Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs – Monday, May 21, 2012
TNT’s coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs continues tonight, Tuesday, May 22, with exclusive coverage of the Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat (Game 5) at 8 p.m. ET
***CLIP OF THE NIGHT***
Russell Westbrook joins the Inside crew after the Thunder’s Game 5 and series win over the Lakers
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Philadelphia 76ers (85) @ Boston Celtics (101) – Celtics lead the series 3-2
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Chris Webber (analyst) with David Aldridge (reporter)
Webber on today’s coaches letting players run ‘freestyle’ during games: “[Today], most coaches do most of their coaching in practice and they trust their point guards in the games…the good ones anyway.”
Webber on 76ers center Spencer Hawes: “He’s a very skilled player in the paint. He needs to be aggressive.”
Webber on Celtics head coach Doc Rivers’ motivational fortitude: “You love it when your coach pumps you up with truths and not just clichés. This is a guy you want to play for.”
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Webber on the 76ers as a team: “You look at the Sixers, they’re better than their individual talent – which is what teams should be.”
Webber on the Celtics’ health: “You look at the Celtics team…and you can see they’re banged up. Everybody is getting treatment. Everybody is hurt.”
Webber on the Celtics ability to take control of a game: “It’s like the Celtics push a button and all of a sudden they deny every entry pass. Their defense gets better and better.”
Webber on the Celtics’ ability to turn up their level of play in the second half of games: “This Celtics team, one thing they do is get better when they come out of that locker room [for the second half].”
Webber on the prospect of Game 6 in Philadelphia: “If you’re a Celtic, when you get to Philadelphia you know it’s going to be very loud and they’re not going to remember this game.’
TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed the Celtics forward Brandon Bass after his playoff career high 27-point effort:
Bass on his success in Game 5: “When you’re on a team with a point guard like [Rajon] Rondo, the ball happens to find you and I was able to make some shots tonight.”
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Gamebreak
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
Smith on OKC Thunder forward Kevin Durant: “Durant will be – and is on the verge to be – the best basketball player in the world. All he has to do now is change his game defensively and get to the rim just a little bit more offensively.”
Smith on Lakers controlling the pace of the game: “The Lakers haven’t been able to control the pace. The Lakers don’t have a point guard who can create a pace.”
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Los Angeles Lakers (90) @ Oklahoma City Thunder (106) – Thunder win the series 4-1
Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
Miller on Kobe Bryant: “He’s got one of those looks like he wants to take every shot available tonight and put the team on his shoulders.”
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Miller on the OKC and Spurs make up and the prospect for a close Western Conference Final: “Both teams are deep and have younger players added with veterans.”
Miller on OKC vs. San Antonio playing in the Western Conference Finals: “In the shortened season, for a long time [OKC] was the best team in the Western Conference. It’s going to be a showdown in the Western Conference Finals.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed OKC forward Kevin Durant and guard James Harden:
Durant on the progress of the Thunder over the last few years: “This was a step in the right direction.”
Harden on the progress of the Thunder: “We all got better as individuals…[this is a] first class organization.”
Durant on his OKC Thunder matching up against the San Antonio Spurs: “It looks like they never make mistakes…and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Miller on his early favorite to win the NBA Western Conference Finals: “My early favorite would be San Antonio.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook joins the Inside crew after the game
Westbrook on what it will take to get to the NBA Finals: “It is going to be a mental challenge for myself, all the coaches and the players to be able to go into San Antonio and get a win and come home and win as well.”
Westbrook on what OKC needs to do against the Spurs: “They have been together awhile; they have a lot of tricks to their game. I think myself, Kevin [Durant] and James [Harden] have to step it up mentally to carry our team and take them to The Finals.”
Westbrook on matching up with Spurs guard Tony Parker: “My job is to first find a way to slow him down. Secondly, the best point guard is whose team wins. And my job is to find a way to help my team win games.”
Barkley on the Western Conference Finals: “San Antonio and OKC is going to be an amazing series. They have been the best two teams in the West. It is going to be a monster series and I can’t wait.”
Barkley on the Spurs/Thunder series: “Whoever wins this series is going to be a heavy favorite to win the championship.”
Smith on what head coach Gregg Popovich’s Spurs need to do against OKC: “Make Kevin Durant play defense. The second part is to make Russell Westbrook a driver and not a jump shooter because his pull-up jump shot is better than his drives to the rim.
O’Neal on his pick to win the Western Conference Finals: “I think the series will go six or seven games. The team that values each possession that has the fewest turnovers and that gets the easiest baskets is going to win; but I’m still going with the Spurs.”
O’Neal on the Lakers system: “When you change the blueprint, people will be hesitant and go with what they know. Obviously, they didn’t believe in the system. This new system, this regular man system, doesn’t work for them. They need a disciplined system that gets people in spots where they can do their thing. The Lakers organization is used to winning. They are going to have to make a tough decision on if they are going to shake it up or not.”
O’Neal on Miami without Chris Bosh: “Without Chris Bosh, Miami’s new formula is the one-two punch. Both of those guys [Dwyane Wade and LeBron James] have to have big games and everyone else has to contribute a little bit.”
Smith on Stan Van Gundy getting fired as head coach of the Orlando Magic: “This is the business. This is a part of the business that everyone doesn’t like. Van Gundy was in a position of not winning. His star player doesn’t like him, his star player gets hurt and they don’t win in the first round. There was no winning in that situation. He’s a good coach. He is going to get another opportunity somewhere else.”
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