There's still a possibility, and that's what we're playing for. This game felt really good. This was some of the best balance we've had in a long time. It's nice to win one of these games without Jason having to score 99 points.

It tells you something about this team that we were able to start the season off correctly after that first half,

I think some of it has to be the new [guidelines].

That's the type of personality he has. But he does it in a way that's respectful of his teammates. He's never trying to show someone up.

Inconsistent performance at a high level -- not because of any one guy or two guys, but as a team. I think [the fast start] gave us a false sense of security, actually. We thought we were already good, as opposed to still working toward being good.

Coach Popovich is a very intelligent coach. He must have felt that his team needed to get some emotion while playing the game.