you add something, you take away something; it takes a little while to change gears and we have changed gears. We got Jimmy as a starter. To go back to with Joe playing would be nice to have some practices be able to do that.

COACH D'ANTONI: Try to contain, I think more. The focal point is Duncan and always will be. Ginobili, no one can take that away, you have to watch it. Tony Parker penetrating off the fast break in transition, you have got to watch it, try to contain it. They will do that. You just hope they don't do it enough times where they are going to beat you. Duncan, when to double; when not to and when to front him; not front him, all that. Constant adjustment not give him the same look. Just keep doing that and try and find some formulas that will work. It will work for a while but it's not going to work all the time. Steve Nash on a pick and roll, whatever you do is going to work for a little bit; then you might have to change it up because he will finally read the situation, all your great players will do that. Just keep changing things on him. Hopefully it contains them enough to let our offense win the game.

COACH D'ANTONI: You mean, working with those guys? I don't even think they remember I worked for them. I just spend a training camp with them. Only thing you take away is just their professionalism, how they go about it. How the players are dedicated to win a championship and how the coaching staff and everybody, it's just the Championship kind of feeling that the team had. That's what you take away. What you really take away, boy, I wish I was there in that situation (laughs)

COACH D'ANTONI: It doesn't alter anything. Hope you can keep it going. It's unbelievable. The level that he's at. I hope Steve understands just being aggressive I thought he was aggressive against the Dallas for maybe the way they are playing him. He just has that mindset. If he's aggressive he's our best shooter. So we want him to be aggressive. With Joe out also he needs to be aggressive. I think that will happen him throughout the series. He will. We don't have to talk about it.

COACH D'ANTONI: Well, I think we're okay. I think emotionally we're okay. We were tired yesterday. I don't think we are today. I think the crowd definitely didn't help San Antonio either. They have their physical problems. I think it could be a wash. Who knows. Again, it is what it is. You don't worry about it. We knew we had a game. Could be game 7 right now. We would much rather have Game 1 than game 7. We're pretty happy with the situation.

COACH D'ANTONI: It's important for us. I think he knows that. I don't think it's important for his psyche. I think he's a gamer and he's fine. I don't think he remembers what happened yesterday and that's how he's a shooter and he will shoot. We always hope that he will play well, be a big boost, but I don't worry about him getting down on himself, or we're getting down on him. That doesn't happen. If he gets his looks, he's going to take them. Hopefully just hope he's there.

COACH D'ANTONI: It was always over with us. That's you guys writing about it. I didn't mind you all writing it so I can tell my players look at what they are writing. It's fun, we have something to talk about in the morning. It's not a factor. Tiredness for us isn't a factor. I don't even think it's a fact for Steve Nash who was really written down that he couldn't handle it through the playoffs. It shouldn't be a factor. These guys are highly conditioned. They are great. They have days off. They are love playing it, they are psyched up to go out and have a good time. I don't see how you can get tired.

COACH D'ANTONI: Because I couldn't find a job -- no, it's you guys. I am kidding. I don't know because you have bad games. I don't think you have to try and analyze every game. Sometimes you just have bad games. Sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes Doug Christie is guarding you and you have an off series and you go well, he's tired. He might have defended him well. All kinds factors. I really believe -- maybe Steve also spent more time conditioning in the off-season and he's better fit this year than he was, but I don't know the exact reason. Maybe he wasn't playing with Stoudemire who gives you extra energy when he rattles the rim and that gets you going. A lot of factors, I just think the way we play and the mental -- they look at each game and series, they don't get tired this way. I didn't think they would. I know Shawn, Amare and Quentin and Jimmy, I know Joe and Amare, they are in such great shape and conditioned -- Jimmy, at 34, I look at him and he's not tired. He's never tired. Joe is never tired and Shawn is never tired, so I didn't think it would be a factor really didn't.

COACH D'ANTONI: No, I don't think so. I think we're okay right now. I think we're in pretty good shape. We would love to do that. We're going to continue doing what we do and just get better at it. It should be that way until we prove it, I mean, we're climbing a mountain and changed up our style a little bit and there have to be skeptics saying it hasn't worked for a while. No one has ever done with what these five guys, and our team, so you don't know if it's going to work, but they are doing it right now.

COACH D'ANTONI: I think so. To me, as a player I just -- even boxing if you sit and hold and grab all -- that's what wears you out. If you just dance all the time you are finally conditioned, it seems like it's better if you don't get punched. We just -- Shawn Marion and a four, I think he goes around less picks and through picks and try and get over the force, try and knock him down, he just stands behind him. So me he's more -- he's a little bit fresher now than he would be if he's trying to hit people.

COACH D'ANTONI: Oh, yeah, if we just don't shoot the ball well. But I think it depends on us. The Spurs might do it. Whoever might do it. But again, if we fall in their trap, if we don't do the things we do, if we don't move the ball, if we don't hit shots, yeah, it's possible. But I like what Coach Popovich said about tempo, they can control their tempo, we control our tempo. They cannot control our tempo. Does that make sense? Can't do it. We're going to run after makes, misses, rebounds. We'll run more if we get stops. We'll run more if there's loose balls we can get to. It's going to be a fast offense. We're going to have a shot up within six seconds, no matter what. We're not going to control what they are doing. It might be a bad shot, but we are going to get one up. Our tempo is going to be fast, so we'll have our tempo going, we'll just see if we can be effective.