Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, February 5, 2009: Kobe and the Lakers Sweep the Celtics
(Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images)
TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. ET live from Phoenix, AZ with an exclusive doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls followed by the Boston Celtics @ Dallas Mavericks. TNT will have exclusive coverage of NBA All-Star 2009 from February 12-15.
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Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Karl Malone
Malone on the Lakers losing center Andrew Bynum on a freak accident with Kobe Bryant: “It’s unbelievable to me because Kobe (Bryant) finally gets all the pieces that he needs and it is ironic because a couple of years ago Kobe and Andrew (Bynum) weren’t seeing eye to eye. Kobe all of sudden is beginning to trust his teammates and the look on his face when he hit him was ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Smith on the Lakers this season versus last year: “Everyone is nervous and they are in ‘Panicville’in LA, but to me this is still a better team than the one that went to the NBA Finals without Bynum because 1) Pau Gasol has been there all year and has been through training camp, 2) Lamar Odom has accepted his role and 3) Trevor Ariza is there and wasn’t there before.”
Malone on Lakers forward Lamar Odom: “Every time I see Lamar Odom play I’ve been a big fan, but I’m always looking for more out of him because I’ve seen this guy. I don’t think he should take a backseat, I like when he is assertive.”
Smith on wishing he and Malone could play against the NY Knicks after magnificent performances earlier in the week by Kobe Bryant and LeBron James: “All I want to know is ‘when do we go to NY?’ With the ‘Mailman’ I could get 11 or 12 assists (today) and you’d get 35 (points) or so today.”
Malone on the easy baskets that Kobe Bryant scored against the NY Knicks this week: “Would you (the Knicks) foul somebody? You’re only going to embarrass me for so long before I undercut or hit you or something, but don’t let the man score 61 in your building.”
Malone on footage of him in a professional wrestling outfit: “Don’t be mad because I look good in those tights, I bet you couldn’t get Chuck (Charles Barkley) in those tights. It would look like two guys fighting in a pillow.”
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Game #1: LA Lakers (110) @ Boston Celtics (109) in overtime
Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting
Collins on Boston guard Ray Allen: “(Ray Allen has) been the most consistent of the three stars (for Boston) this year. He’s shooting the ball at a career high this year.”
Albert following a report by Craig Sager that he called Lakers center Andrew Bynum on his cell phone today to discuss his rehabilitation: “I got a call from Andrew Bynum later in the day and he wanted to pass along to Craig, ‘Please stop calling me.’”
Collins on the Lakers bench: “When the Lakers are healthy I think they have one of the best benches in the league with that speed and quickness and firepower they have.”
Collins on the possible addition of NY Knicks guard Stephon Marbury to the Boston Celtics: “I think as a coach you would be very, very cautious. I think that Doc Rivers has gone to his three star players and they have all endorsed the deal. I think what they are also saying is that they would be paying him very little and any bump in the road they could get rid of him immediately; he would be on a very short leash. The question is, could you get a gain, even if it is a short-term gain, from (Stephon) Marbury that could help you win another Championship?”
Collins on Celtics forward Leon Powe: “I really like what (Leon) Powe is doing, he is giving them a ton of energy and he is giving them that toughness inside that they need.”
Collins on the Celtics wearing down the LA Lakers: “The Lakers after really playing well have fallen prey to the physical play of the Celtics.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Smith and Malone
Malone of Lakers forward Lamar Odom: “How much talent can God bless one guy with? Lamar Odom is one of the most talented guys, 6′ 10″ he can do a lot of things. Last I checked he wanted a new contract. Hey, ‘step up big fella.’…He can handle the ball, he can shoot the three, a great shot blocker when he wants from the weakside. How much disruption are you going to cause?’”
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Albert: “It’s getting a little testy here.”
Miller: “What did you expect, these are the NBA Finalists.”
Collins on the tensions between the Celtics and the LA Lakers: “Composure. This is the time where you have to take a deep breath and rely on your championship poise. You can’t let the emotion of the game get in the way of distracting you from playing basketball.”
Collins on the defensive efforts by both teams: “If you like good defense both of these teams rotating beautifully forcing difficult shots, getting hands in faces.”
Collins on Celtics guard/forward Paul Pierce: “You forget how strong Paul Pierce is. His weight is down. He is a power guard/small forward. When he gets the body on you he has the ability to take that shot (and finish).”
Collins on Lakers guard Kobe Bryant: “(Kobe Bryant) can miss 10 straight and think he’s hot, that’s the beauty of great players, it’s ‘next play, next play.’”
Miller on Celtics guard Rajon Rondo: “Rondo is that one ‘X’ factor that the Celtics have because no one out there can match his speed.”
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Game #2: Dallas Mavericks (87) @ Utah Jazz (115)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Mike Fratello, with Cheryl Miller reporting
Fratello on the Utah Jazz: “How (Utah) is five games over .500 with all the key games missed by key players is a tribute to the rest of the guys and the coaching staff.”
Fratello on Utah guard/forward Matt Harpring: “(Matt) Harpring is one the few guys in the league that beats you defensively and offensively, there is constant contact with Matt Harpring.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Smith and Malone
Smith on how an altercation between the Lakers’ Lamar Odom and the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett and woke Odom’s game up: “To get (Lamar Odom) going, he needs someone to slap him in the face and get in an argument and he did. He got in an argument (with Kevin Garnett) and all of a sudden he woke up, he played focused and he played better.”
Malone on the Lakers being motivated by watching the Celtics celebrate the NBA Championship last year: “Referees don’t forget (anything) and players don’t either. (The Lakers) remember (watching the Celtics celebrate). (Lakers head coach) Phil Jackson is great at (motivating) and getting his guys going and it starts with Kobe (Bryant).”
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Fratello on the poor defensive effort by the Mavericks: “When something like that can happen, when the ball can go from one baseline to another baseline, go right through the middle of the defense, that means that Dallas is starting to hang their head right now. They are not regrouping, they are not getting their defensive position and that should never happen.”
Fratello on Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller: “This is a very special man. I remember years back when I was coaching where Larry Miller would sit next to the opposing team’s coach, just a couple of seats away, and let you know if you did anything to hurt his team. Anyone who would keep a coach (Jerry Sloan) for 21 years says a lot about the coach.”
Fratello on Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams: “(Deron Williams) is a guy who is the leader of this team, constantly knows where his guys are gets them the ball where they are most effective….He is the maestro of this team.”
Fratello on fellow TNT analyst Reggie Miller: “You mention Reggie (Miller), I’m seeing Reggie all over the place. Reggie’s picture is in newspapers, Reggie’s face is on TV, Reggie’s voice is on radio. Reggie’s trying to take over the media….He refers to himself often as ‘his movie actor-type looks.’”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Smith and Malone
Malone on Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams: “The thing about Deron (Williams) is you hope that kid can stay healthy because he is the engine that makes that team go. He’s playing hurt but I just love the way he plays.”
Smith: “He is Jason Kidd rejuvenated with a jump shot. He has a lot of (Kidd’s) qualities.”
Malone on the Phoenix Suns: “There is something going on in Phoenix. First and foremost, I don’t dislike (Suns head coach) Terry Porter but I don’t know if he was the right fit for that team. You’ve got (veterans) Shaquille O’Neal, Amar’e (Stoudemire) and Steve Nash and they needed a (veteran) presence in the (locker) room. Not that those guys have bad attitudes, but sooner or later you’re going to have to stay with the older guys (over the younger players). I’m not saying that Terry Porter is out of his league but he could not have taken a more difficult job.”
Malone on the high number of coaches who have been fired in recent seasons: “I’m still waiting for our coaches to stop getting fired. Last time I checked, they aren’t missing any jump shots and they’re not running the floor. Let’s put the onus back on the players now. Let’s have the players be more accountable and let our GMs, when they make a mistake, to look at the TV like our President (Obama) did and say, ‘I screwed up on that.’ It’s not the coach’s fault. It was unfair to (fired Memphis Grizzlies head coach) Marc Iavaroni, who I played with, to bring him into a situation and then say, ‘you’re not getting this done.’ Give him someone to play with, it’s not the coaches losing ballgames but they are the first one to go. I want our players to be more accountable.”
Malone on Utah Jazz forward and fellow Louisiana Tech player Paul Millsap: “(Paul Millsap is) a great young man and I wish the best for him. The sky is the limit (for him).”
Utah Jazz forward Paul Millsap on who would win a one-on-one match-up against Karl Malone: “I gotta’ be confident with myself and say that I’m going to have to win that battle, maybe right now. But back then (when Malone played), maybe he would’ve killed me.”
Malone responding to Millsap’s comments: “Son, I’ve got one great game left in me and I don’t know if you want to be that one.”
Malone on Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller who has been battling recent health issues that led to the amputation of both legs: “Larry (Miller) and I have always said to each other that we’re both bull-headed, but at the end of the day Larry would know where I stood with him and he knew where we stood with me. My heart goes out to him but Larry never wants you to feel sorry for him. Our prayers are with Larry and his family, they’re great people. I love you Larry, you know that, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, I’ll see you whether you want me to come to your house or not.”
Smith on the Philadelphia 76ers playing more up-tempo: “(The 76ers) are moving and running, freelancing in the open floor, that’s when they are at their best. They struggle when you put them in a half-court set.”
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Garnett wouldn’t be looking for gum and plaque in Shaq’s mouth. Why’s he getting all ORAL with Little Lamar?
The Celtics lost that game last night, and they should’ve won it. KG fouling out (that 6th foul was a joke. Gasol fouled him twice before the ball was loose) was huge because Big Baby wants to go out and shoot jumpers now.
Oh, and Karl Malone saying Charles would look like 2 grown men in a pillow fighting was hilarious…
-Ed.
http://www.edthesportsfan.com
Fuck Boston and Fuck KG. Punk ass bitch.
Yeah, rolled INTO Boston, second of B2B, 5th on road trip, WITHOUT Bynum, Boston gunning for us to prove Xmas was a fluke and we took it.
Bynum Will be back and the matchup does not favore Boston. They can’t beat this team this season.
“The Celtics lost that game last night, and they should’ve won it.”
About as whiny as the Celtics.
You need to get some cheddar Son, it’s gonna be a long season for you.
You Kevdog how long is bynum out??
Herad its 8 to 12 weeks. If thats true I look for him to be back with the team come playoff time. The thing is since he will have a torn ACL he will only be about 70% for the playoff run.
Not sure if thats enough for the playoffs. Especially with the lakers leaking oil on the defensive end.
If in the next 8-12 weeks there opps ppg is giving up 105 pts by the time Bynum comes back. They can kiss a championship by.
Ever since Bynum went down the defense has gotten worse and it was bad before he left.
Anyway we will see Kevdog we will see.
Sorry I meant to say if the lakers are giving up 101 -102 points a game. I am not sure if they can over come that.
Orgin my man, you worry way too much. The Lakers D is much better than you think. Sure they take defensive posessions off and sometimes games. But you can’t look at ppg given up as a true measure of how well a team plays D. You have to take account pace and posessions and opponent fg% and opponent 3 point fg%. When you take those measures into account, the Lakers are abput the 5th best defensive team in the league. More importantly, they have the highest offensive effeciency and more defensive upside than any of the other teams who are better than them defensively. IOW, when we have to step it up defensively, we can and do.
I hear you brotha Kev. Truth be told I would like the lakers and celtics to meet in the finals again (I belive they will as I believed last year). If it was up to me they would meet in this years finals and next years.
For the sake of the league I want them to meet 3 years in a row. Hopefully the lakers can win this year and they can meet one more time next year for complete braging rights.
My concern just like last year is their interior defense. As I said before brotha Kev I probably watch 90% of the lakers games since I have league pass. But it does concern me that they have defensive lapses from time to time.