(Photo: John Kurtz/Cleveland Plain Dealer)

DeShawn is being clowned by Wally now? Damn.

Magic Johnson on NBA official Darell Garretson, who passed away this week: “Darell (Garretson) was one of the top refs to ever referee in the NBA. What I liked about him is he let you talk to him, you got five seconds to explain and then he’ll give you that look to say ‘that’s enough.’ One night, I was playing bad and I said, ‘Darell, you missed a call.’ He turned to me, looked straight at me and said, ‘Magic, I probably missed one, but you’re two for 10 tonight,’ and that said it all.”

Game 1: Washington Wizards (86) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (116) - Cleveland leads the series 2-0.

Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and and Marty Snider reporting

Miller on Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas getting a foul and technical foul called for pushing Cavs forward Wally Szczerbiak: “There’s really no need for it, it’s not like Wally (Szczberiak) and Gil (Arenas) were jockeying for position, (Arenas) got the foul and then he pushed him. These are points you really don’t need or can afford to give to the other team. But Gilbert kind of likes this, he likes the fans to be on him. I kind of like that. I wouldn’t want to give up points like this, but sometimes you have to make a point (to the other team). I don’t know what point Gilbert was making, because that’s an easy one point that could come back to haunt you.”

Miller on the officials allowing the Cavs and Wizards to play each other very aggressively: “They let a little bit of that go in Game #1 and it got out of hand. The Wizards said from day one they were going to play physical, and they were going to knock LeBron (James) every time when he drove. If the officials and everyone knows this, they’ve got watch that.”

Miller on no one being able to stop Cavaliers forward LeBron James from driving to the basket: “What are you going to do to a wide open locomotive in the open court other than tackle him? This is a fullback, 6′9″ and 260 pounds. There is no way with full steam ahead that you are going to be able to grab him.”

Miller on the trash talk by the Washington Wizards: “If I’m the Cavs I say, ‘Bring it on.’ It’s not really a rivalry until Washington beats them in a playoffs series.”

Miller on how the Wizards need to adjust their offense for the second half: “At halftime I’m going to tell my guys to regroup, right now you’ve got three guys putting their heads down and just going to the rim. There is no semblance of an offense, (Gilbert) Arenas has his head down, Caron (Butler) has his head down as well as (Antawn) Jamison.”

TNT’s Marty Snider interviewed Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas at halftime.

Ilgauskas on the Cavs first half performance: “We’ve got more aggressive defensively, they started denying our corners they made it really hard for us to get into our offensive sets. We got some stops and got some easy transition baskets, I think guys were a little too pumped up and we just relaxed and started playing basketball.”

Ilgauskas on the rough play between the two teams: “Guys are playing hard. There are going to be some hard fouls, but you can’t take a chance of getting suspended or hurting your team so you pick yourself up and go right back at them.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Smith, Barkley and Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson on the Wizards play in the first half: “Right now (Gilbert Arenas) is definitely hurting them, one for seven and only two points (in the first half), and also bad shot selection by Gilbert and by some of the other guys on the Wizards. They got off to a good start taking good shots and then they reverted back to taking bad shots. And when you take bad shots against Cleveland, especially bad jump shots, you put them into fast break mode and King James can be unbelievable in that open court. I think Cleveland is doing a wonderful job of taking the double team, LeBron has been patient with it picking them apart of where he wants to throw that ball to the open man and hitting those shots.”

Smith on the Wizards adjusting their style of play when Gilbert Arenas was injured this season: “Last year when Gilbert (Arenas) was that hot player and things went through them, it was like a dictatorship. Now it’s more like a democratic society. So he has to understand that it goes through a lot of different people and it’s not just him. On the defensive end they’ve gotten better this year because he was out and they didn’t run as much; they boxed out, they took their time and they do a good job on defense. (Arenas) is not at that level where he can take over a game, he has to be a part of this democratic society and start moving things around.”

Barkley on Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas needing to accept he is not playing at full strength and involve his teammates more: “Gilbert (Arenas) is a guy who is ball dominant, when he’s out Caron Butler becomes an All-Star, (Antawn) Jamison is an All-Star. He still thinks he’s ball dominant, but when you’re not 100% you cannot do the things you used to do. He’s got to get to ball to Caron Butler and Jamison, because he’s not 100% and he has to understand that. That’s the reason he’s a good player and not a great player. He worries about get his instead of making the players around him better.”

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Miller and Albert discuss the flagrant foul and ejection of Wizards center Brendan Haywood for a foul on LeBron James.

Miller: “Both teams have been playing physical all game, to toss a guy for a hard foul like that during a playoff game, it really puts Eddie Jordan’s team at a disadvantage.”

Albert: “Here’s the other point of view- if you don’t take a stand, from the officiating point of view, you’re going to have a fight. Hey, that’s the way it goes, you say it’s tough for Eddie Jordan’s team, but if you push a guy when he’s in the air, in-flight, and can cause a season-ending injury you have to make that call.”

Miller: “Just a moment ago I saw Antonio Daniels go in and he didn’t get taken out of the air like LeBron did but it was a hard foul and he fell on his backside. I’m just wondering, if it wasn’t LeBron James, if it was Wally Szczerbiak or Delonte West or one of those players, would Brendan Haywood have been ejected? But it’s LeBron James, all eyes on the King, people are going to take notice.”

Miller on Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas not helping his team: “I’m not sure (Gilbert Arenas) is really helping his team right now because he’s so out of it. They played so well without him those 69 games, there was ball movement, Caron (Butler) making the All-Star team and Jamison having fantastic year.”

Miller on the Cavs trying to keep their momentum going into Game #3: “What Mike Brown is talking about in this fourth quarter about playing defense, he doesn’t want to give the Wizards any kind of life so when you go to Washington for game three you want to continue this momentum. If Washington feels that they make a run and get a little into this, they are going to try to regain their composure that’s been lost through three quarters.”

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

Game 2: Utah Jazz (90) @ Houston Rockets (84) - Utah leads the series 2-0.

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

Collins on the small lineup of the Rockets: “One of the things about the Houston Rockets when Dikembe Mutombo doesn’t play and you don’t have Yao Ming they are a very small team, they are undersized. Luis Scola will give you a lot of energy as will Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes, but they have a difficult time finishing over bigger people because they are undersized, it’s sure not from a lack of effort.”

TNT’s aired Inside Trax featuring coaches Jerry Sloan and Rick Adelman addressing their respective teams in the locker room prior to the game.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan on focusing on the game at hand: “They are going to come at you hard, you’ve got to stay focused on what we’re trying to do and try to drive it in them right now. You don’t want to say wait until I get back to Salt Lake.”

Rockets coach Adelman on finishing plays: “We attacked the rim last night, we are going to finish it tonight. We’re going to finish plays at the basket and put pressure on them.”

Collins on Rockets guard Tracy McGrady having a strong first half performance: “(Tracy McGrady) is doing it all for them tonight, he has 11 points, he’s driving the ball to the basket, he’s made his jump shot, he’s had a couple of blocked shots, set up his team with assists…he’s doing his part, now his teammates need to come through for him.”

Collins on Rockets guard Tracy McGrady: “(Tracy McGrady) has elevated his play in the playoffs, he averages almost 29 points a game in the playoffs, which is almost seven more points a game in the playoffs than the regular season. But until he gets out of the first round you know what he’s going to be hearing, now he had to come into this playoff series after winning 22 straight games and his point guard goes down on him after he lost Yao for 37 games. I think he’s had an amazing year and what he’s done with this team has been terrific.”

Collins on why he voted for Rockets forward Shane Battier for Defensive Player of the Year: “I know there are a lot of guys out there, Kevin Garnett with the job he did for Boston in changing that culture and how good they were defensively. You can always throw Marcus Camby in the mix with his shot blocking and rebounding, and Dwight Howard. But Shane night in and night out during that winning streak took the other teams’ best players and just basically shut them down to the win the game.”

Collins on Utah playing with the same intensity throughout the regular season as they do in the playoffs: “Utah plays every game the same way even during the regular season, they really don’t ratchet it up for playoff time, maybe they watch a little more film and prepare a little more during shoot-arounds. But Jerry Sloan, the way they play every single night it’s not a big shock when they get in the playoffs and things become more intense because that’s how they want to play for all 82 games.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Smith, Barkley and Magic Johnson

Smith on Rockets guard Tracy McGrady’s play in the first half: “T-Mac is forcing the issue, and a lot of times when you force the issue you cause friction, or you make things not work well, but for T-Mac it’s not like that, it’s like lotion, it gets smoother when he does it.”

Magic Johnson on the competitiveness of the game: “It won’t be T-Mac’s fault tonight (if they lose), he’s playing just like a superstar is supposed to play when his team is depleted and the talent is not there to beat a strong Utah team. Utah has come to sweep this series, they think, ‘we know that we’re better than them, we are going to be physical and we’re going to run.’ Utah’s bench is better now, they are playing very good basketball right now.”

Barkley on Utah’s competitive drive in the series: “The two best teams in the West are the Lakers and Utah. I really wanted to see Utah, I want to see have they crossed that bridge where they want to get greedy? I remember Magic’s Lakers, Bird’s Celtics, Michaels’s Bulls, Isiah’s Pistons… they wanted to win every series, some teams are like, ‘we got our split, let’s relax in game two. I’m impressed with Utah tonight.”

Barkley on what the Rockets need to win the game: “Somebody’s going to have to have a career second half or they’re in trouble.”

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TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Rockets guard Rafer Alston who is injured and tentatively expected back for Thursday’s game in Utah.

Alston on the difficulty of sitting out during the playoffs: “It’s tough, but I did pull my hamstring and you want to let it heal before you go back out there. This is what the NBA is all about, what you work so hard for in the offseason during training camp, to prepare yourself for this type of contest.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Rockets coach Rick Adelman after the third quarter.

Adelman on why he traded for guard Bobby Jackson who is currently starting in place of Rafer Alston: “We thought (Jackson) was going to bring us energy and give us a quality backup behind Rafer, I didn’t expect him to start.”

Collins on the strong performance of Rockets guard Tracy McGrady for the first three quarters: “What an effort it has been tonight, it’s a shame that people will write about Tracy McGrady’s fourth quarter because he was brilliant through the first three quarters. The whole philosophy of Utah is to try to wear him down and take away his legs in the fourth quarter. He has to do so much for this team without Yao Ming and without his starting point guard in Rafer Alston and it just took it’s toll.”

Collins on Utah trying to sweep the series: “Kudos to Utah, they came out and took care of business winning both games on the road, that’s a sign of maturity. In a playoff series you want to play as few games as possible because injuries become a factor. It’s that old expression, rest versus rust, I don’t know a coach in the league who wouldn’t take four or five days of rest over a quarter of being rusty.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Jazz guard Deron Williams after the game.

Williams on what it means to win both games in Houston: “It meant a lot, we didn’t want to come and split, we wanted to come get both of them early and we did a great job sticking to our game plan, playing tough defense on McGrady and making other guys score.”

Williams on the game plan to defend Rockets guard Tracy McGrady: “We’re trying to keep fresh bodies on (McGrady) all game and make him settle for a lot of jumpers instead of getting to the basket.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Magic Johnson

Barkley on whether or not the Utah/Houston series is over: “Is the Pope Catholic?!”

Barkley on the Jazz bench: “The Utah Jazz are so deep. They played 10 guys who could actually play and they just beat (Tracy) McGrady up and he wore down in the stretch again tonight.”

Smith on Jazz point guard Deron Williams playing as well as Hornets point guard Chris Paul: “(Charles) talks about LeBron James pulling on Kobe (Bryant’s) cape, well when Chris Paul looks in the rearview mirror he sees Deron Williams.”

Barkley on a potential LA Lakers and Utah Jazz match-up: “The two best teams in the West to me are the Lakers and the Jazz, whoever wins that series is going to win the West. It’s unfortunate that they have play in the second round of the playoffs. I pick Utah because I’m not sure that the Lakers can beat them without (Andrew) Bynum.”

Barkley on the popular hip-hop artist Soulja Boy: “When I told Ernie (Johnson) about Soulja Boy he said, ‘Is he in the Army?’”

Magic Johnson on the performance of Rockets guard Tracy McGrady in Game #2 of the Houston/Utah series: “Tracy McGrady played as hard as I’ve ever seen him play, that was a superstar performance. You can’t take anything away from him, he made his teammates better. He had three blocks, he had four steals and he was all over the court. He was a man possessed trying to will his team to victory. He gave a total great effort.”

Magic Johnson on the mentality of Cavaliers forward LeBron James: “LeBron James is showing what we’re going to see for the next 10-15 years. This guy was so patient tonight and he kept himself under control…I love the attitude and type of mentality that he has. This is what we’re going to see not only for the rest of this series but for the rest of his career, he’s only going to get better and better.”

Barkley on the hard fouls in the Cavaliers/Wizards series: “Hard fouls are part of the game, I don’t think you should ever give up layups, but those guys are really close to crossing the line of where you could hurt somebody. I believe in taking hard fouls, I played against the Bad Boys (on the Detroit Pistons) and you would just close your eyes because you knew that they were going to knock the hell out of you…I caution both of these teams, hard fouls are a part of the game but (Brendan Haywood’s foul on LeBron James) was a cheap shot and you have to be careful crossing that line.”

Smith on the Phoenix Suns giving up easy shots: “The Phoenix Suns have a little bit of Denver Nuggets-itis where they give up easy shots. You can make the game fast but you can’t give up layups and easy shots.”

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 4:38 pm and is filed under Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, Inside the NBA, Kenny Smith, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Wally Szczerbiak. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.