01-26-2021, 01:10 AM
https://twitter.com/ESefko/status/1353943045503389696
Quote:“The turnaround point happened in that locker room at halftime,” Johnson said. “We didn’t leave it up to coach to come in there and really give us the spiel on what’s going on. We know what’s going on. We know what we were doing wrong.
“I think we were able to hold each other accountable and use that as a spark instead of fighting among each other.”
Carlisle said it was a major change from the laissez-faire first half and he credited the players for identifying the areas in need of attention.
“Our spirit as a team was much better in the second half,” he said. “You may not play well in the fourth quarter. But if you’re playing the right way and trying to help each other and moving the ball and helping each other defensively, then you’re giving yourself a chance. We didn’t do that in the first half.”
Carlisle said he wanted to skip straight to the third quarter when he sits down to watch the game film, but knows that would be ignoring the elephant in the room.
“In coaching, you can’t ignore three quarters of the game,” Carlisle said. “But I thought we showed real signs in the second half and we got to build on it.”
So what did the Mavericks learn about themselves?
“Team play. It’s got to be unselfish team play,” Carlisle said. “It doesn’t matter who we put out there. If the ball’s moving and we’re executing and helping each other get shots, that’s going to breed a togetherness on the defensive end and we’ll give ourselves a chance.
“A lot of teams are having issues with injuries, COVID, etc., etc., etc. We’re not going to make excuses. We’ve just got to play better and we’ve got to always play with a pure heart and that’s the biggest thing right now.”
Quote:“The fourth quarter, we just didn’t play well enough,” Carlisle said. “We made some mistakes. But instead of giving up 38 and 32, respectively, we gave up 25 and could only score 19. So the second half was a much better picture of the kind of team we want to be, and need to be.”