NBA quotes of the week

Quotage

Lakers forward Metta World Peace is averaging a career-low of under six points a game while shooting about 35% from the field. He tweeted: “It’s amazing people think I’m having a bad season…They expect me to score more…I really appreciate the respect...It’s also amazing I can still get minutes without scoring or shooting a horrible percentage…That’s how good my defense is.”

Sacramento center Jason Thompson said he and teammate DeMarcus Cousins urged Kings Coach Keith Smart to keep his bench players on the floor to close out their 115-99 win over Minnesota last week. “The NBA is a game of runs, [whether] it’s the first group or if it’s the guys coming off the bench, if they’re in a rhythm and a run, then you let them play it out…if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Thompson said.

Atlanta guard Jeff Teague dunked over Boston’s Ray Allen and then showboated. The Celtics then went on a big run to beat the Hawks. Afterward, reporters asked Kevin Garnett whether Teague’s dunk motivated the Celtics. “I don’t even know who you are talking about. That guy’s a nobody,” Garnett said.

Utah upset the Lakers, 103-99, last Sunday in Los Angeles even though Jazz guard C.J. Miles missed nine of his 11 shots. Miles tweeted: “I couldn’t throw a rock in the ocean … I even missed a dunk tonight ... My depth perception is so terrible ... The lighting of the staples center didn’t help either.”

—Barry Stavro