NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v SUNS

June 1, 2005

Mike D'Antoni

COACH D'ANTONI: That's a good one, I like that.

COACH D'ANTONI: I think we're calm and we feel like we do have a team. We know we have a big mountain to climb. We know it's not easy. We know we're playing against a great team. But also we know we're playing with a team that we played many games already, so we're really comfortable where we're right now. I think our guys psychologically, they are in good shape. They are obviously not overconfident, but they think they can get the job done.

COACH D'ANTONI: That it's great having him on the team, that's for sure. As a coach just watching him develop and how fast he picks things up, I mean it's unbelievable and every night he's doing a highlight film, literally. There's two or three things that I have never seen on the basketball court done by him every night. He has got a long ways to go, I think that if he keeps his desire, which he says he wants to be the best ever, I think he's going to give a shot at it.

COACH D'ANTONI: Well, no, because we're going to throw the kitchen sink at Tim anyway. So we just feel like that Amare on the ball, and then we'll come with a lot of help, will be better than having run in and maybe pick up a foul that way. Having said that, he has picked up a couple of fouls. But I don't think it's because he's guarding Tim Duncan, it's other things are happening. He's been good about it. He picks up two, then he sits for 3, 4 minutes, then he plays the rest of the game. Hasn't affected his output yet.

COACH D'ANTONI: Not really. We have talked about it a lot, just trying not to pick it up, but you have to be careful about not playing either, he has to learn how to pick his spots and not getting any reaching fouls. He has got to be careful. You can't pick up -- I think he had a tripping foul coming up the floor. Those are things that set you back. I don't think it's the one-on-one. He's pretty good about staying out of foul trouble, but sometimes -- it also -- it's bad luck sometimes. You just fall into it. But he's been pretty good about not fouling out or staying out of foul trouble. He's been pretty good.

COACH D'ANTONI: It's always important. We'll definitely talk about it and concentrate on it a little different than Game 4, just between us, couldn't tell anybody, but in the sense of we had to have that boost in Game 4 because we're at 3-0 and on their floor if they take the first quarter it's like, oh, my God, we can't do it. We have in our minds we can do it. We can come back at home. We don't want to do that, though. We want to be sure we get a good start.

COACH D'ANTONI: It's good for the players. They caught another break (laughs). I am all right. It will be fine. We have hand signals and stuff. We'll have two plays, it's this or that (laughter). (We don't have to do a whole lot.

COACH D'ANTONI: Yes, it was. That's the heart that they showed. I thought in the third game we staggered a lot. We splintered in the second quarter especially, searching for answers, looking at each other like what is going on. But the fourth game, more determination, more energy whatever, the focus was better. We took some hits from them. They came back. We were up 7 even, 3, 4 minutes to go in the game and then they are right back to one. We never lost our desire to win that game. I thought third game we kind of staggered a little bit. Hopefully we have that confidence back. I think it is a confidence thing. I think Joe (Johnson) does help. That this is a team that has won 90 games, and again, we think we can do it. So I don't think -- we'll take hits from them. We play that kind of game that allows runs and we give runs. We kind of know that. I don't think our confidence will be shaken if they do it.

COACH D'ANTONI: I don't know. What do you think?

COACH D'ANTONI: I am curious to see what they are going to do, see if they keep Bowen on Shawn (Marion), if they think it's important, or move him on Joe (Johnson) or let Ginobili go with Joe. I don't know what they will do. But it doesn't change up a whole lot. I think we still run our stuff and the ball needs to find whoever is open. That's why you know, talking with Shawn (Marion), it's not as much as Bruce Bowen is doing a good job with Shawn. Which is fine. If we read him off picks and -- Shawn would get 20 anyway because of his quickness, all that. But we don't play that way. The ball should find out who ever -- if Duncan is on Q (Richardson) and if we do the right stuff, that ball should find Q more, if Joe has the best advantage -- that's how we have always kind of played it. We'll do the same thing tonight. It is up to Steve (Nash) to pick the weak spots out on their defense.

COACH D'ANTONI: I think our guys adjusted even more. Tony Parker is quick. You can talk about him being quick, you see it the first game. It's like, oh, my gosh, he's fast. Joe (Johnson) even said the first half he just, you know, was surprised by his quickness. He thought he was back in it, but he really wasn't. And the second half was better, fourth game it was better. With Joe on him, it makes it a lot easier. 6' 8'', you can bother the shot a little bit yet pack the lane. With Steve (Nash) you have to either choose one or the other. You have to give Tony Parker credit. He's pretty quick. Staying down and not going for the pump fakes, all that. I think we're getting better at it. We should have done it the first game. We're slow learners, and we're doing a better job.