Our guys did everything they could to win the basketball game. Our guys played hard. They were terrific. … I don’t want them to get discouraged.

We have been very cautious with our players. That is our policy. We try to look to the future.

We made mistakes and paid for them in the third quarter. We had our opportunities and we just didn’t get to the loose balls. Guys get tired and when they do, they make mental mistakes....

We can sum it up real easy. Coaches, players, we were just real bad. It’s just that simple. There’s nothing we could have done. It was one of those days where we just kind of...

We’re trying to cover all the scenarios, all the possibilities, … The one thing we’ve had is time. That’s been the great thing. We’ve got scouting reports on everybody.

All you ask is maximize what you have. And I think these guys, individually, have maximized what they’ve had. They’ve seized the moment.

We were lethargic as hell.

If there’s something out there that’s close to what Gerald represents, something’s wrong, because I think that player is already in the league. I think the guys are beat up right now, but we have...

I understand the historical significance of this. This building is terrific. … You know what I’m pleased about? When the guys walk through the building they see things that please them. They’re happy they have...

What you saw was a team that was fighting for their life in terms of the playoff situation. We didn’t match their intensity on defense. We weren’t stopping anybody on the other end. They were...

Seventy-four points at the half – that’s like being at the South Pole for us.

I think we played well. Our small lineup really helped us.

My hat’s off to Keith. He really played well for us tonight. My conversations to Keith have been to be patient and to be a good teammate.

Kevin is a big guard who can defend both positions on the perimeter, … We liked the effort he put forth during summer league play and wanted to take a second look at him.

It was just a really good team effort and a very significant game.

Taken individually they are all excellent players. Collectively they are going to present a huge problem now, in the playoffs, whenever.

We can’t rush him, he’s going to take his time and do it right.

I’m not interested in the bottom-feeding guys. The guys that aren’t in the playoffs, we’re all bottom feeders.

We are in a posture where we want Sean (to get healthy), and we kind of insisted that he get everything taken care of. We want him to take his time. There will be no...

We want to build a team that has ability to sustain itself, not just an ability to win a few more games right away. We’ve studied all the expansion teams. We’re working under the idea...

We’re not afraid to have expectations.

I told them to have patience.

We need a scorer. It doesn’t need to be a shooter, but it’s got to be a scorer. There’s a lot of help out there. I’m comfortable with that. … What we project as our...

We make it hard sometimes. We sit on top of the mountain and don’t recognize what you need to do.

We gave up 25 points off those 21 turnovers. And our backcourt was 5-for-29 from the field.

The beginning of the third, we didn’t get anything done. After six games and two weeks, we didn’t have the energy to get the job done.

I don’t have the courage to inquire right now.

That was an eye-opening move. He said ‘welcome,’ … To not miss a step on that crossover and continue to go straight ahead at full speed. Raymond did the right thing. He just turned around...

Brevin has earned the starting spot. But guys have to maintain that status with commitment to effort and with consistent effort. We think we’ll have that kind of competition throughout the lineup next season.

I’m looking forward to Wednesday, that’s when the season ends. I am looking forward to relaxation.

The last two games, the one in Detroit, late in that game and this game is really the most competitive that we’ve been with a very, very good basketball team.

We are happy that Gerald will continue his career and development with the Charlotte Bobcats. He is a quality young man and has considerable upside,

We’ve hit the wall as a team. Our guys have played a lot of minutes and were having mental lapses, and the common things we just didn’t get done. It was an indication of a...

The good news is that this is a different injury than we originally thought, but it is still an injury we have to let take its course in recovery. Gerald is having a tremendous season...

He’s 7 feet. He can shoot. He has a great work ethic, … If he falls on his face, I can live with that.

If there’s something worthy and makes a difference in your basketball team, you have to have the flexibility to do it. That’s where we are.

What’s the bottom line? We made shots. That’s what it’s all about.

It’s not going to do anything to them statistically for either one of them. They are who they are at this point. They have nothing to prove.

Everything in this basketball game was pretty much even, but they shot 33-of-39 (from the line). Everything else was pretty much even. It gets down to the free-throw line and making the free throws. The...

He’s chomping at the bit.

We didn’t have to force anything. We had great shots. And we’ve got to make shots. It’s that simple.

I thought our defense was superb on the last two possessions that Atlanta had. They couldn’t get a shot off. I thought we made them earn every possession.

That’s a pretty damn good basketball team that we played. They’re very efficient. Most (teams) have a go-to player. That basketball team has a go-to team. They’re very good, very efficient. When a guy’s open,...

We are fortunate that this was a minor injury and caught early. Sean has a great work ethic and we know he will work extremely hard to be back to 100% when the regular season...

When you play here in the Garden, it always has that special quality to it. The ghosts are still here. We try to remind the young guys that this is a great stage to perform...

They’ve just got so many weapons that somehow, someone’s going to make a play.

Obviously it’s always very difficult. It has its benefits because we watch guys evolve and they get an opportunity. But where the difficulty comes in is all the things you’ve implemented you can’t do, especially...

This year is getting ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like this. I guess I won’t be able to say that again because we’re experiencing it now.

He’s going to the battleship? Well, I guess he’s getting mentally ready, huh?

Collectively, the group has been what we wanted them to be in terms of that commitment to effort.