Notes from NBA on TNT Coverage – Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014
TNT’s NBA coverage will continue Thursday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the Houston Rockets @ New York Knicks followed by the Miami Heat @ Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m.
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith
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Charles Barkley on the Wizards: “John Wall and the Washington Wizards are a clear and present danger to the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls.” |
| O’Neal on the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade: “D-Wade played like the young D-Wade today. He came out with a lot of energy… D-Wade played like the young Flash today.” | |
| Barkley on the Chicago Bulls: “I think if Derrick Rose is healthy, not only are the Bulls the best team in the East, I would make them the favorite to win the World Championship. They have everything… Derrick Rose is the only question mark. [Jimmy] Butler is terrific, [Taj] Gibson, the addition of Pau Gasol, [Joakim] Noah, [Nikola] Mirotic, they don’t even have [Doug] McDermott but let me tell you something, they have it all. Kenny Smith on the Bulls: “The only component they don’t have is health, so if they’re able to stay together, stay healthy, there isn’t a team in the NBA that has all of the dynamics, from center to point guard to bench.” |
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Los Angeles Lakers (93) @ Chicago Bulls (113)
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Chris Webber (analyst) with David Aldridge (reporter)
| Webber on the Lakers’ offensive productivity improving when Bryant’s not on the floor: “I definitely believe it. It’s not because of Kobe, it might be because of guys sitting around stargazing… If you have a failsafe there, you usually tend to go to that and not put risk on yourself. For Kobe, it seems sometimes guys aren’t as aggressive because they’re willing to lean on their leader so much.”
Webber on Bryant’s disappointment in missing the game: “Seeing Kobe’s face today, and knowing him for as long as I have, I don’t know if I’ve seen a more disappointed Kobe. I know the fans are disappointed, but I think Kobe expected to play more than the fans expected him to play.” Webber on Lakers coach Byron Scott: “He loves the team as much as Lakers fans do, and whenever you have a guy like that’s committed; he’s a Laker for life. This isn’t him just out here in a coaching job, he’s a Laker for life. This means a lot to him.” Webber on Scott and Bryant’s relationship: “No other coach the Lakers could have hired in this world, no other coach I believe could have gotten Kobe to sit down. Not only did they hire his coach, they hired his old head, his mentor, his ex-teammate who he knows has his best interest at heart.” |
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Webber on Pau Gasol: “I think [Pau] Gasol has come here and proven I can play on either coast, I’m tough inside, I can get back to career-high numbers in rebounding and scoring. The emergence of Pau after injuries and, when you thought he was on the downturn of his career, it’s not that way at all.” Webber on Aaron Brooks: “[Aaron] Brooks averaged about 20 points for Houston, has always been a pacesetter, and on this Bulls teams that plays such great defense, when he comes into the game with the second unit and the pace just increases.” Webber on this year’s Bulls team compared to 2010: “Even though Chicago was good in 2010, with aspirations to win a championship, I still feel this team is better because now Derrick Rose doesn’t have to stand outside, shoot the ball, and go off 20 pick-and-rolls. He has guys that can get him involved. This team is much better.” Webber on Mirotic being considered among the top rookies in the NBA: “He’s definitely in the Rookie of the Year conversation. He may be a little hamstrung only because his team is so good and maybe he can’t get minutes because it’s a really good team.” |
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Golden State Warriors (86) @ Los Angeles Clippers (100)
Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Rachel Nichols (reporter)
| Miller on Draymond Green: “They may have to pay that heartbeat [Green] because he’s an unrestricted free agent at year end… Here’s the question, you already got David Lee making $14 or $15 [million] a year coming off the bench, Bob Myers and that brain trust, Jerry West, Joe Lacob, the owner, they’re going to have some decisions to make on Draymond Green because he’s certainly having a breakout season here for the Warriors.”
Miller on Klay Thompson: “This is a guy that gets it done on both ends of the floor. You can talk all you want about his outside shooting, the way he’s able to stretch the floor, but he’s one of the best, if not the best, two-way guards.” Miller on Justin Holiday: “Steve Kerr can relate to the effort that [Justin] Holiday has put in during those practice hours. This is a guy coming off the bench with role players and your minutes are scattered, but if you work hard in practice and get some minutes, this guy the last two games has been averaging 15 points and almost 45 percent [shooting percentage] from downtown.” Miller on the weakness for the Warriors: “The Achilles heel in this team is when they turn the basketball over they’re not a very good ball club.” |
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| Miller on DeAndre Jordan being active around the rim: “This is one thing [a put back at the rim] Doc Rivers has the luxury to have. He doesn’t have to run a single play for [Jordan], but he always ends the game with a double-double.”
Miller on the success of Doc Rivers in Los Angeles: “I think that gets lost in the Donald Sterling saga last year, what Doc Rivers did with all those distractions to get by this Warriors team in that slugfest seven-game series, and then [the Clippers] had a chance, really, to beat OKC [Oklahoma City].” Miller on Jamal Crawford: “The best hard shot maker in the NBA..” Miller on the Clippers win against the Western Conference-leading Warriors: “You know how ultra-competitive this Western Conference is going to be, so this is a huge win for the Clippers, who’ve really struggled against the powerhouses of the Western Conference.” |
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Inside the NBA presented by Kia
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
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Barkley on the Clippers: “I’m not sold on the Clippers at all. They’re not tough enough… They’re not mentally tough enough; Blake [Griffin] doesn’t impose his will.” |
| Smith on the Warriors improving defensively this season: “I think that with Draymond Green being able to guard guys one-on-one, as you saw tonight, Andre Iguodala being able to guard guys one-on-one…Klay Thompson is a very improved defensive player, and then you add [Andrew] Bogut who’s a shot blocker, and David Lee, who’s a defensive player, they have more of a defensive presence than they’ve ever had.” | |
| Barkley on the best team in the Western Conference: “The Portland Trail Blazers… They have solidified their bench… It’s a fluid situation; in my opinion right now… I might take the Portland Trail Blazers coming out of the west.” |
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