Lessons learned from the NBA Finals of 2012

Posted by Unknown on Tuesday, December 25, 2012 with 4 comments
Courtesy of Darnell Mayberry 
SCOTT BROOKS
“It takes a lot of mental toughness to win four rounds. And we were right there. A couple of plays here and there could have changed the dynamic of that series. But the thing I took from it is that we have a heck of a team that competes every night, and no matter when and where, or whatever part of the series that we're in, we compete every night.”
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
“Every play counts. Every possession counts. It's important to take care of the ball and make sure you get the shot you want (every time) down the floor and make sure things are running correctly. It's important. At that time it's win or go home, and it's more important to be able to take it one possession at a time.”
THABO SEFOLOSHA
“Right now, I think we're seeing the benefits of going to the Finals last year. We played really well against San Antonio, and then I think we could have done a better job against Miami. But right now, the way we're passing the ball and the different things that we're doing, I think it's a result of us trying to get better as a team.”
KEVIN DURANT
“We know how important it is for everybody to be involved, not just at the start of the Finals or the playoffs but right around this time. We know that everybody is important. Every possession is important. We realize that. Some of the battles we had in the playoffs these last few years taught us a big lesson in how we need everybody and every possession needs to be important. We learned a lot. I think that's why we're getting better throughout the season.”
SERGE IBAKA
“I learned to just be me. I learned to be aggressive. On both ends. It's the Finals. We need everybody. That is why I've been working on my game. And right now, my confidence is good. In the Finals, Russ or Kevin they can struggle sometimes. And they will need some help. That's why we have me, Thabo, Nick, Hasheem, Perk, everybody. That's what I learned.”
KENDRICK PERKINS
“It takes that second and third effort. It takes not one guy but a team. That's what I learned from the Finals last year. I watched Miami, they had multiple guys step up at different parts of the Finals, whether it was Shane Battier, Mike Miller or Chris Bosh. Different guys stepped up at different times.”
NICK COLLISON
“When you get to the highest level you have to be able to execute under the highest pressure. We didn't do it well enough in that series, so I think all season that's in the back of our minds, that we have to continue to build toward that time late in the year.”