Additional Quotes >> USA 97, Angola 76

Aug. 12, 2008 � Beijing, China

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)
On the game: 
We felt � again we were not looking ahead.  I thought we played with really good energy and in spurts, we played some really terrific basketball.  Our goal wasn�t to win by a certain margin.  It was to really work hard, keep up our pressure and once that was done to look at � we just worked a few other things.  But, the main thing was to keep some consistency.  So overall, I was very pleased with tonight.

On Greece:
Our team knows a lot about them.  I�m very close friends the coach.  He�s actually come to Duke and spent time with me.  One of the assistant coaches, Nick, has spent the whole year with us.  We have great respect for them.  They play as hard as anybody we can play against, especially on the defensive end of the court.  Their offensive schemes are well conceived.  I think their team starts with their guards.  They really have three point guards and all three of them can be in at the same time.

They value possessions.  You have to play them possession by possession.

You have to play them with great intensity for 40 minutes.  Our guys already know that but we�ll reinforce that.  It�s a great game for us to play too to get ready for the medal round because we feel Greece has a good chance as anybody.  That�s how much we think of them

On Carmelo Anthony: 
I think Carmelo has gotten progressively better.  I think he�s getting in really good game shape.  He hasn�t been shooting well.  Today, I think he didn�t concentrate on shooting; he concentrated on rebounding.  He was our leading rebounder and then shots came.  We haven�t shot the ball well from the outside since we�ve been here but I believe we will.  To see Carmelo come on like that is encouraging.

Did Spain�s close call reinforce how tough this tournament will be?
I don�t think we need to have it reinforced.  I don�t think you�ve heard anyone from our team, staff say anything else except this will be very difficult and that we respect everybody.  That hasn�t changed.  I think what Spain-China game should tell you that China is pretty good.  Because Spain is really good.  For China to play that level of game after they played our game is a credit to the Chinese national team.  They have had the two toughest first games, first two games I should say.  I thought they distinguished themselves very well in both of them.

On taking open shots: 
All of these guy can hit shots.  But, it�s like a real good hitter in baseball, sometimes you don�t get hits and all of a sudden, you break out.  My feeling is  as long as it doesn�t interfere with how they are playing defense, their energy, they just have to keep shooting.  I don�t think we�re taking bad shots.  I think we�re taking shots that these guys can hit, and we still score 100 points.  But if we start hitting 3�s, we are going to be a lot better.  You�re always better when you score, hitting shots.  I like the fact that we haven�t really gotten hot yet and it hasn�t affected the intensity of our defense.  I think it says a lot for the character of our guys.

On Angola:
Tony Ronzone, our director of international scouting, wrote up a report on them and he said they play with great heart and will never quit.  They followed the scouting report.  It was an honor to play against them and we wish them well.

On reaching out to Africa: 
The NBA has done an amazing job worldwide in reaching out and Africa is a continent where a number of NBA players have helped the people there and helped spread the word of the game.  Dikembe is been here the whole time and he�s been a primary guy � one of my former players, Loul Deng, has done that.  There is no question that these NBA players and the NBA realize the importance of giving back and sharing.

On the USA�s 3-point shooting slump:
If you�re missing good shots you keep taking good shots. The only thing to work on is if you�re taking bad shots. We�re taking good shots. The thing is, we�re not hitting them as well as we would like. But it hasn�t had a negative impact on anything else that we do. It shows to me the great character of our team. We�re not offensive minded. We�re defensive minded.

Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
Your thoughts on your game overall tonight?
I think we played well today. It would have been easy for us to come in look past Angola tonight, but we didn't. We came in and took care of business and worked on some things that we needed to work on to get better for the rest of the tournament.

What about your own rebounding tonight? It looked like you were pretty aggressive on the boards.
Well I told coach before the tournament that I'm going to try to get the rebounding record--16 rebounds in a a game--one of these games. I now I can score at any given tome, but on this team I'll leave the scoring to LeBron and Kobeand D. Wade, who is playing fantastic right now. So if I can go out there and grab 16 or 17 rebounds, I think that will be a lot better than scoring 25 points.

Why was the pick and roll so difficult for you to defend two years ago at the Worlds?
We didn't really make many adjustments. It wasn't someting we worked on for a long period of time, whereas now we have been workingon it for the last two years. I think we are much improved in defending it now. I think that Greece game two years ago opened up our eyes and showed us some things that we had to work on.

For those of you who played on that team two years ago, did you kind of circle this game down on your calendar?
Oh yeah, this is one of the games that's been in my mind and I've been looking forward to playing it for the last two years.

Did you think you kind of looked past Greece last time?
No, we didn't really know too much about them. I wouldn't say we overlooked them. They came out and played hard. We had a chance to win the game, but we didn't. They won the game. No excuses about it. We get a chance to redeem ourselves come the next game. They are a good team.

Talk a little about how you've enjoyed being in China so far.
Well, just being over here and the way they have opened up their country to us has been nice. I don't think anybody in America thought that in a million years they would open their arms out to us as they have. It's been great for me and for my teammates. Wherever we go they are clapping and cheering for us, even when we played China.

On the USA�s Candace Parker:
Oh yeah, she�s a lot of fun to watch. She�s a girl who can do a lot, bring the ball down the court, post up, play defense, block shots. She can do it all out there and she looks good in number 15. She�s a real good lady, she�s a real good girl. Our team and the women�s team have had a chance to mingle around the hotel and hang out. It�s been a great experience.

On the USA�s loss to Greece in the 2006 FIBA World Championship
We didn�t know what to expect. We didn�t know they were going to come in and play pick and roll and everything. By the time we realized we had to make some adjustments, the game was over and we lost the game.

Are you looking forward to meeting Greece again?
It�s been circled on my calendar for awhile now. Since we left Japan it�s been circled on my calendar.

Will it be an emotional game?
The emotions from the China game was more than it�s going to be with the Greece game. Coming into that first game, opening up the Olympics against China in one of the greatest sporting events in history. Those emotions were way higher than what they�ll be against Greece. But we�re going to have a lot of emotions.

Are you ready for some tougher games?
I wouldn�t say we didn�t get tested. The first two games were kind of some blowout games. This is going to be our first test against Greece. I�m expecting this game to be tough. They know that we�re coming back to redeem ourselves and I�m pretty sure that they watched us a lot.

Are you and the rest of the guys who played in �06 excited about facing Greece?
Everybody�s excited, I can tell you that. Everybody can�t wait. I don�t think, LeBron and those guys probably won�t get any sleep over the next couple of days. They�ve been talking about it since we left Vegas.  

Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)
Do you like the idea that when you are playing a team like Angola, there are kids back in Angola watching?
It's exciting. We try to be very good ambassadors, all the sports here do. But obliviously basketball is the sport we play, and every country Argentina, USA, whoever, we try to be ambassadors for the young kids who want to learn how to play the game the right way.

Do you have any funny stories about being recognized by fans?
I had a lady cry when she came up to me. She came up to me, asked me for an autograph, and as I started to sign it, she started crying, literally crying. I couldn't believe that. I felt like the Pope for a minute. I just play basketball.

Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
On to expect from Greece, the USA�s next opponent, and the loss to Greece in the 2006 FIBA World Championship semifinal game:
They did a very good job of noticing what we were weak on at that particular time and they did a great job. After they set the tone they just kept it going.

Do you feel you are better for that experience?
Of course. It�s tough to take but losing always does build character whether you like it or not. We definitely learned from that game that we can be beat. We�re not coming into every competition expecting to win. We want to do all the small things and play together as a team.

Yeah, we want to get them back. That�s the great thing about competition. If you beat us, we�ll come back around. The team that loses never forgets. Ever. We were really young and I think a lot of us have grown and matured since then. We�ve gotten a lot stronger, myself included.

How much are you looking forward to playing Greece?
I�m looking forward to playing in the Olympics. It�s not just about playing Greece. We�re trying to get ourselves ready for the medal round. Greece is just another team that�s in our way for us being where we want to go. I�m looking forward to playing that game.

What do you know about that game?
That they beat us. It�s a bad feeling. They played hard the whole game. We�re looking to come out in a couple of days and get our revenge.

What do you get out of these couple games?
I think we played extremely hard. We�re playing together as a team on defense. We�re only going to get better with time.

How do you keep the emotions out of the game against Greece?
You have to stay focused, stay calm and keep our heads. They are going to be very emotional, and we just need to play through that.

What makes Greece so good?
They've been playing together for a long time, and they know how to play the game.

You went to the Great Wall. What was it like?
I had a great time just seeing something like that. You are on a mountain and it is very impressive. You have some respect just as you walk up a little bit just to get to the tram that takes you to the Great Wall. You see how high it really is and then it goes for as far as you can see.

What about playing Greece next game?
We're looking forward to it. We've been waiting on this opportunity since they beat us. It's getting on two years now and we haven't forgotten. We are really looking forward to playing them and seeing wherre we are because we know they are a very good team.

What do you take out of tonight's game?
I think there are a lot more things that we can work on. I think we are gambling a little bit too much. We have to do a better job of staying between our man and the basket. We keep working on that wand we'll be in pretty good shape.

Is it hard to stay focused against a team that you are supposed to beat?
Sometimes it can be., but I think we've done a pretty good job. We expect to win every game but we know that we can get beat if we don't prepare ourselves.The great thing about it is that we have so many great players that you aren't going to get a lot of playing time. That's just the nature of this game. So while we're out there, we go as hard as we can.

Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Did you expect to have so many fans in China?
No. I was running around yesterday, and I was telling my friend that I don't know when this happened. We come out here every summer to do clinics and stuff like that, and I have always been pretty popular, but I don't know when this happened.

What's the craziest thing you have seen from fans?
The other day it was pouring down raining, and there was still a group outside of about 100 kids, just waiting, chasing the bus in the rain. They're dedicated.

What did you think of Angola?
I think they did a good job. They were able to knock down shots and stay in the game. It wasn't like we blew them out by 40 or 50 points.

Have you seen Paul Gasol?
One of the first days I came over here I went over to the village, and I took about 30 minutes with him, just talking and catching up. It just felt like the first time you've seen your brother in a long time. That's how I feel about him. I care about him a lot, and I want him to do well.

On playing Greece:
It's a match up we are looking forward to. They are a tough team, and last time we faced them they beat us, so we are looking forward to it. It will be a great opportunity for us to see how much we've improved since we last played them.

What do you think of a team that is as good as Greece and has no NBA players?
Basketball is such a global sport, you really don't have to have NBA players. You can be a great basketball player and never play one game in the NBA. That's just how it is.

Do you think you are favored over Spain?
No I don't think so. I mean we haven't done anything, we haven't proved anything. We still have a lot of work to do here.

On the USA's shooting woes:
It's been a struggle. We have to adjust to being spot up shooters. All of us are not acclimated to being spot up shooters. That is something that we have to tweak a little bit and get used to. But when big games come around, they are going to fall.

LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
What does playing here mean to you?
It means a lot. You�re not just playing for a community, or a state, you are playing for every neighborhood, every state in America. It means a lot to me, more than I can say.

Is it hard to stay focused when you dominate a team?
No, it's not hard to stay focused. We know what's at hand. We want to continue to get better and we have to do that. We have to know that we can get better. We can't take anything for granted. Each game is different, and we are focused on each one individually.  That's our immediate focus. But we all know the focus and taking them one game at a time is the best way to prepare. We know what's at hand.

What about Greece coming up next?
It's going to be exciting. It's the team that beat us in 2006, so we are looking forward to the challenge. Tomorrow we will prepare all day and get ready for Greece, they are a very good team.

Did you feel any type of letdown after the excitement of the opening game against China?
We knew there isn't always going to be the type of energy that there was the night before last when we played China. We have to create our energy in a setting like this sometimes and I think we did that.

Do you appreciate how much a game like this means to a team like Angola?
You look it after the game and you can. During the game we are just trying to win. But after the game you do appreciate it.

Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
On Chris Paul: 
For me to spend the time with him, it�s been great. I�ve always seen him on the other side and he�s always wearing me out. He�s a great kid.  We�ve hung out. We�ve done a lot of things together; we�ve gone to a lot of different events.  He�s a special kid.

Is Chris Paul you heir apparent on the USA team?
He�s already there. When you look at this team, you have two of the best point guards in the world in Chris Paul and Deron Williams.  If you think about their average age of 20-something, they�ve got the torch.  The league is in great hands again when you talk about that position.

Is it hard to play in games like this?
It�s kinda good we have some young kids on the team, full of energy.  If this was a older team, maybe. When you look at LeBron and these guys, they are full of energy.  They don�t know how to take time off and that�s good.

Does tonight�s game show how far Angola has come?
The whole globe has improved in the game of basketball.  For us tonight, we wanted to play the right way � we didn�t press in the fourth.  We�re not here to embarrass anybody, we�re just here to play the game the right way and try to win a gold medal.

Has pick and roll defense been an emphasis re: Greece?
It�s something that�s been talked about a lot because that�s the only play (Greece) ran and they ran it to perfection.  So, we don�t expect them to do anything different come Thursday.  They got great guard play. They�re experienced.  I think that�s the last team we�ve lost to.

Is communicating on defense the key in the pick and roll?
Well, yeah. It�s communication and being able to change on the go and I think this group understands how to do that.  We have a couple different looks.  The biggest thing is this team does communicate because you can hear it on the floor � everybody talking.

Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
How emotional will it be for you guys in two days to play Greece?
It�s going to be very emotional game. We also understand that this is pool play. But at the same time, this team right here, we�ve lost one game in three years and Greece is that only team to do that so far. We definitely feel like we owe them.

I just want to win. I think all of us have grown as players since �06 so we�ll just have to see what happens.

On the USA�s 3-point shooting:
They�re not falling. We�re getting our shots off, that�s all that matters. It�s a long tournament. As long as our defense creates our offense we�ll be fine. We�re getting good shots and eventually they�re going to go in.

Where can you still improve defensively?
Just being solid. I think the only time teams usually score on us when we gamble. When you have such great defenders you have a tendency to gamble at times. But as long as we�re solid, we�re tough to beat.

Has this team established its identity yet?
Somewhat I think we have. The games haven�t necessarily been easy, we�ve just defended extremely well. I think that�s this team�s identity, to defend and let the offense come to us. We have the best offensive players in the entire world. We just have to continue to defend.

How can you explain how good Greece is without having any NBA players on the team?
They just play together. They�ve been playing together for a long time. They run their system and they stick to it. We�ve grown since �06. We lost in �06, but you look at all of us individually and how we�ve grown. Not only physically but as players.

On the game against Greece in the 2006 FIBA World Championship:
I really don�t remember it too well to tell you the truth. I really don�t remember that game in �06 that well. I remember we lost. This game here is not going to be anything like that.

Has there been a greater emphasis on defending the pick and roll since then?
Yeah, there�s been a greater emphasis on defense. We�ve all grown as players. Mentally, physically, we know the game a lot better now. I think that will show the night after tomorrow.

Did you circle this game?
We definitely remember them. This team has only lost one game the past three years and that was to Greece. We definitely have that in the backs of our minds. We just want to come out, approach it like any other game but understand that we owe those guys.

Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)
On Greece, the USA�s next opponent:
You know I didn�t play against them in �06 so I really don�t know what to expect. I haven�t seen film on them, I haven�t seen them play this year but I�m pretty sure the coaches will do a good job of scouting them. In tomorrow�s practice we�ll find a lot about them. Previously in �06 when they lost to Greece there were a lot of pick and roll, things that they did on offense, so we can look forward to seeing that in tomorrow�s game. They�re a lot tougher opponent. I thought tonight we played well for certain spots in the game. Obviously tomorrow against Greece two days from now we�re going to have to play more of a collective unit defensively throughout the whole game.

How are you enjoying your Olympic experience so far?
It�s a great experience. The host country, China, their people have done a great job of really supporting our team as well as the other countries. They�re making us feel like we�re at home, which is really important when you�re so far away from home. We�re just going out competing. The Olympics is something that�s very special. I got a chance to go to the Great Wall yesterday. That�s something that, if I wasn�t playing basketball, I probably wouldn�t ever have the opportunity to do. The Olympics is something special in my heart and everybody else�s on this team. It�s something that�s going to go down as far as memories for life.

Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
On the game:
We want to say that the Angola team really played hard tonight.  They really came out and they made us really play our A-game.

So, we want to thank them for playing a good, hard game.  Our only thing was to get better, like we do every day, and I think we did that.  We�re proud of that and we�re looking forward to moving on.

On his own play:
First of all, it�s all about the team.  It�s about me doing my job and do what coach wants me to do.  That�s get in and play very aggressive defensively, be very active and be a leader, and offensively, attack and not only make plays for myself but make plays for others.  I think I�ve been put in a position to do that with having guys giving me the ball in the right spots.  I�m playing with a lot of confidence.  Just playing the game that I love like I know how.  I have no injuries or nothing to hold me back �  I�m going full out.  I�m enjoying it.

Were you looking ahead to Greece and how much are you looking forward to playing them:
Looking ahead, not at all.  We know that we got to take it one day at a time, one game at a time because it�s all about us getting better as a team.  Today, we had to get better.  If we come out here and we play a very bad game then our confidence is not the same going into the next one.  We wanted to come out here and do something different and I think we did that by playing solid defensively.  By rebounding the ball, we got opportunity to shoot the ball from outside a little better than we did the first game.  Now, we get a day to prepare and we  move on to Greece and we�ll be looking forward to that game now that it�s next on our schedule.

Looking back at Greece game from two years ago:
Greece played very, very well against us.  We knew that year, a team was gonna have to play unbelievable to beat us because we were playing very good, especially defensively.  They played great from the inside and shot the ball well from the outside.  We hurt ourselves a lot by not making free throws, by not playing together as well.  We got behind the eight ball early and tried to fight back and got within six, but it wasn�t enough.  So, we got to come out very focused early on on our defensive schemes and don�t give up both.

Can�t give up both or you�ll get beat.  Tomorrow is an important day for us to really learn what we have to do defensively. That�s why we have this genius right here (Coach K), that�s going to teach us that tomorrow and we go from there.

On playing in China:
We�re very honored as NBA players to be here.

First of all to get the reception that we have everywhere we have gone. China has been unbelievable to us.  From Greece in 2004 to China in 2008, it�s a total difference.  We appreciate the fans, the Chinese fans, for all their support of our game.

Thoughts on Angola:
I think they played very hard from start to finish as a team.  You got to respect a team that�s going to go balls out from the beginning to the end.  That�s one thing we know when we play Angola that they are going to go all out.  You got to respect a team like that.  They have our respect and I think they have every team�s respect in the tournament for that main reason.

Are you aware of the influence on Angola and that continent:
No question we are.  We understand the NBA is the cream of the crop, and we all have the unbelievable opportunity of representing the NBA, representing our country and every time we take foot, not only on the basketball court but outside our hotel, we�re being watched and we�re being looked at.  How we carry ourselves and what do we do.   We understand that when we take the court.  We take that with a lot of pride and that�s why we go out every night and play with that sense of pride because we are representing not only USA but the NBA as well.

Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
On not playing as much full court pressure defense in the NBA:
When you play two games back to back, and to pick up the pressure full court for 40 minutes, as many minutes as the guys that this team play, you wouldn�t last half a season.

You�re able to do that here though:
Oh yeah. That�s our objective. To keep people fresh, always keep the pressure up. Players get tired and know you�re coming out.

How hard is it to adjust to the number of intentional fouls that are called in international ball than the NBA?
We only had a couple. But it�s just different. If you reach out and grab somebody you know it�s going to be an intentional foul no matter what. It�s a clear path foul in the NBA, here it�s a technical. So it�s a little different.

What are you doing off the court to make the most of your Olympic experience?
I�ve been to the village. Just hanging out, playing cards. I went and saw swimming last night. I know some of the guys went and saw tennis. They didn�t have a ticket for me so they left me. Some people have seen boxing. Guys have been going to see different events.

On Greece, the USA�s next opponent:
It�ll definitely be a tough test, a team we have circled coming into this tournament because of the way things played out in �06 in the (FIBA) World Championship. We�re looking forward to this game. It�ll be our first real tough test. It�s a team that poses a lot of problems with us with the pick and roll and down low with a real dominant post player.

Will the USA's shooting come?
Yes, it will come. We have to relax and knock down shots. We are a little anxious, and we are relying a little too much on our fast break game, but the shots will come and they will fall.

Was it difficult with such a quiet crowd?
We had to make our own energy tonight. It wasn't coming from the crowd, a lot of empty seats. But it was still a fun game to be a part of.

Are you worried about the shooting?
Not really. When is Kobe Bryant going to go 0-for-5 again? It's not going to happen too many times. We'll start knocking down shots. We can't worry about missing them, we just have to keep shooting them. We are getting great looks, we just haven't knocked them down. Once they start falling, we will be tough to defend.

Are you excited to play Greece?
We have had the Greece game circled for a while with how things ended in 2006. I wasn't on that team, but a lot of our guys were, and they have talked about Greece being a tough team, and it's a game they remember. We are excited to come out and show the world how good we really are.