Notes from the TNT NBA Eastern Conference Finals Conference Call
Monday, May 16, 2011
TNT’s coverage of the 2011 NBA Eastern Conference Finals will continue on Wednesday, May 16 with the Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls (Game 2) at 8 p.m. ET.
TNT’s exclusive live coverage of Game #1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals featuring the Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls was the most-viewed game in the history of cable television (based on Total Viewership) by delivering 11.1 million total viewers and a 6.2 U.S. HH rating.
Participants:
Steve Kerr, TNT NBA analyst
Reggie Miller, TNT NBA analyst
Marv Albert, TNT play-by-play announcer
Jeff Behnke, Turner Sports executive producer
Albert on the atmosphere at Chicago sporting events: “It’s one of the great atmospheres in all of sports in Chicago, [whether it’s] at the old Chicago Stadium or the United Center, in terms of excitement, the introduction, the music, the lineups, [and] the sound.”
Albert on the excitement of fellow broadcasters Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat: “Reggie and Steve were ready to take the floor. I’m not sure what they would have done, but they were ready to run out there.”
Albert on the atmosphere in Chicago impacting the broadcast: “From the broadcast point of view, particularly last night when everybody was so pumped up, this goes back to the Michael Jordan days, just with the PA and the introduction of the lineups, it just gets to you. There aren’t many places like this and for a broadcast; it’s just perfect. For me, just the sight of Benny the Bull does it. I’m ready after I see Benny.”
Albert on the NBA Playoffs season: “To me, it is the most unusual season – in a good way – that the NBA has ever seen because of the unexpected developments of the teams that you did not think would reach the point they did [and] with teams that were knocked out of it that people thought would last. It’s almost similar to what has happened in recent years with the NCAA – you just don’t know. I think that’s a good thing.”
Kerr on the adjustments needed for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals: “I don’t think there is anything Chicago has to do game-plan-wise. I think what they have to be careful of is it’s kind of a setup for Game 2. You’ve got two days off and you’re going to hear about how great you are the whole time, everybody is going to be beating up Miami, so you’ve got the whole Heat team – LeBron [James] and [Dwyane Wade] – just stewing in their hotel rooms for a couple days. They’re going to come out on fire Wednesday night, so I think the Bulls have to be ready emotionally.”
Kerr on the Bulls preparing for Game 2 against the Heat emotionally: “[The Bulls] just can’t be happy about getting that opening win. They’ve got to be ready for the barrage. They’ve got to understand that each game is its own entity in the Playoffs and nothing will carry over. They’ve got to feel good about some of the advantages – the offensive rebounds obviously, the depth – but they need to understand that they’re probably not going to make 10 threes on Wednesday night, LeBron [James] and [Dwyane] Wade are going to get to the free-throw line more than a total of eight times. It’s going to be a different game and they’re going to have to be prepared, especially emotionally. I’m sure Tom Thibodeau is talking to them about that as we speak.”
Miller on the importance of every single game in the NBA Playoffs: “Each game will take on a life of its own.”
Miller on the Heat’s presence in the Eastern Conference Finals moving forward: “[Over] these next two or three days, the newspapers and talk radio are all going to be, as it has been all year, Heat bashing. This team will be motivated, focused and I’m sure we’ll get a better effort. That’s been the key from what we didn’t see in Game 1 from the Heat.”
Kerr on Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra not playing big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Erick Dampier in Game 1 against the Bulls: “[Spoelstra] kind of showed his hand early by making the move and starting small and quick on the frontlines. He’s trying to play Joel Anthony big minutes. Joel is probably a 20 to 25 minute per night guy, that’s all he’s ever been, so it’s a lot to ask of him, but that’s their best chance with Anthony on the floor. So the question is, who do they back him up with? It’s a tough matchup because you’re going against [Taj] Gibson and [Omar] Asik and the tough athleticism and energy of Noah.”
Kerr on the changes he expects the Miami Heat to make in the front court for Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls: “I’m expecting to see Ilgauskas and [Udonis] Haslem because the size of Ilgauskas and shooting ability could pose some problems for Chicago. Derrick Rose will just attack him on the pick and roll in every play, if that’ the case, but they’ve got to pick their poison a little bit. Haslem, despite the fact he’s coming back from injury and has no rhythm or flow to his game at all, he’s the one guy on that roster who is an energy, rebounder, tough guy who can maybe combat this stuff. I’m expecting those two guys to play [Wednesday] but it just shows you the dilemma Erik is faced with personnel wise.”
Kerr on the personnel decisions facing the Miami Heat: “You didn’t activate a guy one night, you may start him the next and you may count on a guy who hasn’t even been around all year in Haslem, [and] so they’re in a tough spot.”
Miller on how Spoelstra should adjust the Miami Heat’s approach to Game 2: “[If you’re Erik Spoelstra,] you don’t want to over-think but you don’t want to show your hand as well. I think [Spoelstra] starts the same way in the backcourt because, let’s not forget, Derrick Rose only scored one or two baskets in the paint, most of his baskets came on jumpers or free-throws. If you’re Erik Spoelstra, that’s the main thing you want to do is keep Rose on the perimeter. It wasn’t so much [Mike] Bibby and [Mario] Chalmers to me, it was about the frontcourt and the offensive rebounding.”
Miller on the Bulls sticking to a game plan and giving effort in Game 1: “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Tom Thibodeau and the bigs of Chicago. They had a game plan and their game plan was any time a shot goes up, we are going to attack the offensive glass. The Chicago Bulls, to me, in Game 1 gave maximum effort and it will remain to be seen if Miami can do that for Game 2.”
Miller on how each team’s adjustments will affect the matchup in Game 2: “It will be interesting to see the counter moves both of these teams present to each other on Wednesday.”
Miller comparing the personnel of Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks: “I think this is going to be another one of these series that can go six or seven games. I love the dynamics on both ends. You’ve got a very young, energetic, upstart team in Oklahoma City. You take Kendrick Perkins out of the mix and [Oklahoma City has] not a lot of experience going deep in the Playoffs, but you’ve got the scoring champion Kevin Durant, one of the top five point guards in Russell Westbrook, an up and coming young power forward who reminds me of a young Hakeem Olajuwon on the defensive end, blocking shots in Serge Ibaka, you have a tough, rugged center with Championship experience in Kendrick Perkins. But you’re going against a team that has future Hall of Famers in Dirk Nowitzki, who is arguably one of the top 10 or 15 players in the league, Hall of Famer point guard in Jason Kidd who has been to two Finals and numerous Conference Final appearances, Jason Terry, a former Sixth Man of the Year, and a very well-coached, and one of my former coaches, Rick Carlisle.”
Kerr on his pick to win the Western Conference Finals: “I like Dallas in this series. I think they’re the better basketball team. Their offensive execution is far superior to Oklahoma City’s.”
Kerr on the matchup between point-guards Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder: “The one thing that I worry about with Dallas is Jason Kidd. If he has to chase Westbrook around, that could really wear him out. The first two rounds he guarded Andre Miller [of the Portland Trail Blazers] and Derek Fisher [of the Los Angeles Lakers] and those are two great matchups because he doesn’t have to chase everybody off the pick and roll and worry about those young legs and athleticism. Now, all of a sudden, it’s a different matchup and we’ve seen Kidd struggle over the years, especially in recent years, against the smaller, quicker, more athletic point guards.”
Kerr on Bulls point guard Derrick Rose: “His outside shooting has completely changed everything…it’s an indication of how hard he works. What’s been fun is to see him in the media and see his humility. It’s rare to see a superstar player who is that humble and that deferential to his teammates and his coaching staff. Yet, he is so competitive and such a killer on the floor. He’s a special talent and a special human being and that’s the combination that it really takes to be a superstar. When you have all those things wrapped up in one, that’s a powerful force.”
Miller on how Rose wants to become a better player and makes his teammates better: “He wants to be coached. He knows that [Bulls head coach Tom] Thibodeau can be demanding at times and [Rose] takes ownership. When he messes up, he puts it on himself and he wants to be better. There aren’t a lot of superstars; there are guys that like to deflect criticisms towards other ways. Derrick Rose goes straight through the brick wall because he wants to be better and he wants to make his teammates better. At the end of the day, all he wants to do is win. When you have a superstar player that accepts all of those responsibilities, it infiltrates throughout the entire team and makes it a better ballclub.”
Miller on the Heat celebrating on the court after eliminating the Boston Celtics in the second round: “I had zero problems with the way the Heat handled their post-game celebration over the Boston Celtics [after Game 6]. I was in the very same boat when we finally beat the New York Knicks in ’95. I remember running across the court, kneeling down, praying and kissing the floor. The only thing was that was the semi-final round, our next round up was against Shaq and Penny Hardaway in Orlando. The same thing happened in Game 1, we got blown out. If you look at the hangover that the Heat had, maybe it was [due to] the post-game celebration but when you run into brick walls throughout your career, mine was always trying to get by New York, for LeBron, it was always trying to beat the Celtics as well as Miami beating the Celtics. You have to give these guys a little bit of leeway to release some of that tension.”
Miller on the criticism that the Heat continue to face: “Whatever the Heat do, it seems like we’re always coming down on them. If they would’ve been blasé [after eliminating the Celtics], people would’ve said, ‘they don’t care about beating Boston. They aren’t jumping up and down.’ They can’t win and I think a lot of times they get an unfair shake.”
Kerr on the Heat growing together as a team despite the criticism that has come their way: “I think Miami has grown closer and bonded this year because of all the criticism. When they were 9-8 [early in the season] and they went to Cleveland [on December 2] and LeBron was getting booed every possession, I think that was the turning point in their season. They really responded that night and played so well. They really rallied around, not only that moment but the entire dynamic that surrounds this team.”
Kerr on if the Heat are good enough to win a championship this year: “The bigger question is whether [the Heat] are good enough yet. They don’t have much depth. Their hands were tied after they got the ‘Big Three’ as far as what they could add depth-wise. The two big signings that they made with the rest of their money with [Mike] Miller and [Udonis] Haslem has been non-existent due to injuries and ineffective play. [The Heat have] galvanized, they’ve played hard, they’ve played pretty well and they’ve gotten to a good spot but they may not have enough yet. They may take another year or two of adding pieces.”
Reggie on Bulls forward Luol Deng’s defensive play: “[Deng] is long, athletic and has foot speed. Whenever you’re guarding a great player, you’ve always got to put pressure on them at the other end offensively. I think that’s what Deng tried to do [against James] as well. He tried to make LeBron guard him at the other end. These two guys are very familiar with each other. I think Deng is up for the challenge; we’re talking about a guy [James] who is arguably the best player in the game right now. Not one player is going to stop Dwyane Wade or LeBron James so you have to play team defense and you have to make those guys work on the other end.”
Kerr on the LeBron James / Luol Deng match-up: “Luol is a really smart player. He understands the angles and he understands LeBron’s tendencies because he’s played against him so often. Chicago’s defensive schemes were really good [in Game 1]. Their team defense just builds these walls in front of LeBron and [Dwyane] Wade. Chicago’s defense is built to stop Miami’s offense because Miami runs so many [isolation plays] and the ball stops with Lebron and Wade so often. Chicago is overloaded in front of those guys and waiting for them. I think Miami has to counter by getting more movement on the weak side. Unfortunately, it’s not something that comes naturally to them. Because of that scheme, Luol is able to just do his job and force LeBron where he wants knowing that help is going to be there.”
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