Media Conference after 2003 NBA Finals Game 3

San Antonio Spurs point superstar Tim Duncan spoke with the media after the team's finals game 3 victory over the Nets in New Jersey. The Spurs took a 2-1 series lead with this win.

Q: On the offensive rebound after Tony missed two free throws, what happened?

Tim Duncan: I just went hard to the middle. Kenyon tried to block me out and I just kind of ducked behind him. Just a lucky bounce and I was there to get it.

Q: You led the team in assists tonight. I don't know what you are most comfortable with, but they double and triple teamed you, do you feel at this point that your game is good enough and that you can do whatever they give you?

Tim Duncan: I've kind of changed my game just about every series throughout these playoffs. If Phoenix, I was more like I was tonight, more of a passer. In L.A. i was more of a scorer and Dallas it was a little bit of both.

So I'm just going to take whatever the defense gives me basically and just try to make my teammates better, and at the same time, continue to attack whenever I can.

Q: That high screen is the most fundamental play in basketball. What is it about the way that you guys run it that gives everybody else so much trouble?

Tim Duncan: Tony Parker. The kid is good at that thing. With his speed and when he gets rolling a little bit, he can shoot the ball a little bit. His confidence rises. And if you go over the top of it, he's going to turn that corner and get that big fellow on his heels. He's gotten better and better over the years and that's one of his favorite plays. We love to run it, we get a piece of that guy and let him loose.

Q: Can you talk about Tony's maturity. There's been so much talk about Jason Kidd and free agency and your relationship with Jason. Have you had a talk with Tony about it or is he handling it in his usual mature fashion?

Tim Duncan: He's been great about it. We haven't talked about it. It's not even an issue between us. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I'm very comfortable with Tony and I love what he's doing, obviously. It's never been an issue between us.

Q: There was one play that you were taking the rebound and just running the court and you had a no-look pass. Are you enjoying those moments?

Tim Duncan: Absolutely. I love to be on the open court. It's fun to get up and down a little bit and not get beat out for a possession. Whenever I can get on the open court and get somebody to finish a play, it's great.

Q: But a no-look pass from a power forward?

Tim Duncan: It was kind of like looking to the side a little bit.

Q: Can you talk about coming here and stealing their thunder and what do you anticipate in Game 4?

Tim Duncan: Hopefully a lot of the same. Tonight offensively, we were a little bit sloppy in the first half. When you score 30 points in a half, that's not great. They stole one there. We didn't play very well at all. Defensively, they were very good. We really shot ourselves in the foot with the turnovers and missed free throws. We felt very confident coming into here that we would have an opportunity to play well, make some free throws, keep our turnovers down. We didn't do that a lot in the first half but the second half we got better and better. We just played like that the whole way through, which was a difference from the game before, where we had long stretch where we didn't really do anything.

Q: Talk about the way momentum switched, obviously coming off the game the other day and just the fact that now at least you have the home-court advantage back.

Tim Duncan: Yeah, it's a weird series because it goes 2-3-2. It's kind of like we don't have home court yet with the two games remaining here, but it was great to get back to this point.

As I said, we gave one away at home. We would have loved to come here 2-0 and really put the pressure on them, but we are right where we want to be. We have the opportunity to go into Game 4, get another one and really put them on their backs.

So, the pressure is on them. We are right where we want to be.

Q: What is it that makes you guys such an effective road team? You have a young backcourt and it's supposed to be veteran teams that are better on the road than at home. You shoot better in every category on the road.

Tim Duncan: I think our focus is just better on the road. We have less distractions. We come together more as a team. We don't have the opportunity to sit there and listen to fans and try to get the fans behind us. We're focusing more on what's on the court and what's at hand.

I think because we are young, that's better for us. We can kind of block everybody out. We draw energy from each other. We focus more on each other and what we are doing and let everything else go.

Q: Can you talk about the boost you got from Malik there in the fourth quarter and then Manu's play at the end of the game?

Tim Duncan: Malik was great for us. He had not been playing well all game and hadn't had a great series so far, but when he plays with that kind of energy, it gives us such a boost. He really had that fire and once he had that dunk, he took over for a couple of minutes there and made some good plays in a row.

And then Manu made his play. That team play is what we've been playing with in the entire playoffs. That's when we are at our best, when we get different guys, like Manu getting in the passing lanes and steals, Jack hitting 3s, Malik getting to the board and making plays, David blocking shots, we get a lot of people involved in the game and a lot of people feeling great about themselves, it's good for us.


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