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NBA PLAYOFFS ROUND TWO: SPURS v WARRIORSMay 16, 2013Mark JacksonOAKLAND, CALIFORNIA: Game Six SPURS – 94 THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. You have players dropping out, players who were playing while hurt. What did it feel like when you had all this injury tonight? COACH JACKSON: Sometimes one of the best statements that you can make is fighting. I talked about this being a group that at the end of the day, our tank will be on empty and the light will be beaming bright. I truly believed that's exactly what took place. Guys battled. Guys gave me everything they had. We fought. I could not be prouder of any group. I can go on and win championships and I will not be prouder of any group that I ever coached than this group. I've never had one issue. Didn't have one guy with a separate agenda. Didn't have cliques inside of my locker room. It was incredible. I thank them from the bottom of my heart because by them buying in, you know, they put a stamp on me. It's been an incredible ride. I thank the fans and the organization and these guys especially. Q. What was the situation with Harrison? Was there any kind of protocol taking place? If he has a head injury, isn't he supposed to have some checks? COACH JACKSON: Yes, and he did that. That's what took him so long. Jefferson was starting the second half. Harrison completed the test and came back on the floor. I think we've proven not to put our guys in harm's way. When he wasn't feeling right, you know, that was it. Q. That was his decision? COACH JACKSON: He needed a blow. He said, Coach, I need a minute. I just saw in his eyes. It's not worth it. He's had an incredible run. It was time to call it a night. Q. How about Bogut in the fourth quarter? COACH JACKSON: Bogut early on, we knew in shoot‑around he was nowhere near 100%. He said, I'll give you what I have. He battled. It got to a point, you know, probably, I don't recall, but second or third quarter, where he basically told me he couldn't move. I wasn't going to chance him. He gave me what he had, just like everybody else. Made a decision that that was it. Q. Did you think about not playing Harrison even if he passed the concussion test just because of the way the injury looked? COACH JACKSON: To be quite honest, I knew he had stitches, but I wasn't sure whether it was a concussion or not. He was alert when he was on the floor. He answered the questions. He was smart enough to get up in stages. He really walked off on his own. We've got a great staff of doctors and a great staff with our trainers. He gave it a go. He actually played well. But it ran its course. Q. Thompson, and for them, Parker had terrible games. Is that defense keeping them down or they just missed? COACH JACKSON: You got to give both teams credit. Defensively we made adjustments and tried to make life tough for Tony Parker, and they did the same thing with our guys. So I think you credit the defense a lot. At the end of the day, some pretty good players missed shots. Q. How was their defense able to take you out of your comfort zone? COACH JACKSON: They did a good job of corralling, all pick'n rolls, daring our bigs to make plays. They was trying to be disruptive, with Steph especially. At the end of the day we got some great looks. Didn't knock 'em down. So as good a job as they did, we got some good looks. Q. What was the thinking behind you going bigger in this series than you went against Denver? COACH JACKSON: Well, with the Spurs, they execute you to death.  They pick you apart. It was important for us to protect the paint, to make life tough for Tony Parker. So it was important to have the guys in the middle of the paint to be the last line of our defense. Q. Did you hang around after the game and see the fans hang around and start chanting well after the game was over? COACH JACKSON: When we went out on the court? Q. Were you still out there for that? COACH JACKSON: Yes, I was out there. Q. What was that like? COACH JACKSON: You know, the great thing about it is, as an announcer, I can recall calling the Thunder game in playoffs. They get knocked out. We're sitting there closing on the air for the telecast, and the fans are chanting, acknowledging the great season. I'm sitting there as an announcer thinking, This is cool. We've got the best fans in the business. It was an incredible moment for them to acknowledge what took place this year and also for my guys to acknowledge that we don't take these incredible fans for granted. It's been a great ride. Q. Now that your first playoff run as a coach is over, how do you compare it to similar runs as a player emotionally? COACH JACKSON: It's different. I would say as a player, I'm tied to the guys, but I'm tied to a couple of guys. You know, it's a business. As a coach, I'm tied to an incredible fan base. I'm tied to awesome owners that took a chance on me. I'm tied to a general manager and a front office that took a chance on me. I'm tied to a group of guys that bought in, played their hearts out for me. So it's a little bit more draining. But it's inspiring to think of what we were able to accomplish this year and the foundation that's been laid. Q. Other than experience, what do you think the team needs to go deeper in the playoffs in the future? COACH JACKSON: It's too early for me to think about that. I thought we had what it took. We fought the Spurs and had a great run. I want to say thank you, guys. Really appreciate each and every one of you. God bless you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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