What they said after the Hawks’ 124-116 win over the Warriors Friday night:
Coach Mike Budenholzer
Opening statement: A game like tonight is where you learn more about yourself. You learn how good Golden State is and how hard they are to guard. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry coming off screens and pick-and-rolls. There are some things that we can build off of and there were some things where they got away from us that we need to improve and work on. I think our bigs, they do some much for us defensively, what they can do out on the perimeter to help our guards make life more difficult for the opposing wings and point guards is to be commended. It was a great atmosphere. We'll learn from tonight. We'll be better after tonight."
On what Hawks learned about themselves: "The attention to detail and how much of the focus it takes to beat a team like this. Whether it's getting back in transition, like I said, we made a lot of mistakes. Every night both teams make a lot of mistakes. You want to be the team that makes the least. We got hurt in transition a couple of times. We got hurt in a couple of pick-and-roll situations. Those are the ones we need to improve and get better. Obviously, attacking and getting to the paint and getting to the free-throw line and being the more aggressive team on that end of the court is something we can learn from and be better and take the positive from that."
On second-half difference: "We didn't make any adjustments. We kind of kept playing. I think a couple of guys off our bench in the second half were very good. Dennis Schroder really had some big baskets and some big plays. Obviously, Mike Scott got loose and made a couple of 3's. It really started at the beginning of the third quarter. We got a 10-point lead. They score so quickly they cut it to three just like that. Then Dennis and Mike made some plays. It was a great game, guys making plays on both ends of the court."
On atmosphere: "The crowd and the atmosphere was very good for us tonight. I think it helps you. When you go on a run it gives you a little extra juice. If the other team makes some plays, you know you've got the crowd and the energy to fall back on. We appreciate the support."
On what kind of seven-game series this would make: "I don't think one bit about that."
Jeff Teague
On win: "That was a fun game. They are an exciting team. We are an exciting team. It was a battle to the end."
On difference in second half: "The crowd got behind us and we were able to get some stops. They were shooting everything. They've got some talented players over there."
On playoff atmosphere: "It was amazing. The crowd was in to it. Everyone was into it. Kyle (Korver) was yelling. I've never seen him yell. That was a first. It was a good game."
On win being a confidence builder: "We are a confident bunch but it's still a long season. We've got another big test coming up against Memphis. Celebrate this win tonight and get ready tomorrow for Memphis."
On what learned about team: "We already know that we are a good team. We believe in ourselves. We come out every night and believe we can win every game. This is just another game."
Dennis Schroder
On play of bench: "I told myself I had to pick it up and try to get the lead when I got in and play with energy. I told Mike (Scott) we've got to do it together, especially when Thabo (Sefolosha) is out. (Kent Bazemore came off the bench and helped us. It was great."
Kent Bazemore
On three 3-pointers: "Those are shots I get every game. Tonight, I decided to take them. My teammates did a great job of following the game plan. On the pick-and-roll defense bigs rolled down the middle and my guy helped and I was able to get open 3's."
On win: "I played there so it was extra sweet for me. I'm definitely saving these boxscores. It was good to see my old friends who I still stay in touch with, Steph, Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green, a bunch of familiar faces in the organization. I have nothing but the upmost respect for them because they started this career for me. It was a big win for us."
On difference in second half: "We continued to move the ball. I think they got a little winded there. We play at a very good pace and kind of wore them out because they try to play uptempo too. Defensively, was where it was. They made a lot of shots, but they were tough shots. Eventually the percentages will catch up on those contested jumpers. We continued to get good shots."
DeMarre Carroll
On defensive job against Warriors guards: "We made them take tough shots. Klay (Thompson) is not an All-Star for nothing. I think every shot he hit was contest except for a couple of them. Him and Steph, that's what makes them special. They hit tough shots at tough moments. Me being the defender I have to do my job. I think I did a good job."
On second-half defense: "We were more physical. We were more aggressive. We were getting in the right spots at the right time. Everybody was helping each other. In the first half, we were leaving guys on islands. We weren't playing team defense. Defense helped us win the game."
On halftime message from Budenholzer: "Nope. He just came in and said we were in good shape. I told some of my teammates I have to get more aggressive. I think it trickled on down."
On win a much-hyped game: "Man, it's like another game. We prepared for them just like another game. We didn't listen to all the hype. We saw all you media. But we still prepared like it was another game. Hopefully, all you media will come back."
Kyle Korver
On win: "It feels good. That is a really good team. That's a really dangerous team. They can get hot. They can get cold. They can get really hot all in the same game. They are really hard to prepare for. We knew we had to play a good 48 minute game to beat them. We were at home. We had a great crowd. That really helped us a ton. It was super fun. Great atmosphere. Coming to the game I kind of had those playoff nerves a little bit. I was like 'Whew, let's go play.'"
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