Notes from NBA TV’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Game 6: Orlando Magic (81) @ Atlanta Hawks (84)
Atlanta wins the series 4-2.
CLIP OF THE DAY
(click on link below to watch)
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AutoTrader.com Pre-Game Show
Rick Kamla, Dennis Scott and Steve Smith
Scott on the proficiency of Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick: “J.J. Redick didn’t forget how to shoot the basketball [in the first four games of the series]. He’s been shooting the basketball all his life. It was just a matter of getting a rhythm, getting some quality opportunities and I think that’s something that hadn’t been touched upon.”
Smith on Orlando Magic guard Gilbert Arenas: “When you look at a Gilbert Arenas, he can get his own shot. What I mean by that is he doesn’t have to wait for Dwight Howard to get double-teamed, he’s crafty enough. You could tell in that Game 4 that he really woke up. Down the stretch, he was making plays, driving the basketball.”
NBA TV analyst Cheryl Miller joins the studio crew from New Orleans via Arena Link presented by Budweiser
Miller on New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams: “I had the pleasure of sitting down with Monty [Williams] and he is such a polished and cool dude. He stays in his lane and understands the tutelage of [San Antonio Spurs head coach] Gregg Popovich, [Portland Trail Blazers head coach] Nate McMillan. [Popovich and McMillan] have really shaped his opinion on how he wants to approach his team and how he wants to approach the game. He sat up there and said a really telling thing about how he watches [Los Angeles Lakers head coach] Phil Jackson. He studies Phil Jackson during the timeouts just to see how he interacts with his team, how he’s direct with his players, how he even measures press conferences and how he handles situations. By no means or anyone’s imagination is Monty Williams intimidated by Phil Jackson. If anything, he’s looking forward to the challenge and this is going to take his career a long way.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Kamla, Scott and Smith
Smith on the performance of Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu: “I think [he] needs to concentrate on the other ‘goodies’ right now. He should focus on the steals, the blocks, the facilitating because right now his shot is just not there. I think he could get going and hit some timely shots down the end, but I think he needs to play more decoy and not so much worry about the scoring.”
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NBA Game Time presented by Hyundai
Kamla, Scott and Smith
Smith on the Hawks advancing to the second round of the NBA Playoffs: “Let’s give the Hawks a lot of credit in winning this series. It was unreal the way they came out and battled. They did not shoot well this entire series but what they had was a game plan. ‘We’re not going to give up 3-point shots’ and they got this thing done.”
Scott on the inconsistency of the Atlanta Hawks: “I have to give [Atlanta Hawks head coach] Larry Drew some credit. If you’re a Hawks fan or have watched this team over the last six years, Larry Drew has said it best, ‘I’m not sure which team is going to show up but I know that if the right team shows up and plays hard, I know I have the chance to win.’”
Smith on Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew’s contribution to the team in the first round: “He gave them some confidence and the game plan against Dwight Howard [was] phenomenal.”
Scott on the performance of the Atlanta Hawks in the Playoffs compared to the last games of the regular season: “We always talk about how teams should go into the Playoffs playing good basketball, solid basketball but the Hawks weren’t doing that. Also, the Orlando Magic is a different team from last year – no Rashard Lewis, no Vince Carter, so it’s a different complexion. That’s why the Hawks felt so comfortable in this round.”
Smith on Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy taking responsibility for the team’s losses in the postgame press conference: “He took accountability. He really said that he couldn’t find a rhythm for the wing guys; he had a rhythm for the front court guys. I like what he did. He told the truth in that press conference and that’s all you can ask for out here listening to it as fans.”
Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford joins the studio crew from Philips Arena in Atlanta via Arena Link.
Crawford on Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson’s comment to Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose about meeting him in the second round of the Playoffs: “We all caught that comment. [We] all understood it and used it as motivation. That’s a tough team over there in the Orlando Magic, but we thought that we played them tough in the season and that we would have success over them in the Playoffs.”
Crawford on teammate forward Marvin Williams: “Marvin Williams was huge tonight… I don’t know if we win this game tonight without Marvin Williams.”
Crawford on his journey since entering the NBA: “It feels good. It was a long journey honestly. I thought I capped out pretty much as far as I could possibly go before I came to Atlanta, as far as my name and game and people taking notice. I had to come on to a winning team. If that meant I came off the bench, then I’d do my best at it. Now, I think people are learning more about me. I don’t think it’s just me, I think my teammates and coaches are putting me in great positions to succeed and I just want to take advantage of that every time I’m on the court.”
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