Kobe Bryant on the Lakers’ disconcerting loss against the Cavaliers (from PE.com):
“They played harder than we did. It’s as simple as that,” Kobe Bryant said. “They came out and outworked us. It’s a good wakeup call for us.”
LeBron James on the Cavs’ convincing win over the Lakers (from ESPN.com):
“It wasn’t about sending a message to them, it was about sending a message to ourselves and seeing how we match up with the best team in the NBA at this point. It was a good road win for us. I think it ranks up there, just because of the caliber of the team and the caliber of the players they have.”
Michael Beasley on the possibility of Dwyane Wade leaving the Miami Heat this Summer (from NY Daily News)
“He’s got to do what’s best for him…I wouldn’t say it’s a slap at us if he comes here. But I don’t want to think about him leaving. It will be weird without him.”
Shaquille O’Neal on handling boos from the crowd, after receiving a mixed response from the fans in L.A. (from ESPN):
“I’ve been in the league long enough that boos don’t bother me. I first got booed in Brownsville, Texas, and the worst booing I had was in Starkville, Miss., so if you can handle boos from Brownsville to Starkville, you can handle boos anywhere.”
Brandon Roy on the Blazers’ recent resurgence (from OregonLive):
“We’re playing, not thinking. I think early in the season we thought about the expectations instead of just playing loose and free. Now, it’s like we’ve lost the expectations and we have found we are loose.”
Stan Van Gundy on the NBA’s binge of marquee games on Christmas (from the Orlando Sentinel):
“I know this: I won’t watch one second of any of the other four games today. I have no interest whatsoever. I’m a big basketball guy, but this is a day to spend time with your family. That’s not a great advertisement for Stan Van Gundy and the NBA, but I actually feel sorry for people that have nothing better to do on Christmas Day than watch an NBA game.”
