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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: THUNDER v SPURSMay 27, 2012Tony ParkerSAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: Game One Oklahoma City Thunder 97 Q. Tony, how difficult did they make it for you to get started tonight? TONY PARKER: It was tough. Very physical game. Both teams a little bit of rust at the beginning in the first half. They had a great third quarter; they made it very hard on us. We were down nine. We were not playing good basketball. Missing a lot of wide open shots in the third quarter. Then in the fourth quarter we played a lot better, made some shots. Made the stops that we needed. And Manu was great tonight. And Stephen Jackson, too, hit a huge three and played great defense on Durant. Q. Timeout, did you hear Pop say, "I want some nasty," and what went through your mind, if you did? TONY PARKER: He just wanted to make sure we played with a lot more energy. When he says that, he just wants to make sure we matched the passion and the energy that Oklahoma was playing with. They were playing with a lot more energy than us in the third quarter. And we were like hesitating a little bit. I think that comes with, like, not playing for a week, and in the fourth quarter we came back and we responded. Q. So it worked? It was a big motivating Coach's phrase? TONY PARKER: We knew it. Pop is always going to try to motivate us. We knew as a team we were not playing our best basketball in the third quarter. Q. Tony, 30 of your last 32, 19 in a row, 9‑0 in the playoffs, does this team ever think they're going to lose? TONY PARKER: We don't even think like that. Each game is different. Oklahoma, they're a very, very good team. And they made it hard on us tonight. I think we're going to have to play a lot better if we want to win Game 2. We had 14 turnovers in the first half; that's a lot. I had four personally. And I know if we play the same way, we're not going to win Game 2. We're going to have to play a lot better. Play better defense, and our ball movement needs to be better, and it starts with me making good decisions with the ball when they trap me or stay a long time in the pick‑and‑rolls. Q. Tony, did you feel like in the fourth quarter your experience helped? After their slow start they started looking rattled. TONY PARKER: I don't think experience is a big factor in this series. Oklahoma, they've been there. They've played in the Conference Finals last year. So they have some experience, too. Q. Tony, the lineup throughout most of the season was the fourth quarter closes out with you, Tim, Manu, Stephen and Gary. It was very effective. Have you played with that this year? TONY PARKER: Not that much. Obviously we acquired Jack at the end of the season. Jack was huge for us in the fourth quarter defensively and hitting the big three. And I think we're going to have to play with that lineup a lot. Durant is a tough cover at the 4. He's the best scorer in the league. And so we're going to have to make sure we're know what we're doing when we go small. And Gary Neal was playing good in the fourth quarter. Danny was not hitting shots. Pop decided to stick with Gary, and he made some big shots for us in the fourth quarter. Q. Tony, 14 turnovers in the first half. Three in the second. What was the difference? TONY PARKER: It started with me. I didn't make good decisions in the first half. A little bit in a hurry. That comes with not playing for a week. I was a little bit‑‑ going a little bit too fast, getting in trouble. I take responsibility for that. And so in the second half tried to play better, make better decisions, call better plays and make sure we execute and we don't get those turnovers. Q. Can you talk about Manu, his play and what he did. TONY PARKER: Manu was great tonight. He was very aggressive. He was in a good rhythm early in the game. You can see he had a little bounce. He was playing great and making big shots. In the fourth quarter he wanted the ball, and he was very aggressive. And he made great passes, too. Got everybody involved. He was very active tonight. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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