05/15/2008 - 00:27
Banged Up, But Feeling Good
by Tyson Chandler

I'm feeling good. I had turf toe. I iced it, but it's gonna be alright. It was sore last night and it was hard for me to put pressure on it. But had it happened in the third quarter or even a couple of minutes earlier in the fourth, I would have been able to come back in. The pain started easing up, but at that point, we had a comfortable lead.

I stepped on the back of Udoka's foot as I was trying to run and my toe bent backwards. It was a sharp pain and I didn't have any feeling in it for a while, but eventually, the feeling came back. It was an extremely bad, sharp pain, and I knew that once it calmed down, that I would be alright.

I was just hoping that it wouldn't take too long to calm down so that I would have a chance to go back in the game if we lost the lead. That was my worst fear as I was sitting on the sideline and the lead was all the way down to eight. At the point, I thought I might have to go back in no matter what, but we started to extend the lead again and things started to go in our favor.

It's really sore right now, but it will be fine for tomorrow. I went in and got treatment for it this morning.

It was a great win. It was great in the sense that we had to win. It was pretty much a Game 7 for us, and for us to step up to the challenge like that, it says a lot about the character of our team. The last thing we wanted was to go back to San Antonio down 2-3 against the defending champs.

I think last night was about adjustments, as well as picking up the energy. We came out in the first two games with great energy and great defensive schemes. We went back to San Antonio and we're playing against a veteran team that's the defending champs. So, they made adjustments to our defensive schemes and they changed the way they played us. They made the adjustments and they took the two games at home.

What we did is we came back and made another defensive adjustment to counter what they were trying to do. So, it's pretty much a chess match and now, it's all about who can make the next adjustment and come with more energy.

David's back was bothering him last night. He went in for treatment today too and got his back worked on. He's feeling better. He's a soldier. He's gonna gut it out. He did that last night and obviously, putting up 38, 14, five and five with a sore back ... It's obvious he's focused and he's not gonna let anything stop him.

It's funny though, how we're up 2-0 and everybody's counting the champs out. And then they go win two games at their house and everybody's counting us out. It's just funny how the tide swings and everybody jumps from side to side.

Every thing that I watch, it's always, "OK, chose. Pick your winners." Like you're placing bets or something. The thing is that nobody knows and it's really all about strategies and how guys come back. A lot of things come into play, but it's kinda comical to me that reporters feel like they can choose who's gonna win the series.

THE THIRD QUARTER
I think we come out in the game, we get a feel for the way they're playing, and then come third quarter, we're able to make our adjustments. We're able to adjust to what they're doing out there, and then we turn it up. It's like once we figure it out and understand it, we can turn our pace up. You can't just be running wild out there. What happens is we feel 'em out, we make our adjustments and we turn it up.

MY REWARD
The first alley-oop last night was big. It feels like they come at the perfect time. It gives us some extra momentum and our team and our crowd really feeds off it. They love it, so when that happens, it adds a boost of energy to our team, and I love it for that effect.

It really is a ball, because I work really hard on trying to stop Duncan, trying to do the little things, trying to run the floor and set picks to get guys open ... all the little things to help my teammates out. So, when I get a little treat like that, a nice dunk or a lob, it's rewarding. I don't care if it's just a couple a game, it's like my little reward for what I do out there.

RESPECT
Tim Duncan may be the toughest cover in the league. He's just so fundamentally sound. Any mistake you ever make, he capitalizes on it. But I told the coaches that we were doing so much doubling and so much scrambling, I felt like I could do a better job just covering him one-on-one. And if he makes some shots, he makes some shots. But he's making shots with the double teams, so it doesn't really matter. So, I kinda took the challenge on of playing him one-on-one a little more.

Last night, I was telling my agent and my wife that he's one of the few guys in the league that I love and respect. I respect what he does as a player, as well as his personality and demeanor. What he's able to accomplish on the floor and still stay even keel ... I have love and respect for what he does out there.

GAME 6
I think we definitely have a sense of urgency going into tomorrow. You don't want to be in a Game 7 regardless. If it comes down to it, that's what every basketball player lives for and dreams of. But if you can take the champs out, you want to take 'em out. You don't want it to come down to a deciding game. We have the opportunity to do it. I think we learned our lesson in the two games down there of how we have to play them. I think we let them dictate the series when it went to their house, and now it's time for us to do a little dictating.

TRYING TO WIN ON THE ROAD
I think what it comes down to is you're playing on the road, you're in an uncomfortable environment and everybody's against you. And I think what happens a lot of times is you almost take on that mentality of "It's me against the world and I can do it myself" and you lose that team concept that you play with at home. At home, you're sharing the ball, the ball's swinging, guys are running and diving on the ground and giving everything. I think when you get away, a lot of times, it becomes more of an individual battle.

It's only natural that when fans are booing you and screaming at you, you're like, "I'm gonna take it to 'em." It takes you out of that team concept that you have at home.

WHERE UNBELIEVABLE BASKETBALL HAPPENS
Ever since I got into the league, I never felt like this generation of basketball was the same as when I was watching as a youngster, watching Jordan, Barkley, Pippen and all of those dudes in the playoffs... Magic, Bird. I always watched playoff basketball and it seemed to me like it was different. And this is the first year when I've been in the NBA where I felt like it matched the old days and it may be even better.

It's all the series. I'm a fan. I'd say that even if I wasn't playing and I was just at home watching the playoffs. You notice a lot of NBA players are coming out to games, because it's unbelievable basketball right now. You could pick any series and go to it, and it would be unbelievable basketball. And I don't think it's been like this for a long time.

As a fan, you can't choose who's gonna win. You never know. The momentum shifts and changes. I think right now, the NBA is really at an all-time high and it hasn't been this way, to me, in years. It's fun as a player to be a part of, and it's fun as a fan to watch.

I've been watching every series and I get a kick out of it. You feel the intensity coming through your TV screen. You feel the pride and passion that everybody's playing with, because everybody feels like they can win. Every other year, there's been some kinda doubt like, "We can't beat these guys. These guys are too good."

Everybody feels like they have a chance this year. And they're putting it all out there.