Media Conference after NBA Finals Game 2

Tony Parker 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: How do you explain the overall team sloppiness tonight, do you think it was the wrong mindset coming in or was it their adjustments that through you off?

Tony Parker: I don't know. We're professional and we need to play better, especially in the beginning. Coach talked to us this morning in practice, and in the fourth quarter, we started playing in the fourth quarter when we was down ten.

Q: Was it frustrating putting together those runs,?

Tony Parker: Definitely. You know, when we're down and we try to make runs and try to come back on New Jersey, you know, they are a solid team and when they make some big baskets, some guys get down the clock, two seconds left and so those shots hurt. If you leave New Jersey to hang around, they can hurt us and we lost the game.

Q: What happened on the last play, you were down by 2 and the play before that you took it to the rim and you scored the basket and then Stephen Jackson takes the 3. Was it something Popovich wanted?

Tony Parker: He just asked me to attack. Stephen Jackson just scored a 3 just before, so Jason tried to stall the ball so I was coming and I saw Stephen Jackson wide open and he just made one just before so I thought it was a good pass and it was wide open and we went for the win.

Q: What did Pop say this morning about fear and what was he talking about?

Tony Parker: He was a little bit scared that we don't respect New Jersey. He said that they are going to come out very strong and Jason, they are going to go after me, Kenyon Martin, everybody. He was right, in the beginning of the game, we were not ready.

Q: What did Pop tell you at halftime, the team?

Tony Parker: What did he say at halftime? He was mad. He was mad at us, screaming, just to get more aggressive. In the first game he did the same thing, we played poorly in the first half and then we wake up until the second half and it's not going to always work like that. New Jersey played very good in the second half.

Q: How is it going with playing against Jason? I noticed at one point in the game you fouled him and he turned around and said something and you looked at him and wondered what he said to you. Is he talking to you during the game?

Tony Parker: It was a hard foul, that's it. It's San Antonio Spurs against New Jersey Nets, that's the main thing; it's not just Tony Parker against Jason Kidd, it's the San Antonio Spurs against the New Jersey Nets.

Q: Standing on the sidelines a little bit, what's going through your mind as the other guys are going to the free throw line and you missed a few down the stretch?

Tony Parker: I don't know, it's just like I think we wasted a game. We did that a lot in the playoffs, against Phoenix, against the Lakers, against Dallas. Every time we lose a game it's because of free throws and tonight we missed some key free throws at the end of the game.


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