(AP Photo/Mark J. Terril)
Does this look like a team led by a selfish superstar?

Game 1: Detroit Pistons (86) @ Orlando Magic (111) - The Pistons lead the series 2-1.

Announcers Marv Albert and Reggie Miller with Pam Oliver reporting

Miller on how Pistons center Jason Maxiell has found a successful way to post-up Magic center Dwight Howard: “(Jason Maxiell) has posed a lot of problems for Dwight Howard, who is about four inches taller (than Maxiell). He is using his legs to get underneath Dwight Howard a little bit down low. He’s not worried about the upper body strength of Dwight Howard He’s trying to get into his legs and bring him down to his size.”

Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy on the clock malfunction at the end of the 3^rd quarter in Game #2: “To say in a game that is simply a one possession game, where there is a basket separating the teams basically the entire fourth quarter and into the last minute, that at the end of the third quarter, a team just got three points that they didn’t deserve and act like that play is not significant in the game is a little ridiculous. If it’s not significant then at the end of the third quarter tonight, give us three points. Ask (Pistons head coach) Flip (Saunders) if that’s significant or not.”

Miller on a potential busy off-season for the NBA rules committee: “I think the (NBA) rules committee is going to have their hands full not only for reviewing plays like (the clock malfunction in Game #2) but the ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ that everyone has been crying foul over. I think they should go back and review that as well.”

Miller on Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace getting upset with the officials: “When Rasheed Wallace picked up his third foul he was yelling at the officials, walking in and out of the huddle. At one point, Lindsey Hunter had to come get him, kind of corral him a little bit. This is not a time to bail on your team. I’ve seen funnier things (happen) in the playoffs.”

Miller on what the Magic need from two of their scorers: “(Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy) really needs (Rashard) Lewis and (Hedo) Turkoglu to play a little bit more free. They are thinking too much out there”

Miller on what Dwight Howard needs to add to his game: “Working with (Magic assistant coach) Patrick Ewing, if (Dwight Howard) does ever get a shot over his right shoulder he will be virtually unstoppable. Right now if he can make his teammates better, right now all the Pistons are doing is either letting him score or hacking him. Once he starts to find his teammates, that’s going to be another part of his game and he’ll be unstoppable.”

TNT’s Pam Oliver interviewed Magic forward Rashard Lewis after the 2^nd quarter

Lewis on what the Magic need to do with the Pistons losing guard Chauncey Billups to injury: “We’ve got to take advantage of it, they don’t have Chauncey and he’s the leader on the floor. They are still a good team, we’ve got to continue to play defense and try to limit Rasheed Wallace’s touches, Tayshaun Prince’s touches and Rip Hamilton’s (touches).”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley and Smith

Smith on the difference in the Magic in Game #3: “The one thing that is a positive (with the Magic) is their ability to shoot the three. At home, I thought they would shoot the three extremely well and that’s been the case. They spread the floor, they have a comfort zone, they move the ball around and all of a sudden you know they are wide open for a three point shot. But the one disadvantage (for the Magic) is they don’t have any big guards. So Rip Hamilton, (Rodney) Stuckey and, when he comes back, Chauncey Billups, they can just shoot over these guards. (The Magic) don’t have defense to contain (the Pistons).”

Barkley on the impact of Pistons guard Chauncey Billups’ injury: “I hope (Billups is) not hurt deep into the playoffs but (the Pistons) are going to win this series (vs. the Magic) in ‘x’ amount of games. But they are obviously going to need him for the Cleveland/Celtics winner. They are going to beat Orlando, (the Magic) are not good enough to beat them. (The Magic) need to get some big guards down the line.”

Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer on the difference between the Houston Rockets, who they played in the first round, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who they face in the second round: “We realized we had a real chance to win game one if we would’ve made some better decisions. We turned the ball over too much. (The Lakers) are a very different team than Houston so it took us a little time to adjust to our new opponent. (The Lakers) fast-break a lot more than (Houston). In the four and five position they handle the ball very well. It was good, it was educational for us, we learned from it and we’ll be ready for tonight.”

Smith on the Jazz/Lakers series: “I really believe, because of the front court of the Lakers and the versatility that they have, it will pose the Jazz more problems than they have ever seen. Because they are longer, more athletic now and they can bang.”

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Miller on how Dwight Howard needs to slow down his game: “Dwight Howard needs to slow down. As soon as he gets the basketball, patience is what Patrick Ewing and Stan Van Gundy are trying to teach this young player. As soon as you get the basketball, wait and look to see how the defense is adjusting to you, then make your move. He’s going too quick.”

Miller on who is going to replace injured guard Chauncey Billups in the Pistons lineup: “I’m wondering if Juan Dixon and Lindsey Hunter (will take the place of Billups), because they are two different types of players. Lindsey Hunter is more of a defensive type, he’s going to pressure you full court. Or are they going to go with Juan Dixon who is more of a scorer.”

Miller on Dwight Howard’s performance in Game #3: “Clark Kent didn’t need to run to the phone booth tonight. Dwight Howard had to be Superman for 48 minutes.”

TNT’s Pam Oliver interviewed Magic center Dwight Howard following the game.

Howard on the Magic’s effort in Game #3: “We played as hard as we could for four quarters, that was the biggest thing. In the last game, we played hard for three quarters. Tonight, we kept the intensity up the whole game. We ran, we blocked shots and we did everything we could to get the win.”

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Gamebreak

Johnson, Barkley and Smith

Barkley on winning the MVP Award after watching Lakers guard Kobe Bryant presented with his first prior to the Jazz/Lakers game: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. Obviously, it’s an individual award but it’s really a team reward. It’s just exciting. First of all, you just can’t cry because it’s really an emotional thing. (Kobe Bryant) really deserved it, it’s well-earned. It’s a wonderful thing, all you can do is say ‘Thank you Lordy.’”

Smith on his former Houston Rockets teammate Hakeem Olajuwon winning an MVP Award in 1994: “I remember the night that Hakeem (Olajuwon) got (his MVP Award) and how great it was. I got chills watching Kobe get it because it reminded me of when Hakeem got it. If you go back to any tape or picture, Hakeem Olajuwon would not take the award. He brought all of his teammates out (onto the court) and (forward) Otis Thorpe had to actually pick it up so when you look at the video Otis Thorpe is holding the trophy and Hakeem is standing in the background because he didn’t feel comfortable claiming an individual award. He said it was for the team and that was a great moment for us.”

Barkley: “He really didn’t mean that…he didn’t let Otis take the trophy home.”

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Game 2: Utah Jazz (110) @ Los Angeles Lakers (120) - The Lakers lead the series 2-0.

Announcers Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins with David Aldridge reporting

Collins on the quickness of the Lakers: “(The Lakers) big men are able to get into the passing lanes and when they go to their bench, they are actually quicker. They have more speed coming off the bench.”

Collins on Lakers forward Lamar Odom: “I think he is much more comfortable being the third (scoring) option (on the Lakers). We saw him early in the year and I think he struggled to be the second leading scorer. He’s a guy that likes to rebound, defend, pass, sort of do all the stats on the sheet that you can fill up, not a guy who’s very comfortable scoring a lot of points.”

Collins on Lakers guard Derek Fisher: “How good has Derek Fisher been for the Lakers this season? The stability he brought to Kobe Bryant, he was a teammate for (the Lakers) three Championships, Kobe believes in him. Fisher has been so important to this team this season.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan after the 1^st quarter

Sloan on Jazz forward Carlos Boozer struggling in the series against the Lakers: “(Carlos Boozer has) got to help himself. That’s just the way basketball is. He’s got to work harder to get better opportunities inside.”

Collins on the hustle of Jazz forward Paul Millsap: “(Paul Millsap) is undersized but he brings a tremendous drive to go get the basketball. Rebounding is just energy, its effort, it’s the will to go get it, and when that ball goes up there, he thinks it’s his even though he’s undersized.”

Collins on the Lakers season: “So much has been talked about with the Lakers this season; Kobe and his MVP award, the addition of (Derek) Fisher and what he’s meant, the Pau Gasol trade and how that worked out and Lamar Odom moving to the three-spot. But the internal improvement of this Laker team, you look at Jordan Farmar, (Ronny) Turiaf, (Sasha) Vujacic, (Vladimir) Radmanovic, (Andrew) Bynum before he got hurt, all of these guys are so important to the Lakers bench. They’ve been so valuable for Phil Jackson all season long…they got lucky, they got a wonderful trading partner in Memphis, they got Gasol without giving any of their key players away. He has fit in beautifully and the Lakers have not looked back since.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed NBA Commissioner David Stern during the 2^nd quarter

Stern on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant winning his first NBA MVP Award: “(Kobe Bryant is) a great player, (he’s) always been a great player and he deserves (the MVP Award).”

Stern on the turnarounds of the Lakers and Celtics franchises: “We’ve got the Celtics that turned it around. We’ve got the Lakers leading a very difficult Western Conference. What it does is it sends hope throughout the league that it can be done.”

Stern on the clock malfunction at the end of the 3rd quarter in Game #2 of the Magic/Pistons series: “The (question) is whether we should allow (instant) replay on clock malfunctions and I think we should and we’re going to take it to the competition committee later this month.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Lakers guard Derek Fisher after the 2^nd quarter

Fisher on Jazz guard Deron Willams: “(Deron Williams) is trying to figure out when he can be aggressive and when he has to really get guys involved. He’s a great player so I don’t expect his low productivity to last too long. He’s the quarterback, he’s the head of the monster so if you can impact him you can impact the rest of the team. That’s what we have to understand, everything starts with him and ends with him, if we continue to help each other guarding him then we’ll be ok.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley and Smith

Barkley on the Utah Jazz’s lack of energy: “(The Jazz) are not playing like a Jerry Sloan (coached) team. They aren’t playing with that sense of urgency. To win a series they have to believe they can really beat (the Lakers). I just don’t see that from the Jazz. They are just playing basketball and in the playoffs, you can’t just play basketball, you’ve got to play with a sense of emotion and passion.”

Smith: “It looks like (the Jazz have) settled. They aren’t trying to punish the team. They are getting good looks, but not great looks. They are settling for everything. They aren’t putting any kind of pressure on the Lakers.”

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Collins on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant: “Kobe Bryant is the most complete offensive player in the game. He can beat you off the dribble, he can shoot the three, he can post-up, he can get to the foul line and you cannot defend him with one player. That’s why the Utah Jazz are in trouble in this series.”

Collins on the Jazz apparent lack of confidence against the Lakers: “The Lakers have looked them down and the Jazz need to dig in their heels and compete and show the Lakers that they think they can beat them. It’s almost like when you play golf against Tiger Woods and you’re getting ready to tee it up and you think, ‘I can play great tonight but I still don’t think I can beat him.’ The Jazz are a good team, they’ve got to start playing with some confidence.”

Collins on Jazz guard Deron Williams: “I think (Deron Williams) feels like he can go at Derek Fisher. I thought he gave him a little too much respect in Game #1 and early in (Game #2). Now that (Williams has) gone on the attack and has been aggressive, he’s going to have to bring the same mentality in Game #3 in Salt Lake City. He’s going to have to be the one to get his team off to a great start.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Lakers guard Kobe Bryant following the game.

Bryant on how the Lakers survived a rough start to the season to get to the second round of the playoffs: “Just by working hard. We really bunkered down together. We focused on our execution and focused on improving and here we are.”

Bryant on Lakers guard Derek Fisher’s tough defense on Jazz guard Deron Williams: “(Derek Fisher) is such a smart player. He understands positioning, he understands angles and we’re just trying to make life as tough as possible for Deron (Williams).”

Bryant on what he expects from Utah fans after they booed Derek Fisher who played for the Jazz in 2006-07: “Hopefully the same thing so we can feed off of it.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith

Barkley on the Utah Jazz losing their first two games on the road against the Lakers: “I would be encouraged that (the Jazz) are going home because they are a lot better at home. But I’m disappointed, they aren’t playing with great energy and enthusiasm, it seems like they aren’t sure they can beat the Lakers. It seems like Deron Williams tried to (increase the tempo), but no one came with him. Even when they make runs, they are still down six, eight or 10 points, and you can’t do that on the road.”

Smith on the prospect of Lakers center Andrew Bynum returning to the Lakers: “I was just thinking there’s no Andrew Bynum right now, he’s long, he’s athletic and he fits right in. That’s like adding a first round pick with experience (when Bynum returns). He knew his role and his rhythm when he got hurt, a lot of young guys haven’t found their game yet, but he had found his game and he was playing well. So now he has an idea of what to do when he comes back. It’s amazing how good this team is going to be for the next five or six years.”

Barkley on why the Pistons need to bench injured Pistons guard Chauncey Billups: “(The Pistons) would be stupid to play (Chauncey Billups) in the next game. They’ve got to look at the big picture, a hamstring is a very dangerous injury. They don’t need Chauncey to beat the Orlando Magic, they need Chauncey to beat Boston or Cleveland. So let him sit out a couple of days because if he comes back and hurts his hamstring for real, they might be done in the next round. Even if they lose the next game they’ve still got the home court, they don’t have to win in Orlando, Orlando needs to win the next game. You can’t screw around with a hamstring or a groin.”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 4:26 pm and is filed under Andrew Bynum, Boston Celtics, Carlos Boozer, Charles Barkley, Chauncey Billups, David Aldridge, David Stern, Derek Fisher, Deron Williams, Detroit Pistons, Doug Collins, Dwight Howard, Ernie Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets, Inside the NBA, Jason Maxiell, Jerry Sloan, Kenny Smith, Kevin Harlan, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, Marv Albert, NBA, NBA MVP, NBA On TNT, Orlando Magic, Pam Oliver, Paul Milsap, Rashard Lewis, Rasheed Wallace, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Utah Jazz. 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.