Notes from NBA on TNT Playoff Coverage – Monday, May 4, 2015
TNT’s NBA coverage of the playoffs continues with the conference semi-finals on Tuesday, May 5, with doubleheader action featuring the Washington Wizards @ Atlanta Hawks at 8 p.m. ET and the Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m.
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Chicago Bulls (99) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (92); Bulls lead 1-0
Marv Albert (play-by-play) Chris Webber (analyst) with Rachel Nichols (reporter)
Webber on Joakim Noah’s mentality: “[Joakim] Noah has made it clear that ‘we respect you, but we don’t like you’…that’s refreshing.”
Webber on the Bulls mindset going into this series: “The tough series the Bulls had with Milwaukee had to prepare them. They were in a dogfight. The Bucks put the Bulls in survival mode and these guys have come out ready.”
Barkley on the Bulls: “They are loaded; they are too deep on every position. LeBron [James] and Kyrie [Irving] are going to have to go crazy for four days. There are so many mismatches on the floor.”
Webber on the Bulls bench: “This is a good bench. They are quick and increase the pace. You have a really good unit to give your best players some rest.”
Webber on the Bulls/Cavs series: “When you look at these guys, so many people talk about Cleveland and LeBron coming back home, but you talk to people in Chicago…their hearts have been broken so many times. They deserve a right at this Championship; both teams are trying to impose their will.”
Webber on the Cavs being anxious for the next round: “It’s almost like training camp. Guys get in fights with each other, not because they don’t like each other…it just gets physical. You get tired of seeing each other. That shows you that they are mentally anxious and ready to see that next group.”
Webber on the importance of the “others:” In the playoff series, it’s always the ‘others’ that step up. We know what LeBron [James] is going to do, we know what [Jimmy] Butler is going to do, but what are the ‘others’ going to do?”
Webber on Kyrie Irving being LeBron’s new wingman: “Kyrie is his new partner in crime, he is someone he can trust.”
Smith on the Cavs without Kevin Love: “I thought Cleveland had size with Love. Now they become a small team. A team that is going to be hard to defend. Their skill level is so great, they can do multiple things.”
Barkley on the impact of not having Kevin Love: “They can’t win without Kevin Love. He never got enough credit for what he did. He’s a terrific rebounder but the game comes down to space. They are not going to get bigger by Wednesday and they are going to miss J.R. Smith again. Even when they had Kevin we thought they were the best team in the NBA because of their upside.”
O’Neal on the Bulls/Cavs series: “It’s still a six or seven game series.”
Smith on utilizing Kendrick Perkins: “Kendrick Perkins knows playoff basketball…he would be a help and he could stay close to [Joakim] Noah and [Pau] Gasol.”
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LA Clippers (117) @ Houston Rockets (101); Clippers lead 1-0
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Reggie Miller (analyst) with Tracy Wolfson (reporter)
Miller on the big man matchup in the Rockets/Clippers series: “We are going to see a defensive series down low between DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard”
Miller on the growth of forward Blake Griffin: “What I saw in Blake in the first round series was growth… He is using what he learned against the Hall of Famer Tim Duncan in this series.”
Miller on forward Blake Griffin: “Early on in his career, I knew he had the strength and the power to be a great power forward. It is all coming together in these playoffs.”
O’Neal on Blake Griffin playing without Chris Paul in Game 1: “When you are apart of a one-two punch and the one goes down, you really have to step it up.”
Miller on [head coach] Doc Rivers not playing Chris Paul in Game 2: “If I’m Doc, I would think about not playing Chris Paul in Game 2. The only thing that will heal that hamstring is rest.”
Barkley on the Rockets: “If you let a team like the Clippers hang around, they can make a play. Blake [Griffin] can do something crazy or DeAndre [Jordan] can make a play.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Kia
Johnson, O’Neal, Barkley, Smith
Smith on the Rockets mentality in Game 1: “The mental focus of a champion is different. They don’t look at these opportunities as days off but as blood in the water as sharks. The Clippers and the Rockets…the things we have been saying about them for years and why they couldn’t be championships is their mental fortitude. There is no way they shouldn’t beat the Clippers without Chris Paul in a playoff game.”
Smith on being a Champion: “You can talk about skill and the greatest players that ever played but they played with effort and that’s why they are a Champions.”
Barkley on the Bulls: “This is a different Bulls team. Derrick Rose doesn’t have to do it all by himself. He has a lot of weapons.”
Smith on LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in this series: “Those two guys have to be special, not just great.”
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