Re: Cavs @ Nuggets
Nuggets 89, Cavaliers 88
Game Quotes: Cavaliers at Denver Nuggets - January 18, 2006
Mike Brown-Cleveland Head Coach
It was a hell of an effort by our guys. We came out a little flat in the first quarter. This game was not won or lost by Henderson missing the tip or Lebron James missing a free throw. We lost because we gave them six offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter. We can’t afford to give a team twenty second chance points. We did not box out. It was a great experience for our younger guys but you have to win the freakin game. We played too good of defense for that kind of stuff to bite us in the behind.
Lebron James- Cleveland Cavaliers Forward
(regarding his last free throw)
It just didn’t go down. I shot it like I shoot any other free throw, and I just missed it. So you just gotta move on. Everything that happened tonight, I blame myself. I take the credit for when we lose and I take the credit for when we win. I’m the leader of this team, and I didn’t come through down the stretch, and we lost. They are a good offensive rebounding team. K-mart comes off the ground pretty fast, and Najera comes off the ground pretty fast, and they were just shooting long jump shots, and getting a lot of long rebounds. We didn’t get a chance to box anyone out, and we still had a chance to win down the stretch. We’re getting better, especially with three of our main guys out of the lineup.
Alan Henderson-Cleveland Cavaliers Forward
(regarding the missed free throw)
When the shot went up in the air, I thought it was going in. I have a lot of confidence in my teammates, and I thought that shot was going in. It ended up coming off the rim, and I was able to get a hand on it, and I really thought it was going in the basket, but it caught the rim the wrong way and rolled out. I thought it was good. They got a lot of offensive rebounds, and we still have work to do to become a better team, and we’ll come out the next game and give a good effort.
George Karl-Denver Nuggets Head Coach
Defensively we played a great game, but we got pushed around in the fourth quarter. If we make our free throws it doesn’t come down to a last shot. I didn’t like the pace of the game. I thought Najera had a great game for us, probably the MVP of the game. We tried to keep the three ball out of the game for them, and I think we succeeded. This probably wasn’t one of Melo’s best games, I thought he should have passed out of some of the double teams early in the game. Maybe that would have given him more room to work later in the game.
Carmelo Anthony-Denver Nuggets Forward
I’m proud of our team. We fought through to the end tonight. We overcame adversity. I just told him (Lebron) “miss one for me.” He gave me one. Earl was Earl (Boykins). He always gives us a spark off the bench and hits a big shot. Our focus tonight was to keep Lebron from getting 30 (points), we just wanted to check him and try to keep the ball out of his hands, because we know he’s also a good passer as well.
(regarding his driving dunk at end of game)
I was going to get something, I was going to the basket, either getting a dunk or getting fouled. Our conference (division) is ugly right now, but we’ll take it (regarding first place). We didn’t (Lebron and Carmelo playing like all-stars), but we won the game, that’s all I can keep saying. We both had good efforts.
Earl Boykins- Denver Nuggets Guard
(regarding Melo’s last shot)
'Melo went baseline, it was a great drive, he took the ball to the hole strong and scored. It was a big shot. At half time Coach said that we had to stay together. That’s what we did. We stayed together and got a victory.
(regarding Lebron James’ play)
Any time you have somebody with the ball that much of the game, they’re going to score. We did a good job of playing defense on him in the first half. In the second half, he was able to get some baskets.