HEAT Head Coach Stan Van Gundy

On the game:
“This series was a lot tougher than a 4-0 sweep would indicate. Games two, three and four were all very hard fought games. Tonight we missed sixteen straight shots in the fourth quarter and they came all the way back and took the lead after us being up by 13 points. I like the poise we showed and the way we battled and then Eddie (Jones) hit an unbelievable big shot. We were able to get a stop, get a rebound and nail two free throws. It was a great win. Dwyane (Wade) was fabulous and we got good contributions from our bench to get us out of foul trouble. Michael (Doleac), Christian (Laettner), Rasual Butler were all very good. Like I said yesterday it is very tough to play off of our bench because I don’t have a rotation really other than Keyon (Dooling) right now. Those guys don’t know when their time is coming. To be able to step and play the way our bench did in this series in that kind of situation, you have to give them a lot of credit.”

On Dwyane Wade:
“It was an incredible third quarter by an incredible player. I almost hated to take him out because he was on such a roll but I had to give him some rest. I think in the fourth quarter when he came back he had carried such a big load that he was really tired. Obviously he was fabulous the whole series, particularly the two games here – to step up and have games like that with Shaq not being able to play.”

On the team:
“People want to look at us as a two man show but it hasn’t been like. Today Alonzo and Doleac got in foul trouble. We had to play Christian at center and he has played center for us maybe six or eight minutes all year. We just keep finding guys to step up all year. Hopefully that will continue. It says a lot about the character of our team to come in here without Shaq and won two games. I think to play and battle as hard as we did being up 3-0 in the series says a lot about our guys. It would have been sort of easy when they made that run to say ‘what the heck, we will go get them in game five.”

On the Wizards:
“They have said it in the newspapers here and it is true the Wizards team has been a very resilient team all year. You get them down and you can’t put them away. They are a very hard team to put away. I don’t it is as much as a negative with us. You just have to give Eddie Jordan and his team a great deal of credit.”

HEAT Guard Dwyane Wade

On his third quarter performance:
“It started off as business as usual. Once you start making shots you get into a rhythm and you feel like you are in a matrix and that every shot you put up is going to go in. I couldn’t miss and I took that opportunity to keep it going and keep it tight.”

“It was a close game at that time in the third quarter and it was just me trying to do what I could to help my team win. The ball was in my hand in every play and I was in a rhythm. I came down and I got some fast break outs and a couple jumpers.”

On his stardom:
“Maybe a little bit, you go out and feel a little bit different and players treat you a little different around the league, but at the same time I am going to continue to try to get better. Hopefully this whole season, and not just the playoffs, people got the opportunity to see the way I play. I am just going out there trying to win.”

On winning without Shaquille O’Neal:
“It was very important. It was something that we all came in really wanting to do and to give him some rest where he can get back and be the “Diesel” that we all know that he can be. This was a team victory. Even though Shaq (O’Neal) didn’t play, he was just as big a part of these two wins as anyone who played and he knows that.”

On his leadership:
“The main thing is that when things are going bad, I have to calm my teammates down and make plays that need to be made. That is the most important part of my leadership.”

HEAT Guard Damon Jones

On reaching the Eastern Conference Finals:
“Right now I am elated for our basketball team. The game has only ended an hour ago and I haven’t had the time to reflect on my own career, but I am happy for our basketball team, and the way that we stepped up and played without the big fellow. I believe it speaks volumes for our character and the perseverance we have had all year long.”

On the Wizards:
“The Wizards are a great up and coming basketball team. I think that if the nucleus of this basketball team stays together, for years to come they are going to be a force to reckon with in this league. They have three guys on the perimeter in Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes who are phenomenal basketball players. With the maturity of Brendan Haywood, Juan Dixon, Jared Jeffries, one season this basketball team is going to be a force to reckon with in the Eastern Conference, and in the NBA. They gave us all we could handle all series long. They were never dead. They kept making runs when they were down.”

On having rest before the Eastern Conference Finals:
“It is going to be big. We don’t know how many days we are going to have off, but we have to get that big man healthy. When he is healthy he is a dominant force. I, Dwyane and Udonis are all banged up a little bit and had some tough falls this series. It is going to be important for us to get some rest and get ready for the Eastern Conference Finals.”

On his teammates:
“They did a great job. That’s what we’ve been about all season. The guys just kept fighting. We’re proud. There is a lot of character in this locker room. We won’t let four games stop what we’re trying to do here. Detroit got swept out of the Playoffs the year before they won a Championship, so we’ll just go back to work. It won’t be a bad summer.”

On the season:
“We didn’t give up all year. No matter what bad happened to us – injuries, four losses in a row right before the Playoffs, down 0-2 to Chicago, down 11 points tonight – we just never gave up. Getting swept won’t make us give up on what we’re trying to do. We have too much character. We won’t let four games destroy what we did all year.”

On the game:
“I was unhappy because I couldn’t get a basket to save my life. I was trying to get to the free throw line and it worked for a while. We got all of their key guys in foul trouble. We were right there, but they hit the shot to win it. Now we’re just one step closer because know we know what it takes to get there.”

Wizards Guard Larry Hughes

On the Miami Heat:
“They’re a better team than us right now. They showed it all season. For us, it’s back to the drawing board against them, but we’ll be right back at them next year. We’re not going to quit what we’re trying to accomplish.”

On the Wizards:
“We played to the end. This is not a team that gives up. We always feel that we can win. You just have to give credit to their team. We learned a lot in this series and we can take a lot of positives out of that. Consistent basketball wins.”

Wizards Forward Antawn Jamison

On the team:
“We stayed confident throughout. We did it when we were down 0-2 in the first series. We did it when we were down 0-3 in this series, and we did it when we were down by 11 with a couple of minutes to go tonight. We just kept fighting. Tonight they hit a big shot, but I can walk around with my head up.”

More on the Wizards:
“We’re laying a foundation for what’s to come. The goal is always to contend for a championship. It’s good to have high standards and we just going to keep pushing in that direction. We have great team chemistry and I’m excited for what’s to come. This is just the start of something that we’re going to make last for a long time.”

On the fans:
“We really got the crowd into it. At the beginning of the season, a lot of people didn’t know what to expect. We gave this city some light as far as basketball is concerned.”

On Miami:
“One thing that should keep us motivated all summer is Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. I wish them the best of luck for the rest of this year. I hope they win the Championship. They’re the best as far as I’m concerned. We’re looking forward to taking another shot at them next year.”