Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night – Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Phoenix Suns (111) @ Chicago Bulls (105)

Fan Night voting will continue on NBA.com from Tuesday, March 30 (8 a.m. ET) – Thursday, April 1 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for the season’s final Fan Night on Tues., April 6. Games include:

Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia 76ers

Golden State Warriors @ Washington Wizards

Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks

Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls

San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings

CLIP OF THE DAY

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on his picks for MVP

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It is my responsibility to make sure that we improve and continue to move in the right direction. The playoffs are right here so it is important that I put my foot on the gas and make sure that we have in our mind’s eye the kind of urgency that we need to play with and defend.”

– Kobe Bryant on the vision he has for his team going into the Playoffs:

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AutoTrader.com Pre-Game Show

Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber

LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant joins the NBA TV crew during pre-game

Bryant on the vision he has for his team going into the Playoffs: “It is my responsibility to make sure that we improve and continue to move in the right direction. The playoffs are right here so it is important that I put my foot on the gas and make sure that we have in our mind’s eye the kind of urgency that we need to play with and defend.”

Bryant on his attitude during last night’s loss against the Hornets: “The trap that you run into is that you play with that sense of urgency when you are down 10, 12, 13 points. That is the kind of mentality that I do not want us to have going into the post season. You kind of lollygag going into a series and then you are down 3-1. You kind of fall into that false sense of security and all of a sudden it is time to go and it’s too late.”

Bryant on the motivation the Lakers need to have going into the Playoffs: “This is the first time that we have ever had to repeat. We don’t want to be that type of team that has to lose a championship in order to appreciate a championship. The experience we had in Boston (two years ago) should be enough to sustain that hunger for a period of time.”

Bryant on the difference between the Lakers this year and the Lakers last year: “We are a different team; it is tough to say if t is better. Ultimately if we win another championship, we can’t go any higher than that. We won last year and if we are fortunate enough to win one this year you can call the teams on par. We have a different identity. Last year Trevor (Ariza) had his hand on balls, he was active, he was a lengthy long defender. This year our team is more physical, we’ve slowed things down quite a bit, used more of the shot clock quite a bit, it is just different.”

Bryant on his role as a scorer going into the playoffs with this team: “It entirely depends on the defense and how they play me. I will let them pick and choose how I’m going to play. If they double and come quickly then I’m going to kick it and facilitate my other guys.  If they want to play me straight up certain stretches of the game, then I’m going to work and do what I do.  I let them pick their poison.”

Bryant on the changes he has made during his career: “I think it is a growth period; once you come into the NBA you have to find out what your game is going to be. How are you going to develop, what is going to be your identity and how is the team going to be able to adjust to it on a nightly basis. It took me a little while to figure out what my game was going to be. I went through periods where I changed throughout the years but the important thing is to be as consistent as you can.”

Bryant on Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash: “He controls the pace, he controls the tempo. He sees everything on the floor and puts guys in position to make them successful. He makes adjustments on the fly. When you are defending him, you really have to react on the fly. The team is playing to his strengths. They got away from it for a minute and now they got back to it.”

Bryant on Chicago Bulls forward Derrick Rose: “He is at the top of the list but he’s still young so he has a lot to improve on mainly his shooting. He can handle the ball. He can change his pace very well for a young player, finish at the rim. The biggest key for him is getting that long ball.   He has got a pretty good mid-range game as it is. What I like about him is that he is not all speed.”

Bryant on what type of player the Bulls need to help guard Derrick Rose: “They need a shooter. Because he is not a great shooter himself so you need someone to offset that. I like having basketball players that can create as well so he is not the only one that has to facilitate plays for others.  That is what I would look for.”

Bryant on Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson fitting in with the Chicago Bulls: “He is an underrated player. I love playing against Joe because he competes.  I play against some of these two guards that just roll over. He is not going to do that. He plays both ends of the floor. He is one of those free agents coming into next summer that is flying below the radar but can really change the dynamics of the team.”

Bryant on which game winning shot stands out the most for him this season: “I think the first one against Miami. That was the only shot out of all the shots that I ever made that I didn’t practice. It was purely a lucky HORSE shot.”

Bryant on Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant being included as an MVP pick: “It is a shame because in the position that he is in he won’t get a lot of votes because he is not winning all these games but the success and the turnaround that they have had in Oklahoma and the way that he has performed, it is only fair to put him in that category.”

Bryant on Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard being included as an MVP: “Dwight should be in that category every year; he doesn’t get enough credit either. I think defensively what he does makes him an MVP candidate in itself.”

Bryant on the team in the NBA that isn’t getting enough credit: “In the East, I’m going to say Charlotte. I think Charlotte is extremely dangerous. In the West for some reason people continue to sleep on San Antonio, which I don’t get.”

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T-Mobile Halftime Report

Johnson, McHale and Webber

Webber on Coach Vinny Del Negro adjusting the Bulls starting line-up: “I think that Vinny Del Negro is going to have to adjust the starting line up these last 8 to 10 games. The other night Chicago lost a big game because I thought they put (Joakim) Noah in to late. Noah is the one that got this run started. You can not underestimate energy guys; they make it better for your skill guys. I think he is going to have to tinker with the line up and maybe let Brad (Miller) and them come off the bench and let Joakim and these other guys get the game going.”

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NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai

Johnson, McHale and Webber

Suns guard Steve Nash joined NBA TV via ArenaLink after the Suns defeated the Bulls.

Nash on the importance of heading into the playoffs with momentum: “We know that if you lose a game, you’re in a free-fall in the Western Conference and you could go down three spots (in the playoff seeding).  Every game is important.  For us, we’d love to have home court (advantage) and finish as high as we can but the truth of the matter is we want to continue to play well and continue to build and get better.  I think we’re going to be in the playoffs now so if we continue to improve, no matter who we play, I think we have a chance to win.”

Webber on Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich leaving the game with an ankle injury: “Not having Kirk Hinrich in there can take its toll. He’s a leader, a second point guard, he can shoot on that floor. He’s definitely going to be missed.”

Webber on the Oklahoma City Thunder winning their 45^th game of the season: “If they win 50 games no one in this country, in the world, not even in their organization thought they could do that. Great job to those young boys.”

Webber on the Phoenix Suns being a dangerous playoffs opponent with home court advantage: “You do not want to play Phoenix with them having the home court advantage. That four-five spot is so important because that can change their life. You just want to make sure you have home court advantage versus a team like Phoenix.”

McHale: “All those teams are looking at the four spot saying we want to get there. There are going to be three or four teams fighting for that spot right down to the finish.”

Webber on a potential playoffs match-up between Dallas and Portland: “I am probably one of the biggest Dirk Nowitzki fans in all of the NBA, but I’m going with Portland. Portland is so resilient, they’ve gone through everything, injuries in the shower, the coach tearing his Achilles, there’s not much this team hasn’t seen. When you go into the playoffs you want to play team that aren’t steady, teams that don’t know their identity. These guys know who they are because they don’t have some of their best players right now.”

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