DayDay: We still have more to do
INDIANAPOLIS - A Six Pack of the best quotes from Draymond Green and Delvon Roe, following Michigan State's 74-56 victory over Purdue in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Advertisement
1. DayDay, on containing Purdue's role players:
"Yes, that was the game plan. Like coach said before the game, Lewis Jackson averaged 16 and a half points against us this year, but if you look at it, I can't remember what we lost by the first game, but I know the second game we lost by 20. If you eliminate them 16 points, that stops their run, because his 16 points always comes in the midst of their run. So it kind of eliminates their run.
"When Johnson or Moore are struggling, that's when he kind of gets his buckets more. If they're struggling and you don't let him get his buckets that's where our run comes, and I think that's where our run came tonight where we were able to build a lead. We kind of shut down Moore and Johnson for a minute. We stopped him, which was a big part.
"Coach said before the game, role players, and he said Byrd and Smith, he said Jackson is kind of in that line of making the big three. So we knew we needed to stop him, and I think we did a great job on Smith and a great job on Byrd."
2. Roe on Kalin Lucas's performance:
"Yeah, Kalin is a warrior. We knew that he was going to come out and give it his all, and he was hot early. He made a lot of big shots from outside and driving to get people involved. That's what Kalin does, he's our leader, our quarterback, and we expect that from him. But the way he played through that ankle pain was phenomenal."
3. Green on being motivated to prove something against Purdue:
"We were definitely motivated. You don't expect to come out and beat them by 20. They're a great team. Everyone thought they would be in -- when Hummel went down, I think they went from No. 7 in the preseason post to like No. 23 or something like that. And now that you look at them everyone is like, wow, they're a great team. But guys stepped up.
"Kalin came up to me at our pregame meal and said, Draymond, let's go out there and beat them by 20. I'm thinking, okay, we've got to go out here and win this game with K (Kalin) hurt, not knowing he was going to come out and score 30. That just shows his mentality, he's a warrior, and he led us tonight. We all followed his lead and we got done what he wanted to get done."
4. Green on Roe's heroic effort against Purdue:
"I always tell Delvon to crash the boards because when he don't crash, I don't happen to get as many rebounds. So when you do crash I get more rebounds. That's how I know with 13 tonight. He crashed and sometimes he gets his fingertips on them and I come clean them up. He always get mad at me and say, oh, you get the garbage rebounds. I tell him I got to come up with my rebounds some kind of way.
"He means a lot to this team. You look at it in two final four runs, he started in both the runs, and he was very key. Even last year he was out there playing on one leg, and if you look at those games, he made big plays for us, and he sits up here and says Kalin is a warrior, but that's what I feel about him. I feel like if I'm going to go to war and I have to take somebody with me, I'm taking this man any day of the year."
5. Green: Is this the most complete game of the season for MSU?
"Yes, it definitely is. Everybody has been waiting to say when is that game coming with Michigan State where they just play a great game. Well, I've been waiting to say the same thing, when is we going to play that great game. I had a feeling we were going to do it tonight. Our backs are still up against the wall. It's a good win for us, but we still have more to do. We're happy with the win, but it was a good win for us, and we're going to watch some of this game and get back to the hotel and prepare."
6. Green on MSU's 10-2 start against Purdue:
"I keyed that run. I got two blocks. No, I'm just playing with you. No, that was a great way to start off the game. Everyone is used to us getting off to slow starts, and we wanted to come out and throw the first punch. We knew if we came out and threw the first punch, then we would have to sustain it, but it's better trying to sustain it than fighting back especially against a team that defends as good as Purdue.
Join Comp on The Final Fourum message board."So we came out and threw the first punch, and you look at that run, everybody was out there contributing to it, Kebler, Durrell, myself, Adreian Payne, and Kalin. We all contributed to that run. We were locking down on the defensive. We got some scores on the other end, and after we made that run, you kind of felt a sense that guys -- everyone believed -- you could tell at the walk-throughs everyone believed we could win this game. But after that 10-2 run, it's like, let's go, everybody is ready to go now, guys come in on the bench flying. Austin Thornton come in to make it 12-4 right off the bench, everybody just came in and contributed and I think that was a great run to start off the game."