Notes from NBA TV’s Pre-Game Show and TNT’s Exclusive Coverage of the NBA Western Conference Finals – Thursday, May 27, 2010

TNT’s exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals continues on Saturday, May 29 at 8 p.m. (ET) with TNT NBA Tip-off pre-game show followed by the L.A. Lakers @ Phoenix Suns (Game #6) at 8:30 p.m. ET

CLIP OF THE DAY

The NBA TV and TNT crews promote the NASCAR on TNT Summer Series

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NBA TV Pre-Game Show

Matt Winer, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber

Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson joins NBA TV’s studio team of Matt Winer, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber via satellite

Johnson on what has surprised him about the Suns performance in this series:  “I think their outstanding bench play and the fact that they have done a wonderful job of finding their game at home in the last two games. Some of the bench players didn’t perform well on the road but when they got home they did well in the zone. The zone defense that Phoenix has been playing has been wonderful.”

Johnson on the defensive efforts of the Lakers: “There haven’t been any defensive efforts. In the first two games in Los Angeles you saw the Lakers all over the place. They really played the pick and roll well and got back on defense in transition but what’s killing the Lakers in Phoenix is they didn’t get back well in transition. And that’s when Phoenix goes on those 18-2 or 18-4 runs and when you let a team like Phoenix go on those runs that is when they are going to beat you.”

Webber on what the Showtime Lakers would have done to the zone defense: “I definitely think they would have eaten up the zone – Kareem, (Abdul-Jabbar), (Michael) Cooper, Bryan Scott. We see a lot of great point guards and I think this is the era of the point guards in the NBA, but that man (Johnson) is the best to ever do it. He’s the best point guard to play the game.”

McHale on the key for the Boston Celtics: “They are going to have to get back to getting Rondo pushing and attacking. It seems that the momentum has shifted to Orlando but that is fickle. They have to get back to Boston and get off to a good start and get back in the paint. They have to get their defense back.”

Webber: “Boston needs to get back to pick and roll defense. Dwight Howard can not score on his own.  They definitely need to have better defense on the pick and roll. Rondo needs to go back to doing what he’s been doing, watching Larry Bird and Magic Johnson tapes. He needs to take over the game and come out with that energy from the start.”

Webber on President Barack Obama’s knowledge of basketball: “It is cool, especially when you are a fan of his and he knows who you are. Having met him, he talks basketball. It is real cool that our President knows basketball.”

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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith

Suns forward Channing Frye on getting his game back on track in Game #4: “(It’s like when) You have a jar and a lid you can’t get (open).  So you get a really good grip and you open up that lid.  It just felt really good.  Mentally, it was like moving that mountain, and for me it was just growing up.  Part of the game happens when everything doesn’t go your way sometimes.   So for me, it was just about growing up and being mature about the situation.  I’m trying to contribute in other ways.”

Miller on Lakers reserve guard Sasha Vujacic getting into the playing rotation: “(Vujacic is) a zone-buster.  He’ll stretch the floor for (the Lakers) but you can’t rely on him to come in with all of the offensive woes they’ve had against the Suns’ zone (defense).  For him to be the sole answer.  But I like the move because he’s pesky on the defensive end but he’s going to stretch the floor and open up some of those avenues and gaps for Kobe Bryant to get in and drive when he’s knocking down shots.”

Barkley on how Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire has to play like a star: “Amar’e Stoudemire has to play like a star.  (Pau) Gasol and Kobe (Bryant); (Steve) Nash and Stoudemire, they have to play.  They can’t let (Gasol and Bryant) outplay their two stars.  Both benches have been MIA on the road so the stars have to keep that match-up close.  Amar’e is the only advantage that the Suns have.  He doesn’t have to get 42 (points) but I think he has to get 30.”

Miller on why Kobe Bryant has been frustrated with his team: “I can understand why he is a little bit upset.  I think Kobe is looking at the big picture.  If they are fortunate enough to get by the Suns and into the NBA Finals, he understands that looking at the two teams in the East (Conference), Boston and Orlando, both teams are outstanding defensively.  To win a Championship really starts on the defensive end.  I think Kobe is starting to see a pattern of playing great at home but when they go on the road, we give up too many easy points and easy shots.  Even when the Lakers are making shots, the Suns are getting the ball in quick and getting down the floor, knock down threes and get into the paint.  I think it’s (the Lakers) style of play that has Kobe not as jovial as he was talking about.”

NBA TV’s Matt Winer, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber joined the TNT crew via satellite

Webber on the Magic getting center Dwight Howard the ball in good scoring position: “(The Magic) made sure that they were playmakers and that they ran plays for Dwight Howard.  He needs you to get him the ball in scoring position or he probably just won’t score.  I think by them speeding up the pace of the game and by the shooters being threats.  You know, Reggie (Miller) was a great shooter but he was also a threat.  He helped the Davis boys (Antonio and Dale) and Rik Smits score by pump-faking, driving and getting (the ball) to those guys.  I think the shooters on Orlando did that too.  They were a threat with their offensive shooting but they were just decoys.  They pump-faked and made sure they got it in to Dwight Howard in the proper position which lets everyone else shoot later on in the game.”

McHale on why he thinks the Celtics will win the Eastern Conference Finals: “I think Boston will win Game #6.  I think everyone will step up and I think they are very frustrated they didn’t close them out in four (games).   We see what’s going on, they aren’t getting any younger.  They need some days off.  So I think Boston will win Game #6.  It should be a good game.  Orlando has some mojo now, they’re starting to play better.”

Webber on who will win the Eastern Conference Finals: “I think the Celtics will win the series, I’ve said that from the beginning but a lot of us didn’t believe that Orlando would get back (into the series).  So I have to believe that the momentum is with Orlando now.  All they can think about now is if they win (Game #6), they are going back (home for Game #7).  I do think the Celtics have the best chance but Orlando is riding high right now.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled it out.”

TNT’s Marv Albert interviewed Lakers head coach Phil Jackson about how his time with the 1969-70 New York Knicks helped him get his start in coaching

Jackson on how sitting out that season got him interested in coaching: “Without a doubt it was sitting out the year.  In the process (Knicks head coach) Red (Holzman) engaged me, ‘let’s talk about the game a little bit and what you see out there’ he would say ‘why don’t you go over and watch some team that we really didn’t know and you know and write some notes out about the team and bring them back and we’ll talk about them tomorrow.’ So there was always staying close enough to the team to be associated with it and that’s really how Red got me started into coaching.”

Jackson on how the 1969-70 New York Knicks has stayed with him throughout his career: “I guess it’s like your first love or something, you know it’s the one that kind of comes back as to how it possibly happened and all those things fell together for a championship and that um, you know there’s so many things that happened to a ball club where they had to pull each other together.  There’s just all this chemistry that went into a team but we always knew the short period of time we had to just play together and it’s made even shorter now when we look back and see that you know, outside of those guys, New York has never had a championship since.”

TNT’s Doug Collins joined NBA TV’s studio team of Matt Winer, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber via satellite

Collins on why he took the head coaching position with the Philadelphia 76ers: “It’s very similar to the jobs I’ve taken before.  I’ve taken over teams that have had losing records that had some good, young players and the one thing I’ve always tried to do is develop those young players.  I was very fortunate in Chicago to have a young Michael Jordan.  We got Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.  In Detroit, I had Grant Hill, Lindsey Hunter, Allen Houston and Theo Ratliff.  So I’ve had the opportunity to do that and I feel that that is when I am at my best.  I also look at the Eastern Conference, there is going to be a major shakeup this summer with all of the free agency.  I look at the Atlantic Division and Boston is getting old, who knows what’s going to happen in New York and New Jersey with the free agency, Toronto could lose a major free agent (Chris Bosh) so I think it’s there for the taking.  We’ve got the second pick in the draft and some good, young pieces.  It’s up to me to go in there and get them professional, get those young guys working hard, hold them accountable, responsible, work hard every day and compete.  This was a team last year that went 12-29 at home.  If you win 27 like you did the year before, you’re a Playoff team.  We have to win at home.”

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Phoenix Suns (101) @ Los Angeles Lakers (103) – The Lakers lead the series 3-2.

Announcers: Marv Albert and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting

Collins on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant needing to get to the free throw line: “The two games in Oklahoma City that (the Lakers) lost (in the first round), Kobe did not shoot a free throw in Game #3, when he took 29 field goal attempts.  Took only two (free throw attempts) in Game #4.  A big part of his success is when he gets to the foul line and into the paint.”

Collins on why the Lakers are more aggressive at home than on the road: “(The Lakers) are more aggressive in the paint (when playing at home).  They get ten more points a game.  They shoot more free throws and fewer threes.  On the road, they are less aggressive and get caught on the perimeter and start firing up that three-point shot.  That’s what got them in trouble against Oklahoma City and twice in Phoenix.  That’s how they got those four losses.”

Collins on Lakers forward Pau Gasol: “(Gasol) is such a big part of (the Lakers) especially coming into the fourth quarter.  He and Kobe Bryant are the great finishers.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Lakers forward Lamar Odom following the second quarter

Odom on how the Lakers are working together as a team: “We’re communicating and talking.  (We’re) Doing everything as a group.  That’s what is important with this group.  They bring so many mismatches, screens and down-picks.  It’s important for us to talk.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley, Miller and Smith

Miller on Kobe Bryant needing help offensively: “Kobe is going to get it done offensively but he’s going to need help.  Pau Gasol has to play a bigger part especially when you are going against that zone (defense).  When you’re 7’1”, you’re able to look over the defense and he hasn’t been able to do that.  Kobe is the only offensive explosion that (head coach) Phil Jackson can really rely on.  When you’re going against the zone, you have to have offensive help.”

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Collins on the Lakers feeding off their fans at home: “The Lakers are playing tonight with so much energy on their home court.  I thought the energy was all Phoenix Suns (in Games #3 and #4) obviously feeding off that terrific home crowd in Phoenix.  But tonight, the Lakers have been a step quicker and tougher in all the defensive possessions.”

Collins on the passing by Suns point guard Steve Nash: “You usually tell your point guard, ‘don’t leave your feet to make a pass.’  Steve Nash is a master at it.  We’ve seen it where it looked like he was hung up in the air with no place to go and he finds the guy on the weak side.”

Collins on Lakers reserve guard Sasha Vujacic being a pest to the Suns: “(Vujacic has) really been the irritant.  I used to always love to call Vujacic that because he really gets under your skin.  He’s bothered (Suns reserve guard Goran) Dragic.  Dragic is trying to force some shots up at the basket and Vujacic has done a nice job of coming in and slowing him down with that.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and forward Ron Artest, who made the game-winning basket, following the game

Bryant on teammate Ron Artest’s game-winning shot just moments after he took an ill-advised three-pointer: “I was just happy he made a play then.”

Artest on taking a three-point shot when he could have run out the shot clock: “I just play basketball.  There was a point in time when I shot 40% from three (point range).  I have to play and still try to get to the hole.  I’ve hit shots before, they just didn’t fall today.  That’s the thing about the Playoffs, they keep playing and you never know when that big game is going to go.  I just want to continue to play and see what happens.”

Artest on his game-winning shot following Kobe Bryant’s missed shot: “I saw the shot and he got fouled.  I knew it was going to be an airball so I just went after it.  They played hard tonight.  They were aggressive and they were hitting us.  But there had to be a point in time when I had to use my body and it worked for me right there.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Johnson, Barkley, Miller and Smith

Barkley on the Phoenix Suns barrage of three point shots leading to Jason Richardson’s game tying shot with 3.5 seconds left: “In that situation, everyone says why can’t they get a rebound?  There are two things that happen in this game that are normal reactions. When guys are shooting those threes, everyone turns and runs to the basket but when you are shooting jumpers they are long.  Both of those rebounds that Phoenix got were long rebounds. When there are a couple seconds left in the game, everyone kind of relaxes. Guys just let up for a second and this is what happened (when Jason Richardson scored).”

Smith on Lakers forward Ron Artest not relaxing on that last critical play: “Everyone but Ron Artest, who didn’t let up on the play. He didn’t assume that Kobe (Bryant) would be Superman and make the last minute shot, he assumed the risk.”

Smith on the Phoenix Suns’ tenacity: “I think in the Playoffs when you lose the game, most teams look for straws to pull and something to hold onto. The Phoenix Suns in my estimation have a lot to hold on to after watching this game.”

Miller on Suns guard Steve Nash: “He was one bad boy tonight; he put on a clinic tonight.”

Barkley on the Suns’ bench: “(Coach Alvin Gentry) has got to play that smaller unit more that gave the Lakers nightmare.”

Smith on the Suns being confident on a Game #6 win:  “If I’m Alvin Gentry I’m out shaking hands already. I’m feeling great because we put ourselves in a position to win and we can play better at home. We are going to have a couple more guys step up. Their (the Lakers) games have not traveled yet. We will see if their guys will step up.  If I’m Alvin Gentry, I’m in the stands, I’m shaking hands, I’m kissing babies.”

Barkley: “I wouldn’t let him kiss my baby, he just puked all night.”

Miller on his conspiracy theory on why Suns coach Alvin Gentry got sick after eating a fried avocado: “Wherever he ate, they knew that was Alvin Gentry. He was out in public and is the coach of the Suns. They knew it was him.”

Barkley on the energy in the Playoffs: “No one gets tired in the Playoffs. You are so pumped, and these games so important. You are not worried about getting tired.”

Barkley on the key to the Celtics/Magic series: “I still think the key to this series is tempo. If they (Celtics) walk the ball up and down the court it is going to be a difficult game for Orlando. They (Magic) have to get out there and run. Clearly Orlando is the younger team and the fresher team, they just have to come out ready to go from square one tomorrow.”

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