TNT’s NBA coverage continues Thursday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. ET with doubleheader action featuring the New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets at 9:30 p.m.
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith
Barkley on injured Knicks center Tyson Chandler: “He’s one of the most underrated players. He’s one of my favorite players in the NBA. He has to get every rebound and has to play defense for everybody else. Without him, [the Knicks] are a no-defense, jump-shooting team.”
Barkley on the Knicks: “The Knicks aren’t a good team.”
Johnson: “Are they getting better?”
Barkley: “They can only get so good.”
Barkley on Knicks’ J.R. Smith: “He would drive Dr. Phil nuts.”
O’Neal on J.R. Smith: “Right now, J.R. Smith is an unmanageable character who isn’t putting in the work.”
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Miami Heat (92) at New York Knicks (102)
Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with Rachel Nichols (reporter)
Kerr on J.R. Smith: “He’s so talented and he’s had success in this league…but your career is fleeting. This is a brief moment in your life, maybe eight or 10 years if you’re lucky. You have to take advantage of it.”
Kerr on the possibility of free agent Andrew Bynum signing with the Heat: “I don’t think Miami wants Bynum. As talented as he is, he’s a tough guy to fit in and this team is a machine right now.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal, Smith
Smith on LeBron James: “LeBron James always plays the game the right way.”
Barkley on the Knicks: “This is not a good mix of players on the Knicks. They don’t have any selfless players other than Tyson Chandler.”
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Kerr on the difference between the Knicks last season and this year: “They don’t have the same front court defense on the bench [like last season] nor the same leadership. I think it’s been really apparent…you’ve got to have those calming influences on your roster. If you look at their bench, there’s not much leadership there.”
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Oklahoma City Thunder (88) at Denver Nuggets (101)
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Reggie Miller (analyst) with Craig Sager (reporter)
Miller on how Russell Westbrook’s injuries have helped elevate Reggie Jackson’s game: “You never want to say that an injury to a star player is a blessing in disguise…but the emergence of Reggie Jackson during the playoffs last year when Westbrook went down and this year [with injuries]…he has really improved his game at both ends of the floor. He has a chance to be the Sixth Man of the Year in this system.”
Miller on Kevin Durant: “Every single night, he faces a double and triple team. He’s always going to be guarded by the best perimeter player. The defenses are always going to be skewed his way. For him to average 30 points a game, in lieu of all that, shows you the greatness of Kevin Durant.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal, Smith
Barkley on the Nuggets offensive style: “They don’t have a [go-to player like] Kevin Durant or a LeBron so they have to play ‘helter skelter’ type basketball.”
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Miller on injured Thunder guard Russell Westbrook: “They are really missing [Russell] Westbrook on the floor to settle down their second unit.”
Miller on Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw: “Give credit to Brian Shaw and the Nuggets. When you define roles and tell guys exactly what you expect from them and how they perform. Shaw has had his team engaged on both ends of the floor.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Kia
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal, Smith
Barkley on Kevin Durant: “Kevin Durant is the second best basketball player in the world but he needs some help right now.”
Barkley on the Thunder: “They have to find a low-post scorer at some point. Durant and Westbrook can’t do it by themselves. They’ll win a lot of games but they won’t be a championship contender [without a low-post threat].”
Barkley on what Eric Bledsoe’s injury means to the Suns: “It means they’re done. Bledsoe and [Goran] Dragic are the reasons why the Phoenix Suns have been winning. Bledsoe was in the All-Star conversation this season.”
Smith on Andre Miller’s outburst on the bench directed at Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw: “When someone’s pride is hurt for the first time in this type of situation, guys act differently. They act out of character. When you don’t have something, you act out of character and when you’re losing something, you act out of character. It’s those who can remain the same in those two instances that shows a lot of fortitude. He wasn’t able to do that in that moment.”
O’Neal on J.R. Smith: “It seems to me that he doesn’t care. When you’re a winner and you want to play well and you want your team to play well, you have to act like you care. But with the way he’s been playing, it doesn’t seem like he cares. His numbers are down from last year. If he continues not to care, he won’t be around much longer.”
Barkley on Andrew Bynum going to the Cavaliers in the off-season: “I thought he made a stupid decision going to Cleveland because they were not going to win and he was not going to be motivated.”
Smith on Bynum: “When he is counted on, he doesn’t live up to the expectation…but when he’s a subplot, he becomes valuable.”
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