Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs – Wednesday, April 29, 2009
TNT’s “40 Games in 40 Nights” NBA Playoffs coverage continues on Wednesday, April 29th with the Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls (Game #6) at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the Portland Trail Blazers @ Houston Rockets (Game #6).
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Chris Webber and Kenny Smith
Barkley on the Hawks chances with Dwyane Wade admittedly at 60%: “The Hawks are a better team than the Heat and if Dwyane Wade doesn’t play spectacularly Miami doesn’t really have a chance. I expect the Hawks to come out like gangbusters and win this game.”
Webber on the youthful Miami Heat: “It’s not (Michael) Beasley’s fault, it’s not anybody on that team’s fault. Dwyane Wade is in the same position as Chris Paul; if he doesn’t make every basket, meaning through scoring or through assists, then he can’t do it, and these guys are not one-on-one players.”
Barkley on Heat forward Michael Beasley: “I think the problem with (Michael) Beasely is the three inches he lost between the college and the NBA. Beasley was 6’10” in college and 6’7” when he entered the NBA.”
Barkley on Orlando’s chances without Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee: “They still could win that game, they’re not playing Dr. J’s 76ers.”
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Game #1: Miami Heat (91) @ Atlanta Hawks (106) – Atlanta leads the series 3-2.
Announcers: Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello; and Cheryl Miller reporting
Fratello on Miami guard Dwyane Wade playing hurt: “In talking to some of the assistant coaches on Miami they said on some of the worst nights as far as injuries by Dwyane Wade, where he’s banged up, he’s come out and put on spectacular performances when you least expect it, so don’t be surprised if he gets it going.”
Fratello on Miami forward Michael Beasley: “Beasley has to do a few more things than he has done when he comes in the game then catch it and shoot. He has to have a little variety to his game, he has to figure out the defense, mix it up and be an important part of this Miami team.”
Stockton on the Heat players quickly coming to break up a skirmish between Dwyane Wade and Hawks forward Soloman Jones: “The Miami Heat looking to protect their meal ticket.”
Fratello on the flagrant foul called on Dwyane Wade against Hawks forward Maurice Evans: “I don’t think Dwyane Wade did anything except run him down and try to block his shot…I don’t agree with that (flagrant foul call), Dick, this is a guy who has blocked over 100 shots as a 6’4” guard. You can’t let the sensitivities of the crowd wind up determining it. He’s playing ball, he’s coming from behind and his body hit him, you call the foul”
Fratello on Hawks guard Flip Murray: “(Murray) is a little too strong, a little too smart for (Mario) Chalmers.”
Fratello on Hawks All-Star guard Joe Johnson, who has struggled so far in this series: “Five-year deal for $70 million dollars, they were expecting a little bit more, but he’s helped teammates by taking on double teams…he gives himself up to give a little extra room for a teammate.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Webber and Smith
Johnson following the physical play in the first half of Heat-Hawks: “Why don’t you get physical with Kenny?”
Barkley: “I don’t want to hurt her.”
Smith: “You know when you got physical with me two rings came out of that.”
Barkley: “You know the trainer got a ring, too.”
Barkley on NBA EVP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson not suspending Celtics guard Rajon Rondo for fouling Bulls center Brad Miller: “If Stu (Jackson) didn’t think that was a flagrant foul he blew that one. Number one, he went to the head and number two, he drew blood…I like Stu Jackson, but he blew that one”
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Fratello on the poor defense of the Heat’s young players allowing the Hawks to get to the basket: “(Mario) Chalmers, along with (Dequean) Cook, have to learn to keep the ball in front of them.”
Fratello on Hawks forward Josh Smith: “Josh Smith is so much better of a player when he puts the ball on the floor and attacks the front of the rim and allows himself the chance to get fouled, for the three point play, as opposed to settling for the three point jump shot.”
Fratello on how the back and forth blowouts by the Heat and Hawks in this series: “The whole thing about the playoffs is your ability to bounce back…you have to clear your mind and come back with a fresh approach to the next game, that’s the most important one, the next one.”
Fratello following a 17-point third quarter by Dwyane Wade: ‘The competitive spirit of Dwyane Wade is showing up right now as he tries to rally his team.”
Fratello on what Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra is facing following another blowout loss: “The worst thing that can happen to a coaching staff is when you feel the team hasn’t competed. It’s tough when you lose one-point games, you know Chicago and Boston with three overtimes in those games already, the coaches know those guys are laying it all out. Right now Erik Spoelstra and his staff, just like Mike Woodson after games two and three, they are trying to figure out ‘why aren’t we down to the wire, involved in a one/two/three point game. What do I have to figure out to make it right?’”
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Game #2: New Orleans Hornets (86) @ Denver Nuggets (107) – Denver wins the series 4-1.
Announcers: Marv Albert and Reggie Miller; Marc Fein reporting
Miller on the first quarter effort by the Hornets following a 58-point blowout: “You look at the rest of these games, this might be the best start for New Orleans in any of these games…Bryon Scott has to be happy so far with the start of his banged up Hornets.”
Miller on Hornets forward David West: “I like that (West) is not settling. He has been struggling. ‘Let me put my head down and take it to the rim…I like the start for David West, not settling for all jump shots.’”
Albert on Nuggets guard J.R. Smith: “J.R. Smith, a one-time Hornet, has been instant offense for Denver.”
Miller on New Orleans point guard Chris Paul, battling a knee injury: “Chris Paul is not even looking to be aggressive at the offensive end.”
TNT’s Marc Fein interviewed Nuggets guard Chauncey Billups at halftime.
Billups on the effort by the New Orleans Hornets: “I’m not surprised at all, when you face a team, that is fighting for their lives they are going to scrap and play hard. It’s going to be a hard fought game, it’s going to go down to the wire….We can’t expect a blowout in a game like this, they are fighting for their lives, they’re going to play hard.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Webber and Smith
Barkley on the first half effort by the New Orleans Hornets: “I’m going to take my hat off to Bryon Scott, Chris Paul and all those guys. I don’t mind teams losing, but you have to give them credited they are really competing. They are still going to lose, but they are competing.”
Barkley on the physical contact that Chris Paul is absorbing: “The New Orleans Hornets, they can not let Chris Paul get hit like that. Like Kenny said, they are hitting him with everything. …I would never let guys beat my point guard. They’ve got to defend him, and it has to be a big guy. Chris Paul is a great player, but he’s a little guy, and I am so disappointed in all these games they have physically beat up Chris Paul …and not one single time has anyone on the Hornets knocked the hell out of Chauncey Billups.”
Barkley on the Hornets needing to protect their manhood: “New Orleans whole manhood is on the line tonight. There is not one single person I’ve seen, read, talked to who hasn’t said they quit last game. If they quit tonight that’s the worst thing they can say – ‘they’re quitters.’”
Smith on a missed between the legs dunk attempt by Atlanta’s Josh Smith late in Game #5: “Sometimes you do things and they are just not smart, and this was just not smart, even if he makes the basket.”
Barkley: “Yeah, you don’t want to rile the other team up.”
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Miller following Chris Paul being knocked down again in the game: “This is like a prize fight for Chris Paul, the more jabs and jabs and jabs he keeps taking eventually he is going to get knocked out.”
Miller on Nuggets guard JR Smith after back-to-back three-pointers: “Those are really three’s; those are almost three and a half or four pointers. He is three feet behind the three-point line.”
Miller on the Denver Nuggets: “These Nuggets players are starting to have the eye of the tiger, they are starting to have that look.”
Miller on the New Orleans Hornets needing to restructure: “You have two pieces to definitely build around I Chris Paul, an All-Pro level player, and David West a two-time All-Star. But then after that, where do you go? They tried to trade Tyson Chandler, the trade was rescinded. You bring in James Posey to help the bench but after that that is all you’ve got. Chris Paul; there really is no back up point guard he’s playing nearly 42 minutes a night. There are a lot of areas that GM Jeff Bowers is going to have to address in the offseason. I really think they need a shooting guard as well as small forward. No disrespect to Peja Stojackovic but he is not the same player that was in Sacramento.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Webber and Smith
Smith on the Denver Nuggets’ ability to blow their opponents out: “(The Nuggets) are the only team in the playoffs that know how to blow you out. Meaning they know how to take a 10-point lead up to a 20-point lead better than any team that’s in the playoffs. However, down the stretch they are little bit wild and wacky, they’ve got guys who will take some crazy shots. We saw Kenyon Martin, he’ll take a three, we saw J.R. Smith, he’ll take any three, so you have some guys who will take some wacky possessions and wacky shots, but from 10 to 20 (points) they get there faster than any team in the playoffs.”
Barkley on his prediction for the match-up between the Nuggets and Mavericks: “I don’t think (the Mavericks) can beat the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets are the only team who realistically has a chance against the Lakers in the West. They are talented, they are deep, they have a leader in Chauncey (Billups), they are big. Dallas to me is a finesse team, they beat San Antonio because they were the better team, but this team from Denver they are a very different animal than the Mavericks. They only thing that concerns me is (the Nuggets) have a couple of guys who are a little flakey, so what’s going to happen when they have any adversity?”
The Inside crew gave their predictions for the Mavericks/Nuggets series:
Barkley: “I like Denver in 5.”
Smith: “Denver’s tough, I’m not going to lie, they really impress me. But I’m still thinking the Mavs have a chance, so I’m going to go with the underdog and going with the Mavericks in the full seven.”
Webber: “I’m going with Chauncey Billups, he’s changes the whole direction of the team and I think it’s going to the full seven.”
Johnson: “I’m going with Denver in seven, too.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Hawks guard Flip Murray after they defeated the Heat.
Murray on the attempted dunk by Josh Smith late in the game: “That was silly, he wasn’t supposed to do anything like that. I talked to him after that, he was supposed to finish that, you can’t do plays like that. If you’re going to do something like that, make sure you make it. If you miss it, it’s all bad.”
Barkley on forward Josh Smith’s attempted dunk: “You don’t want to do anything to rile up the other team. Erik Spoelstra said something about it, Dwyane (Wade) said something about it. You don’t want to fire up the other team when you beat them like that.”
Webber on giving a team extra motivation during a playoff series: “I don’t believe in giving any great athlete or anyone who loves competition any fuel for the fire. Does that mean (the Heat) are going to win? I don’t know. But this is the only thing they can hang their hat on, they can ignore everything else, ‘we were hurt, we were this, we were that, but this guy is going to try to show off.’ I know if I won or lost this game I wouldn’t sleep well if you were trying to show me up like that.”
Webber on needing to stay focused during the playoffs: “We’re putting the ball all the way through the hoop; we’re getting every point because these are the best players in the world, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You want to be on point the whole way down, you have to have blinders on and keep your goal. Anytime you see guys getting off track like that you see a weakness in them.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Rockets forward Ron Artest.
Artest on playing against Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy: “They are doing a good job, they are well coached. (Brandon) Roy is probably the best player I’ve played against, to me he is the best shooting guard. Not on defense now, defense is kind of suspect. He’s the best player I’ve played against.”
Sager: “He’s a better player than Kobe Bryant, better than LeBron James?”
Artest: “He’s the best player I’ve played against.”
Sager: “Are you saying that just because he’s your opponent in this series?”
Artest: “No, he is. He’s the best player I’ve played against, outside from a guy from my hood in Queensbridge, a guy named Mike Chafley. He went to jail a couple of years when he was 15 or 16 years old, but he was the best player I played against and now it’s Roy.”
Artest on what kind of player he thinks Charles Barkley was: “Charles was a bit overrated. Charles was a good player, but he was a little small, he didn’t have defense. I’m not sure how I would have fared against him. I know Michael Jordan said he wished he would have played against me in his prime.”
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