291 Quotes by Avery Johnson

Our first quarter defensively really set the tone. We worked on a lot of stuff this morning. They (Atlanta) missed a lot of shots but the defense was better than it was in that last game (against Golden State). We just threw out that last game.

We're making progress, but it was just a tough loss.

Overall it was a good team effort and we were fortunate enough to be able to rest some guys in the fourth quarter.

What they have done the first half of the year, I wouldn't have disagreed with five.

Boy, the more you watch them on film, the scarier it gets. It's going to be a very, very tough series.

Stack was solid, man. Stack was energized. He was ready to play. He was right in his comfort zone tonight. That's what we need from him on both ends. Obviously, he scored a little bit, but nobody will talk about how he battled those guys on defense.

Even the times we were in their face, they still seemed to make some shots. Our season is not over ... but we know where we are going to finish now. The only thing that really matters is to get guys healthy mentally and physically.

What a great young player. You turn over No. 6, and there's Tony's No. 9. But he's better, he's quicker, and just a terrific player. He and Timmy (Duncan) just make a great one-two punch. He plays the game the right way. He sticks to what he does very well, and I'm looking forward to coaching him on All-Star weekend.

Some of our players have made fun of our charge drill. But when you see them taking more charges in the game, it doesn't seem so silly.