"Overall, I thought we did a good job. We played a lot of people, and we were able to give the guys the opportunity to get their feet wet."

"Defensively, I was not pleased with the way the big guys protected the basket. They didn't challenge the shots on drives in the middle, and that's what they need to do every game."

"From an offensive standpoint, there is no doubt that the player of the game was Jason Gardner. He has great shot selection, and his play was practically letter perfect. He did everything he needs to do at point guard. He has so much confidence and control of his game."

"Those two guys (Gilbert Arenas and Jason Gardner) are going to be something else. They create so many problems defensively."

"I am pleased with the way Michael Wright and Richard Jefferson played on the boards, especially on the defensive glass."

"With the zone defense, we threw it in, and we made them miss. We disrupted their rhythm in the early going, and we held them to 28 percent in the first half. It really helped us in getting a big jump on them."

"Lou (Henson) has four starters back from last year's team. They have good experience and good size, so they will definitely be a challenge for us."

"The key for us will be to turn up the defensive intensity, and the tougher we defend will allow us to create more fast-break opportunities."

"I think we'll be better Friday night, and we will be a lot fresher. Our guys really want to go to New York."