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In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs just eliminated the Phoenix Suns in five games. It was a Western Conference finals series. Here's what Suns basketball stars Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Quentin Richardson said in post-game interviews after being eliminated:

SHAWN MARION

Shawn Marion: We went out there and we left it all out there on the court. What more can you ask?

Q: What was the difference tonight?

Shawn Marion: We were missing some threes we normally hit and they were knocking them down.

Q: You guys were concentrating on sagging in on Duncan and leaving them open for those threes. How bad did that hurt you guys?

Shawn Marion: They were hitting them. I think we were contesting them and they were knocking them down. It hurt us a little bit because we weren’t hitting ours, but we had to give up something—and that was outside shots.

Q: What did you see from Amaré’s performance in the conference finals?

Shawn Marion: He had a great conference finals. I wish we could’ve won, though. He developed more as a player and I wish we could have kept going. My stomach is sick right now. I’m disappointed it’s over with, but the upside of it is that I left it all out on the court. There are certain things on the floor I can’t control but I went out there and played with energy and tried to help my team the best way I could.

Q: Talk about the team’s season.

Shawn Marion: We did have a great season. It was a great run, and it’s something we have to go into the gym and learn from. For us to go and do what we did this year, we made believers out of non-believers that we can play this style and win. There are some certain kinks we have to work out to get over this hump and get to the Finals next year. There are going to be some adjustments made but its what we have to do to get ready for next year.

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QUENTIN RICHARDSON

Quentin Richardson: They made some tough plays down the stretch and that was the difference.

Q: Reflect on the great season.

Quentin Richardson: This is my first time getting eliminated from the playoffs so this is just tough right now.

Q: How disappointed are you in the finish to this season?

Quentin Richardson: Anytime you lose you don’t get a chance to finish. We felt like we had more to give and we didn’t really get to do that.

Q: What happened in the third quarter?

Quentin Richardson: It was a rough stretch for us. That was how the game went; a rough stretch.

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AMARE STOUDEMIRE

Q: How frustrating is this game after having such a good game?

Amare Stoudemire: It’s tough. I felt we fought tonight. It’s great when you go out fighting because you can almost accept that a little bit. The Spurs played a heck of a series.

Q: How long before you can put this behind you and reflect on what a great year it was?

Amare Stoudemire: It’s not going to go behind for awhile. We’re going to use it as motivation—that’s what it is. It’s going to make us work extremely hard this offseason—and use it as motivation.

Q: What does this team need to take it to the next level?

Amare Stoudemire: We just need to understand how important every possession is. We have to work on our games as individual players and come back ready to become a better team defensively. Then we’ll be in good shape.

Q: Can you share what Tim Duncan said to you after the game ended?

Amare Stoudemire: He said I played a heck of a series and that there will be plenty of more times that I’ll be back in that position. So it was good to hear from Tim. He’s one of the marquee players in this league, and best of luck to him.

Q: Do you feel like you as a player grew?

Amare Stoudemire: No question about it. I grew a lot as a player this postseason. I think my confidence level went up and I think my IQ as a basketball player has gotten better. So, it was a great experience and I’m looking forward to coming back next year.