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NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: PISTONS v CELTICS

May 26, 2008

Antonio McDyess

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Four

Q. Flip mentioned that after the film session yesterday you, Chauncey and Juan were sort of reiterating that everything was going to be okay. Can you talk about what kind of sparked that conversation and how you feel that translated into tonight's game?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Well, actually I just felt like it was a big disappointment from the last game, how we started. I just tried to get the players into the game, into the next game, and just let them know that there's only so many opportunities we're going to have. You know, our opportunities are definitely getting limited. Next game is going to be harder, harder after that, so we've got to leave everything out on the floor. That's basically what I was telling hem. We just had that conversation, and told everybody in the locker room that, also, and I think tonight was a different story.

Q. How much are you more aware of that than maybe everybody else on this team?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Well, because I'm me, I'm almost to the end of the road (laughing). You only have so many opportunities, and like I said, they're limited, especially for me. I'm at the end of my career, and I just feel like leaving everything out on the floor, there won't be no excuses. So I just tried to do that this year. Last year I was disappointed, definitely, the way we lost last year.
This year I don't want to have no excuse if we lose. I know we left everything out on the floor.

Q. So in that context, talk about how you came out at the start of the game and how much you were hungry to just do something.
ANTONIO McDYESS: We definitely came out and started at the game better than we did last game. I felt with me trying to get open shots, knocking down shots and getting that energy going, the team will feed off it. I think I did a good job doing that, and Boston is a great team. And I think just going out there and knocking the shots down and getting the crowd into it helped us a lot tonight.

Q. When you started your career, you were the man on teams, and you've come here and reinvented yourself. Not every player who starts as a star is able to do that and accept a role. Why is it you've not only accepted that role here but thrived in it?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Because this team makes it easy for me, honestly. Flip makes it easy for me and the coaches. I think for me, taking a back seat to these guys, they're better players than me, and I don't have an ego to say that they're better players than me. They're play-makers, and I just try to feed off of them. You know, I was a heck of a player in my career, early in my career, but injuries forbid me to do things I normally could do now. But overall I think I'm on a good team, and all five guys just welcome me in and have me out on the court, and when I'm playing, I just play. I don't worry about who's the man. I think the other four do the same thing. I just go out there and play.

Q. Considering how well you played in the first half, when you started the third quarter with three fouls, were you expecting them to come after you more to try to pick up a fourth or fifth?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Not really. I think offensively they really stayed on me, didn't leave me a lot because I couldn't get the shot. They stayed on me. With Rasheed I thought they would do that, pound the ball in to KG and try to get him a fourth, fifth foul.

Q. Flip Saunders said he's seeing a new personality emerge from you recently, more leadership. Is that a conscious effort on your part?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Yeah, because I'm kind of fed up with excuses. Since I've been here we kind of have had excuses why we haven't won another championship since I've been here, and I feel that, you know, if I don't say nothing vocally that we would have an excuse this year. I don't want us to have no excuse.
You know, I can accept going out on the court, leaving everything out there and losing, but not leaving everything out there and losing and feeling that we lost and having excuses is not acceptable. I think taking a more leadership role if I have to, and speaking up and telling everyone, hey, we need to go out there and play hard to our ability, I'll do it.

Q. In a game where it seemed like every shot was contested, you were somehow getting open, especially at the beginning, the open jumpers. Was that part of the Pistons' playing or was it something in the Boston scheme that allowed you to get free?
ANTONIO McDYESS: No, they always leave me for some reason. They're a big help team on the strong side, and the weak side is always open. I just try to get to the open areas and knock down the shot. I think they've been doing that since day one. And I think Flip emphasized that last practice, saying, hey, Dyess is going to be open at the top of the key, and the players have actually been getting the ball to me.

Q. You've said that after your knee injury in 2003 you strongly considered retirement. You were lying in your bed wondering if you wanted to continue. How grateful are you for this kind of final act of your career when it could have been over at that stage?
ANTONIO McDYESS: Very grateful. I don't think no one can just sit here and understand where I'm coming from when I felt how I felt at that part of my career when I felt like it was over. I mean, I was laying in the bed thinking, hey, this is going to be it, and now I've just reinvented myself, coming to this team. Joe gave me an opportunity, and I feel I've been blessed, and the opportunity has just been great for me, and I just try to take full advantage of every second.
I think with my teammates, and like I said, the coaches, they're doing a great job just giving me the ball and things and believing in me, so I just want to keep them believing in me. I just go out there and play with my heart.

End of FastScripts

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