Danny Ainge Quotes

There's two sides to the game, and you have to do the ugly side as well. If you're getting beat, and you're conceding the goals that we're getting beaten by, then it's because you're not defending and shutting people down well enough.

It's how I've been playing my whole life, guarding the best player on the other team.

When you play against a top side, you know they will have more possession, and they will be in more control, and you have to find one or two counterattacks.

Whoever I'm playing against, I go in and try to stop their best scorer and try to get myself going on the offensive end.

I've played against Aguero a couple of times. He starts behind you so he's always offside, but you don't know where he is. You look behind to the right and he'll go to your left. He's so tough to find. You've got to learn and work out how to stop them.

I want to make sure the other point guard can't start his offense until 12 or 13 seconds. Then I've put my team in position to defend just one pick-and-roll and one pass.

The confidence level that Steph is playing with now, obviously, you won't totally stop him. If I'm playing against him right now, I think I'd try to pick him up full court, get the ball out of his hands, try to be a little physical.

LeBron's probably the best player in the world, so you just have to make it tough for him, make him take tough jump shots and things like that.

Once the Hack-a-Shaq works once, you know I'm going to see it again. The only thing worse for basketball than that defense is the Lack-a-Shaq offense, where I have to go to the bench because of foul trouble. There is no fun in that.

Good basketball always starts with good defense!

I knew Rick Pitino was going to make them play that outbreak, monkey defense. He's been doing it all his life.

Offensively, you do what you do best and you do it again and again. Defensively, you attack your opponent's strength.

The prevent defense prevents victory.

I want to go get a stop on defense so James can do it again. It was a big spurt for him. That made then get out of their game plan and play him closer. But when he does that, we want to make sure we capitalize and get timely stops. And that's what got us right back in the game.

I really wasn't a good defensive player at all.

The defensive phase is about the team, so it's about balance.

Everybody makes a big deal about small ball. Well, I've guarded Anthony Davis every time I've played him, since he first came into the league.

Mayweather waits for you to make a mistake. He plays a similar game to me.

Really what we've done is establish a tradition in Carolina of playing defense.

We must not dive into tackles but force the opponent to run so that maybe they will crack late in the game.

At the end of the day, I'm a good defensive football coach.

When we are organised on the pitch, it is easier to play in defense.

What you really need to do is just stop the 3-point shooting, make sure they don't set a record on you. Be physical.

My thing is just cut down the easy baskets. Cut down the easy baskets, and cut down the other guys that are going to score.

With all the talk of the 3-point line, it's still most important to build your defense inside to out.