Sports Media News

Keeping Up With All The Industry Press Releases

Archives for March 2012

Universal Sports Network and NBC Sports Network Present Six Hours of Coverage of HSBC Sevens World Series from Hong Kong This Weekend

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Los Angeles and New York – March 22, 2012 – Universal Sports Network and the NBC Sports Network will continue their joint presentation of the 2011-12 HSBC Sevens World Series with six hours of coverage from Hong Kong. During the sixth stop of the World Series, both networks’ coverage will include several full matches during the two-hour telecasts along with highlights from the entire tournament. In addition, UniversalSports.com will provide live streaming of the event for $4.99 or the full season’s offerings for $29.99.

Coverage begins Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. On Sunday, Universal Sports Network begins coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the NBC Sports Network at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Both networks’ match coverage will feature play-by-play announcer Bill Seward alongside analyst Brian Hightower, former USA Sevens captain.

The Sevens matches will showcase teams from 24 nations, including the current series top five of New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, England and Samoa, as well as other top tier nations including Australia, France and Wales, 13th ranked United States and host country Hong Kong.

Universal Sports and NBC Sports Network Schedule

Date Time (ET) Location Network

March 24 6:30-8:30 p.m. Hong Kong NBC Sports Network

March 25 12:30-2:30 p.m. Hong Kong Universal Sports Network

March 25 2:30-4:30 p.m. Hong Kong NBC Sports Network

April 1 8:30-10:30 p.m. Japan Universal Sports Network

April 1 10:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Japan NBC Sports Network

May 6 2-4 p.m. Scotland Universal Sports Network

May 6 4-6 p.m. Scotland NBC Sports Network

May 13 10 p.m.-12 a.m. England Universal Sports Network

May 13 12-2 a.m. England NBC Sports Network

Universal Sports Network recently transitioned to a multi-platform, high definition cable, satellite and IPTV service. Currently, DirecTV and several other cable providers offer Universal Sports Network. Viewers whose cable, satellite or IPTV providers are not currently offering the network should call 1-800-55-GET-US or visit www.IWantUniversalSports.com and demand access to the network’s coverage of the world’s biggest championships.

 

Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, LP, is the premier multi-platform media destination for Olympic-related sports programming in the United States. Offering more than 1,200 hours of original programming each year, Universal Sports has exclusive rights to world and national championship events in a wide array of sports, including swimming, track and field, gymnastics, cycling, skiing, figure skating and rugby. Whether on television, online, or on the go with mobile and tablet applications, Universal Sports offers a four-screen experience to fans of global sports every day of the year. For more information, please visit UniversalSports.com.

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Turner Sports & CBS Sports Announce Tip-Times & Announce Teams for Regional Semi-Finals

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Exclusive Coverage Continues with Regional Semi-Finals on Friday, March 23, on TBS and CBS

            Turner Sports and CBS Sports announce tip-times and match-ups for the Regional Finals of the 2012 NCAA® Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on Saturday, March 24 (4:30-9:00 PM, ET), on CBS.  Louisville will take on Florida / Marquette in the first game (4:30 PM, ET) followed by Syracuse playing Ohio State at (7:05 PM, ET).

Saturday’s coverage begins on truTv with Infinti NCAA Tip-Off (12:00 NOON-1:00 PM, ET) with Ernie Johnson, Seth Davis, Steve Smith and VCU head coach Shaka Smart. The NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Championship (1:00-3:00 PM, ET) tips-off the day’s action on CBS followed by THE ROAD TO THE FINAL FOUR®, hosted by Greg Gumbel along with analysts Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony, Kenny Smith and Kansas State head coach Frank Martin (3:00-4:30 PM, ET).

Below are the tip-times and announce/production assignments for Friday’s Regional Semi-Final games and Saturday’s Regional Final games. Tip times for Sunday’s Regional Final games will be announced after the conclusion of Friday’s games.

Additionally, NCAA March Madness® Live provides a robust suite of products including live streaming video of all 67 games from the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship; personal channel lineup (MyChannel) features and schedule updates; social media integration; and real-time brackets, scores and stats across online and mobile platforms.

 

REGIONAL SEMI-FINAL GAMES

FRIDAY, MARCH 23

 

Time (ET) Network Site Game Play-by-Play/Analyst//

Reporter

Producer//Director
         
7:15 PM CBS Atlanta I Baylor vs. Xavier Jim Nantz/Clark Kellogg//Tracy Wolfson
        Bob Dekas//Bob Fishman
         
7:47 PM TBS St. Louis I North Carolina vs. Ohio Marv Albert/Steve Kerr//Craig Sager
        Scott Cockerill//Lonnie Dale
         
after conc. I CBS Atlanta II Kentucky vs. Indiana Nantz/Kellogg//Wolfson
        Dekas//Fishman
         
after conc. I TBS St. Louis II Kansas vs. N.C. State Albert/Kerr//Sager
        Cockerill// Dale

 

 

REGIONAL FINAL GAMES

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

 

Time (ET) Network Site Game Play-by-Play/Analyst//

Reporter

Producer//Director
         
4:30 PM CBS Phoenix Louisville vs. Florida/Marquette Kevin Harlan/Reggie Miller/Len Elmore//Marty Snider
        Steve Scheer//Mike Arnold
         
7:05 PM CBS Boston Syracuse vs. Ohio State Verne Lundquist/Bill Raftery//Lesley Visser
        Mark Wolff//Suzanne Smith

 

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Princell Hair Promoted To Senior Vice President, News And Talent, NBC Sports Group

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NEW YORK – March 22, 2012 – Princell Hair has been promoted to Senior Vice President, News and Talent, for the NBC Sports Group. Hair, who was previously Senior Vice President, News Operations, Comcast Sports Group, will begin his new role immediately and will report to Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network.

In his new and expanded position, Hair, a veteran of more than two decades in the media industry, including the last 3½ years with Comcast, will oversee all talent recruitment, negotiation and development for the NBC Sports Group, including NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network, Golf Channel, and the 11 Comcast Regional Sports Networks, while also consulting with NBC Sports Digital. In addition, Hair will oversee the NBC Sports Group’s newsgathering operations and news strategy.

“Princell’s promotion is emblematic of one of our core strategies; putting talented people in roles that will help the entire group, said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “His track record and experience will add value to every area of the NBC Sports Group.”

“Princell’s work with the regional sports networks has been impressive,” said Flood. “To be able to take his talent and leadership across all platforms of the NBC Sports Group was a natural fit, and we are fortunate to have him overseeing these important departments of our company.”

Hair joined Comcast Sports Group in June 2008, as Senior Vice President, News Operations, overseeing news, studio programming and digital content for the company’s regional sports, news and entertainment networks collectively serving more than 40 million households in leading markets across the country.

Hair’s two decades of national and local programming experience also include senior news programming positions with Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and Viacom. Hair served as Senior Vice President of Turner Broadcasting’s Strategic Planning Group, Senior Vice President of Program and Talent Development for CNN Worldwide, and Executive Vice President and General Manager of CNN/U.S., where he was responsible for the network’s day-to-day news operations, encompassing all aspects of programming and production, including oversight of CNN.com’s U.S.-based operations. Prior to Turner, he was Vice President of News for the Viacom Television Stations Group, coordinating news coverage for 39 television stations across the U.S.

Hair holds an MBA from Emory University, and a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. He served for five years on the board of directors of the Radio and Television News Directors Association/Foundation (RTNDA/F), and currently serves on the board of visitors at Florida A&M University. He’s been a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Black MBA Association and the National Association of Broadcasters. He and his wife have four children.

Filed Under: NBC

First Take Makes its Move to Primetime

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This Friday evening, Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith will bring their unique style of sports debate to primetime with a special presentation of First Take – #TebowTakesManhattan.  With the controversial quarterback making his move to the Big Apple following the Manning deal to the Broncos, Bayless and Smith will discuss Tebow’s likely role with Gang Green, options both sensible and senseless, and the overall impact this move will have on the future of both Tim Tebow and the New York Jets.  First Take – #TebowTakesManhattan will air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN this Friday, March 23.  Fans can join in the conversation with #TebowTakesManhattan on Twitter.

MLB Network To Air Gloops Japan Opening Series 2012 on March 28 and 29

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MLB NETWORK TO AIR GLOOPS JAPAN OPENING SERIES 2012 FEATURING THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS AND SEATTLE MARINERS

Secaucus, N.J., March 22, 2012 – MLB Network will televise Gloops Japan Opening Series 2012, Major League Baseball’s season-opening series, on March 28 and 29.  The two-game set will be played between the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners at the Tokyo Dome.

MLB Network will televise both contests on tape delay, with the first game airing on Wednesday, March 28 at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT and the second game on Thursday, March 29 at 9:00 a.m. ET/6:00 a.m. PT. In addition, each game will re-air the same day at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT.  MLB Network will televise ROOT Sports’ feed of both games, which will be available on MLB Network in the Athletics’ home television territory.  The games will be blacked out on MLB Network in the Mariners’ home television territory.

Gloops Japan Opening Series 2012 will mark the fourth time Major League Baseball will open its season in Tokyo, Japan and the first time since the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics played at the Tokyo Dome in 2008.

MLB Network is the ultimate television destination for baseball fans, featuring the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight, live games, original programming, highlights, and insights and analysis from the best in the business, including Bob Costas, Peter Gammons, Al Leiter and Harold Reynolds. MLB Network debuted on January 1, 2009 as the largest launch in cable television history and is currently distributed in more than 68 million cable, telco TV and satellite homes throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information and to find MLB Network in your area, go to www.mlbnetwork.com.

Race To The NHL Playoffs Heats Up On NBC Sports Network With Double-Header This Sunday

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NBC Sports Network to Present Three Double-Headers & Seven Games Total Sunday-Wednesday

Exclusive Coverage of Minnesota at Washington, 5 p.m. ET followed by Nashville at Chicago at 7:30 p.m. ET

NEW YORK – (Mar. 21, 2012) – The NBC Sports Group continues its NHL coverage beginning with a double-header Sunday on the NBC Sports Network. First, a battle of East meets West when the Washington Capitals host the Minnesota Wild at 5:00 p.m. ET. Then, the Nashville Predators travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks in a Western Conference primetime battle at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’s the first of three double-headers and seven games overall in four nights on NBC Sports Network.

The NBC Sports Network continues NHL coverage on Mon., March 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Philadelphia Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning, then on Tues., March 27, in Boston when the Bruins take on the Lightning at 10 p.m. ET. The week concludes with exclusive coverage of the Columbus Blue Jackets as they host the Detroit Red Wings on Wed., March 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The NBC Sports Network will also air bonus games on Mon. and Wed. nights, when the Los Angeles Kings head to Vancouver to battle the Canucks at 10 p.m. ET, and the Anaheim Ducks host the San Jose Sharks at 10 p.m. ET, respectively. The two non-exclusive telecasts will be subject to local blackouts.

The team of Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside the Glass’ analyst) will call the action for Sunday’s game in Washington, and Dave Strader (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Brian Engblom (‘Inside the Glass’ analyst) will call the game in Chicago. Emrick and McGuire will call Monday’s primetime coverage, with Mike Milbury (analyst) joining Strader and Engblom for Tuesday’s game in Boston. Liam McHugh hosts NHL Live, NBC Sports Network’s pre- and post-game studio show, and is joined by expert analysts Milbury and Keith Jones. NHL Live pre and post coverage telecasts will welcome Jeremy Roenick, Mike Keenan and McGuire next week as guest analysts.

NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com continues to be the online destination for hockey fans. NHL content areas on the site include ProHockeyTalk, one of NBCSports.com’s popular “Sports Talk” sites that provide fans with day-to-day coverage of the league with sharp analysis on every angle for all the big stories of the day. NBCSports.com also has exclusive NHL videos wrapping-up all of the NHL action that day.

NBC Sports Group hockey schedule (all times ET, subject to change):

Date Game Time Network

Sun., March 25 Minnesota at Washington 5:00 p.m. NBCSN

Sun., March 25 Nashville at Chicago 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Mon., March 26 Tampa Bay at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Mon., March 26 Los Angeles at Vancouver 10:00 p.m. NBCSN

Tues., March 27 Tampa Bay at Boston 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Wed., March 28 Detroit at Columbus 7:30 p.m. NBCSN

Wed., March 28 San Jose at Anaheim 10:00 p.m. NBCSN

–NBC Sports Group–

Head Coaches Frank Martin & Shaka Smart Join NCAA Tournament Coverage

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…from Turner Sports and CBS Sports:

CBS Sports and Turner Sports have added Kansas State head coach Frank Martin and VCU head coach Shaka Smart as guest studio analysts for the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, airing across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV.

Martin will serve as a guest analyst in the New York studio, joining host Greg Gumbel and analysts Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith, for the Regional Finals on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25, which will air on CBS.

Smart joins the Atlanta studio team of host Ernie Johnson and analysts Steve Smith and Seth Davis, working the Regional Semi-Final and Finals on Thursday, March 22, Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24, which will air across CBS and TBS.

 

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Bruce Weber Joins SiriusXM as Postseason College Basketball Analyst

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Former University of Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach will join Chris Childers on post-game shows

Available to listeners nationwide on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, channel 91

 

NEW YORK – March 23, 2012 – Former University of Illinois Men’s Basketball coach Bruce Weber will join SiriusXM’s post-game tournament coverage tonight, March 23.

Weber will host alongside SiriusXM’s Chris Childers after the NCAA Tournament games until 3:00am ET on SiriusXM College Sports Nation (channel 91), analyzing the night’s games, previewing upcoming matchups and taking calls from college basketball fans around the country.

Weber will also join SiriusXM College Sports Nation’s coverage from New Orleans for the Final Four.

As head coach of the Illini (2003-12), Weber led the team to two Big Ten regular season championships and six NCAA Tournament berths, including an appearance in the National Championship game in 2005.  Prior to Illinois, Weber was head coach at Southern Illinois (1998-2003), and an assistant coach at Purdue (1980-98) and Western Kentucky (1979-80).

SiriusXM College Sports Nation (channel 91) is also available to listeners on SiriusXM Internet Radio and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for the Apple iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and several BlackBerry and Android-powered smartphones.

 

For more info please visit www.siriusxm.com/collegesports. 

 

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NBC Sports Group Garners 33 Sports Emmy Award Nominations

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Total Nominations for NBC Sports Group Up from Last Year

NBC Leads All Broadcast Networks with 23 Nominations

Sunday Night Football & Football Night in America Nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Series & Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly

NBC / VERSUS* Nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Special for 2011 Stanley Cup Final

On-Air Personalities Costas, Michaels, Emrick, Collinsworth, Mayock, Patrick, Tafoya & McGuire Nominated

Bob Costas’ Halftime Essays Nominated for Dick Schaap Writing Award

 

NEW YORK – March 20, 2012 – The NBC Sports Group received 33 total Sports Emmy Award nominations for 2011, the first year it produced programming as a single sports media company. The 33 nominations received by NBC Sports Group is the second-highest number of nominations for any sports media company or network. NBC led all broadcast networks with 23 nominations. The announcement was made today by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The winners will be announced by the Academy on Monday, April 30.

Highlights of NBC Sports Group’s nominations include:

· Once again, Sunday Night Football on NBC was nominated for Outstanding Live Sports Series.

· Football Night in America was nominated for the second consecutive year for Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly.

· NBC’s NFL Wild Card Saturday received its first nomination for Outstanding Playoff Coverage.

· For the first time as a joint production team, NBC / VERSUS* was rewarded with a nomination for Outstanding Live Sports Special for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

· Golf Channel was nominated for Outstanding Live Event Turnaround for Inside the PGA Tour.

· The newly created show, NFL Turning Point, which debuted on VERSUS* in the fall of 2010, received the nomination for Outstanding Edited Sports Series / Anthology in its premiere season.

· NBCSports.com was again nominated for Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming for its live stream platform, Sunday Night Football Extra.

· Along with co-writer Aaron Cohen, Bob Costas, a 22-time Emmy Award winner, who is again nominated for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host, was nominated for the Dick Schaap Writing Award for his halftime essays on Sunday Night Football.

· Nominations in individual talent categories:

o Bob Costas (Studio Host)

o Al Michaels (Play-by-Play)

o Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play)

o Cris Collinsworth (Event Analyst)

o Mike Mayock (Event Analyst)

o Dan Patrick (Studio Host)

o Michele Tafoya (Reporter)

o Pierre McGuire (Reporter)

*VERSUS was rebranded NBC Sports Network on January 2, 2012.

“I am incredibly proud that the NBC Sports Group has earned an impressive 33 nominations for the work done in our first year together as a company,” said Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “Aligning our assets to produce the highest-quality programming across our national broadcast, cable and digital platforms has clearly made a difference.”

All of the national platforms of NBC Sports Group — NBC Sports, VERSUS*, Golf Channel and NBCSports.com — received a nomination. Most notably, NBC, VERSUS* and NBCSports.com received 16 nominations related to NFL coverage, and NBC / VERSUS* received four nominations for its coverage of the NHL. Golf Channel earned two nominations and NBCSports.com was honored with one.

The complete list of NBC Sports Group nominations are as follows:

  • Outstanding Live Sports Special: 2011 Stanley Cup Final (NBC / VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Live Sports Series: Sunday Night Football
  • Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: 2011 Track & Field World Championships
  • Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: 2011 Tour de France (VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: The USA Pro Cycling Challenge (VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Live Event Turnaround: Inside the PGA Tour (Golf Channel)
  • Outstanding Playoff Coverage: NFL Wild Card Saturday
  • Outstanding Edited Sports Series / Anthology: NFL Turning Point (VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Edited Sports Series / Anthology: World of Adventure Sports
  • Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly: Football Night in America
  • Outstanding Short Feature: Football Night in America – “The Greatest Gift”
  • Outstanding New Approaches Sports Programming: Sunday Night Football Extra (NBCSports.com)
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host: Bob Costas
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio Host: Dan Patrick
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play: Al Michaels
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Play-by-Play: Mike Emrick (NBC / VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst: Cris Collinsworth
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Event Analyst: Mike Mayock
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter: Michele Tafoya
  • Outstanding Sports Personality, Sports Reporter: Pierre McGuire (NBC / VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Technical Team Remote: US Open Championship (Golf Channel / NBC)
  • Outstanding Camera Work: 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship
  • Dick Schaap Writing Award: NBC Sunday Night Football – Bob Costas Essays
  • Dick Schaap Writing Award: The Kentucky Derby
  • Outstanding Graphic Design: Sunday Night Football
  • Outstanding Production Design / Art Direction: Sunday Night Football
  • George Wensel Technical Achievement Award: America’s Cup Highlight Show – Live Line (VERSUS*)
  • Outstanding Sports Promotional Announcement – Episodic:
    • NFL Kickoff
    • 2011 Stanley Cup Final – No Words

A complete list of nominees is available at www.emmyonline.org.

*VERSUS was rebranded NBC Sports Network on January 2, 2012.

— NBC Sports Group —

Filed Under: NBC

Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night presented by Sprint – Tuesday, March 20, 2012

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Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night presented by Sprint

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Phoenix Suns (95) @ Miami Heat (99)

Voting is open on NBA.com, NBA Facebook Page and Yahoo.com for next week’s Fan Night match-up that will air on March 27

Fans can select between the following games:

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Philadelphia 76ers

Minnesota Timberwolves @ Memphis Grizzlies

Atlanta Hawks @ Milwaukee Bucks

San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns

Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors

CLIP OF THE NIGHT

(click on the link below)

 

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving joins the Fan Night team in studio during the Sprint Halftime Show

 

  ****  ****  ****  ****

AutoTrader.com Pregame Show

Matt Winer, Brent Barry and guest analyst and 2007 Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell

Barry on the hot stretch of the Phoenix Suns: “It’s all been about timing.  Alvin Gentry [Phoenix Suns head coach] keeps pulling and tugging on the right strings and guys are coming off the bench and giving contributions that are leading them to wins. There is a tremendous amount of confidence and the Suns are on a roll.”

Mitchell on the Suns team today and what is aiding in their success: “Phoenix’s defense has improved. When you look at the make-up of that team, they have different types of guys now. They aren’t the same Phoenix Suns of old that ran up and down the court and just shot threes. They still shoot threes but the mentality of the players they have now…they are more physical, more athletic. If the guys on the bench continue to get better, they can make a run for it.”

Mitchell on why teams can’t crack the Miami Heat:  “When they [Miami Heat] are home, they get out and run and increase the pace.  You can’t turn the ball over against Miami on their home court.  Their defense is so stifling with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James out there they are just too quick for teams. They want to get easy up-tempo baskets.”

Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry joins the studio team via Cisco Telepresence

 

Gentry on the factor that is most responsible for their wins over the last 11 games:  “We have been pretty consistent defensively. We have been able to rebound the ball where we are not giving up second shots on the offensive boards.  And we have played well in the open court.”

Gentry on Steve Nash staying in Phoenix post-trade deadline:  “It was never a factor for us. There were a lot of teams talking about Steve [Nash], but there was never a situation where we even remotely talked about moving Steve. It’s a situation where everything came together for us. We started to play better and we got on a role. Our bench has played well for us.”

Gentry on Grant Hill’s contributions to the Phoenix Suns:  “He’s got to be on the All-Defensive Team this year.  He’s one of the most versatile defenders we have had. He is a joy to coach, he’s a great teammate and tremendous competitor and he is having a tremendous year.”

Gentry on Grant Hill’s value as a defensive player: “It doesn’t get any better than that. Guarding the guys he is guarding from power forward to shooting guards and to play that type of defense is a testament to Grant Hill’s professionalism, a testament to him as a man and a testament to how much he loves this game.”

Barry on Chris Mullin’s retirement night and the fans negative reaction to the recent trades:  “It was unfortunate last night.  I understand some of their [fans’] frustration, but it was the wrong night to express your dissatisfaction. However, I was happy at the end of the night to see his jersey hanging there; that was the most special part.  It was Chris’ night.  I felt like I went to a [Golden State] Warriors game and a Raiders game broke out.”

***** ***** *****

Sprint Halftime Report

Winer, Barry and Mitchell

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving joins the Fan Night team in studio

Irving on his priorities going into the season: “[My priorities] are making my teammates better and getting more wins than we did last season. We wanted to show the fans and everyone that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a team to recon with this season.”

Irving on playing more with Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson in the second half of the season:  “It’s hard to bring up the competitor fire that Anderson [Varejao] had.  When he [Anderson] went down, that was big for us but Tristan stepped up.  I am looking forward to the second half [of the regular season] and getting more minutes with Tristan, getting our feel together.”

Irving on the biggest adjustment as the point guard in the NBA vs. college:  “The biggest adjustment is the pace and playing against the best every single night.  You have no time to be off. When you go against the best it prepares you and makes you better.”

Irving on playing post-LeBron era and the building process:  “We are trying to show the fans that we have something special and are building something special, trying to make them believe again.  We are trying to bring the fans back to the games.”

***** ***** *****

NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai

Winer, Barry and Mitchell

Barry on the Heat taking advantage of opportunities in the fourth quarter:  “The opportunities for the Miami Heat and [head coach] Eric Spoelstra as they start to finish out the season – when they have games that are close – is to try to learn what is going to be effective for them and where Eric Spoelstra can find confidence in the play calling and in the players on the floor. That is going to be key for them. Every opportunity is a learning one. They don’t have the practice time; they have to have chances in the fourth quarter to work on things they are deficient in to be better come playoff time.”

GameTime crew interviews Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh via Cisco Telepresence

Bosh on the Heat waiting until the fourth quarter to kick it into high gear: “We do have to come out [in the first half] and have more of a sense of urgency but it’s only been like that for a couple of games.  As long as we catch it now and turn it around, we will be alright.”

Mitchell on Chris Bosh and his half-court offense:  “If he gets to the open spots and gets ready to shoot the ball and take advantage of his opportunities, Dwyane Wade and LeBron [James] will find him; but he has to keep that mentality of being aggressive when they do find him. He has to shoot the ball or take it to the basket.  At 6’11”, he might be the quickest power forward in the league.”

Barry on the Knicks responding to interim head coach Mike Woodson with a 4-0 record: “When you make a coaching change, players always respond in the first four or five contests. It is about the Knicks sustaining this momentum and the spirit of what Jeremy Lin brought to that team. It is not all about Jeremy Lin, it is about those guys committing to one another. If it takes a coaching change to do that, it is still on those players to do bring it.”