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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS v SPURSJune 14, 2007Tim DuncanCLEVELAND, OHIO: Game Four Q. When you look at this series now that it's over, what was the key for you guys in all four games in keeping LeBron at bay and ending this in four games? TIM DUNCAN: It was our team defense. It was Bruce Bowen sitting down on him for 40-some odd minutes every night. It was our guys understanding that he wasn't able to do it himself. But I think it just starts with Bruce. I've got to give a lot of credit to Bruce. He did an awesome job of standing in front of that guy and making life tough for him. We understood as a group that we were going to have to do our part. They fought, they hit the offensive glass, they did everything they could, but we sustained. They made runs, we never panicked. I think it just shows a lot of the experience, the poise that we've built over the years, and I think we just outlasted them. Q. The game plan coming into this series, was it one that you guys devised, or did you watch maybe Game 6 of that Detroit series and see what Detroit did and take a little bit from that? TIM DUNCAN: We devise our own game game plan. We don't rely on anyone else. It's all us (laughter). You learn from everything. I think our coaches are the best in the business at watching game film, and we see these guys two times a year. Honestly we probably would have been more comfortable playing Detroit because we had played them more times before. We play Cleveland twice a year, and it's spread out and this year was so early in the year. We were different teams. We had to watch a lot of film, we had to figure out their tendencies, we had to figure out our game plan walking into this gym before we actually even had played these guys and know what they were about. Our coaching staff, give them a whole lot of credit at getting us prepared, getting us ready to play these guys. Q. Talk about winning your fourth championship, also with Michael Finley finally getting one, and how tough to close out as we talked about the other day? TIM DUNCAN: You know, it was a tough close-out. Guys like Mike Fin is what it's all about, to win a championship, to see how much he appreciates it, to see Jacque Vaughn and even Robert Horry, to see the looks on their face and the understanding of how special and how tough it is to get here, it makes it all worth it. Not that it's not worth it by itself, but those guys make it epitomize and define what it is about a journey to get here and how hard it is to get here. Q. Was it almost appropriate that it took a great deal of perseverance in the fourth quarter to get this victory after the season -- TIM DUNCAN: It made it sweeter, it really did. It would have been -- it would have been sweet either way, but it made it sweeter for them to make a run, for us to answer, for us to keep our composure and to find a way to win, no matter what. Those guys played great in that fourth quarter. They outscored us in the fourth quarter, as they did most of the series. We made plays, we found ways to get it done. I didn't play the greatest, people missed shots, they got offensive rebounds, they made plays. But we found a way to win. That's what this team is all about. No matter what happens we find ways to win. Q. Could you talk about what Manu did in the third quarter, 13 points, after the game that he had in Game 3 when he didn't have a basket? TIM DUNCAN: Manu is our X factor. Manu is the guy that when it all breaks down, when it all goes bad, when our offense isn't clicking the right way, he's the guy that makes plays. That's his role. That's his role, and this team is about roles. This team is about people filling their spots when they have to, and that is absolutely his role. He was great tonight in it. Q. Can you talk about late in the game, two minutes to go, four possessions, three offensive rebound series and you guys put a little dish to Oberto? How big was that in the overall scheme of the game? TIM DUNCAN: It was huge. It was a great time to do it. Our effort was there. They were the team who was being the aggressor on the glass, and they were the ones getting it done on the glass. And we had a stretch there where we got extra possessions. We found a way to get it done. As I was saying with the last question, we made plays and found a way to get it done when it wasn't there. That effort and that perseverance is what defines this team. We find a way to get it done when it's time to get it done. Q. This is your fourth title with Coach Popovich. What does Coach Popovich mean to you? TIM DUNCAN: Such a broad question. Coach Pop is -- he's the one that puts us together. He's the guy that makes it run. He's the one that stays on us, no matter how well or how badly we're playing. He finds the right way to approach us. I can say no more than he defines the team. He always has, and as long as he's here, he always will. Q. Both you and Manu came in and you looked at the box score when you guys have just won a world championship. What's it mean that you guys, at a time of celebration, are still worried about the details? What does that say about your franchise? TIM DUNCAN: We're sticklers, I don't know. That's probably bad (laughter). We should appreciate and enjoy the win. To end the season 4-of-15 and 4-of-10 game is disappointing. In this situation it shouldn't be, but I think we're all competitors, and it defines us as competitors. We want to be the best players that we can be in the biggest situations. Honestly, I thought those other guys were great, and I thought I was sub-par. But we got it done, and that's all that matters. That's all that matters. End of FastScripts |
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