Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, December 17, 2009
TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat @ San Antonio Spurs followed by the Philadelphia 76ers @ Los Angeles Clippers
CLIP OF THE DAY
(click on link below to watch)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I never got that high unless I was on a step ladder or an elevator.”
–TNT analyst Kevin McHale on Dwight Howard’s shot-blocking abilities.
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith
HLN anchor Robin Meade joined the studio show to discuss “With All Due Respect,” a special featuring TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley, TNT NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty and TBS MLB analyst Dennis Eckersley. The special will air on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 10 p.m. (ET / PT) on HLN.
Meade on what viewers can expect from “With All Due Respect”: “We know these guys as sports commentators and their sports history. It was nice to hear what they have to say about the stories that made us all talk all year. Some of the things that Charles, Dennis and Kyle will say the things that maybe you thought, but were afraid to say. But these three (guys), by no means, are afraid to say it. It kind of illuminates that, as a journalist, there are two sides to one story. They show us that it’s not all black-and-white, it’s not all good and bad, it just is.”
Barkley on Tiger Woods needing to talk about his current situation: “They’ve got to let him speak. He’s got to speak. It’s not like if he stays in the house, it’ll blow over. He has got to speak at some point. I don’t want to give him advice. I want to tell him, ‘I love you. Hang in there.’ I don’t get in other people’s business. I’ve got enough going on.”
Smith on the Tiger Woods situation: “Tiger Woods made that decision. He’s the one who has to live up to it and he’s the one who has to own up to it. Whatever his handlers are advising him to do or not advising him to do, at the end of the day, everyone works for you. You don’t work for anybody. He makes his own decisions like he made those same indiscretions. I think they are putting too much pressure on the people around him. Secondly, I think it’s time for him to figure out what’s going on in his household. When he decides it’s time to come out of his household, then he’ll explain it to you. He doesn’t owe us anything to explain anything.”
Barkley on the recent HGH speculation surrounding Tiger Woods: “That’s very dangerous. I don’t have any idea but if (something) comes out, it could be catastrophic. This first thing is bad, clearly. That’s the thing that sucks when you’re on television and you have to talk about one of your friends. Clearly, this is a bad situation. I hope it was just the blood-spinning thing, which is legal. In today’s society, you’re guilty until proven innocent. I don’t think Tiger did anything but work hard. Those allegations are very dangerous.”
Meade on Barkley wearing a Snuggie backstage: “It’s the only thing that would fit him. It was one-size-fits-all.”
Johnson on Barkley’s Snuggie: “If you look inside that Snuggie, the tag says ‘massive’”
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Game 1: Orlando Magic (86) @ Miami Heat (104)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Doug Collins and Kevin McHale with Craig Sager reporting
McHale on Dwight Howard’s shot-blocking abilities: “I never got that high unless I was on a step ladder or an elevator.”
Collins on Magic center Dwight Howard needing to trust his offensive game more: “He just needs to trust it more. We’ve heard so much about him using it in practice but when he gets into the game, it seems like he wants to resort to the power moves with the dunking and the layups. He’s got to start trusting his offensive game a little bit more while the game is going on, not just in practice.”
Collins on Heat forward Udonis Haslem: “(Haslem) is one of my favorite players. He is so consistent. He’s going to get you ten or eleven points every night, seven or eight rebounds and he’ll play good defense. He’s in the right place all the time.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy after the first quarter
Van Gundy on the Magic’s poor play in the first quarter: “Well we’ve got to try (to stop the Heat). We made no effort. No focus. We’re going to get our ass kicked playing like this.”
McHale on Heat forward Michael Beasley: “I thought he’d get to the line quite a bit in (the NBA) because he can put the ball on the floor. He’s kind of a hybrid forward. He drives both left and right-handed and he can draw fouls.”
McHale on the Heat needing total team effort to compete: “They’ve got to get a great bench performance. They need a total team effort. They don’t have the three superstars like the Celtics or Lakers. That doesn’t mean that everyone has to score but everyone has to play good, efficient basketball.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on Dwyane Wade having to carry the Heat: “(The Heat) are not a very good team. (Dwyane Wade) has to go out and play at an extremely high level of play every night for them to be competitive. They are six, seven or eight seed (in the playoffs). They are one (playoff series) and done. They are not a very good team.”
Smith on the Heat struggling this season: “I just think Miami is not good enough. In the NBA it’s about talent, then it’s about coaching, then it’s about chemistry. They have the coaching and the chemistry part but they don’t have the talent level to compete on a consistent basis.”
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McHale on working a game live versus working in the studio: “This is fun, I love the game but I love Ernie (Johnson). He’s the only one watching the game right now. Charles is watching Crime Scene Investigation, someone is getting shot and Charles is figuring it out. Ernie is great to work with in the studio but it’s fun to get out and work some games and get some live juice in the arena.”
Collins on how the Magic are constructed around center Dwight Howard: “(The Magic) has done a great job of putting the pieces together. If Rashard Lewis comes out of the game, they bring Ryan Anderson in who fills that kind of role. They’ve done a nice job of putting the pieces all around Dwight Howard. You build around your best player.”
Collins on the improvement of Magic guard J.J. Redick: “J.J. has played well. People underestimate him. He puts the ball on the floor now. He’s not just a stand-still three-point shooter anymore.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Heat guard Dwyane Wade following the game
Wade on a recent team meeting sparking the team: “We re-evaluated the game and how much we respect the game, the organization and ourselves. We came in the next day and practiced hard. We’re going to give it a lot of effort and let everything else take care of itself.”
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Game 2: Phoenix Suns (102) @ Portland Trail Blazers (105)
Announcers: Gary Bender and Reggie Miller with Cheryl Miller reporting
Stoudemire on the Suns’ TNT curse losing their last 16 games on the network going into the game versus Portland: “I don’t know what it is. I think for the most part, we definitely try to win. We give 100% (effort) every time we’re on TNT but for some reason, we can’t get it.”
Miller on the development of Suns center Channing Frye: “The longer (Channing Frye) plays and the more time he gets, he’ll learn to play better and get comfortable in different arenas.”
Miller on Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla: “(Przybilla is) a big body and he plays long. He’s somewhat athletic but he blocks shots. He’s one of the better rebounders in the league.”
Miller on Greg Oden out for the season with an injury: “He was really starting to come into his own. I’m sure everyone likes to make the comparisons to Sam Bowie with the kind of awkward career Bowie had but (Oden) is different. This guy is the real deal. He’s not going to be an All-Star but for this particular team, he works.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Suns center Channing Frye after the second quarter
Frye on playing his first game back in Portland, his former team: “I didn’t want to put extra pressure on myself playing at my summer home in Portland. This is my old team and I didn’t want to put pressure on myself. I wanted the game to come to me. I think we need to push it a little bit more. I’m really upset with myself, I need to become a better shot blocker and become more of a presence at the rim.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on the Trail Blazers needing an inside scorer: “I like Portland’s talent but they need to find a low-post scorer where they can get some easy baskets. They’ve got Brandon Roy, who’s a stud. Lamarcus Aldridge is really an outside player even though he’s seven feet tall. Until they find a low-post scorer, they are going to be up-and-down and inconsistent. You don’t win by shooting jump shots.”
Smith on the lackluster Knicks/Bulls match-up on Thursday night: “(Cavaliers GM) Danny Ferry is putting a tape of this game in LeBron’s Christmas stocking.”
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TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams following the third quarter
Williams on coaching alongside head coach Nate McMillan: “I don’t know if I’m doing a good or bad job but (McMillan) is our leader. We feed off his energy.”
Miller on Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy’s ability to get hot shooting: “Brandon Roy is one of those guys that, in a two or three minute stretch, can take over a ballgame.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Trail Blazers Brandon Roy and Jerryd Bayliss following the game
Roy on their victory over the Suns: “This is a huge win for us, a conference win. We have four road games coming up and they are all tough games. We’ve got Jerryd (Bayliss) building his confidence and really helping the team.”
Bayliss on making the most of his expanded playing time: “I’ve just been focused and I told the coaches to give me an opportunity and I would do the best I can. Rudy (Fernandez) went out (with injury) and we had a few other injuries. I’m finally getting an opportunity and I’m trying to show what I can do.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on Trail Blazers guard Jerryd Bayliss’ lack of playing time for the Blazers: “What amazes me is that Jerryd (Bayliss) can’t get playing time for the Blazers until guys get hurt. Just watching that kid play – and I saw him at Arizona – they can’t find time for that kid? He is better than some of those guys they’re playing. Let’s not kid ourselves. To have to wait for a couple of guys to get hurt to play that guy? Come on!”
Smith on Trail Blazers guard Jerryd Bayliss being a guy who can change the pace of the game: “(Bayliss) is diametrically different from what they have on the floor. He’s a guy who pushes the pace, he’s a scoring threat, keeps pressure on the defense. Their guards at that position really don’t do that. Normally you would bring a guy like that to change the pace of the game. He wouldn’t sit that much and that long, for a year and a half, not playing any kind of major minutes.”
Barkley on working with TNT NASCAR analyst Kyle Petty during HLN’s With All Due Respect: “I really like Kyle. We just really hit it off.”
Smith: “You all going out on a date or something?”
Barkley: “He can drive.”
TNT continued its ‘TNT All-Decade NBA’ showcase to help determine the top performances, games and moments from throughout the 2000’s. TNT unveiled the nominees for ‘Individual Drama: NBA Playoffs.’ A category’s nominees will be announced each week on Inside the NBA. Fans can vote for their top performance on NBA.com at: http://www.nba.com/alldecade
Ø Kobe Bryant: Game #4 2000 NBA Finals
o Misses Game #3 with ankle injury. Shaq fouls out in overtime. Kobe scores eight points (game winner with 5.8 seconds left) for 3-1 series lead.
Ø Kobe Bryant: Game #4 2004 West Semifinals
o Spends day in Eagle County Colorado Courtroom pleading non-guilty, flies to L.A., arrives two and a half hours before game. Scores 42 points, 15 in the fourth quarter to defeat Spurs 98-90 and even series.
Ø Steve Nash: Game #6 2005 West Semifinals
o 39-12-9 in overtime clincher at Dallas, the team that let him walk in free agency.
Ø Dirk Nowitzki: Game #5 2006 West Finals
o Tim Thomas blows mocking kiss, Dirk scores 15 straight fourth quarter points, 50 points total and 12 rebounds as Dallas takes 3-2 lead.
Ø Derek Fisher: Game #2 2007 West Semifinals
o Enters game in third quarter after tending to daughter’s unannounced illness (at that time). Big defense, clutch overtime three-pointer.
Ø Paul Pierce: Game #1 2008 NBA Finals
o Apparent knee injury in third quarter, carried off by teammates, returns, leads Celtics to victory.
Barkley on NBA TV’s Fan Night featuring Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber and Kevin McHale: “As Kenny and I like to call it, Nerd Night.”
Johnson: “What do you call (NBA TV) on Wednesday when Kenny’s in?”
Barkley: “The good looking black guy’s show.”
Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams joined the studio show.
Williams on the Jazz’s dismal road record: “It’s been a problem the last couple of years. We seem to get up for the good teams and against the bottom feeders we struggle, they kind of have our number.”
Barkley on whether there is tension in the Jazz locker room due to the uncertain future of Carlos Boozer: “There has to be tension in your locker room. When you’re on a team, everyone has to buy into ‘we’re trying win’ and you think you’re going to be together for a long time. Clearly the elephant in the room is Carlos Boozer, who is going to be a free agent and who you guys are probably not going to re-sign. Is there talk or tension about that at all?”
Williams; “I think in the offseason there was and maybe early on the season, but not now. The way he came back and played and got along with everyone, there’s really no tension in the locker room. We’ve been enjoying playing with each other and we don’t know what’s going to happen after the season. You don’t know what’s going to happen until it happens.”
Williams on what it would mean to make the NBA All-Star team: “It would mean a lot to me to be an All-Star, especially since it’s in my hometown of Dallas, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t make it. I’ve been disappointed a couple of years now.”
Smith on why Williams’ should not be focused on making the All-Star team: “Your goals have changed. You’re an All-Star, your goal is to be first or second team All-NBA. He should be thought of as the best point guard or right behind the best point guard. He has the skill level, the work ethic, you see what he’s brought to the game. All-Star is not a goal anymore. If that’s the goal then we’re in the wrong building.”
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