Once he was gone, the guys didn't really flow in their offence as much. There was a lot of pressure on Parker and (Robert) Horry and those guys, and that really helped us.

These guys come to the line of scrimmage and they're gone. It's different. It's an offence that is a rhythm offence. We've got to find a way to disrupt it or else we we'll be in for a long day.

The American attitude is 'We're the best'. That's why the NBA guys who come from other countries, the Europeans, all sort of stick together away from the game.

All these guys have really come back at the right time. We haven't changed our offence or done anything differently.

How have you guys been since we've been gone?

[The Hawks] are dying to get me at No. 2. I've spoken to them a couple of times this week, and they're loving it. They're rolling around on the floor laughing about [the rumor] because they're gonna get me at No. 2.