Notes from TNT’s NBA Playoffs Coverage – Wednesday, May 13, 2015
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Washington Wizards (81) @ Atlanta Hawks (82); Hawks lead series 3-2
Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Brent Barry (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (reporter)
Barry on Hawks guard Kyle Korver’s shooting struggles during the Wizards series: “He hasn’t been able to get anything going. Korver is only making three-point attempts [in the series], and he has no free throws. We’ve got to see some offense inside the paint from Kyle if he can get there.”
Charles Barkley (at halftime) on the point guard matchup between Atlanta’s Jeff Teague and Washington’s John Wall: “Jeff Teague does not play the same way when John Wall is playing because he has to think about Wall coming back at him. Teague frustrates me at times because he is not aggressive. You can screw up, but you cannot be passive. The Hawks are only going to go as far as Jeff Teague takes them, and the Wizards will only go as far as John Wall takes them.”
Shaquille O’Neal (at halftime) on Hawks forward Paul Millsap: “Jeff Teague is the main factor for the Hawks, but part two of that factor is Paul Millsap. He really knows how to post up, read the defense and use his body.”
Barry on Wizards point guard John Wall playing through injury: “It magnifies what John Wall is going to mean to this franchise moving forward. They have been waiting for a player like this to lead them. Wall has already been that guy over the past couple of years, but this kind of performance with this type of toughness speaks volumes.”
Barry on Wall’s Game 5 performance: “John Wall touches the ball more than any player in the NBA in the front court. More than MVP Stephen Curry, more than LeBron James, more than James Harden. The fact that the Wizards were able to survive a couple of games without him and then he comes back in with a broken hand to do what he did in Game 5 on the road…just a remarkable performance.”
Barry on Wall: “Once he gets into the half court, he does what John Wall does…distribute the ball. He is finding cutters, weaving around, creating angles with his speed and understanding where their defense is going. There is a ton of confidence for this Wizards team behind his play.”
Barry on Wizards guard Bradley Beal: “He’s never scored less than 13 points in a playoff game. This guy’s future is incredibly bright, and he continues to grow.”
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Memphis Grizzlies (78) @ Golden State Warriors (98); Warriors lead series 3-2
Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Steve Smith (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (reporter)
Smith on Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley: “In the last couple of games he has been fatigued, but also the Warriors started KlayThompson against him. Conley has done a nice job of getting uncontested shots, but he’s had trouble with contested shots. That’s because of the length of Klay Thompson.”
Smith on Warriors forward Harrison Barnes: “I love Harrison Barnes. He is a young guy who understands his role. That is hard, when you are young and that talented, to come out and be the fourth option on a team that wins basketball games. He is the type of young guy who understands winning is more important than his numbers.”
Smith on Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry: “He is letting the Memphis Grizzlies have it from the three-point line. He is just in one of those zones.”
Smith on the Golden State Warriors defense: “The MVP Stephen Curry is doing more than just scoring. You have to talk about the Warriors defensively just as much as you talk about their offense.”
Smith on the Warriors’ style of play in Game 5: “We talk about the threes, but I’m impressed by how they are turning defense and fast breaks into easy buckets. They are committed to getting out and running.”
Anderson on the Warriors’ Game 5 dominance: “This is the kind of basketball we saw all year long from Golden State.”
Smith on Klay Thompson’s play in the Warriors/Grizzlies series: “He’s not shooting badly, he just hasn’t had those explosive nights shooting the basketball in this series…but we all know he’s capable. With no Tony Allen, he is getting some breathing room.”
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Johnson, Barkley, Smith and O’Neal
Barkley on Hawks center Al Horford: “He was clearly the MVP tonight. He was not just the game-winner…he was fantastic.”
O’Neal on whether the Hawks have what it takes: “The jury is still out on Atlanta. I don’t know if they have the killer instinct, the playoff experience or the know-how to go in and close it out. I still think they can win the series, but I don’t know if they have what it takes to win it all.”
Barkley on the contrasting styles of play in the Warriors/Grizzlies series: “Memphis wants to walk it up and down the court and bully you to death; Golden State wants to get it out and play with pace. [The series will go to] whoever imposes their will on the opposing team.”
Smith on the absence of guard Tony Allen due to hamstring injury: “The ‘Tony Allen Effect’ is going to be big. He is that gnat that you have to keep waving off. Even if the Warriors are shooting the ball well, you don’t see the smiles from Golden State that you saw tonight [when Tony Allen plays]. Allen just makes you uncomfortable, which makes [head coach] Steve Kerr try different lineups. Today Kerr could be conventional and didn’t have to search for things. Tony Allen makes you search.”
Barkley on what Memphis needs to do in order to win the series: “At some point they are going to have to explode on offense. If they are going to win this series, I think they have to score 100. Jeff Green, Vince Carter, Courtney Lee…someone is going to have to play out of their mind. Somebody is going to have to go crazy one night, a role player.”
Barkley on the Warriors limiting Memphis’ points in the paint: “They are doing a fantastic job of doubling the big guys and scrambling on defense.”
O’Neal on Golden State’s chances to win Game 6 in Memphis: “If Golden State continues to shoot the ball like they are, the series is over.”
Smith on John Wall: “His ability to create off the dribble was impressive.”
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