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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v MAVERICKSMay 24, 2006Mike D'AntoniDALLAS, TEXAS: Game One Q. How has Nash's game changed since he came over from Dallas? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: You have to ask him that. I don't know. I mean he's been, he's good at Dallas. He's been great with us. He just works so hard. I think he gets himself physically and mentally ready every year and I just think he's getting better as he's getting older. Now he might have had that summer that at Dallas he had something to prove and he came back with a vengeance and he's just taken off. Q. I think times when two stars are playing together because Dirk has done the same thing they've come into their own separately, do you think maybe they needed to be away from each other? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: The only thing I can say they were pretty good together. And it was as though they went 60 some games together if Dirk hadn't got hurt they might have won. So sometimes it's we like to make a story out of really they're just two great players and the only thing I can see they might have taken on more responsibility when they separated and that could have helped each one, especially Dirk. I think Steve maybe was just motivated by vengeance or whatever. But you know they were great in any system. And they're just one of the top five players in the league, probably. Q. I know you knew you would be here in the Conference Finals, but -- for people on the outside, I mean it's really a remarkable -- for all of us who didn't think you would be here it was really a remarkable -- what are the main things that allowed you to get here, because most people on the outside looked at this team and said well it just, the way it is now with the injuries, just can't get here? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Right. As always, there's a lot of factors, and just quickly how good Boris Diaw was. We had no idea he was this good how good Leandro came from last year. Those are probably the two main things we knew how Raja Bell was and we knew how good Kurt was and we had Steve and Shawn Marion. At that point we thought we had something pretty special then we got really lucky adding Tim Thomas halfway through and he's giving us another dimension, another thing hard to guard, and you know I hate to say it he's a small forward but a big guy in the middle because he is for us. And you put all that together and I don't think it's any stretch of the imagination that we're here. I thought the two teams we beat we're better than, and they did it. Took care of business, and we got to the Finals. Q. You know, Coach, this morning Shawn was talking about in the other series you had been the favorite, you wake up and you're the underdog. How much are you ready to accept that that you're not the favorite in this series? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: He's accepted it. I don't know what he's been reading the other series, it's good he thought we were the favorites. We've been kind of fighting for all season to try to get people to take us seriously, and they've done a great job with that. And the same thing with us. We know Dallas is a super team. It's going to be a great series, but being an underdog really doesn't change a whole lot. But Steve seems to thrive. He's been that way his whole life. So we'll do the best we can do with it. Q. Were you under the same impression that some people that Steve had worn down after a while when he was missing some shots and is he rejuvenated now? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: I think so. I think the Clippers did a good job too. He's human, missing some shots. I thought he was in between his game a little bit. Didn't know whether to take it or not. And as a point guard I think anybody that played the game you kind of get in those ruts sometimes. And it's kind of odd for him to do it because in a couple of years he hasn't been in one but I don't think it's any stretch to say he's just a little bit off his game. But with a little rest and a little refocus and he came out and in Game 7 and had an unbelievable game. Again, 30 points, 11 assists, I don't know if -- you know how good that is. That's really good. If he goes back to 17 and 10, that's still pretty dang good. Q. What do you do about the rebounding game and how do you approach that? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Not worry about it. Nothing we can do about it. Well, the only thing we really look at is not the rebounds, it's the offensive rebounds and it's the second chance points we're going to shoot a lot of shots if we don't make a lot of them, they'll get a lot more rebounds than we are. That's just the way the numbers crank out. The thing that could hurt us is second chance points. If they don't get a lot of second chance points we'll be fine. And that comes from quickness and getting, you know, having a little bit of, you know, dog in us. We've gotta fight and scrap and get all the loose balls and if we're quick, we'll be able to do that. Q. I mean they can go up-tempo too. What do you feel that they don't feel they can match you? What is the range where you feel is pretty good for you and I mean do they want to keep it high 90s, low hundreds? Where do you feel you need to be? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Just right above them. Wherever they are we need to be up above them. I know it's simple but it's what it comes down to. It's going to come down to making big shots. And we'd like to get 120 points, 115. That would be you know but again they can get that. I mean it's not a stretch. We've lost games 120 to 125. I mean Seattle beat us 150 to 148. We know we can get beat any place, but in that range means we're making shots and they'll be playing small ball at that point. And if their small ball is better than ours, God love 'em. Q. Mike, could you talk about how Boris has developed into a player this year? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: You know, he's been an unbelievable surprise. And I don't think it's surprising he knew how to play. You can watch him in Europe and he has a feel for the game that, that's why everybody thought he would be a back-up point guard for us because of his feel. But his willingness to take on a bigger challenge, guard big guys, to help us out where we needed help, most of all. And he's never squawked, never said a word. And then he just takes off. He's just a dream to coach. He's a great kid. He's intelligent, and he keeps, his shot keeps getting better. He'll just keep getting better. And he's an unbelievable find for us. Q. Mike, Kurt Thomas's availability? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: He's dressing and he'll probably be able to play. That doesn't mean he'll play but he'll be ready. Q. Is there anything that impressed against the Spurs than anybody else? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: I didn't watch it. (Laughter) Just kidding. No. Because two great teams, it all came down to last second shots and either team could have won, and that's what, you know, I don't think, I guess going -- the only thing impressed me going down Game 7 home court winning, that's impressive. But also San Antonio, getting San Antonio down 3-1 is impressive. There's a lot of things Mavs did that were impressive. San Antonio fighting back coming and winning Game 6. Great series, two great teams and one of them had to win. Q. How much better is Dirk than he was when you faced him in the playoffs last year? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: I don't know. Seven and a half percent. I don't know. I mean I don't know. He's a great player. The only thing probably maybe he's got -- he doesn't have more confidence, he's just a great player. He's an unbelievable seven footer, shoots and goes to the basket and does what he does is incredible. And that's why, you know, they could have made a case for being most valuable player without a doubt and he's been one of the best in the last two or three years. He's just a super player. It's fun watching him play. Q. Can you talk about what Marion's had to do for you during the playoffs and this series with Dirk and just maintaining a certain offensive level while doing that defensively? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: He has to -- he always has to go with the hardest guy. There will be Dirk the whole series. You know, Shawn is a unique individual. And again we're talking one of the few players in the league, and maybe he might be the only one in his category that can do everything that he does from rebounding to scoring to guarding the hardest guy, and the speed that he gives us. He's a unique player. He's phenomenal to watch him every day. It's unbelievable because he has stretches that at the end of the game you know you just took it for granted what he just did, and then you look at the stat sheet and he's 30 and 15 and you didn't really know it. You marvel at Elton Brand where he was scorned and the ball the way he was shooting the basketball and playing and you look Shawn has as many points as he got. You just didn't notice it. And Shawn lets Steve handle the ball a lot because he doesn't need the ball a lot to do that. He does it by just in the game, in the flow, and that's very unique, and that's probably one of the major reasons why we're this good. Q. Was it Kurt's call to dress tonight and is it just the clean slate of a new series that maybe -- COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: No, I think it's always the player's call. All we try to do as management or coach is to ask him how he feels, medically he's cleared. Can you get out there and perform, they have to know whether they can perform or not. I just don't think it was humanly possible that he could have helped us against the Clippers. And if he -- that's why I left him -- I heard a couple things in Phoenix like there was a problem there. Kurt, you don't want to dress, you can dress if you want to. It's up to you, if you put on a suit. It's up to him whether he wants to dress or not he got more comfortable getting into a suit and getting on the bench because there was no chance that testifies going to play that game. And we're always talking ing it over but it's always going to be up to player whether he's going to play or not. Q. Whether he plays or not? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Whether he's available or not. It's up to me whether he's going to play or not. They don't just walk on our bench. You have to motion every once in a while. It has happened. But we try to discourage that kind of thing. (Laughter). Q. But whether he plays or not, will that be a reaction from your viewpoint. If they go big and you're having trouble or is it all reactionary for you at this point? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Yeah. I just gotta have a gut feeling at the time. And we'll just see. I couldn't even answer it right now because I have no idea. MODERATOR: Anything else for coach? COACH MIKE D'ANTONI: Thanks.
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