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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS v HEAT

May 28, 2006

Tayshaun Prince

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Practice Day

Q. Surprise you?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: Yes, it did, definitely. It surprised me a whole lot, because for one, if they're going to start double teaming or doing something, that's when you want to see if something is going to happen and then you can go to your counter options, but we went to our counter options before it even happened.
Q. It didn't really seem like they were trying to get you the ball much in the post-ups?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I caught one or two, and then the thing that we talked about before the game was we was going to really try and get the pick-and-rolls, me and Ben and Rasheed and things like that, but we never even came close to doing it.
Q. Was it anything Miami was doing defensively or was it just going a different direction as far as play calling?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I think the majority of it was -- I guess it just depended on how the game started. Like I said, yesterday Chauncey and Rip got going early in the first quarter, so that kind of made us go away from some of the stuff we did in the previous game. When Chauncey and Rip had the hot hand, we started calling their numbers, and later on in the game, we tried to do our things, there wasn't no rhythm at all.
Q. Against the heat last year, you guys were down one game three times in the series and you got even and won the series. Does that give you confidence that against this team, a one-game deficit is something you can handle?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: Not just against this team, but what we've done against previous teams kind of gave us the ability to make it happen. We put ourselves in this position a whole lot. The most important thing about this series is that you don't want to be in a situation where you're going back to Detroit 3-1. We've definitely got to come out with a different mindset. I think the first three games, whoever came out with the most energy is the ones who won the game.
We need to be able to top their energy in Game 4.
Q. Why is this team so resilient? What is it about it?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: You know, it's hard to say. We don't give up and we just keep fighting. Like I said, we put ourselves in bad situations a lot, and how we try to find our way out of them, and that's what we have to try to do again.
Q. (Inaudible).
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: Hopefully there's some still left. It just seems weird, but I think the reason why we put ourselves in this position a lot is because a lot of times we go to Game 6 and Game 7 and other teams be waiting on us to play, then we get ourselves back in that position again. Then you go into the next series and we do the same thing all over again. I think that's why it's been so tough for us.
Q. If Wade keeps going off the way he's going off, would you say, hey, I'll take another shot at him?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: I mean, we're going to have to try different things. We're going to have to try different looks. I was pretty disappointed we didn't give Lindsey Hunter any action in the second half. Obviously he's our best suit for Dwyane as far as putting pressure on him. I know Dwyane can shoot off him, but at least he has the pressure and the quickness to be where he's at at all times. We didn't give him the opportunity the second half.
Q. You guys defensively, that's what you've had the last four years is your defense. When that's not going, do you all feel kind of lost out there?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: No, we don't feel lost, but at the same time, when our defense is not -- we're not playing as well defensively as we normally do, that's when we have to be patient on offense and take the shots. If we take quick shots, then we're going to make it worse for our defense.
Of course we always have trouble with Miami, keeping them off the paint, Shaq and Dwyane. Those guys, they find a way to get in the paint no matter what. It's always been a tough situation for us against this team as far as paint. But we've done a good job of trying to keep the other guys out of the paint. It's something that we have to do very well in the next game.
Q. Talk about the difference between 2-2 and 3-1?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: There's a huge difference. I think the most important thing about it is when you give up one at home and you don't get one on the road in the next two games, it makes it a tough situation, especially when you're playing against a good team. When you're playing against a good team, it's hard to come back from a 3-1 deficit.
Q. Was it a different situation for you last night when they were really focusing on trying to stop you?
TAYSHAUN PRINCE: For me, no, I don't think it was a different situation.
Like I said early on, like I said previously, Chauncey and Rip had it going early, and we were trying to feed through those guys. That was basically pretty much it. That's why I couldn't get in a rhythm. Those guys are hitting baskets left and right, not just in the first half but throughout the game. They were carrying us pretty much throughout the game. Myself, I never really got in a rhythm at all.
Also, you know, some of the things we did in Game 2 from the standpoint of putting me in pick-and-rolls and doing those type of things, we never did go to that in yesterday's game.

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