Willie Green recaps win over Detroit Pistons | Pelicans Postgame 11/2/23
Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green
On what stood out to him about today’s game:
“The biggest thing is the mental toughness it took to overcome all of the obstacles that we dealt with in the last 2 hours: a back-to-back, a malfunction with our plane, getting in today, having guys out. But, it’s a credit to the character in the locker room. This is a total preparation-beats-opportunity moment, and guys stepped up. Total gutsy win for us, for sure.”
On CJ McCollum’s performance:
“CJ was excellent. He did everything we asked him to do and more. He’s a leader, and that’s what it takes.”
On CJ McCollum’s reliability:
“It’s a credit to his mindset, to his character and the work that he puts in. He puts in a ton of work in the off-season to try to make sure that he manages the NBA regular season, and he has the mindset that he wants to try to play as many games as he
can. Even last year for us, he’s been fighting through injuries, and we just – we appreciate him.”
CJ McCollum on tough win on a back-to-back | Pelicans Postgame 11/2/23
Pelicans Guard CJ McCollum
On the mental toughness it took to win the past two games:
“I think that’s the sign of a good team. Being down 20—first of all, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do as part of the game, so we dug ourselves into a hole, but we climbed out of it, and executed and stuck together. And then tonight, unfortunate circumstances. They’re in a back-to-back too so they’re tired, but just figuring out a way to be a pro and figure out a way to win – that’s the sign of character. That’s the sign of people that really want it, people that want to be a part of winning. I think that’s what you need. You need to be able to get through tough moments. You need to be able to overcome some adversity, and I think that’s when you really see what people are made of.”
Matt Ryan talks career night in win | Pelicans Postgame 11/2/23
Pelicans Forward Matt Ryan
On Herb Jones’ defensive performance:
As we watch the film, you don’t always realize it during a game, but when you watch the film, he’ll make up for guys who make a mistake. He’ll pick up a cutter that somebody else lost and then he’ll take a charge on that cutter. He’s special on that end and, we’re going to need that from him all year long.”