Notes from NBA on TNT Playoff Coverage – Sunday, May 24, 2015
TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2015 NBA Eastern Conference Finals – Game 4 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks – will continue tomorrow, Tuesday, May 26, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader pre-game show will preview the live game action at 8 p.m.
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NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader
Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Shaquille O’Neal (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
O’Neal on LeBron James: “He’s a great player that makes the ‘others’ great. He’s the true definition of a great player.”
Barkley on Kyrie Irving not playing in Game 3: “He’s gotta be smart. It’s only been 48 hours since he didn’t play in Game 2. He hasn’t gotten back to 100%. Just rest up and get ready for June 4.”
Barkley on the Hawks: “From Game 1, their body language and energy has not been there. It’s like they’re mentally defeated.”
Barkley on how the Hawks can be successful: “If they’re not making threes, they’re not going to beat the Cavaliers because they always have a rebounding deficiency.”
Smith on what Jeff Teague needs to do in Game 3: “Jeff Teague has to change his mental fortitude and personality. He has to take, minimally, five shots a quarter and I don’t know if that’s in his DNA…He can get anywhere on the floor to score, and [the Hawks] are having trouble scoring.”
O’Neal on how he would defend LeBron James in Game 3: “The Hawks should take it old school; let’s see if LeBron goes crazy before you start to double [team] him.”
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Atlanta Hawks (111) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (114) in OT; Cavaliers lead the series, 3-0
Marv Albert (play-by-play) Chris Webber and Reggie Miller (analysts) with Rachel Nichols and David Aldridge (reporters)
Webber on the energy level he expects from Cleveland: “When I think about Kobe [Bryant], Magic [Johnson], LeBron [James], those guys that know what it takes to get to the pinnacle, they’re going to make sure their team comes out with the right energy.”
Webber on how he would handle Kyrie Irving’s recovery: “If I’m Kyrie’s teammates, I’m telling him I don’t care what the doctors say, we need you later on…If we do advance, we’re gonna have some guards and we’ll need your quickness.”
Webber on James driving the ball to the basket: “That’s where I like seeing LeBron James…he’s so tough to stop inside with his size and quickness.”
Miller on Matthew Dellavedova: “He’s not a dirty player, but when I look at those three plays [Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and Al Horford], contact is initiated by Dellavedova…There’s a difference between being an irritant and being a dirty player and I think he’s an irritant…but those three plays, it kind of makes you question it a little bit.”
Webber on Tristan Thompson: “This is a guy we’ve been watching improve in the playoffs under the [brightest] lights of the league.”
Miller on how Atlanta’s offense needs to flow: “The ball has been sticking, and now without their catch-and-shoot player in Kyle Korver, it’s even more paramount that you have that ball movement from side to side.”
Webber on what the Hawks miss without Kyle Korver on the floor: “Kyle Korver can go zero-for-10 in a game, and still get players on his team wide open jump shots. Now, you don’t have anybody on the floor that you have to respect play after play after play, just for fear of them knocking down that shot. His presence is sorely missed for the other guys out here.”
Miller on Atlanta’s fast break: “This is where the Hawks have to be better, in transition. Something we haven’t seen is a lot of fast break points this series from Atlanta.”
Webber on the Hawks’ fourth quarter comeback: “They’ve done it playing Hawk basketball…[their offense] has pace, they move the ball, get the others involved, you’re seeing that tonight.”
Webber on Jeff Teague’s aggressiveness: “I love seeing Teague take it upon himself tonight, especially late in [the fourth] quarter to attack the basket and get some easy shots for his teammates.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Kia
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
O’Neal on the total team effort by Cleveland: “When LeBron came out of the game the ‘others’ played very well, they moved the ball, they took some shots and they hit some shots.”
Smith on the Cavs’ rebounding edge: “The difference in this game was the offensive rebounds Cleveland had.”
O’Neal on Matthew Dellavedova: “I commend this guy for going out, playing hard and diving for the ball. It’s just the nature of the game.”
Barkley on Dellavedova’s style of play: “This kid plays hard. He doesn’t have the talent of some of these other guys, so he’s going to be a pest, he’s going to nag you, but I want to be careful before we start calling guys dirty players.”
Smith on James leading the Cavaliers within a game of the NBA Finals without Kevin Love and a banged up Kyrie Irving: “It’s probably the biggest Criss Angel, Harry Houdini performance ever.”
Barkley on Atlanta’s missed opportunity: “I thought Atlanta lost the game in the first half when LeBron was 0-for-10 and it was a tie game…That really came back to haunt them in the long run.”
Smith on Jeff Teague’s impact tonight: “I thought what kept Atlanta in the game was Jeff Teague just deciding ‘I am the advantage.’”
Barkley on Horford’s ejection: “I don’t like guys getting thrown out of playoff games. I wish they would have given him a Flagrant 1.”
O’Neal on the Hawks battling back and competing all game after Al Horford was ejected: “They showed a lot of heart tonight.”
Barkley on this being a wildly successful season for Atlanta regardless of the series outcome: “There’s not a single person in New York, Cleveland, San Antonio, even in Atlanta, that thought before the season started that the Hawks would win 60 games, so you take your hat off.”
Barkley on Danny Ferry: “I gotta give this guy a shout out because I know he’s in the dog house right now. Danny Ferry did a fantastic job of putting this team together. I hope he gets his job back because Danny Ferry did a fantastic job and nobody wants to say that. Danny Ferry made a mistake, I’ll be the first to admit that, but he did a hell of a job putting this team together.”
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