Notes from TNT’s NBA Coverage – Thursday, October 31, 2013
TNT’s NBA coverage continues Thursday, November 7, at 7 p.m. ET with doubleheader action featuring the Los Angeles Clippers @ Miami Heat followed by the Los Angeles Lakers @ Houston Rockets at 9:30 p.m.
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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal
Smith on players attracting others to their team via free agency: “Great players should be the law of attraction. They should be able to draw players in, and shouldn’t worry about free agency. He [Carmelo Anthony] should come out and say, ‘I want the max [deal], and I’m going to help you get players here.’ And I think that would help more because the greatest players, people want to play with. We learned that James Harden was a law of attraction guy. He lured one of the best centers in basketball, right now, to Houston. ”
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New York Knicks (81) at Chicago Bulls (82)
Marv Albert (play-by-play) and Steve Kerr (analyst) with David Aldridge (reporter)
Kerr on Andrea Bargnani joining the Knicks: “I think the big question marks with [Andrea] Bargnani are defense and rebounding. To me, the reason he was booed in Toronto was because he was the first pick in the draft. Anytime you have those kind of expectations, you’re more than likely to be a target from the fans. I think this is a great second chance for him, and he can just play a role with this Knicks team.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
Barkley on Derrick Rose’s return: “I know he’s excited to be out there, but just slow down a little bit. He’s a great player, but just slow down a little bit.”
O’Neal on Carmelo Anthony: “Carmelo’s going to shoot it. He’s going to continue to shoot. We’ve all said that if [he] wants to get to the next level, he has to play better, he has to do more.”
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Kerr on Chicago Bulls wing players posting up point guards: “That’s [mismatches in the post] going to be a big component of the Bulls’ offense this year; their wings are so big that they can push the ball in transition, force a cross-match, and a point guard ends up guarding one of those two; they’ll go right down into the block.”
Kerr on the New York Knicks resting Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin on back-to-back games: “It’s going to be tricky. He’s [Stoudemire] going to platoon along with Kenyon Martin at times. He’s going to sit out. It’s easier to do that with a player who’s maybe a spot-up shooter, kind of a role player. But when you have a guy like Amar’e who’s used to being a star, a focal point of the offense, it is really tough to mix and match, and have him in one game and out the next.”
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Golden State Warriors (115) at L.A. Clippers (126)
Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
Miller on the Golden State Warriors: “There’s a new sheriff in town on the west coast, being the Golden State Warriors… looking down the future at a Steph Curry, a Klay Thompson, some of the young nucleus players this team has.”
Miller on preseason expectations for the Los Angeles Clippers: “You bring in Doc Rivers, who has championship experience, won it in Boston…you re-signed Chris Paul; everyone thinks they’re going to grab some of those Lakers fans.”
Miller on Mark Jackson’s coaching pedigree: “Nineteen seasons as an NBA point guard, that’s on the job training. That’s basically a coach on the floor. He’s played for some unbelievable, Hall of Fame coaches — Lou Carnesecca, Larry Brown, Larry Bird, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley — all these guys are in the Hall of Fame for a reason, and I think Mark Jackson has just been a sponge.”
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Sprint Halftime Report
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
O’Neal on Blake Griffin: “He’s playing the power forward position but he’s not really a power forward, you know what I mean…he needs to dominate so much that you can get J.J. Redick open.”
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Miller on the influence of Doc Rivers on Chris Paul: “I think Doc Rivers coming here is going to be the best thing for Chris Paul…he’s already a great point guard, don’t get me wrong, but how to lead a team and compete and grind out on every single possession. That’s what Chris Paul’s going to find out.”
Harlan on Blake Griffin: “He’s a one-man circus.”
Miller on DeAndre Jordan: “Right now, he [Jordan] and Dwight Howard are going to battle it out for Defensive Player of the Year.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Kia
Johnson, Barkley, O’Neal and Smith
Barkley on Chris Paul: “I think Chris Paul is the best leader in the NBA.”
Barkley on Klay Thompson: “I think he’s going to be the prototypical two guard in this league for the next 10-15 years.”
Smith on Michael Carter-Williams: “He has a bright future, and he has an ability to be special because of his size, quickness and length.”
Smith on Allen Iverson: “There are certain guys that are just freaks of nature… Allen Iverson, being a two guard at six feet for 14 seasons and averaging close to 27 points a game…a freak of nature.”
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