Player Quotes After Thunder Smashes Mavericks

Scott Brooks

On the win:

"I thought overall it was a good team win for us. Did a lot of things that we were hoping we would get accomplished before the game started. Makes some shots was one and we did that tonight. 23 assists, unfortunately we had 23 turnovers, but a lot of good things. Our defense was really solid throughout the game against a very high-scoring basketball team."

On defensive effort:

"This is a very good team that we played against; a smart basketball team with a lot of offensive talent. Our defensive effort was good. All five guys really locked in and that's what it takes to be a really good defensive team."

On Steven Adams and other young players:

"I thought Steven did a great job coming off the bench and provided us some activity and protection around the rim and Jeremy came in and hit some shots for us. He (Adams) works hard and he's a guy that we're excited about. He works hard, every day he comes to work, he gets a little bit better every day. We've always been a team that takes pride in our development. He protects the rim, paint, still needs to learn the game on this level, a lot of the things that he will pick up as the season goes along (like) who he plays against and their tendencies and stuff like that."

RELATED STORY: Young Players' Performance Leads Thunder Past Mavericks

Kevin Durant

On the rivalry with Dallas:

"It's two teams just competing. They're right down the road, we play this team all the time it seems like. They beat us in the playoffs we beat them in the playoffs so we got a nice little history. It's always an intense matchup and I'm glad we won."

On turning defense into offense:

"I think tonight we were active, getting deflections, rebounds; we were able to get some fast break points."

On the young guys:

"I just think they're doing a good job of playing within the system. Steven's doing a great job, Jeremy's getting points and assists; we just gotta continue to play together. It doesn't matter who scores the most or who gets the most rebounds, as long as we do it together."

On Adams:

"He gets better every time he steps on that floor, and tonight was no different."

Russell Westbrook

Oh how he's feeling:

"Very comfortable.  It's good for me, I'm still on the road to getting back where I need to be but I'm just gonna take it one day at a time and continue to rehab.  It's a blessing to be back on the floor and healthy, to be able to run up and down with my teammates and enjoy the time."

Derek Fisher

On the play of the young guys:

"I think every guy on our roster, from the oldest guy to the youngest guy, tries to come in and work hard every day. Get better, improve, and be ready for your opportunity when you get it. I see our young guys work as hard if not harder than any guys in the league in terms of getting to practice early every morning, extra shots, working out in the weightroom, so it's great when they get a chance to get out there, play meaningful minutes and have a positive impact on our team. It not only helps their confidence but it helps the development of the team."

Nick Collison

On tonight's performance as a team:

"We just needed to play well. We don't feel like we've played real well this season so it was a really good game for us, the energy was a lot better."

On Steven Adams:

"I really like his demeanor; he just plays. He shows up every day and does his work. He plays hard, he tries to do the right thing, he doesn't have a problem with physicality, and contact doesn't bother him. I just really like his approach for such a young player. He's gonna be really good for us, we're lucky to have him."

On defending Dirk Nowitzki:

"We just try to make his catches difficult. If he just walks down to the post and catches it, he's tough to guard."

On playing with so many young guys:

"They've done a good job, they're working hard. They've put in some time, Jeremy and Perry put in a lot of time last year that didn't necessarily get noticed because they weren't on the floor a lot, but they're doing the right things and getting better. We're trying to put them in position to succeed."

Steven Adams

On guarding Dallas:

"It was mainly on our adjustment to Dirk, we did the right moves to make sure to contain him, especially with Monta Ellis as well, he loves playing downhill."

Thabo Sefolosha

On defensive effort:

"We're working hard, and it takes time to put everything in place but we're definitely proud of the way we played defense tonight."

On young players:

"I think they're still learning and theyre doing a lot of small things well. They've got all the confidence in the world, from the rest of the team and for themselves. I think it's great to see them play that way."

Jeremy Lamb

On Thunder's strong offensive performance:

"It felt great. Moved the ball well, played good team basketball; the game's always fun when you play like that. Playing like that is fun and winning is fun."

On his offensive performance:

"I felt good. My teammates are always telling me to shoot the basketball, my coaches are always telling me to shoot the basketball. They have confidence in me. When your teammates and coaches really believe in you like that it gives you more confidence."

On Steven Adams:

"He's tough. He's always going to go to the offensive boards, he makes good moves in the post, he's real physical. He does a lot of little things that not everybody sees. I saw (the Vince Carter elbow to Adams' head) on replay, I said ‘goodness,' then I looked at him and I said ‘did that hurt?' he said ‘what?' I said ‘the elbow, did it hurt?' He was like ‘not really.' Yeah he's a real tough kid."

And here's one gem courtesy of ESPNDallas.com writer Tim MacMahon:

Dirk Nowitzki, chuckling about Steven Adams' willingness to mix it up:

"They've got the white Kendrick Perkins now."