NBA: Quotes of the week
A selection of quotes from around the NBA in week up to November 19: - Hand on the helm - "Early on, there was lot of pressure and stress on making sure everything was done right and not forgetting anything. "As in any job, when you're comfortable, you're focused on what you can do and what advantages you have with matchups. It's a more efficient way to coach as opposed to not trying not to mess up." -- Golden State interim coach Luke Walton on guiding the Warriors' perfect start to the season in place of ailing head coach Steve Kerr. - Complacent Cavs? - "We haven't done anything. We didn't win anything (last season). We lost. We lost in the Finals ... and the team that beat us looks more hungry than we are. So it shouldn't be that way." -- Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James questioning the mindset of his teammates after a 104-99 loss to Detroit on Wednesday. - League of his own - "Like Michael Jordan was a whole other thing, this guy is his own thing. It's beautiful for basketball." -- Minnesota veteran Kevin Garnett on Warriors star Stephen Curry. - Toast of New York - "Everyone was saying I was a project. I am going to get better, but I am ready to play right now." -- Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis after cementing his status as a New York fan favorite with a 29-point performance in a win over Charlotte. - Smiling through - "You try to smile. At one point I was like, 'That's my job.' But it was on my mind." -- French forward Kevin Seraphin, who scored 13 points in a win over New Orleans hours after the November 13 attacks in Paris. - Character test - "I don't think the season is over by any stretch of the imagination. We'll continue to battle, and somewhere along the line we'll look back at this as a learning experience." -- New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry on the latest injury blow to the Pelicans, a left shoulder injury to All-Star forward Anthony Davis. - Time's up - "The team was not responding to Kevin. There is no time in the West." -- Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey on the abrupt firing of head coach Kevin McHale after a 4-7 start to the season. - Role models - "I go to sleep every night hoping we will play like the Spurs." -- Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone after his team fell 109-98 to a San Antonio Spurs team that had five players score in double figures for the fourth straight game.
