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NBA FINALS: MAGIC v LAKERSJune 11, 2009Stan Van GundyORLANDO, FLORIDA: Game Four Los Angeles Lakers - 99 Q. Can you just talk a little bit about the value of experience late in The Finals games? STAN VAN GUNDY: That had nothing to do with any of it. That's what I've got to say about that. Nothing. We've played enough basketball games. It's a basketball game. Q. You don't think -- STAN VAN GUNDY: No, I don't think. Q. And then Fisher, their experienced player steps up at the end? STAN VAN GUNDY: No, absolutely not. Q. What was your thinking when you were ahead by three? Had you guys tried to foul -- STAN VAN GUNDY: No, we thought 11 seconds was too early, especially the way we were shooting free throws tonight. So we thought it was too early. But you know, in retrospect, we gave him so much space to shoot the ball. We played like we were trying to prevent the lay-up. I thought we did a good job, we denied Bryant the ball, and then we just didn't play Derek Fisher, just didn't guard him. But no, it was my decision with 11 seconds not to foul. Yes, I regret it now, but only in retrospect. I mean, normally to me 11 is too early. You foul, they make two free throws, you cut it to one. You're still at six or seven seconds. Q. Phil said he usually does it with five seconds. STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, six or seven with me. I thought it was too early at 11, though when they took it full court, I'll have to go back and look at that. That one will haunt me forever, but we could have played that play a lot better. Q. How would you describe the free throw shooting? STAN VAN GUNDY: 59 percent. Q. Talk more about what that meant, the impact on the second half, especially at the end of the game. STAN VAN GUNDY: I mean, what are you going to say? We missed key free throws down the stretch. Obviously it had a huge impact. Q. You decided to go more with Jameer Nelson towards the end of the game and leave Rafer on the bench. Why was that? STAN VAN GUNDY: I thought we had a very, very bad third quarter, and then it wasn't so much one guy over the other, it was just we had a unit in the fourth quarter that I thought was playing real well. And then you get down to the point where Rafer hasn't played in 10 or 12 minutes, I thought it would be hard to bring him back. Jameer wasn't doing a whole lot but he also wasn't hurting us at all. The unit had played pretty well, so that's why I stayed with it. Q. You dismissed the idea that experience was a factor. What do you think was the overlying factor as the difference in this game? STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, 19 turnovers to 8, free throw shooting and poor execution down the stretch. Here's my thing on experience: It's a basketball game. These guys have played hundreds of them, thousands of them. Most of these guys have been in huge games. You know, it's just too cliché that it's all about Finals experience and the whole thing, as if all of a sudden we're playing with 11-foot baskets and a smaller court or something like that. I don't buy it. Q. How would you describe the mood in the locker room? You had a lot of close games during the postseason. How would you compare it to other losses, close losses? STAN VAN GUNDY: Well, this is the toughest one because it puts us down two games and on the brink of elimination. The mood obviously was very somber. But we've got a couple of days here and we'll get it back together and come out and do everything we can to win Game 5. Very somber afterwards. I mean, obviously everybody very, very disappointed. The emotions are very raw. I didn't say much of anything afterwards. Q. Phil said that he thought you guys had a foul to give on that Fisher shot and you could have just fouled him. He's wrong about that? STAN VAN GUNDY: No. Q. You had two point guards that had five assists between them. Rashard Lewis had more turnovers than baskets made. Was it a case of him being off tonight with six points or was he not getting the ball in the right spots? STAN VAN GUNDY: Right, I thought they did a pretty good job. I didn't do a very good job of finding ways to get him the ball in spots where he could make shots. I think it was more that than him having just a bad night. End of FastScripts |
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