WIZARDS HEAD COACH EDDIE JORDAN
On carrying the momentum from last night’s win: “Our leaders are great leaders. They continue to echo that message that it’s one game and that we need to continue to do the things that we did last night in each game – 48 minutes of hard, smart basketball with winning plays at the end. Even if the shots don’t fall we can still rebound, get into people and be physical. Let’s keep that message and see if we can follow it a little bit more.”
On the defense against the Utah Jazz: “I think we got our hands on a lot of balls: deflections, steals, blocked shots. We kept the ball alive on the glass. That was one of the Utah Jazz’s comments that we controlled the paint. We started early with a couple of steals and some deflections and you feed off of that. You can feel that frenzied attitude.”
On the Miami Heat: “We need to keep him (Dwyane Wade) off the rim, off the glass and out of the paint. They’re young and they play fairly small. They open the floor up. They’re going to feel good at home. We’re going to go with what was good for us last night – we’ll go sort of big. We certainly can play small or big just as long as we keep the harmony and the chemistry, and that is what we are trying to develop.”
On JaVale McGee: “His bloodlines are genuine. He’s been taught the right away – how to compete, how to behave. He is learning at an early age how to pay attention and how to compete. No one teaches how to love the game, but he loves the game. He is a special player right now because of his growth and all of the intangibles.”
WIZARDS FORWARD CARON BUTLER
On the Miami Heat: “It’s going to be tough. They play with a lot of effort and energy. Dwyane Wade is definitely back – he’s playing at an unbelievable level right now. We have to bring it. It’s not going to be easy to win in Miami, but it’s definitely something we can accomplish.”
On JaVale McGee: “He’s doing great. A lot was expected of him, and I think he came in and did exactly what he was supposed to do. He played with a lot of effort and energy. When you apply that much energy and effort out on the court, good things are going to happen on the offensive end. Guys are going to reward you and throw the ball up there. He’s been doing great; he’s been finishing strong and getting the crowd into it. He was a real big part of our success last night.”
WIZARDS GUARD JUAN DIXON
On getting a win: “We’re happy to get a win. I thought we played a lot better on the defensive end and we moved the ball a lot more on the offensive end. As long as we continue to play with the energy we played with last night and execute on the defensive side, I think we’ll be fine.”
On the Miami Heat: “We have to contain Dwyane Wade. We have to be on point like we were last night (against the Utah Jazz). Miami has a young team and they have their All-Star (Dwyane Wade) playing at a superstar level right now. We have to do our part on the defensive end.”
