Media Conference after NBA Finals Game 2

Tim Duncan spoke with the media after game 2 of the 2003 NBA finals. The Spurs played at home in San Antonio but lost a close one to the New Jersey Nets.

Q: Was that their defense or were you just off tonight? Was that their defense or were you just struggling?

Tim Duncan: A little bit of both. They did a great job of playing between guys and they just found a way to kind of cut off the lanes. I thought they were a very good defense.

Q: You and David after the game were saying you were surprised Dikembe did not play more, but he played 20 minutes tonight. Can you talk about his impact?

Tim Duncan: I thought he played very well. I thought he does what he usually does. He affects shots around the basket. I thought he was solid on the offensive end and I thought it was a big boost for him. He came out and played with a lot of energy.

Q: Did you gays take them a little lightly for this Game 2?

Tim Duncan: We didn't take anybody lightly. We didn't play a very good game and they played very well.

Q: Just on the free throw line, was there anything going on in your head tonight, and is that the weakness that the Nets exposed tonight?

Tim Duncan: Yeah, our weakness is our free throws and our turnovers, and we did both of those tonight. When it came down to it, I missed seven free throws. I make a couple of those, it's a whole different ball game.

Q: What was the strategy after Jason misses the free throw, and is the 3 point the first option or is that just a shot?

Tim Duncan: It was a shot. I thought it was a great read by Tony to get the ball to him. Jack says if he looked at the clock a little better he would have pumped it but I thought he made a quick decision, he made a very good shot, he just hit one in the corner and he had been going on a good run there, been feeling it, and I was happy with the shot.

Q: Do you think you need to be a little more aggressive earlier?

Tim Duncan: It's easy to say that. It's easy to go out there and say, be aggressive. But when they are sagging in the lanes, four shots isn't being aggressive. I need to find a way to get to the middle, draw the defense a little bit more and get my teammates a little more open.

Q: Going to New Jersey, no team has ever won all three in a 2-3-2 format, what kind of confidence do you think the Nets have now gained and where are you guys headed to Jersey?

Tim Duncan: I think they have some great confidence right now. They are on a high right now, just as we were after Game 1. But we are confident going on the road. We are a very good road team and we feel good on the road. So our focus is to get this first game here on Sunday and regain home court, or hypothetically and go from there.

Q: You said yesterday that you didn't expect Jason to play that way; you thought he would attack and also shoot better. Just talk about his night.

Tim Duncan: He was huge tonight. He was just real aggressive. The ball went up in the air and I remember him getting a couple offensive rebounds, getting a couple second shots for him and he was all over the place. On the other end of things, I thought Tony went out very well. I thought he didn't neutralize him but I thought he attacked him well enough to kind of keep him on his heels.


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