Harlem Globetrotters 97 - Michigan State 83
11/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 2, 2003
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Earvin "Magic" Johnson
On the weekend:
"First I want to thank Larry and his family for coming out and being a part of this. He didn't have to do this because he has many things to do. But that's one thing that's great about him and he's always been a great friend. We've always supported each other and my hat goes off to him. It's been an unbelievable weekend. I told him let's do this every year instead of every 5, 10 or 25 years because the guys have a wonderful time coming back and being around each other."
On the play of Paul Davis:
"Paul has really developed. Today he started off pressing just a little bit but then he relaxed in the second half and played a good game. He's really going to be an awesome basketball player. I respect him a lot. He's a hard worker. He's aggressive. He can shoot from the outside but also when he came into the basket. I think that he's only going to get better and better. This was good tonight for him and the whole team.
On MSU playing against the Globetrotters:
"This is only going to make them better for the season because they are not going to run into guys that are this big and strong."
On MSU's athleticism:
"You look at from one to 15, Tom really has a great problem of who's going to play. (Maurice) Ager didn't play today so that adds another player to the mix. I think they are going to really wear some teams out this year. They can be aggressive because they can go to their bench where normally you don't have that luxury. So I'm looking forward to an awesome season. I know that Uconn, Kansas and Duke have strong teams but we'll be right there with them."
On MSU's point guards:
"I think it's good because now (Brandon) Cotton is there and (Rashi) Johnson has improved. Alan (Anderson) brought it up a lot today and he looked good. This was the best I've seen Alan look. He's more confident with the ball and Johnson today was more confident with the ball. They'll only get better and better with time. Playing in these types of games, that's how you get to see what you've got.
Larry Bird
On Michigan State:
"I think they're very talented. The one thing that I saw out there today was that they weren't playing against guys their own age. They were playing against some monsters out there. I know Michigan State's got a very good basketball team and a couple really nice players. I'll be scouting them a couple more times this year. But they had their hands full today."
On the 1979 Championship game:
"Well I never felt we really got beat in that championship game. We just ran out of time. I'm ready to go back out there and finish it off. After watching Magic today I think I might be able to take him."
Mannie Jackson - Owner of the Harlem Globetrotters
On MSU and Tom Izzo
"The first thing that I want to say is we are here at the privilege of Tom Izzo. He has become a friend of the Harlem Globetrotters and a personal friend. He is a leader in the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) and kind of adopted our team. We came to give them as much as we have to help them prepare for the season. They (Michigan State University) are a very good team and they should do well this season. Tom (Izzo), I want to thank you, our players want to thank you because we can't believe how much you do for us every year."
On Magic Johnson
"The other person I wanted to make a comment about was Magic. As you may know, we signed Magic to a lifetime contract today, and only two other people have that distinction. President Ford and President Reagan named the Harlem Globetrotter national treasures and that is something we are very proud of, but I cast the first vote to make Magic a national treasure because he deserves it. He is an excellent person both on and off the court and it is just a privilege to have him be a part of our team.
"It has been a great weekend and I hate to sour it but that was not a very good performance. You can use the excuse that we have only been practicing for two weeks and that leads to some mix-ups in rotations on defense and in transition. The biggest thing is the effort related stats. Did we check and did we rebound? Through two public appearances we haven't done either in both. You have to give the Harlem Globetrotters credit because they did an excellent job making some shots down the stretch and shutting us down defensively.
On key players
"Three of our key players really struggled today. Paul Davis has played well before today and he didn't play well today. Alan Anderson struggled today. We can't have a 6-6, athletic player only get one rebound in a game and we had three players like that with only one rebound. I am glad we have 10 days until our next game because we definitely have some things to work on.
