Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Ray Billupsis an American retired professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association. A star at the University of Colorado, he was selected third overall in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. A five-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection, Billups played for the Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers during his NBA career. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 2004...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth25 September 1976
CityDenver, CO
I think that for whatever reason we think that we can coast to the finish line, and not do what we have done all season. We are getting away from what we do, and guys are looking too far ahead to the playoffs. We have to do the things that we have always done. Teams aren't just going to lay down for us.
For whatever reason, we feel like we can just kind of coast to the finish line and not do what we've done all season, to be looked at as the best team. We're getting away a little bit from what we do. Guys are, unfortunately, looking too far ahead to the playoffs.
It helped us tremendously. That first game back from a West Coast trip is always difficult to get back into the swing of things and get adjusted to the time zone and all of that. Without that, you don't see us score 38 points in the fourth quarter.
In a strange sort of way, this is probably our best loss of the season. It lets you know we can't coast to the finish line.
We talked about it in the locker room before the game, that this was the game we needed. We felt they hadn't been tested in this postseason, they hadn't played against a team like us that plays defense, believes in itself and tries to control the tempo of the game. Yesterday was a good game to show them that.
We just want to get another win. We let one slip away down there, and we want to get it back.
We just wanted to go out there and protect our home court. We knew they played a tough game last night, so we wanted to jump on them early and take care of business.
We just stepped up to the challenge. I didn't ever think they were going to miss, and we couldn't hit anything, but we knew it was a matter of time. We're never out of a game, no matter what the score. You can't measure our pride. We just had to chase them off the 3-point line and start hitting some shots.
We just had a tough shooting night. We got all the shots that we wanted, but they just didn't go down.
We felt we had a chance to win this series, but nobody else felt that. We knew we were the only ones who believed in us.
We changed up our scheme a little bit defensively and made them take tougher shots. Once we made our adjustments and changed our scheme a little bit at halftime, we started hitting some shots as well, and our defense picked our offense up, too.
It would be nice if he was in here with us.
It was up-tempo and up and down. It was kind of fun, actually, but it was a shootout. I've really got a lot of respect for that team. They play so hard, and they won't slip up. You have to beat them.
It was a little different, but I'm happy to see those guys getting some important minutes, playing down the stretch when it really counted. Those minutes are when you really grow. Any move you make could be the best or worst move.