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NBA FINALS: LAKERS v CELTICSJune 5, 2008Kevin GarnettPaul PierceBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Game One Q. Paul, can you just go through what you felt when you went down initially and what happened when you went into the locker room? And you came back pretty quickly, what went into that? PAUL PIERCE: Well, when I first fell to the ground I heard a pop in my knee, and all I felt was pain when I grabbed it. And at that point I thought it was just -- I thought I tore something. That's the way I felt at the time. Usually when I go down, I'm getting right back up, but it was an instance where I turned my knee and it popped, heard it pop, and I was just in pain where I just couldn't move. Once I got to the back, I felt on it, then I stood on my two feet and just tried to see where the pain was at. It was on the inside of my knee. I tried to put weight on it, wasn't bad. I tried to lateral, a little soreness. Once I felt I could put weight on it, I was like, I had to get back out there to help my ballclub. That was all that was going through my mind, just being a part of it. I just wanted to get back out there. Q. Did Doc tell you to check in? He was a little -- PAUL PIERCE: Not really. I just told him, let me get out there, see how I feel, and go from there. I just didn't want to sit down and get stiff. So I said, let me give it a try and see how I feel. Q. Kevin, could you also respond to what Paul was saying about what did the team kind of suspect had happened? Were you guys fearing the worst when you saw him get carried off? And Paul, what were your thoughts when you got carried off? PAUL PIERCE: I thought that was it. I mean, I thought -- a lot of things going through my mind. I thought I tore something. Once I heard the pop, and I couldn't move it at first, I thought that was it. I really didn't test it until I got to the back, but obviously it's in pain right now. The doctor said I have a strained meniscus. We'll see how it feels tomorrow and the next day and go from there. KEVIN GARNETT: We saw him being carried off and we didn't know what the situation was. We kept asking, was he all right? Doc was trying to get us back to the huddle. One thing we know about P is he's very tough and we've seen him play through numerous injuries throughout the season. There was times when we thought he wasn't going to play, he played. He played his best if you ask me. When he wasn't really responding, it was like, uh-oh, what was going on. Doc had us back organized, and when he came out, you just heard the roar of the crowd. He was walking, he was up on his own strength, and he rejuvenated us, I think to the point where he gave everybody life. Defense picked up a little bit. I don't know if he went on the rim, but I could tell that everybody was rejuvenated. It was good to see him be okay and in action. Q. Paul, did you get pushed into the cameramen? What happened? How did you feel there? And do you think you'll be able to play the next game? PAUL PIERCE: We'll see. I mean, it's in pain. I was able to get through tonight. I don't know if it was off adrenaline or what, but got through it. But when I saw the replay out back, I was guarding Kobe at the time and I challenged a shot, when I came down, Perkins came down on my foot, and at the same time I turned my leg when he was on it, and I think that's how I twisted the knee. Q. Obviously very different situation, but you heard a lot of people in the crowd start yelling "Willis Reed" for you when you came out. What do you remember about that and did you hear any of that? PAUL PIERCE: I mean, I wasn't trying to imitate him. It was a situation where that's where I was. I got hurt, came to the back, jumped out there. I don't know what to say, just glad that I was able to get back out there. Q. Doc said ten years was a long time to wait, that's why you were so quick to get back out there. What are your thoughts on that? PAUL PIERCE: Definitely. The thing about it, a lot of it was going through my mind, and I was like, man, it can't be over like this. You know, I think God just sent this angel down and said, hey, you're going to be all right. You need to get back out there. Show them what you've got. Q. Kevin, were you guys, the way you take pride in your defense, were you insulted at all that people kept asking what kind of adjustments you would have to make against this team as if what you did all year wasn't good enough? KEVIN GARNETT: Insulted, no. I think people look at some of the games obviously when we did play well, just as examples, as facts that, hey, this is what you can do on this team, not really understanding that teams that -- teams do get in rhythm and in the playoffs they get paid, also, and use it against the fact that we are a good team, they get on the other side and you can pick out games where defensively it wasn't as sharp as other games. But insulted, no, not at all. I think sometimes it's trying to balance it out, critics try to balance things out at times. You can't get caught up in that, have the team do what you've been doing all year. Q. Paul, can you talk about the defense overall on Kobe and your part in it in the fourth quarter? PAUL PIERCE: You know, I just wanted to make him work, and that's what we tried to do. We threw numerous defenders at him, Posey, Ray, myself, and just wanted to give him a different look. We're all different type of defenders. I think I'm a little bit more physical, more up in your face. Posey has great length, and Ray's defense has come a long way this year. I think you get a little bit of everything. He slides his feet well. He was able to get the charge, so we wanted to give him different looks just to keep him uncomfortable. That's about it. The guys did a great job. The help was there when we needed it with Kevin, Perk, PJ, so you just try to stay in front of him as much as you can, and when he gets to the hole, look for your help. That's what we were able to do. That's the way our defense is designed. Q. Would you guys say these are the biggest games you've played in your life? And if so, could you describe how your emotions were coming to the game today and how you controlled those emotions? KEVIN GARNETT: Emotions were high. As we said in the locker room, gas we very high. In this type of game you can't control your emotions, you just let it flow. I think Paul can agree with this, but everybody was out there sort of trying to catch their breath the first couple trips up and down. But at the same time you ride the wave as long as you can and use your time accordingly, sit back and try to work on your breathing techniques and all that. That's where yoga's got to come in (laughter). But for the most part, these are the biggest games we've been a part of, and this is not the time to be holding anything back, and we don't plan on doing that. For the most part it's go hard. That's the focus in our locker room was go hard. Q. Kevin, could you kind of size up your own game tonight, particularly the fourth quarter, the basket scored late in the game. KEVIN GARNETT: Terrible. My fourth quarter was plain out terrible, I'll be honest. I thought I got my hands on loose balls, a lot of shots I knew I could make, rhythm shots and I just missed them. I thought I was active, I was talkative, but I could be better and I will be. Q. Did you even for one moment when Paul was taking off say to yourself, okay, this is all on me now? Did that ever cross your mind? KEVIN GARNETT: No, but you take some responsibility when one of the guys go out. Like when Ray and Paul are not in the game, then I know I've got to solidify and get them open shots and at the same time be aggressive. You do take a bit of responsibility on yourself, just to be aggressive offensively. On defense I'm the talker. It's my place to make sure I'm talking, guys know where picks coming from, we're all active, that type of thing. End of FastScripts |
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