|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SPURS v LAKERSMay 29, 2008Pau GasolLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game Five Q. You have been dealing with Tim Duncan for several years now. What did you draw from your past experiences in dealing with him tonight and in this series? PAU GASOL: He is a great player. He plays -- he plays extremely hard, especially this time of the year. And he is such a tough cover. All I could do is play him tough, try to stay in front of him, try to be a little physical with him, box him out. He is a great rebounder. He makes plays for his teammates. He is a great, you know, all-time great power forward. So I was trying to keep him shooting in low percentages. That's all I can do because he is going to get his shots. He is going to get respect because he deserved it. He earned it. You know, he does an excellent job for his team and he always has, so ... It is always a pleasure playing against him. Q. Pau, 19 rebounds and four blocked shots. Even though your shot wasn't falling, how important was it for you to stay active defensively and getting those offensive rebounds, too? PAU GASOL: That's something you can try -- you can control, is that way of going after the ball and play defense. You know, offensively, didn't have a good night shooting, but I was just persistent in focusing on a defensive end and trying to pursue the ball, chase it offensively and defensively and get opportunities -- better opportunities for my team. So that's what I tried to do tonight. Q. Phil had challenged you throughout the series to play more physical and to respond? PAU GASOL: Has he? Q. I had read. PAU GASOL: Oh, okay. Q. How do you feel that you responded to that, how you stepped up and were you able to do that satisfactorily for you? PAU GASOL: Well, I just know how important -- how important it is every game. After Game 3, I was disappointed at myself. I didn't feel good. I didn't play well. I let Tim have too good of a game rebounding the ball and feeling too comfortable. So these next two games, just tried to be more focused, be a little more physical, more aggressive. Even though offensively didn't have great games, but, you know, that's not what the team most needs. Me doing a good job on Duncan and doing the little things, I think, helped much more to the team so it was more beneficial definitely. I just knew that we were one step away from getting to the finals -- getting to the NBA finals which is something I have been wishing and dreaming for for a long time. So definitely didn't want to waste the opportunity and I want to give my best. I gave everything I had. End of FastScripts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|