Flip Saunders Quotes on Basketball (14 Quotes)

We have to know that they have other guys that are capable. Charlie Bell has played well. T. J. Ford had a pretty good game overall and we've got to continue to find those two. Just do what we normally do. Our philosophy is to contest whatever shot is taken, try to limit three-point shots and rebound the basketball. Those are three things we did.

That I liken to players that are extremely disciplined and players who know their roles. They don't try to play out of character. That shows something from Day One about the basketball intelligence of the whole team.

We had 30 assists, and that shows you are playing team basketball. We share the ball.

When you get 30 assists, it shows you are playing team basketball, ... This league is about finding where the mismatches are and exploit the weaknesses.

I think ever since the league changed the rules (two years ago) and took away the contact and bumping, and allowed zone defenses, it forced teams to emphasize ball movement and player movement and team basketball.

To have 36 assists on 43 baskets shows that we are playing team basketball. We aren't as good as we looked tonight, and we aren't as bad as we looked in Dallas.

That was Detroit basketball. The more we played against them, the more we understood their sets and we were able to contest their shots. If we play lock-down defense like we did tonight, we can play with these guys.

I thought, especially for our league, the fourth quarter was a great quarter. They saw a little bit about what NBA basketball is about great plays by great players.

To our credit, we calmed down and just played basketball. The thing is, especially on the road, you put yourself in a position to win games. We don't beat ourselves.

You saw both teams as basically who they are -- meat-and-potato teams. Maybe this is why the game wasn't hyped as much. This is what basketball was meant to be like -- play defense, play team basketball.

You have to understand, we've played 82 games to get here 82 games of playoff-type basketball. People talk about the pressure of being the hunted. Well, we've been the hunted since we were 8-0. It's been like our opponents' Super Bowl every time they play us. I think the regular season prepared us for what's at hand.

It was a very entertaining game. You saw, both teams, who they are meat-and-potato teams. Maybe this is why the game wasn't hyped as much. This is what basketball is meant to be like. Play defense, play team basketball. Not turn the ball over, and make plays for each other.

We locked down defensively to get the lead. We got to do what we wanted to do offensively. We didn't turn the ball over. We forced turnovers early and turnovers late. We took care of the basketball and didn't give them chances to score out of our offense.

We played 82 games that we considered playoff basketball. That's the way we're going to play. We're going to defend, we're going to move the ball offensively, and that's why I told our guys.