Notes from NBA TV’s NBA Fan Night presented by Sprint
Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013
Boston Celtics (90) @ Denver Nuggets (97)
Voting is open on NBA.com, the NBA Facebook Page, Yahoo.com, mobile web, NBA Game Time app and Twitter for next week’s Fan Night match-up that will air on Feb. 26
Fans can select between the following games:
Orlando Magic @ Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls
Milwaukee Bucks @ Dallas Mavericks
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NBA Fan Night presented by Sprint
Ernie Johnson, Greg Anthony and Chris Webber
Anthony on the Celtics improving their performance since Rajon Rondo’s injury: “A good team always rallies when they lose a great player. As great as Rajon Rondo is he is a ball dominant player. Anytime you have a guy that dominates the ball to the point where he gives up an opportunity for assists as opposed to an opportunity to make a play, it makes everyone else stagnant. You just stand and wait when Rondo plays. Now you have to be involved now that he’s out. The ball movement is better and they don’t have to wait on one guy to do everything for them.”
Webber on the Celtics and whether they can maintain momentum: “The Celtics are a team that many guys can’t get their own shots so they have to have a facilitator like Rondo. I believe in the Celtics heart, I believe in their motivation and I believe in their coaching. But I do not believe they can keep up this pace with Rondo gone.”
Anthony on recent success of the Celtics: “The reason they are successful is not that they are better without him, it is the style that they play without him that is allowing them to win games. So when he comes back, the hope is that he adds balance.”
Webber on the Celtics path to the playoffs: “They can get as high as fourth seed in the East or as low as the eighth. If they make the playoffs, they are going to be a team you don’t want to play. They are still the Celtics. Injuries have affected them, but I still wouldn’t want to play this team especially if they have home court advantage.”
Anthony on Nuggets head coach George Karl: “George Karl is one of the best coaches this league has ever seen at getting the most out of the personnel that he has. Nobody on their team is looked at as a perennial All-Star. Even the guys you say are deserving on Denver it is because of the team and not their individual impact. His system is based on his personnel. He devises a system and a style that is conducive to the talent of his teams. He understands better than most coaches that you have to make basketball players comfortable. And that is what he has devised with this group.”
Anthony on Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss’s impact on the game: “The word ‘pioneer’ is thrown out a lot and I think it is deserved in this case. He was the first guy to understand that we have to make the game entertaining. He made it cool. He was the guy that first brought entertainment. He made it something that you had to see and that, to me, was the start of where the NBA is today.”
Webber on what stood out for him at All-Star: “Kyrie Irving. It was a coming out party. It was a guy that said ‘Wait a minute world, I’m here and I’m not apologizing for it.’ I love it. I love that the Cleveland fans were so depressed a few years ago and now they have this great guy to come in. The future is bright for this team.”
Anthony on his All-Star highlights: “Kyrie Irving was the most dynamic performer at All-Star. I think he is going to be our next global superstar in the game of basketball moving forward. He’s got the smile, he’s got the charisma, and he’s got the game.”
Anthony on Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried: “He has a tremendous impact on the game. He puts so much pressure on the opponents to compete, that often times they wilt. His energy level has to be matched if you want to beat Denver [at home].”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Anthony and Webber
Anthony on Boston’s Courtney Lee and Avery Bradley: “The one thing that they do well is they don’t make negative plays. That is one reason why they are so effective. They play to their strengths. They don’t do things on the floor that they are not really good at. And when you play mistake-free basketball you will always have a chance for success. Both of these guys are playing at an extremely high level.”
Webber on the Nets guard Joe Johnson showing emotion after making the game-winning shot in OT against the Milwaukee Bucks: “This is the Joe that you always want to see. I think he has been vilified for the money that he makes. This guy is a clutch shooter and that’s all you want to see. Whether they win or lose, no one should take the last shot on this team but Joe.”
Anthony on what the Celtics are lacking: “They don’t have a pure rebounder. They don’t have a guy on their roster that is a pure rebounder.”
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NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Anthony and Webber
Anthony on the Nuggets: “They are a very dangerous team and they will make some noise in the postseason.”
Webber on Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried: “Nobody can match the intensity of Kenneth Faried. Even though they run and they’re athletic, he’s their most consistent player. Every night, he puts pressure on his own team to match his intensity.”
Anthony on how stats don’t always define the player: “You can’t always define a player by the stats. There are so many aspects of the game that you can have an impact on that you will never see on the stat sheet.”
Webber on the Brooklyn Nets getting home court advantage in the playoffs: “I’m not sold on Brooklyn. I was in the beginning of the season, even though they weren’t playing that well. But I’m not as sold on them now. It’s very important for Brooklyn to get home court [advantage] in the playoffs because we’ve seen what [home] crowds can do. We can’t underestimate the importance of that and starting this off right in Brooklyn.”
Anthony on New Orleans Hornets guard Greivis Vasquez: “He’s one of the most improved players in the game and he’s getting an opportunity [in New Orleans].”
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