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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: NUGGETS v LAKERSMay 22, 2009Carmelo AnthonyDENVER, COLORADO: Practice Day CARMELO ANTHONY: We won the game. We came back and we're supposed to be tough. We came into the series looking to do what we needed to do. We wanted to win both games. We wanted to win. Can go back home on our home court. Q. Did you feel like maybe the pressure with you guys now going into your home court? CARMELO ANTHONY: No pressure, man. We just have to keep playing the way we're playing now. We're going home to our home court. We'll be okay. I don't think it's pressure at this point. It's just about going out there playing basketball. Q. You guys lose a close game, when a close game. Does that show up? CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah, because I said it last night, the first time a year ago we wouldn't have won that basketball game. Early in the game on the road, we get down 12 points, 13 points early. We're not -- we're not winning that basketball game. But that just goes to show how tough a team we are. Q. What changed, what made that happen? CARMELO ANTHONY: I think guys just growing up a little more this season or now. Guys know what's at stake. And we got it bad last year. They swept us last year. That's in the back of our mind. We don't want to have to go through that again. Q. You took Kobe in the fourth quarter, the last two possessions, never got the ball. Some things he taught you about that? CARMELO ANTHONY: My team know that when I'm guarding him, I could care less about what everybody else is doing. I'm just trying to focus on him, keeping the ball out of his hands, deny him. If he do get it, try to make it tough for him. I know he's going to hit some shots. You just can't get discouraged at the type of shots he's going to hit. Q. Couple of those possessions J.R. spent a little time on him, too, and didn't mess up. Can you talk about J.R.'s rise as a defender? CARMELO ANTHONY: People are taking a good challenge to defend. Not just one. Everybody. Nene, coming into the game to LK coming off the bench. I think everybody's taking on the challenges. Q. Some of these games have been maybe one-possession, freeing up most of the parts, what's it take mentally to concentrate and account for the win when it's only a one-possession game, when it's so close? CARMELO ANTHONY: We've been in these type of situations when the game was on the line, the game was close. We might need a bucket or we might need to a stop. Most likely we're going to need a stop. We can score. It's all we can do. But we won't stop nobody that we're not going to win the basketball game. Q. Both games, what was different in closing the few minutes of Game 2? CARMELO ANTHONY: We didn't want to have the experience what we were experiencing in Game 1 coming down the stretch. Leaving Derek Fisher open for the 3. We be probably too early. But we wanted one. We wanted to play Kobe, we knew he was going to have the ball in his hand down the stretch. Playing straight up, slap it when we get a chance to. We did a good job like that. Q. In a situation like that, when you know Kobe's going to want the ball in the fourth quarter; do you say to George let me switch on him, let me take him, does that come up? CARMELO ANTHONY: Yeah. I told you yesterday, look, there's going to be times where I gotta save my energy, because chasing him around, you lose a lot of energy chasing him around. Especially when he knows I'm guarding the biggers guys, trying to run around. But let me get him down the stretch where I can try to get a big hand and save longer, bigger defender trying to bang with him a little bit. End of FastScripts |
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