Game 2 quoteboard: Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle -- 'Their bench was dominant when they played'

“I thought (Dirk) got enough touches.

“They (Thunder) got us. They attacked us and they got us on our heels.

“The defensive end is what we've got to solve.

“You've got to give them credit. They played an attacking desperate-type game.

“Their bench was dominant when they played.

“(Stevenson) is doing the best job guarding Durant. I love the way he's battling.

“I'm not going to make an excuse about a layoff that ended light years ago by NBA standards. Sometimes you get your butt kicked, and you take it like a man and hey, we've got to respond.

“They just played well, and we got in a situation where we were down 10, which was tough. We had to pitch a shutout to give ourselves a chance, which was tough.

“A seven-game series is long. A lot of things go on. A lot of emotions going on. When you win, you feel jubilant. When you lose, it's really tough.

“They were just more aggressive. They were more aggressive defensively. They took it personally, and they responded and now we have to respond.

“We're a team that was a good road team during the regular season. We've got to play and do it between the lines.

“Our guys have a belief in each other. This is tough. This is disappointing. We've got to circle the wagons and adjust where we need to adjust.

“Everybody on that team has gotten a lot of experience over the last two years. Everybody has played a lot of important games.”