Get back Stack!

Smith on the Dallas Mavericks being intimidated by their opponent the last two playoffs: “Last year, the Dallas Mavericks were intimidated to a degree by the Golden State Warriors. And it wasn’t just the fact that (Golden State) was better than (Dallas), but they felt they could be physical with them and they could intimidate them. So now it’s the first round against New Orleans and they are going to do what Golden State (did).”

Barkley: “Once someone says you’re soft…everyone is going to test it.”

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

Game 1: Dallas Mavericks (103) @ New Orleans Hornets (127) - New Orleans leads the series 2-0.

Announcers: Matt Devlin, Mike Dunleavy with Pam Oliver reporting

Dunleavy on the advantages of going after the opposition’s best player: “I always love going after the other team’s best player. I want to be aggressive and make them work both ends of the court and getting them in foul trouble is a by-product of that.”

Hornets coach Byron Scott on what he expects to see from the Mavericks in Game #2: “I expect (the Mavericks) to throw the kitchen sink at us, to be honest with you. I think they tried to do a lot of things as far as trapping Chris (Paul) and getting it out of his hands and I think we’ll see that again, even some full court press to get it out of his hands. It will be interesting to see because we’ve seen everything and Chris has seen everything. So if we keep our discipline and our focus on the offensive end and keep our spacing we’ll be in good shape.”

Dunleavy on Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki’s not reacting to Hornets forward David West’s hand-to-the-face in Game 1: “I think that’s very smart. (Dirk Nowitzki) has not commented on it, he’s just playing. Back in the day, if somebody gets you, I’m not going to publicize that I’m going to get you back. You just let it happen within the flow of the game or the series.”

Dunleavy on New Orleans Hornets guard Bonzi Wells: “Bonzi (Wells) is like one of those fullbacks you can’t tackle. He loves contact, he rolls off you and he attacks the rim. He’s very athletic. The thing about Bonzi is, as a coach, you don’t have to call many plays for him. When he gets into the game, throw him a couple of post-ups, a couple of bones to keep him happy. He hits the offensive boards, he slashes, he runs the floor and he finishes above the rim.”

Dunleavy on what makes Hornets guard Chris Paul a great player: “You can say all you want about how quick (Chris Paul) is and how great he shoots the ball but his (basketball) I.Q. is off the charts. His decision making is what makes him a great player. He makes everybody better. When you say someone is a superstar, that’s the first order of business, who does he make on his team better? He makes every one of his guys better.”

TNT’s Pam Oliver interviewed Hornets guard Chris Paul at halftime.

Paul on who deserves the credit for how well the Hornets have played in their series against the Mavericks: “It’s all my teammates. They’ve really helped me night-in and night-out and that’s what enables us to do what we’re doing.”

**** ****

Halftime

Johnson, Smith and Barkley

Smith on how the Mavericks’ attempt to shut-down Chris Paul is backfiring: “(The Mavericks) have the right approach but they are still a little bit off in how they play defense. Their double-teams against Chris Paul are great but they are staying too long. They’ve got to show (double-team) and get back. They aren’t getting back (in time) and leaving David West and the other (Hornets players) wide open.”

Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal on winning “worthless” titles: “I’m at the point in my life where I’m not worried about worthless titles. If you guys want to say that whoever is one of the most dominant big men, that’s fine with me, but one name you will remember is Shaquille O’Neal, I know that. So I’m not really worried about useless titles. When I started off playing, I wanted to win (NBA) Championships. I got lucky my first three times (winning while with the L.A. Lakers), got one in Miami. So now I’m working on number five.”

Barkley on stopping great players: “Tiger (Woods) was texting me last night saying, ‘LeBron (James) goes right every time, why don’t (the Wizards) stop him?’ (I told him) Magic Johnson went right every time and (former 76ers head coach) Jimmy Lynam would say, ‘Can’t ya’ll stop him from going right?” Hell no, apparently no one else can either.”

Barkley on former TNT NBA analyst and current Phoenix Suns GM Steve Kerr: “(Steve Kerr will) be back (at TNT) next year if those trades don’t work for him.”

**** ****

Dunleavy on Hornets guard Chris Paul: “It’s studying the game, (Chris Paul has) played the (point guard) position his whole life and along the way he’s had some great mentors. He does this as well as anybody. They run the pick-and-roll with (Peja) Stojakovic in the right corner, (Tyson) Chandler rolling to the rim for a lob-and-dunk, (Morris) Peterson on the other wing, (David) West floating on the baseline. Paul (comes off the pick-and-roll and) makes the right decision every time and if he’s stays at home, he makes that shot.”

Dunleavy on what the Mavericks need to do differently to come back in the series: “There’s going to have to be some sort of change for Dallas and what they are doing defensively. The numbers (New Orleans is) putting up are just too gaudy. Jason Kidd’s numbers have been very good but he has to be more aggressive on offense. They’ve got to get more scoring in the lineup. If (Dallas) can’t defend (New Orleans), they’ve got to find a way to outscore them.”

Dunleavy on how the series landscape has changed heading to Dallas for Game #3: “The Hornets have got to have so much confidence going into Game #3 (vs. Dallas). The pressure is all on Dallas now, it’s shifted.”

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

Game 2: Phoenix Suns (96) @ San Antonio Spurs (102) - Spurs leads the series 2-0.

Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Doug Collins with David Aldridge reporting

Collins on Phoenix Suns big men Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal playing together: “(Amare Stoudemire) is really an unguardable player. With Shaq (O’Neal) out there with him, teams are so afraid to leave Shaq at the basket; (Stoudemire) gets so many chances at the rim. If Shaq’s (defender) comes over (to defend Stoudemire) and Shaq is waiting on the weak side, there’s no one that can block him out. Those guys have really played well together on the offensive end (but) they’ve got to be better defensively.”

Aldridge on the unselfishness of 2008 Sixth Man of the Year winner Manu Ginobili: (Manu Ginobili) has been the embodiment of this Spurs team that has won (NBA) Championships. Ever since his second year in the league, when (Spurs head coach) Gregg Popovich told him he was being replaced by Hedo Turkoglu in the starting lineup, Ginobili has spent most of these seasons coming off the bench and never complained about the role. And even Saturday (in Game #1), when he had the chance to drive (to the basket) in the waning seconds, he turned and passed the ball to Tim Duncan. He said, ‘After everything Tim Duncan has done for this franchise, how could I not trust him, how could I not believe in him and how could I not give him the ball?’”

Collins on Shaquille O’Neal guarding Tim Duncan: “I think it’s a great move for Phoenix to be able to get (Shaquille O’Neal) in there (against Tim Duncan). (Suns head coach) Mike D’Antoni said that the best time to put him on Duncan is early in the game because (O’Neal) has no fouls to start the game.”

Collins on Shaquille O’Neal’s rejuvenation since being traded to Phoenix earlier in the season: “(Acquiring Shaquille O’Neal is) a big move (for Phoenix) because it’s not just this year; Shaquille O’Neal has two year left on his contract, $40 million (total) for the next couple of years. We saw Shaq at the end (of his time) in Miami and he was struggling with a leg injury and his hip. We didn’t know how much he had left but they’ve done a great job here in Phoenix. Shaq is re-motivated.”

**** ****

Halftime

Johnson, Smith and Barkley

Smith on why the Suns have trouble holding a lead against the Spurs: “As you watch the game unfold, and you think that Phoenix is making a big surge and they have (the Spurs) where they want them. And all of a sudden, (San Antonio comes back) and the reason (the Suns can’t maintain their lead) is because they give up too many easy baskets. When you give up layups, you let the teams get back into the game. You have to make them take tough shots.”

**** ****

Collins on how San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has successfully managed the veterans on his team: “You’ve got to monitor going deep into seasons, playing extra playoff games and teams focusing in on you every night. I think Gregg Popovich has done a great job monitoring the minutes of his older players to put them in a position here as an older team in the playoffs.”

Collins on teams fouling off the ball to gain an advantage: “I think the (NBA) competition committee has got to change this rule. You should never be able to foul off the ball and get an advantage. It’s in the rule book right now so when (teams) do it, it’s fair. I think it should be a one-shot foul and anybody on the floor can shoot it and get the ball. That would stop that nonsense. I don’t like the rule and don’t think it’s meant to be in the game.”

Collins on the adjustments that the Phoenix Suns made when Shaquille O’Neal joined the team mid-season: “(The Suns’) spacing is different, they went from a team that pushed the ball ahead to being a team that is more half-court and more power-oriented. It took a while but being the maestro that (Steve Nash) is, they took to it very well.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Spurs guard Tony Parker following the game.

Parker on the hard foul he received from Shaquille O’Neal in the first half: “It’s ok…my wife (Eva Longoria) will take care of me.”

**** ****

Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Magic Johnson

Barkley on the difficulty the Suns have had in guarding Spurs guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker: “(The Suns) are in trouble, they cannot guard (Manu) Ginobili and (Tony) Parker. These two guys made all the plays down the stretch and they were fantastic tonight. This is where the Suns miss Shawn Marion. Steve Nash is not great defensively, so they used to put Marion on Parker, but now Grant Hill has got a little groin injury, so it’s got to be (Boris) Diaw or (Leandro) Barbosa. Steve Nash, as great as he is, is a defensive liability.”

Barkley on the necessity of the Suns to win their next two games at home: “A series doesn’t start until you lose a home game. The Spurs did what they had to do and now the Suns have to go home and win two games.”

Smith on what indication he has that the Suns cannot win the series: “When you have a team at bay and they get back into the game with easy shots, you can’t win a series. Most good or great teams you have to make tough shots; to play against Phoenix or play against Denver you don’t have to make tough shots to get back into the game and that’s why (the Suns) can’t win the series.”

Barkley on the Dallas Mavericks still having an opportunity to win the series: “I don’t think you panic when you lose the first two on the road, you’ve got to go home. You’re not going to come back from (being three games down) so you’ve got to make sure you win Game #3. Then you say we’ve got to win Game #4 and then the pressure switches back to New Orleans. You can’t panic, you’ve go to keep your confidence up.”

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on what it would mean to win the MVP Award: “It would be special; winning the MVP now is more different than it used to be. In the early 90s and 80s it was more of an individual award, but now it’s become more about the team’s success and it’s directly tied to your team’s success and how well you elevate your teammates. For me, it’s always been criticism, and the criticism the critics have had of me is I don’t make my teammates better, so for me to be nominated and have the opportunity to win the MVP means a lot.”

Smith on the confidence of the Detroit Pistons: “It’s comical because most people would say of course (Game 2) is a must win, but I understand what (Chauncey Billups) is saying (when he says it isn’t a must win situation). He really believes there is no insurmountable margin of error against the Philadelphia 76ers. He feels no matter what happens they can beat them four times, they can beat them four straight, they can beat them four out of five. They can beat them however you want, but in seven games they will win four games. He is that confident. But that same arrogance, instead of making it a sweep, it makes it five games, it makes it six games. If they have that superiority complex over most teams they play, it bites them and it doesn’t make them lose series but it extends them and in the long run they will lose series.”

Barkley: “Other than the one year they won a championship when everything came together, (Detroit’s arrogance) has gotten them every other year.”

Sphere: Related Content

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Bonzi Wells, Bryon Scott, Charles Barkley, Chris Paul, Dallas Mavericks, David Aldridge, Dirk Nowitzki, Doug Collins, Ernie Johnson, Gregg Popovich, Jerry Stackhouse, Jimmy Lynam, Kenny Smith, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Manu Ginobli, Matt Devlin, Mike Dunleavy, NBA MVP, New Orleans Hornets, Pam Oliver, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Kerr, Tiger Woods, Tony Parker. 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.