USA Quotes >> September 8 Practice

Sept. 8, 2010 • Istanbul, Turkey

Krzyzewski

USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University)
Personnel wise with Russia, what gives you the greatest concern?
Their average height is 6’8”. They’ll be the biggest team that we’ve played against. There center position has been an amazingly productive position with Kaun and Mozgov they combine for like 24 points and 10 rebounds a game which you would like for any center position. And just the fact they play a real physical brand of basketball and we have to be ready for that.

Who are they most like that you have played?
A little bit like Lithuania and I thought Lithuania knocked us back in our first game in Europe. We had our worst quarter at the start of that game, we started the game 3-for-26 and I think we were more annoyed, it took us away from our focus and we can’t allow that to happen in this game, we have to be focused. Again we have great attitudes but it’s a different type of game, we have to adjust right way to it and not wait.

It will be 38 years to the day when you play Russia of that famous USSR – America ‘72 game in Munich. How do you remember those great clashes between the U.S. and USSR?
When you think of international basketball you think of USA and Russia games, that being one of them, but that’s not the only one of them. We’ve addressed the fact that game was played 38 years ago and that five of these guys are 21 so I don’t think they remember it as well. It is what it is. It will be a negative in the way the U.S. looks at it forever and should be, and it will be in some ways a positive for those who believe in fairytales.

Is there still a rivalry between the U.S. and Russia?
There’s a rivalry between us and anybody we play. Our rivalry is against the next team that we play against. Never is one team more of a rival and never should we be less prepared or more prepared for one over another. That’s our goal and that’s been our goal for five years and we’re not going to change goals right now.

The Russian coach grew up Framingham, Massachusetts; he cried when Russia beat the U.S. and now he says that I’ve looked at it and the refs were right, Russia should have won that game. What do you make of his comments?
He’s Russian, he coaches the Russian team so he probably has that view point ... it really (has) absolutely no bearing on what we’re trying to do tomorrow, absolutely none. Our bearing is are we guarding Ponkrashov at the point when he comes in; how we defend Mozgov and Kaun inside; we don’t let Monya get shots; that’s our goal and so that’s what our focus will be.

Where were you when that game was played?
I was in Korea probably. I was in the armed forces….I was probably in the field artillery unit in South Korea serving our country.

Do you think your team will be good for finals?
We’re not even thinking of the finals, we’re thinking of Russia. The worst thing a competitor can do is look at what they’ve done or what they’re going to do in the future. A competitor looks at what they’re doing right now and our focus is only on right now. And if we win, then our focus will be on Saturday, and Sunday will be a focus after we play on Saturday.

For three decades at Duke you’ve been involved in one and done games, your players for the most haven’t even been involved in college basketball, how do get them to have the one and done mentality like this?
We try to put it in a perspective of a seventh game of a series and not all of them have been in a seventh game. We have a lot of young guy, more than two-thirds of our team are really young, so they still remember college, they still remember one and done. Yesterday we were talking a little bit with Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook about when they were at UCLA and they thought they had a chance to win the national championship and they didn’t do a good job and it was over. So they were talking like that, that’s the way it is. So our guys realize that. They’ve been great, our guys have been great. We won’t lose because were not prepared mentally and physically. But we also know we’re beatable because these other teams are very good. So our focus has got to be there.

Tyson Chandler on the upcoming game versus Russia

Durant

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
What about your next NBA season?
All I’m worried about is taking it a day at a time. Today, I’m worried about Russia. After this is over maybe we can talk about next season, but I’m just worried about who we have tomorrow.

What is the plan against Russia’s size?
They have a unbelievable 6-8 point guard, but I think Derrick Rose is a great on-ball defender and he’s going to try to pressure him as much as possible because if you’re taller, you’re higher up on your dribble. Hopefully we can get some turnovers.

The USA team has rebounded the ball better than expected. Do you feel better going into this game now than you may have a couple of week ago?
We always felt good about our rebounding skills. We got a lot of guys that can go get them. Kevin Love is probably the best rebounder here. Lamar Odom rebounds well. I try to help out. We got a lot of guys. Some teams just have one or two guys who rebound. We got everybody. Our guards can rebound. We have a lot of guys that can help rebound.

Odom

Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)
Have you been shopping in Istanbul?
We went shopping a little bit. (My wife) did more shopping than I did. But, I got to walk around and see some different things. See the mall, it’s pretty cool. We’ve been having a good time since we’ve been here. We’ve been here a little while.

Have you tried Turkish food?
I tried a Turkish Delight. That’s pretty good … I love sweets. We’ve been having a good time … had a lot of fun, playing basketball. It’s been a great experience.

What’s it like to play with guys that you normally play against?
It’s fun. It’s different. We don’t have as much time as the other teams have as far as coming together. In a short period of time, we’ve gained a lot of camaraderie. We communicate well with each. We respect each other, on and off the court. It’s been fun.

How would you compare winning a World Championship vs. winning an NBA title?
I always tell people that in anything we like to do, we’ve been competing all our lives. From a young age, whatever we do, we try to win. And that’s whether you’re playing cards, chess, checkers or poker or anything … a foot race. To win, of course, a World Championship would be a pretty big deal especially being that you get to represent your country while doing it.

How do you look at Russia’s big lineup?
Basketball is basketball. It makes no difference. We’ll use our quickness, speed, strength, agility, everything we got to try to win the basketball game. Play as physical as possible … just play our game.

Rose

Is that sort of been contagious the last few days?
Practices have been helping. When we come down, we do a lot of things where if we don’t cross them, we pass and cut through … make back screens. If it’s not a call out there or play call, we make sure we’re moving around so that the defense don’t set and don’t sag in.

People are expecting a physical game. Was the Lithuania game the most physical so far?
All of them have been physical but that was the one where it opened our eyes. We know that the games can get a little out of hand but I think around this time, we’re prepared for it. I think during the beginning of the game, they are going to try to be physical, try to do some things to get us out of our game … try to get us thinking a little bit and have us cautious. But, we still got to go out and play our regular game.

Russia has big guards. Do you play any differently when you have a guy that has some height on you?
It’s kind of like in the NBA, after a while, they put a taller guy on me. So, I’m used to playing against taller people a little bit too. The only thing with them is you got to make them work. Usually, taller people don’t like when people pressure them. (I need to) make sure I get under them, make sure I’m always bothering them and making sure I pick up full court. Usually, people that are 6-8 – unless you’re LeBron (James) or somebody – can’t run as fast as I can. Beating them to spots, rough them up a little bit, let them know that I’m there.