Notes from NBA TV’s Coverage of The Finals Game 4 – Thursday, June 13, 2013
NBA TV will televise NBA GameTime on Sunday, June 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET, prior to Game 5 between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, along with comprehensive Finals coverage including live post-game press conferences.
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NBA TV GameTime
Matt Winer, Charles Barkley, Rick Fox and Steve Smith
Barkley on Spurs’ inability to win without Tony Parker: “They can’t beat the Miami Heat if Tony Parker is not the best player on the court. We will know [if his injury will affect his play] by his aggression. He hasn’t really been the best player for the Spurs in any of the games [in this series].”
Fox on what the Spurs need to do to keep the Heat out of transition: “If the Spurs don’t turn the ball over and they get shots there will be no transition game for Miami, and that is where they get their engine started.”
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NBA TV GameTime
Winer, Barkley, Fox and Smith
Smith on the Heat’s adjustments in Game 4: “The biggest difference [for the Heat in Game 4] was pace. Even off made shots [by the Spurs], LeBron James got the basketball, pushed it up [the court] and created angles. There wasn’t any hesitation from him or Dwyane Wade.”
Fox on Dwyane Wade’s performance in Game 4: “What was impressive to me was seeing Dwyane Wade take control of the Heat and drive them. We expected ‘Superman’ and to see LeBron be the man. Wade took some early shots…and it opened up his penetrating style and energized his defense. He was blocking shots, getting steals and getting in the paint.”
Fox on the Spurs: “They got off to a quick start but they didn’t establish Tim Duncan early enough [in Game 4].”
Barkley on the Spurs needing more from Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili: “We criticize the Miami Heat’s ‘Big Three’ when they don’t play well…Tony Parker had a great first half but [Tim] Duncan and [Manu] Ginobili have to play better. Tim Duncan has to have more of an imprint on the game. He had decent stats but you can’t say he had an impact on the game.”
Barkley on Duncan: “If they don’t get more from Tim Duncan, Sunday [Game 5] is the Spurs’ last stand. Even just the threat of him in the post makes Miami’s defense scramble.”
Smith on Manu Ginobili: “Health-wise, you can see he’s struggling. He’s not even forcing the issue by taking shots. Because of the lack of point guard play behind Tony Parker, he has to be the facilitator a little bit too much.”
Miami Heat guard Ray Allen joined the NBA TV set following the game
Allen on the Heat needing to play more aggressively on a consistent basis: “We won 27 games in a row but we weren’t necessarily playing great basketball all the time. We knew we had to turn it on a play [better] in spurts. We [also] did that in the playoffs. Now we’re playing one of the best teams in the league and, when we make those same mistakes, they capitalize off of them. We can’t let our foot off the gas [pedal] and we’ve talked about that all year.”
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