Additional Quotes >> Sept. 10, 2010

Krzyzewski

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)
What are your thoughts about Lithuania?
....Incredibly impressive performance (versus Argentina). Lithuania is undefeated since we got them in the exhibition game and I thought they had fresh legs and Argentina looked like they had just won a big game against Brazil. The Argentina-Brazil game was one of the great games of the tournament and Lithuania pushed it down, pushed it down on them and made them run. I thought Lithuania’s enthusiasm to play and how fast they played was the key to that and we have to be cognoscente of that because they want to score in transition. You hit eight out of eight threes, boy, that can happen to any of us in this competition. You’re outscored 24 to nothing from the 3-point line that’s a tough thing to overcome.

NBA team don’t shoot that many threes, is it hard for the guys to adjust to that kind of game?
I think it’s hard in first of all you try go through a half court defense, but in transition you have to talk a lot, especially against Lithuania because they fan out, they send people not just to corners but they’re fanned out. The middle guy, and it’s not just a point guard, any of their guys will attack you. The toughest international teams to defend put four shooters on the court, where the four is also a good 3-point shooter, and that’s what they do. Then when they sub at the center position they actually have five good shooters. So you have to really point and talk because of all of a sudden Jasaitis can be trailing and there’s that left- hand three when you’re not talking. So they’re going to be aggressive. We have to take away transition first and then make it difficult for them to run their half court stuff.

What did you get out of the exhibition, namely that dreadful first quarter?
Well that someone could do that against you. That they weren’t intimidated by us and I thought they were aggressive, very physical and we got knocked back. It was one of those scoring draughts too where we were 3-for-26, but they had a lot to do with that. So we know then that helps us respect them even more because that happened once he can happen again.

What’s the biggest way your team has evolved since that night?
Well one, different starting lineup. We know our guys better, although it’s not a set rotation. Coming off the bench Westbrook and Gordon have been just really good, I think Gay has been really good. Yesterday was a different game where you can’t take Durant out of yesterday’s game. Our center position has had a good rotation. Yesterday their guy was so big, I thought he was too big for Kevin, and then Tyson was ready and I thought Tyson gave us good minutes. We’re just more of a team then we were that first time and so are they. They were still making their roster cuts. We were both making our roster selections when we played that game.

Is Durant doing more for this team than you had to have an individual do the last go around?
I think a little bit more, yeah because we never had to rely on one guy to score as much as he is sometimes is relied on to score. I think Kevin’s defense is the thing and rebounding...he’s become I think just better. His defense is very good, he’s become a really good defender.

Do you have to erase that memory a little bit of that first Lithuania game and realize this is a much better team than the one we faced?
I don’t know about erasing, I think remembering is better because they were ahead of us 15-7 and 29-28 and it was tied in the third quarter, you want to remember they are capable of doing that. In this competition, coming back from the press conference last night, we were walking by the locker rooms and the Argentina coach, who is a good guy, a good friend, I didn’t see him and he said ‘Coach, you just won a very difficult game’ and I said ‘yeah, they’re really good’ and he said ‘Coach everyone is good right now.’ It’s a reminder that everyone is good right now. We think we’re good too, but we know that everyone is good or else they wouldn’t be in that final four. These games are not easy.

Billups

Why is that?
Because the guys that we have, the inexperience that we have. I think in the U.S., we didn’t before the Jerry Colangelo and Coach K regime … the World Championship wasn’t a huge, huge deal like it was for the rest of these countries. The Olympics has been. The World Championships hasn’t been so I think that’s the reason we haven’t won since ’94. They put an emphasis on it that anytime we have a chance to win a World Championship or Olympic gold medal, you put your best forward and try to win it. And, I think that is what Colangelo has brought to the table for USA Basketball.

Have the World Championships reached the level of the Olympics under Jerry Colangelo’s leadership?
Yeah, I think so. I really do. With the stuff that he’s put in, getting guys committed to the team and working two and three training camps a summer just to get familiar with one other. I think that’s why our teams have as a whole played so well for the last four or five years that we’ve played with the exception of one game in the last championships. Jerry is putting in a great system and I think it’s going to work for a lot of years.

Do you think people in the US will ever accept the World Championships as important as the Olympics?
That’s a good question. If I had to guess, I would say no but it’s a little different when you’re in it. We’re not on our own soil and we can feel the passion and we can feel how serious people feel about the World Championships when we’re away from home. When we’re home and we’re talking about the importance of the World Championships as opposed to an Olympic gold medal, it might be a little different. But, when you’re in the foxhole you can feel the heat and feel what’s going on and what people say and what people think about you. The importance then seems a little different.

Why is Coach K able to reach NBA stars and coach them?
He really understands the professional game more than any college coach I have been around especially to not have coached on the pro level before. He understands the game and understands that in an hour and a half or two hours, you can get the best out of guys without going overboard. We’ve got the proper rest and at the same time, getting after guys and saying this is what we got to do and this is how we got to play. With this group, I think it really doesn’t hurt that he probably has guys on his (Duke) team in college that are the same age as some of these guys.

Durant

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
On the game against Lithuania:
We have a tough test in front of us but I think we’re all looking forward to it..

Coach K has talked about your defense. How much pride do you take in that part of your game?
That’s all I’m trying to do is focus on the defensive end, trying to get in the passing lanes, trying to get my hands on couple of basketballs and lead to easy points. When I get the ball, I just try to be aggressive. I just have to continue to let the game come to me.

Did you think you’d be scoring this much on this team?
Not really to be honest with you. I’m just playing within the offense, not going out there and forcing anything. I’m not calling for the ball all the time. I’m just playing within the offense and if you let the game come to you, that’s when shots start to come and start to fall. I’m going to take this mentality into my season at Oklahoma City as well so I’m learning a lot.

Do you get covered by power forwards much in the NBA?
If they switch the pick and rolls, yeah but mainly not that much. It’s a little tougher in the NBA because they double a lot, they load up a lot but this is all a learning experience and I think I’m getting better.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned on this trip?
Playing different positions and being able to be the guy that’s not the main focus on offense but still going out there and playing within the offense and not calling the ball or asking for plays. Just letting the game come to me so I think I’ve learned a lot in that area. I’m just getting better at it.

Has Coach said to you on this trip that we need more from you?
No. He’s pulled me to the side and told me what I need to do on the defensive end. If I have a wide open shot, take it. If I have a driving lane, drive to the basket and just have fun. That’s what he’s really emphasizing a lot to everybody, just go out there and have fun.