Notes from NBA TV’s Coverage of the NBA Finals
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Game 4: Miami Heat (83) @ Dallas Mavericks (86)
Series tied 2-2
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AutoTrader.com Pre-game Show: Live at the Finals
Matt Winer, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber
McHale on how the addition of Dallas Mavericks guard JJ Barea can help the starting line-up: “I think it gives them energy. I think they bring the energizer bunny into the game early and he can get up and down. The fans love him. At this point you throw out all the stops to see what works and Barea can bring good energy.”
Webber on the benefits of adding Barea to the Mavericks starting line-up: “I think he can make a difference with his energy and penetration and that is what is lacking in this place. They are not making shots, because they are not making shots off open penetration. He is a little feisty guy. I think his energy; penetration and scoring will do a lot.”
McHale on Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh jump-shooting ability: “Bosh is more of a jump-shooter. When he scores in the paint, normally it is a pass. He’s not a guy that will back you in and crab-dribble. He’s such a great shooter and has one of the greatest passers in LeBron James. If he makes those shots [in the paint] and ends up with 20 plus points, Miami is tough to beat.”
McHale on what LeBron James is doing for Miami: “He’s moving the ball and facilitating. He’s their best passer to me. He’s like a really athletic Magic Johnson.”
Webber on Miami Heat forward LeBron James’ skill level: “LeBron will never be respected as he should because he makes it look too easy. He is as close as you can be [no disrespect to the greats]. He’s Magic Jordan. LeBron is the best decoy in the game, the best finisher in the game. I love what he is doing in this series.”
Newly named Golden State Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson joins the NBA TV crew on the set
Jackson on fulfilling his dream of becoming a coach: “It was a dream of mine. I was young kid listening to the [New York] Knicks on the radio. I was Earl Monroe during the game. I was Red Holzman, the head coach, during time-outs. I was Marv Albert during the intermission. I had a dream to become all of those guys and, ultimately, today is the day where it has come full circle and I’m honored.”
Jackson on the traits of a great coach: “I played for five Hall of Fame coaches and I had the luxury of having another in Rick Pitino. When you talk about great coaching, Rick Pitino was the best coach that I ever played for. He gave me an option and an opportunity as a young fellow. If I didn’t come into this league with Rick Pitino I don’t know if I would have played 17 years. He instilled great confidence in me, had me believing I was the best in the business even though I had no right believing that and that is what coaching is all about.”
Jackson on what the Warriors can count on in his coaching style: “Bottom line, you want to win in this league, you have to defend and that is where we are going to start. Every single day putting the time in on the defensive end, holding guys accountable and building winning ways.”
Jackson on his offensive plans for the Warriors: “We are going to take advantage of the high-scoring back court and we are going to push the basketball. We are going to push with the mindset to get quality shots. We are going to have pride on the offensive end and look to get quality shots. It is going to be an entertaining brand of basketball because it is a first class organization, incredible owners, passionate fans and a great front office. I’m excited and extremely blessed.”
Jackson on what Dallas must do to win Game #4: “This team has got to score. You can’t look to try and stop this Miami Heat team. You can contain them but you cannot stop them. They have to find a way to score and get some easy baskets and get JJ Barea going.”
Jackson on how the Dallas bench needs to step up: “They have to get stops, push the ball in transition and have multiple pick and rolls. They have to make it tough to defend. They have so many weapons, now everyone can be utilized in their proper way.”
NBA Commissioner David Stern joins the NBA TV crew on set
Stern on observing the NBA Finals: “I just see what appears to be the two best teams this time of year. They fought their way through difficult opponents and we now have the two best teams of the NBA. The enthusiasm in both of these arenas is really extraordinary and that is what you wish for. That is what you wish for, you couldn’t ask for better games. These are the best that I can remember in a long time.”
Stern on silently rooting for a team: “I silently root for teams that have been in the basement for so long and their fans are despairingly. Other than that, you just want a good game and then the best team that plays in that game should win it.”
Stern on the evolution of coaching: “People get a sense now of the fact of how well the coaches are coaching. They don’t roll the ball out. They are busy analyzing it with their offensive coaches, defensive coaches and statisticians. The players know it all and respond to it all. To me that is so exciting because fans are getting a better insight of what our game is about.”
Stern on the growth of The Finals: “I didn’t realize it would be this big. When I was first getting started, the idea was to get through the day and protect the sport. In the 70s, The Finals were on tape-delay, we had four regular-season games on CBS and we suddenly adopted the view that if we didn’t care for the game, no one else would. We can lighten up a little bit but old habits die hard. We want people to respect our players and our game. It sort of has evolved instead of going as planned.”
Stern on the progress of the collective bargaining agreements: “We spent several hours [yesterday] with the union, the union members and their players. We spent and several hours with each other and several additional hours with our owners. There was a lot of dialogue and a lot of questions on every subject, nothing firm but the optimistic thing is we agreed that we would resume tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. I’m not going to tell you that we bridge the gaps or we are close on anything but there seems to be a lot of goodwill in the room so we are going to give it a shot tomorrow.”
Stern on the NBA collective bargaining talks taking a similar path as the NFL: “We know that the NFL route is the less desirable road to travel. We know that it is a possibility for us but now they are bogged down. Hopefully their secret negotiations [that I read about] will lead them some place. I think both sides are beginning to realize that it is not a good road. It is ultimately going to come to a dead-end. We look at that and say forewarned can we do something that doesn’t have us going down that road. If not, then not, but it doesn’t mean we won’t try.”
Stern on revenue-sharing for NBA teams: “We are going to come up with more robust revenue-sharing for our teams at the same time we have a collective bargaining agreement. They go hand in hand. What we need is for the teams to show a profit or otherwise they have nothing to share. It is all tied in together. And going forward, we want the league to be competitive.”
Stern on the long-term effects of the superstar players joining forces to play together: “It is just one way to do it. It is no different than the [Boston] Celtics putting together Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. It just happens. Obviously, more was made out of it. LeBron, if he had to do it over again would do it a little differently. It was about the style not the substance. Other teams are going to start saying, ‘Okay how can we do this?’ Looking back, the Celtics and the Lakers had two Hall of Fame teams. Of course, you can’t do it with one person. You have to have two plus a couple. I don’t think it is a big deal. But, obviously, of course The Decision gave people a reason to point and say that’s terrible.”
Webber on Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra’s demeanor: I respect Erik Spoelstra’s resolve. Three games into the season, I questioned if he should be there. I questioned if it was right. I like his resolve because no one thought a team with no chemistry could win a championship in one year. Not that they have won it, but at least you know that he has put a lot of work in. Just because you have talent that is only half of it. You have to have great coaching and great people around you as well.”
McHale on Spoelstra’s coaching ability: “He’s a guy that has been able to rally his team. That is a mark of a great coach. He’s got them through. That is a sign of a great coach. He says the same thing over and over again but sometimes you have to say the same message over and over again and the players start believing.”
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NBA Game Time presented by Hyundai: Finals Edition
Winer, McHale and Webber
Webber on Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade in Game #4. “He seemed to be one of the only few playing with the unbridled passion.”
Webber on the Mavericks bench stepping up to help Dirk Nowitzki in Game #4: “We have been saying Dirk needs help as if we are discrediting the rest of his team. Tonight we need to say great job Coach [Carlisle] on playing JJ Barea early. I think that it is a great thing. Dirk has been carrying this team for so long. He deserves some sleep. He is the best player in the league right now. He goes hard every night whether he has the flu of 105 degrees or not. I’m just happy his teammates picked up tonight and let him get this win.”
Webber on Heat forward LeBron James lack of aggression in Game #4: “If he’s the best player in the world, you have to set the tone. Each game, we heard Coach [Erik] Spoelstra say that LeBron is so smart. And he’s right, he’s the quarterback of the team but at the same time he has to be aggressive and has to get everyone to buy in. There’s no way that the greatest player in the world can have eight points in a pivotal game like this. It is just a little perplexing that he would only get eight points.”
McHale on the benefit of Tyson Chandler to the Mavericks: “His mentality transformed the mentality of this Dallas team. They are winning games in the 80s because of Tyson Chandler.
Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry joins the NBA TV crew via Arenalink
Terry on the Mavericks defensive strategy: “The zone is used to change the pace a little bit, give them a different look. With Dwyane Wade in pick-and-roll situations, he’s having a phenomenal series in attacking us. We went with the zone to give a different look, change it up a bit. We definitely like the zone in moderate doses. We don’t want to give them to much of that.”
Terry on the Mavericks being accountable in The Finals: “This is definitely the mentality that we are going to have in order to be successful in this series. You are playing with three of the greatest players in the world at this time and you have to be confident. You have to be confident and go out knowing you are going to have opportunities.”
Webber on Game #5 expectations: “I expect LeBron to be more aggressive. The change I expect that for Game 5, the crowd will be more exciting. Now, they have confidence and this place is hard to play. It is going to be tough.”
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