Notes from TNT’s NBA Coverage – Thursday, November 1, 2012
TNT’s NBA coverage continues Thursday, November 8, with an exclusive doubleheader featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder @ Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. ET followed by the Los Angeles Clippers @ Portland Trail Blazers at 10:30 p.m. ET
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber
Barkley on the Oklahoma City Thunder improving from their trade with the Houston Rockets: “In the long run, this team [Thunder] is better prepared for the playoffs…I like them more now than I did a week ago.”
Barkley on the Thunder: “They are the best team in the West and they will be in The Finals.”
O’Neal on the Thunder making a mistake by trading James Harden to the Rockets: “[The Thunder] all grew up together, they learned together and they played well together. Even though James Harden didn’t play well in The Finals, I think they made a mistake because he did a lot of the little things. He gets to the hole and he makes big shots…I don’t know if Kevin Martin has that ability.”
O’Neal on New Orleans Hornets first overall draft pick Anthony Davis’ NBA debut Wednesday night against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs: “He has a soft touch around the basket and plays with a lot of poise and confidence. A lot of players come in, play against legends and get nervous. It seemed to me he wasn’t nervous [going against Tim Duncan]. He played very hard and played very long around the basket. He reminds me of a better, more polished Pervis Ellison.”
Barkley on where the Spurs stand in the Western Conference: “They have the best coach [Gregg Popovich] in the NBA. Tony Parker is terrific. They are going to win a lot of games because of ‘Pop’ [Popovich] and they play very smart. They can’t beat Oklahoma City in a seven-game series and, depending on the Lakers’ health, I don’t think they can beat the Lakers.”
Smith on how James Harden helped the Thunder defeat the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals: “I thought James Harden was the difference against [the Spurs]. He ‘out-Ginobli’d’ [Manu] Ginobli. He was a catalyst and changed the pace of the game.”
Barkley on recently acquired Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb: “Jeremy Lamb is the sleeper in this deal because he’s going to make them better on the perimeter. He’s going to make big shots.”
Webber on Thunder guard Kevin Martin: “[He has] one of the ugliest jump shots you’ll ever see but it’s going to go down. He has a quick first step and he gets to the basket. He’s a really good player.”
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Game 1: Oklahoma City Thunder (84) @ San Antonio Spurs (86)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)
Miller on Thunder guard Kevin Martin’s efficiency: “He’s not a jacker, he’s not a gunner…he’s going to look for the best possible shot. He’s trying to conserve a lot of energy out there. That’s why he gets fouled a lot and gets to the free throw line. He’s not afraid of contact.”
Miller on the Thunder benefiting from guard Eric Maynor’s return from injury: “They get another true point guard who can facilitate for all of these great scorers on the Thunder.”
Miller on Thunder forward Serge Ibaka: “He’s going to be counted on to score a little bit more [this season]. I thought he should’ve been the defensive player of the year last season. This is going to be a big year for him.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Webber
Smith on the Thunder being different following the James Harden trade to Houston: “It’s going to be a work in progress for Oklahoma City in finding the ability to let [Kevin] Durant and [Russell] Westbrook rest. [James] Harden was able to do that and he kept the defense honest. They are a different team…it’s obvious right now.”
Barkley on the return of Thunder point guard Eric Maynor: “He’s going to solidify the second unit and that’s when this team is really going to take off in the long run.”
Smith on the difference between Kevin Martin and James Harden who were recently involved in a trade for each other: “There are certain guys who are aggressive from ‘door’ [the start] and there are certain guys who are aggressive when they get hot. Kevin Martin is a guy who is aggressive when he gets hot. James Harden is a guy who is aggressive from ‘door.’ That’s what [the Thunder] are missing, when they walk into the arena, [Harden is] walking out with 16 shots no matter what happens.”
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Miller on the Thunder lacking low-post scoring: “They really don’t have any low-post scoring. Can a team win a championship from the perimeter? They got all the way to The Finals last season, but when they went against the Miami Heat…they took those perimeter shots right out of the series. You have to have low-post scoring.”
Miller on Spurs guard Stephen Jackson: “He does all the little things that you want to win a championship with…At the end of the day, when you need a big shot you put the ball in #3’s hand and Stephen Jackson will deliver.”
Miller on Thunder guard Russell Westbrook: “I love Russell Westbrook’s game but when you’ve got the leading scorer in the league the last three years on the floor [Kevin Durant], as the point guard you have to set these other guys up. He can get to the basket and score with the best of them but you have to get the ball and be a facilitator.”
Miller on Thunder forward Kevin Durant: “He’s the best scorer in the Association.”
TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Spurs guard Tony Parker who hit the game-winning shot
Parker on the most important factor for the Spurs this season: “To stay healthy. I like our chances this year. Our guys have a lot of experience and we’re playing good basketball right now. Hopefully, we can stay healthy and play well at the end of the season.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal, Smith and Webber
Barkley on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook: “He makes so many mental errors with the ball – bad shot selection, over-dribbling, over-penetrating. He’s got to do a much better job of getting everybody into the game. He makes so many mental errors…what makes you a great player is making the guys around you better. He does not do a good job of doing that.”
Barkley on the San Antonio Spurs defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder game: “There is no way they [OKC] should’ve lost this game. They’ve got a much better team than the San Antonio Spurs.”
Webber on OKC’s chemistry following the James Harden trade: “The thing that made OKC so good is we watched [OKC GM Sam] Presti draft these players and put players in a system where they all complemented each other. When you lose that third piece that was the point guard in the fourth quarter [James Harden]…you wonder how the team is going to make up for that.”
Webber on the L.A. Lakers stumbling out of the blocks 0-2 to start the season: “Because you’re a big team on a big stage, everybody wants to know what’s going on? They’re trying to figure out who this team is.”
O’Neal on the slow start by the Lakers: “I don’t think it’s a time for panic. It’s obvious to me they don’t trust their system yet. They don’t trust their system or they don’t like their system. If they don’t start winning, panic will start to set in a little bit, but at the end of the day they’ll be fine.”
Barkley on the Lakers’ offense: “The first part of Basketball 101 is to push the ball and see if you can get an easy basket, then you run your offense. To walk the ball up-and-down the court…that’s hard to do.”
Webber on the options the Lakers could offer in their half-court offense: “You could literally run three plays with those guys [Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol] and have seven options each play. You don’t put Nash in a Princeton offense, you say go do what you gotta do.”
Smith on Portland Trail Blazers rookie Damian Lillard: “He’s got a quiet confidence.”
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