Elton Brand Interview
By InsideHoops.com | May 23, 2006
Monday night in Game 7 the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers to win the second round NBA Playoffs series. Clipper superstar Elton Brand was awesome in the loss. Here's what he said in the post-game press conference:
Question: Outside shooting was a big factor tonight.
Elton Brand: Yeah, three-pointers were huge for them tonight. And over 50 percent of them. Granted, we knew this team could get hot like that, and they saved a night like tonight for that.
Question: How do you feel about this whole playoff series?
Brand: It was a great experience for us. We learned a lot. We didn't want to take it step by step, but now we understand what it takes. Finish out ball games, and try to close out series. So guys reflect on the season, and the postseason, that attention to detail is going to improve next season. We know what to do now.
Question: Talk about the Clippers making a name for themselves:
Brand: It was a coming out party, for myself and teammates. We played well. We surprised some teams, and we're only going to get better. We have a lot of young guys on the team that are going to improve.
Question: Talk about how Steve Nash was tonight:
Brand: He played great tonight. I knew he would. Coach knew he'd try to come out firing, because of course you hear that kind of talk, things like that. You want to play well and show up. Three days of rest definitely helped him out. We missed some assignments, trying to trap him... he played great.
Question: Talk about the defensive switch they made:
Brand: Yeah, Raja Bell was on Sam (Cassell) instead of (Shawn) Marion. It was a good switch-up. We weren't prepared for it, really. It was different with respect to Marion because he had him all series, since the second game. So, it was pretty good, for them.
Question: Talk about how hard a Game 7 is:
Brand: It was tough, going on the road, Game 7. Very difficult. You bring a lot of energy. You have to fight through everything. The crowd is against you. They're comfortable on their home court. And you have to play with the right tempo. We had six turnovers in the first quarter, which hurt us.
Question: Do you feel like you let it slip away back two games ago?
Brand: Without a doubt. Granted, they hit some big shots and played well. But we stormed all the way back in Game 5 and had that lead. We were up three points, with three seconds or whatever. In retrospect, you win that game, and you're up 3-2 on your home court. It's very difficult, losing that game. And it's hard to get those games back, as we found out tonight. And we'll learn from it and improve.
Question: It was great season for the Clippers. Tonight may be tough, but the future is bright:
Brand: The team has accomplished a lot. No one expected us to do anything... Guys will improve their games all-around, and we'll be reved up for next season. That's what we heard coming into the playoffs; oh, they got to take their lumps first. This is a big lump right here.
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