(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

TNT NBA Thursdays continue on Thursday, March 19 at 8 p.m. ET featuring the Portland Trail Blazers @ Cleveland Cavaliers followed by the Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers.

TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com

Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber

Barkley on how the MVP race should be decided: “The MVP is LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.  I love Dwyane Wade.  Kobe Bryant has been the best player for a while.  We did not award him with the MVP until his team had the best record or one of the best.  Dwyane is having a fabulous year, but you can’t change the criteria.  It’ll be LeBron or Kobe because their teams will have better records.  We reward winning.”

Smith on the MVP race: “Kobe (Bryant) has been the best player.  LeBron (James) has been the best teammate.  Dwyane Wade has been the best highlight.  Overall, it’s either the best player or the best teammate.  (Bryant and James) have elevated their games. I would have to go with LeBron because I don’t think he has as much talent as the Lakers have.”

The studio crew unanimously picked Cavaliers forward LeBron James as their MVP at this point in the season:

Webber: “I have to go with ‘The King’ (LeBron James), but Kobe is the best.”

Smith: “The MVP of the league if we ended the season right now is LeBron James.”

Barkley: “I’m going with LeBron James.  I love Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.  But this year so far…it’s LeBron James.”

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Game #1:  Los Angeles Lakers (102) @ San Antonio Spurs (95)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins; David Aldridge reporting

Collins on former Lakers reserve Vladimir Radmanovic who was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats earlier this season: “The Lakers miss (Vladimir Radmanovic).  They miss his shooting and size off the bench; he was a wild card in their offense.”

Collins on Lakers guard Derek Fisher: “I love (Derek Fisher’s) stability and what he brings to (the Lakers).  He’s sometimes overlooked with all the stars, but he came back to this organization after being in Utah and really has been a stabilizing force in the backcourt.”

Collins on Spurs guard Michael Finley: “How good has Michael Finley been for (the Spurs)?  He never misses a game, plays all 82 (games).  He gives them great shooting and is a great professional.”

Collins on Spurs forward Ime Udoka: “It’s been a very disappointing season for Ime Udoka.  He had a strong finish last year, worked very hard this summer, thought he was going to be very much involved in the offense, but he has been very inconsistent and is trying to play himself back into the rotation.”

Collins on newly acquired Spurs forward Drew Gooden: “(Spurs head coach) Gregg Popovich feels (that Drew Gooden will) give them a dose of energy and some size on the backboard where they need him.  I like his toughness, he’ll knock you around.  They have him and Kurt Thomas as power forwards who can make open jump shots.”

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T-Mobile Halftime Report

Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Smith on how to defend the Lakers: “Defensively, (the Lakers) are one of the best teams in the league.  On the offensive end, what makes them so tough is that they have so many weapons that can beat you and (they have) versatility.  The only way that you can contend with the Lakers is to not give them easy transition baskets.  Once they start getting those, it’s over.”

Suns forward Grant Hill on maintaining a positive attitude: “Even if no one else believes, as a player you always have to believe.  You always believe that you have a chance to win, you have a chance to get hot, you have a chance to ultimately win a championship.  That’s your ego, that’s your personality, that’s what makes you a professional athlete. I think there’s still belief there. It’s not going to be easy.  Look at the task at hand, look at everything that’s happened. For me, for us, we’ve just got to look at the Cavs and lets just focus on coming out and being a very good team.”

Barkley on the Suns struggling this season: “(The Suns have) no chance.  They unfairly fired (former head coach) Terry Porter, he got stabbed in the back.  The Suns aren’t very good.  Shaq (O’Neal) is really the only person on that team who’s played well this year.  Shaq has had a monster year, but he’s the only player on that team who has played well.  They don’t have the same personnel to run-and-gun and they miss the shooters.  They miss (Raja) Bell (traded to Charlotte earlier this season) spreading the floor.  But it doesn’t matter…they aren’t going to tell you the truth in Phoenix.  They are going to try and blame everything on Shaq.”

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Collins on the Lakers‘ mentality throughout the season: “(The Lakers’) goal going into training camp was to have the best record throughout (the NBA).  The Lakers have fought this hard and this long this season.  They don’t want anybody else to have home court throughout (the playoffs); they want games six and seven in their building if they get to the NBA Finals.”

Collins on the size of the Lakers‘ front line: “Going into the playoffs, the Lakers want a healthy Andrew Bynum.  One of the weaknesses they had last year was they weren’t big enough along the front line playing against the Celtics in the NBA Finals.  They felt that they got out-muscled.”

Collins on Kobe Bryant understanding his team: “You talk about the pulse beat, having a player understand the pulse beat of a team.  All young, great players you ask them what they need at this moment. When the Lakers need a field goal, Kobe (Bryant) gives it to them.”

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Game #2:  Cleveland Cavaliers (119) @ Phoenix Suns (111)

Announcers: Marv Albert, Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller; Craig Sager reporting

Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown on attacking an up-tempo team like the Suns: “We have to keep trying to mix up coverages in order to keep them off-balance so they won’t know what’s coming if the game is close at the end of the game.  On the other end of the floor it’s a catch-22, our guys will have to take a good look at the shots they will get early in the shot clock.  But in the same breath, we gotta make sure we don’t shoot too quickly because that’s not our game.”

Miller on the mid-season acquisitions of Joe Smith and Stephon Marbury to the Cavaliers and Celtics, respectively: “It’s easier for Joe Smith (to join a new team) because he’s been affiliated with the league (this season).  It’s different in (Stephon) Marbury’s case because he’s been out the whole year waiting for a resolution to his situation in New York (with the Knicks).  Joe Smith is familiar with Mike Brown and his system.”

Fratello on Suns forward Stromile Swift: “Stromile Swift is a young man who becomes a free agent at the end of the year.  He really needs to have some quality minutes down the stretch.  People have not been able to see what Stromile Swift is all about.  He was a very high pick in the draft, but he is always injured.  You don’t get the chance to see him play extended minutes or extended games.”

Fratello on the Suns‘ two options heading into next season: “If (the Suns) can make the playoffs and keep the key players together and (Amar’e) Stoudemire comes back (from injury), then Alvin Gentry is probably the guy to coach because he’s coached in that style alongside (former coach) Mike D’Antoni and he understands that’s how they have to play to win.  However, if they don’t make it, then they need to strip this team down.”

Miller on Shaquille O’Neal’s role with the Suns: “We know that Shaq (O’Neal) sometimes takes things too far.  He’s gotten into it (recently) with (Magic head coach Stan) Van Gundy, he got into it with (Raptors forward) Chris Bosh calling him ‘RuPaul.’  Shaq is sensitive, he’s a very good friend of mine, but if you’re going to bring Shaq (to Phoenix), then you have to get the ball to him.  In this system where they are playing ‘seven seconds or Shaq,’ it doesn’t do him any good.  He’s a Hall of Fame-type player who needs touches.  If you are going to play up-and-down, what’s the point of having him in a system like this where you can’t really use what he came here to do which was half-court basketball in the playoffs?  You throw it down low and establish a low-post game.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Suns managing partner Robert Sarver

Sarver on the Suns struggling this season: “We’re not done yet, we still have 18 games to go.  The season isn’t over.  (Other) teams have come back from where we are.  I wouldn’t say anything has gone wrong.  Competition in the West (Conference) is very strong and we got off to a tough start.  We lost to some teams we shouldn’t have lost to, and we’ve dug ourselves into a hole.”

Sarver on what he expects will happen with the team in the months to come: “I think any owner or any basketball executive can look back in hindsight, but I prefer to look forward.  I tell our guys that God put eyes in the front of our heads so we can look forward, not backwards.  We’ve had a great four years, we’ve been competitive every year, we’ve had a good run.  This year, we’ll see if we’ll make the playoffs or not.  We’ve got some great talent which will give us some flexibility next year if we want to make some trades or keep the team together.  We’ve got some pieces and I think we’ll do a good job next year.”

Sarver on whether Suns GM Steve Kerr makes decisions on his own or with Sarver’s input: “I would say they are joint decisions.  The decisions we’ve made have been supported by everyone within the organization, including me.  At the end of the day, I’m the one that’s accountable for the direction of this franchise and the buck stops with me.”

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T-Mobile Halftime Report

Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Smith on LeBron James being the most unselfish player in the league: “(LeBron James) is the most unselfish 30-point scorer in the NBA.  When he came into the league he was known as a facilitator and the question was, ‘could he score?’  Now, that’s not a question.  LeBron understands the game so well, he makes other players better and he doesn’t have to dominate the ball.”

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TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Suns head coach Alvin Gentry following the third quarter.

Gentry on the Suns trying to win down the stretch to make the playoffs: “I think we’ve got real professional guys (on the team).  Our core guys are really strong character guys and they aren’t going to quit through the last 18 games (of the season).”

Fratello on Cavaliers forward Joe Smith: “One thing you would always mention in a scouting report about Joe Smith is if you are driving to the basket, Joe Smith is going to step in for a charge.  He is one of the best.  He doesn’t flop, but goes down very easily.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Cavaliers guard LeBron James, who recorded his third straight triple-double, following the game.

James on hurting his knee twice during the game: “We all know if you get a bump you’re able to finish the game up because the adrenaline and it’s still warm. It hurt a little bit, we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.  We’ve got a back-to-back in Sacramento, get some treatment tonight and get some treatment tomorrow, and hopefully I’ll be able to go tomorrow night.”

James on his block of Suns guard Jason Richardson who attempted a 360° dunk thinking he was in the open court: “(I) definitely didn’t want to give up on the play.  I was able to take off from the deep corner, he was by himself, J-Rich (Jason Richardson) thought he was by himself and I was able to get back.  I got my hand on all-ball and so it was a big play for our team and a good momentum change.”

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Smith on the difference between MVP candidates Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade: “Kobe Bryant is the best player in basketball, LeBron James is the beat teammate and the best highlight or most spectacular player is Dwyane Wade. When I say best teammate, it would be easier for a guy to play with LeBron James because he’s the most selfless 30-point scorer in basketball.  There are two types of assists, guys who have assists when they throw it to you and you have no option but to score or shoot the basketball.  Or there are guys who give you the ball and you still have the option to change your mind and do something with it. LeBron James’ assists are assists that still give you the ability to make a play if you do not have the one that he sees. That’s what makes him special and a better teammate, that’s just the way he plays the game. Kobe is a killer, Kobe’s going to choke you, put you out, knock the game out.”

Webber on the Cavaliers forward LeBron James’ on-court demeanor: “I really like the demeanor (of LeBron James) on the court.  He really trusts the players around him and I haven’t seen a lot of great NBA players be able to do that.”

Smith on teams fearing Kobe Bryant more than they fear LeBron James: “The difference to me right now is the aggressiveness that Kobe (Bryant) has, the fear factor he puts in the other team. LeBron (James’) ability to play strikes fear, but there is a mental edge (by Bryant) that guys in the league fear him more.  They don’t get the high fives, there’s no playing around with him on the court and they fear him more.”

Barkley on the approach the Phoenix Suns need to take to get back on track as an organization: “(The Suns) should have traded Amar’e (Stoudemire), that’s no disrespect to Amar’e, but they’ve got to start over.  With Amar’e, they could have gotten some good young players, some draft picks. Then you let Steve Nash and Shaq (O’Neal) play one more year, and you do what the Pistons are doing, suffer through a year.  You have $30 million, some good young players, high draft picks.  That’s why (Pistons president) Joe Dumars is one of the best executives in the business.  His team is not going to win anymore, but I’m going to have $35 million from (Allen Iverson’s) contract and Rasheed (Wallace’s) contract. Sometimes you have to step back.”

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