Jerry Sloan
Jerry Sloan
Gerald Eugene "Jerry" Sloanis an American former National Basketball Association player and head coach, and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Former NBA commissioner David Stern called Sloan "one of the greatest and most respected coaches in NBA history." Sloan had a career regular-season win–loss record of 1,221–803, placing him third all-time in NBA wins at the time he retired. Sloan was only the fifth coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 victories and is one of two...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth28 March 1942
farther game kept matter next people step team year
People think it's pretty easy, but it's pretty difficult. A year ago, this team just kept going farther and farther down. They didn't step up and try to make a change. We were 11-21, I think, a year ago and the next game didn't matter probably.
commitment common drive everybody felt man missing outside presence shot stay talked team whatsoever worried
Everybody you talked to about our team would tell you we had no presence whatsoever inside. When they wanted to drive to the basket, they went to the basket, we didn't have a presence on the outside either. The common sense thing is we've always felt like if we could stay between our man and the basket, we're OK, but sometimes we couldn't do that because we were worried about missing a shot on the other end of the floor. There has to be a commitment to do that.
feeling guys head love seeing shake shaking soon sorry team whip whipped
As soon as you whip yourself but shaking your head and feeling sorry for yourself, you're a whipped pup. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is. Guys on the other team love seeing that. They love to see you shake your head and say, 'Oh my goodness, now what am I going to do?'
break concept executing guys hard instead shoot team time touch
Guys are not getting enough shots. Shoot every time they touch it. Instead of executing the play, they break every play down. It's pretty hard to have any kind of team concept with that.
guys hungry job responsibility sure takes team tougher toughness whatever
I had said it would be a big disappointment if the team didn't make the playoffs. I'm not sure that we have enough guys that are hungry enough to want to be in the playoffs. The toughness to be able to get there sometimes doesn't show up. I take responsibility for that. That's my job to make them tougher or whatever it takes for them to be able to play.
changes freedom gives team
We have a different team than we've had all year. Boozer changes things just being in the game. It gives everyone more freedom with him out there.
great team
This team is going to be a great, great team.
against ball basketball crazy game knows playing streak supposed team throwing turning
It went crazy -- throwing the ball away, turning the basketball over, not playing like we're supposed to play. You can't play a streak game like that against a team that knows how to play the pass.
mentally team tougher
They were the tougher team mentally all the way around tonight.
basketball believe decent earlier execute group guys longer nuances offense pick played playing regardless season shot team time together tough younger
I think we do believe in the offense now. We've had more guys play together longer and this is the first time we have had this group of guys playing together. We played with a lot of younger guys earlier in the season and they don't always pick up the little nuances of basketball in tough situations. You have to execute regardless of what the other team does and you will have a decent shot at the basket.
ability gives good players report scout scouting teams tend tremendous
It gives him a tremendous advantage, because good players have the ability to do different things. Teams can scout you, but that scouting report doesn't do you much good if you tend to play (defense) just one way.
ball basket free great guys passing ready team throw throws
Give (the Heat) credit, because they're a great team. They've got guys who can get to the basket and get to the free throw line. We don't have a guy who can get 20 free throws a night. So how are we going to play? We've got to do it from a team concept, by passing the ball and being ready to pass it.
casual focus gets happens kept league lose picks second shots team took
They just kept pecking away at us. We got casual and the shots we took are the shots you don't really like. That's what happens in this league so often, you lose your focus for a second or two and the other team picks it up and gets it back.
looked playoffs team trying wants
I didn't know who was still trying to make the playoffs. They looked like the team that wants to be in the playoffs and we looked like we don't want to be there.