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The Answer will always be a Warrior

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony before the Nuggets faced the Golden State Warriors in a ‘Win or Go Home’ game.

Anthony on how much he wants to make the playoffs: “Real bad. If you don’t like playing in these types of games, you don’t like basketball.”

Anthony on how the Nuggets will beat the Warriors: “On the defensive end. Both teams like to get up and down the court and I know everybody says the Denver Nuggets don’t play defense, but tonight the only way we’re going to win is with defense.”

Smith on the Nuggets/Warriors game being a playoff-type game: “This is a playoff setting, and this is a playoff game because if you don’t win then your season is over, that’s how a playoff setting is and that’s what basketball is about. Carmelo (Anthony) was 100% right - if you don’t understand the magnitude of this game and if you don’t like playing in this type of game you don’t like basketball.”

Barkley on Carmelo Anthony’s reference to playing defense: “When (Carmelo Anthony) said ‘defense,’ I was like is that Chinese or Japanese? These teams don’t know anything about defense. Denver can’t really make the Warriors pay unless Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin get a lot of offensive rebounds.”

Barkley on the Nuggets’ decision to play defense coming too late: “If you’re a normal kid and you’ve got to try to cram in everything in the last night, it’s too late. You should study leading up to it and then cram the last night. You shouldn’t wait until the last night and try to cram.”

Smith: “You don’t cram the last night, you rest. You get your rest because your work is already done…That’s the night of rest, the night before the test.”

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Game 1: Denver Nuggets (114) @ Golden State Warriors (105)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Doug Collins and Craig Sager reporting

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Nuggets coach George Karl after the first quarter.

Karl on layups making a difference in the game in the first half: “I think we missed a lot of layups and they got theirs. It’s a game of lay-ups, we’re missing ours and they’re making theirs. They came in with good energy. I think it’s still a basketball game. We’ve got to play better at both ends of the court, I think offensively if we make our layups and finish our shots a little better it will slow them down.”

Collins on the strong performance of the Nuggets’ bench players: “(Eduardo) Najera and (Linas) Kleiza and J.R. Smith (are getting points off the bench). J.R. Smith is a guy who can get shots in a hurry and makes shots, once he gets going it’s difficult to stop him.”

Collins on the Warriors’ reaction to the Nuggets’ zone defense in the first half: “Everything has been a jump shot, the one time they did get in the paint Baron Davis missed a lay-up and they haven’t gotten to the free throw line. A lot of times a team sees zone (defense) and thinks, ‘We’ve got to shoot from the perimeter,’ but go inside, get some penetration, get in the lane if it collapses then you can kick out. If you just move the ball around the perimeter and become a perimeter-oriented shooting team you become so stagnant, and that’s what’s happened to Golden State right now.”

Collins on the Warriors not playing defense: “The game is easy for (the Warriors) because they have so many guys who can score, but sometimes that can be a curse and a blessing. When you score easily sometimes you think you can throw the switch and get some defensive stops. In this league when you let a player get going with scoring it’s tough to slow him down. And we are seeing that now with J.R. Smith.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony at halftime.

Anthony on the Nuggets recovered from a high scoring first quarter: “We were embarrassed about giving up 37 points in the first quarter. The second quarter we went zone, slowed them down a little and got in our rhythm.”

Anthony on what it will take to win the game: “Our bench players are big part of this tonight, defense and our bench play and me and AI (Allen Iverson) keep doing what we do and we’ll be alright.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Smith and Barkley

Smith on the zone defense getting the Nuggets back in the game in first half: “What kind of defense do you play when you can’t play defense? You go to the zone and that’s what (the Nuggets) did. George Karl went to the zone because he said, ‘Our guys can’t play defense.’ What really played into their hand is that Golden State is very impatient with one pass and then a terrible shot. These guys want to shoot in four seconds so (the Nuggets) at least get a hand in their face and make them take tougher shots. (The Nuggets will) play the zone and get right back into the game.”

Barkley on the Dallas Mavericks being a formidable team in the playoffs: “The one team that I think puts fear in the bottom of your heart is the Dallas Mavericks, that’s a team you don’t want to see (in the playoffs). I’m buying Dallas for the simple fact that even when they were losing all those games they went down to the buzzer. Jason Kidd can keep them in the game for 3 1/2 quarters and then Dirk (Nowitzki) needs to be the MVP with the game on the line.”

Smith on the top six seeds in the Western Conference all having a chance to win the conference: “Between (seeds) one and six (they are) only separated by 2 ½ games (in the Western Conference). If you’re only two games better than someone you’re really not better than them, you’re not clearly better and you can’t say that you have an advantage. When you’re 10 or 15 games more in the win column, then you’re better than a team. When you’re six games better, I don’t think you’re better. The number one team is not better than six, so (one of) the top six teams could win it all.”

Barkley on Golden State’s video screen comparing him to Jabba the Hutt: “You know what Golden State? Yo Momma. Whoever put that up there, Yo Momma. That’s ghetto-ese for ‘Come and get me.’”

**** ****

Sager interviewed Warriors head coach Don Nelson after the third quarter.

Nelson on whether he has had a chance to enjoy the game: “I enjoy it absolutely. It’s at the top of the league as far at the importance goes, and the intensity is great, the stars came to play tonight.”

Nelson on the Warriors needing to increase their penetration: “We need to get a better rhythm. We normally shoot the ball better but we need to penetrate more, we are shooting a little too early. We need to penetrate and then find our shooters.”

Collins on Nuggets guard J.R. Smith letting his emotions get out of hand and getting a technical foul: “Emotion and passion are two different things. Passion is unbridled joy that’s under control, emotion is when you’re on the edge and you step over. You cannot make those kinds of plays on the road when you are battling in such a huge game. You’ve got to keep your composure.”

Collins on Warriors guard Baron Davis trying to draw a non-existent foul: “Baron Davis, he’s a director of movies, but he’d better work on acting just a little bit, he’s better behind the camera.”

**** **** **** **** ****

Game 2: Los Angeles Lakers (106) @ Los Angeles Clippers (78)

Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller, Mike Fratello and Cheryl Miller reporting

Miller on LA Clippers forward Al Thornton adjusting to Elton Brand’s return from injury: “Al Thornton struggled the last two games and a lot of it has to do with Elton (Brand) coming back. Now that Elton is the focus of that low post threat, it’s learning to play with Elton Brand, he’s starting to understand how to play with a superstar like Elton Brand.”

Miller on whether he thinks Clippers forward Al Thornton deserves a spot on the All-Rookie team: “(Al Thornton) got off to a slow start this year, but he’s come a long way. You’ve got to put (Al) Horford and (Kevin) Durant on there and I like (Thaddeus) Young. (Thornton) has played well, he’s played steady with all the injuries out and he does things for this Clipper team, outside and inside I’d say he’d make the first team.”

Miller on the decision by the Lakers not to trade guard Kobe Bryant paying off: “Cooler heads prevailed when Kobe (Bryant) demanded to be traded and people were talking about him possibly going to Chicago. But Dr. Jerry Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak said, ‘Everybody let’s take a step back, assess our roster, we know we’ve got one of the premier players in Kobe Bryant and we’re not just going to give him away. We’ve got to develop our younger players.’ (Andrew) Bynum came in (to training camp) in fantastic shape (and the Lakers) got off to a great start. Kobe has accepted the younger players, I think that is why he is considered one of the players in the MVP race, he understands that he needs these younger guys if they are going to be successful.”

Fratello on Clippers fan Billy Crystal playing for the Yankees during spring training this year and striking out at bat: “I’m a much better hitter than Billy Crystal ever was, I would not have struck out in a similar situation. There is no question I would have made contact, the ball would have been in play.”

**** ****

Halftime

Johnson, Smith and Barkley

Barkley on Smith’s legs: “Your knees already touch, you could strike a match your legs are so bow-legged.”

Smith: “I’d rather have my knees than my thighs touching.”

**** ****

Miller on the four principles that make Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan great offensive players: “Why are Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan mentioned in the same breath? They’ve got the four basic principles to being a great offensive player. They both have balance, they’re always centered, always coming to a two feet jump stop; technique, the ability to attack defenders going either direction; agility, once you make the move the ability to counter any change on the fly; and most important, heart. The ability to finish in traffic, take the contact and make the impossible possible. This is why Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan always have the best fundamentals to be a great offensive player, it all starts with balance.”

Miller on how the parity of the Western Conference: “Whoever wins in the West it will not be a surprise because everyone is so evenly matched.”

Miller on his postseason awards: “Everyone mentions Kevin Durant, but I like Al Horford for Rookie of the Year. No one ever mentions (Utah’s) Jerry Sloan for Coach of the Year. Of course (New Orleans’) Byron Scott and (Boston’s) Doc Rivers have done a fantastic job, but I like Jerry Sloan, he’s never won Coach of the Year. And I’ve mentioned Kobe Bryant for MVP.”

***** ***** *****

Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley

Craig Sager interviewed Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson following the Warriors’ nine point loss to the Nuggets.

Nelson on the Warriors losing to the Nuggets: “(The Nuggets) played a terrific game. We didn’t play as well as we can. But it wasn’t like we were terrible, we competed. They have the better team, they really do. They are very good.”

Nelson on if this season’s Warriors are better than last season’s team: “No, I think our team was a little better with J.R. (Jason Richardson) a year ago. We had a guy that could step up and get you 30 (points) any given night and actually win the game almost by himself, we miss that a little bit. Our record is better (this season) and we’ve had an unbelievable year and won so many games. We’ve done better than a lot of people thought we would but our goal was to make the playoffs and we haven’t done that yet.”

Insider Awards - Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith selected who they think has been the best in the NBA this season.

Defensive Player of the Year

Barkley - Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs): “I’m going to go with Bruce Bowen on the best defensive team in the NBA. They’ve got the best coach in the NBA in Gregg Popovich.”

Smith - Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics): “I think (the defensive player of the year award) should go to Kevin Garnett. Overall, Kevin Garnett has changed the culture of the Boston Celtics. Last year, you could get lay-up after lay-up after jump shot after anything you wanted (against the Celtics). He’s a guy that will guard your point guard and he’s a guy that will guard your center. I think Kevin Garnett is the best defensive player in the NBA.

Most Improved Player

Smith - Portland Trail Blazers: “I took a whole team (for the Most Improved award). Individually, there are certain guys that play well but (the TrailBlazers) improved the most over one season than any one (individual). Not just Brandon Roy, but there is a collection and a collage and a kaleidoscope of players that did well.”

Barkley - David West (New Orleans Hornets): “I took David West of the New Orleans Hornets who turned into an All-Star. He’s a terrific player who is still a young guy. He’s having a fantastic season on a team that right now has the best record in the NBA. The only other person who I thought had a chance was (Orlando Magic forward) Hedu Turkoglu.”

Sixth Man of the Year

Barkley - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs): “(Manu Ginobili has) been the best player on the Spurs all season. Even with all (the Spurs) injuries, for them to have the best record in the West (Conference) is pretty remarkable.”

Smith - Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs): “I think overall, it’s hard to pick (Manu Ginobili) as Sixth Man of the Year because he plays so many starter minutes, most sixth-men only play 18-20 minutes a game, this guy is playing the bulk of the minutes so it’s kind of a disguise that he’s the sixth man. He just comes off the bench after three minutes of the first quarter.”

Coach of the Year

Smith - Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets): “When you have the best record in the West (Conference) this late in the season and you go from where you were last year (you deserve to be named Coach of the Year). (Byron Scott has) been to the NBA Finals twice (with New Jersey), (he’s) proven that he can coach and (he’s) done it with a talented team but not as talented as he did with New Jersey.”

Barkley - Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets): “This is easy; I’ve got to go with Byron Scott (for Coach of the Year), (Celtics head coach) Doc Rivers is a close second. Then you’ve got two guys who are not going to win it in Maurice Cheeks in Philadelphia and Reggie Theus in Sacramento. There’s not a single person in this world that thought the New Orleans Hornets would have the best record in the West (Conference).”

Rookie of the Year

Barkley - Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks): “Al Horford has been fantastic, this guy is going to be a double-double player for the next ten years. He’s got a great body like his dad (former NBA player Tito Horford). My Hawks are going to make the playoffs, he is a great addition. Great job, (Hawks GM) Billy Knight.”

Smith - Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics): “(Kevin Durant) played on a terrible team, he gets a lot of shots but he does produce. His upside is still there, he’s going to get stronger and learn how to post-up a little bit more. He’s going to rebound better because he rebounded well in college. He’s the Rookie of the Year in my book, he’s the most talented and you can’t fault him because that team is terrible.”

Special Awards

Kenny Smith’s “My team is whack but I’m not” Award

Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies): “(Rudy Gay) is on a whack team, (the Grizzlies are) not good but he’s not a whack player. Rudy Gay plays hard every night, he’s developed and had a big year.”

Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats): “Jason Richardson is on a whack team, the Charlotte Bobcats. They miss him in Golden State.”

Al Thornton (Los Angeles Clippers): “No one knows who (Al Thornton) is, but he’s athletic and he hustles.”

Charles Barkley’s “Guys who are not going to win an award but did a fantastic job” Award

Maurice Cheeks (Philadelphia 76ers): “There’s not a person in the world that thought the Philadelphia 76ers would make the playoffs and Maurice Cheeks led them there.”

Most Valuable Player

Barkley - Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets): “My MVP is Chris Paul for the same criteria that they have given Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki (the MVP Award in recent years). Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA but Chris Paul on the New Orleans Hornets with the best record in the West (Conference) where they have seven legit contenders.”

Smith - Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) and Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers): “I’m going to make a stand right now. Because I had Chris Paul as the MVP and I had a co-MVP because I couldn’t decide between the two. So put Kobe (Bryant) in there (as co-MVP). I want to see both guys do it all because I like them both. Tonight I will make a stand because the first half of the season, Kevin Garnett was the best player, Kobe Bryant was second. The second half of the season, Chris Paul was the best player, Kobe Bryant was second. So he’s been the second best player all year, his team has been consistent. I’m going with Kobe Bryant.”

Barkley on Kobe Bryant winning the MVP: “I’ve got no problem with Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnett winning MVP. Kobe Bryant has been the best player in the NBA, but Dirk Nowitzki won the MVP (last season). Steve Nash won two MVPs, was Kobe Bryant the best player?”

Smith: “Actually, Shaq (O’Neal) was better the first time (Nash) won.”

Barkley: “But they gave it to the guy who was having the best season on the team with the best record. So why are they going to change it now? This is not a lifetime achievement award, I love Kobe Bryant and he’s the best player we’ve got. The theory is he hasn’t won MVP before.”

Smith: “You can’t give it to a guy who didn’t win it last year. And I’ve heard that he went through a lot last summer…who cares about the summer? We’re talking about right now. To me, he’s been the second best player (all) season and his team has probably been the second best team (all) season.”

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