Notes from NBA TV’s Playoff Coverage – Wednesday, April 23, 2014
NBA TV’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs continues Thursday, April 24, with Indiana Pacers @ Atlanta Hawks (Game 3) at 7 p.m. ET
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AutoTrader.com Pregame Show
Matt Winer, Baron Davis and Dennis Scott
Davis on what the Mavericks should do to get Dirk Nowitzki into rhythm: “You have to put him in a couple of iso situations and let him hold the ball. Let him take his time on the block and that way, he can settle down. He had some good shots [in Game 1] but they were rushed and that’s from him not having patience down in an iso situation.”
Davis on how to slow down San Antonio’s Tim Duncan: “You have to have someone jabbing at the ball. You have to mix it up, show him a bunch of different looks and crowd him at the end of the game…and be as physical as you can.”
Davis on Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard: “[The Rockets] don’t have anyone that can guard him. He is the ‘x-factor’ in this series because he’s unguardable. He gets to the hole at will, he shoots the pull-up and he shoots the three. He just has a knack for scoring the basketball and being an offensive pest to [Patrick] Beverley and Jeremy Lin.”
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Dallas Mavericks (113) at San Antonio Spurs (92) – Series tied 1-1
Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) with Jaime Maggio (reporter)
Fratello on Dallas’ Brandan Wright matching up against Tim Duncan: “He’s not long enough and he’s not strong enough to guard [Tim] Duncan one-on-one. [Mavericks Head Coach Rick] Carlisle must decide if he wants to start double-teaming [Duncan] even though that will open up the three-point line.”
Fratello on San Antonio’s Marco Belinelli: “Along the lines of [Manu] Ginobili, he’s not afraid to try to make something happen in a game. Every once in a while, that makes a coach crazy but they realize how important he is to the team.”
Fratello on the Mavericks: “Dallas is much more aggressive in this game than San Antonio. They understand that they are fighting for their lives and don’t want to go down two games [in the series]. They are doing everything they can.”
Fratello on the physical inside play: “If you’re faint of heart, you don’t want to get in the lane tonight.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Winer, Davis, Scott
Davis on San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili: “He’s a special guy. He’s dynamic, he’s creative and he plays with a great confidence and sense of freedom. He can get hot at any moment.”
Scott on Ginobili: “Ginobili is one of the few guys in this league that when he’s on the floor he can make a jump shot, you can put the ball in his hands and let him facilitate, and he gets to the free throw line. You know he’s going to get in there and cause havoc.”
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Fratello on Mavericks guard Jose Calderon: “He’s one of those ‘feel good’ guys. When he hits his shot and he gets it going, he shoots it in bunches.”
Fratello on the Mavericks mentality in Game 2: “Dallas couldn’t put [the Spurs] away in Game 1. With a veteran team, San Antonio got the win in Game 1. Dallas came into Game 2 determined not to let that happen again.”
Fratello on the Mavericks’ Game 2 performance: “Dallas has been a more aggressive team the entire night. At the beginning of the game, they played with a confidence and aggressiveness that had San Antonio back on their heels.”
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NBA GameTime presented by Kia
Winer, Davis, Scott
Scott on Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge: “LaMarcus Aldridge is playing like an MVP right now.”
Davis on Aldridge: “He’s a mismatch problem for the Rockets. I don’t know if they have anyone who can guard him.”
Davis on Game 2 of Mavericks/Spurs: “The game got away from the Spurs and what they were establishing. The Spurs run their offense and throw it into [Tim] Duncan; [Tony] Parker comes off the pick-and-roll and beats you. As the game started to progress and Dallas gained more confidence, Dallas started to play uncharacteristically. They started to look to make individual plays and that neutralized Tim Duncan. When you’ve got your role players trying to make plays, that takes everyone out of their offense.”
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