Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA - Thursday, April 9, 2009: Andrew Bynum Is Back!
TNT NBA Thursday concludes its regular season coverage on Tuesday, April 14 at 8 p.m. ET featuring the Boston Celtics @ Philadelphia 76ers followed by the Utah Jazz @ LA Lakers
TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Smith on the Lakers chances of winning a championship with Andrew Bynum back: “What he does is give them every component now to make a championship team. You need a big man, now they have one (Andrew Bynum). You need a guy to take over the game, now they have one in Kobe Bryant. You need a great guy to come off the bench, now they have that in Lamar Odom. You probably need a great coach, and they have that in Phil Jackson, so right now they have all the components to be a championship team and they don’t have a weakness that you can attack everyday.”
Barkley on the Denver Nuggets chances of winning a championship: “I don’t think you can win a championship shooting jumpers; I don’t have the faith in (the Nuggets) big guys to get easy baskets. They are not a great defensive team.”
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Game #1: Philadelphia 76ers (99) @ Chicago Bulls (113)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins; Craig Sager reporting
Harlan on 76ers loss of Elton Brand: “(The 76ers) have been a team in flux; they had to change on the fly with him getting hurt, now the injury to Thaddeus Young, the one thing they have to call on is there inside play.”
Collins on Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young and guard/forward Andre Iguodala being the only small forwards: “When you look at Philadelphia you have Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala, and when you take Thaddeus Young out they don’t have another small forward on the team, so it’s hard to get (Andre) Igoudala any rest out there because they don’t have another small forward.”
Collins on the importance in avoiding the top three teams in the East in the Playoffs: “Most of the talk is in #1 (Cleveland Cavaliers), #2 (Boston Celtics) and #3 (Orlando Magic). Then you get to the fourth spot, which is Atlanta, and a lot of people feel if you get to that fifth spot, then Atlanta could be vulnerable. Everybody is trying to stay away from Cleveland, Boston and Orlando who have been the cream of the crop in the East all season long.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Smith on the Bulls today versus four years ago: “Four years ago, everyone was like ‘this is the up and coming Bulls team, this is a team that’s going to be on the rise’. Now this team has the potential to get better. I actually think this is a better team.”
Barkley on the Lakers and Nuggets being the top two teams in the Western Conference: “When you play against a really good team, you want to send them a message. The Lakers are going to want to send Denver a message that ‘if we see y’all in the playoffs this is what’s going to happen.’ If you’re Denver you don’t have to win the game, but you can’t get blown out. They want to show that they are the second best team in the West. It’s up to Denver to gain on the better team.”
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Craig Sager interviewed injured 76ers forward Thaddeus Young
Young on the frustrations of dealing with injuries: “Right now we are taking it day to day. It’s very difficult when you go down and you are playing some of the best basketball of your career, you start to get up there with some of the big dogs and when you go down its unfortunate. But right now I’m just trying to get back and I’m just trying to help my team.”
Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro on Rookie of the Year candidate Derrick Rose: “He has such humility and he understands the game, but the point guard position is very tough. He works hard at it and he is just going to improve.”
Collins on Bulls guard Derrick Rose: “(Derrick Rose) has very strong legs; his body looks stronger in person, I like his energy. Where a lot of rookies start fading in their rookie season (at the end of the season). He’s just come off a very off month in March where he averaged almost 17 points per game, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He is going to be a star.”
Collins on Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro: “He has done a nice job. You can see him really growing in his job. When your assistant coaches are Del Harris and Bernie Bickerstaff, obviously as Vinny continues to grow (as a head coach), their voices become less because he is the voice that this team has to hear.”
Collins on how the additions of Bulls forward John Salmons and center Brad Miller has impacted the city of Chicago: “No question, (the trade) revitalized this city with their Bulls, they way they’re playing and I know it’s revitalized John Paxson. They feel very good about the direction they are headed now.”
Collins on Philadelphia 76ers guard/forward Andre Iguodala: “(Andre Iguodala) has beautiful body control, he’s able to hang in the air like that. When he gets in that paint, he has long arms and he can jump well and has a really good sense around that rim.”
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Game Break
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on the Denver Nuggets shortcomings: “(The Nuggets) two best players are jump shooters. I don’t know if they can score enough from their bigs to be an elite team. They’ve got a good team, any team that has Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups is going to be solid. I’m talking about in the long haul. Can their big guys score enough points on a consistent basis? Right now I say ‘No’.”
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Game #2: Denver Nuggets (102) @ LA Lakers (116)
Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello; Cheryl Miller reporting
Miller on the improved defense of the Denver Nuggets: “You can credit the reason why the Nuggets are playing better at both ends to Chauncey Billups. He brings that work ethic every single day whether it is in practice or in games. That keeps these guys motivated and ready to go.”
Fratello on the improved game of Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony: “Carmelo (Anthony) is another member of the United States Olympic team who went over (to Beijing) and came back with another mindset.”
Reggie Miller on Cheryl Miller calling out Scott Pollard to play one on one on NBA TV: “Scott’s a former teammate of mine, but all I know is Cheryl calling him out to the court to play some one on one and I have my money on Cheryl any day of the week.”
Reggie Miller on Lakers center Andrew Bynum adjusting to his knee brace: “(Andrew) Bynum really doesn’t trust the mechanics of the brace on the knee right there. (He is) slow to react to when the lob was thrown to him. It’s going to take a while for him to trust that brace and really his body movement”
Reggie Miller on his Sixth Man of the Year pick: “It’s Jason Terry’s to lose, but I think JR Smith has come up with a late season push, if you look at his numbers for the last 10 or so games.”
Reggie Miller on Chauncey Billups bouncing from team to team earlier in his career: “I think it’s all about finding the right fit, earlier on in (Chauncey Billups’) career there was a question whether he was going to be a true point guard or an undersized shooting guard and I think once he landed in Detroit he figured it out. He fit in well and meshed well with that system and went on to win an NBA championship while he was there.”
Reggie Miller on a potential Cleveland and Detroit first round match-up: “Obviously on paper you’re thinking Cleveland, best record in the league, best home record in the league and arguably the best player in the league with LeBron James. But you’ve got a Detroit team that’s been there, done that and probably needs that type of challenge in the first round. It’s scary if I’m Cleveland going against Detroit in the first round.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Smith on the Lakers bench: “The Lakers have the best bench in basketball; they just have so many guys and so many weapons. The ‘Fab 5′ really isn’t playing great, Kobe isn’t playing great. Now Lamar (Odom) moves to the sixth man role, they have penetration guys who make shots and make plays for themselves. They don’t need Kobe to just stand around and make a play for them. They have guys that can go inside. They have all the elements to win a championship.”
Barkley on the difference between practice and game action in the NBA for Andrew Bynum: “When you come back riding a bike and running up and down the court in practice it isn’t the same when you are playing against NBA players. I think about 20 minutes a night for the last three or four games, that’s a perfect pace and he’ll (Andrew Bynum) be ready for the playoffs”
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Reggie Miller on why home court isn’t as important in the Western Conference: “If you’re one of those Western Conference teams, other than the Los Angeles Lakers….if you’re sixth, seventh, (or) fifth (seed), it really doesn’t matter if you start on the road. All these teams are so close; it really isn’t going to matter if you have home court advantage.”
Albert on Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony: “It’s the strength of Carmelo Anthony, you don’t realize how thick he is and how strong he is because he wards off the oncoming bodies and still has balance when he goes up.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Smith on how the return of Andrew Bynum makes the Lakers a great team: “(Andrew Bynum) gives them that traditional big man. Pau Gasol is seven-foot but he isn’t the traditional big player. He is the European flavor, where he can take you off the dribble outside. Guys (in the United States) learn how to play with their back to the basket. That’s what (Bynum) does and he gives (the Lakers) all kinds of looks. They are a great team now.”
Barkley on the Sacramento Kings: “I really pull for the Sacramento Kings. I’ve really got a lot of love for them and the (owners) Maloof brothers. They have great fans out there. They haven’t been the same since Kenny (Smith) left.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Bulls guard Ben Gordon following the game
Gordon on Bulls center Brad Miller, who the team re-acquired from the Kings in a mid-season trade: “Brad (Miller) has given us a post-presence that we really didn’t have in the past. He’s really slow and not that athletic but he really knows how to play. He’s a great passer, great perimeter shooter and he makes the game easier for us.”
Kenny Smith’s keys to teams winning on the road in the NBA Playoffs:
Coaching - “You have to have a good coach and someone who is battle-tested. They understand the game but can change on the fly and abandon the game plan when something changes. At the same time, they need to have a belief in their team that it’s going to work.”
Bench - “You have to have a strong bench. Orlando’s bench is light so we’re not sure about them. Boston has guys that come in (off the bench) every night and get it done. Denver has a tough bench. The bench guys have to play consistently.”
Bench Players - “You have to have a star bench player who can come in and be a star for the night. Cleveland has Daniel Gibson, the Lakers have Lamar Odom, the Spurs had (injured) Manu Gibobili and the Heat have Michael Beasley. Guys who come in and can have a big game, have over 20 points and help the team win.”
Two Dominators - “Every night you have to have two guys who can score and dominate. The Lakers probably have the best two in basketball (Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol). Someone along with the star players, like Kobe and Dwight Howard, have to come in and give you that second effort and take you to the next level.”
Beast - “You have to have a beast. You have to have a guy who can come in and get you 40 (points). The rest of the team doesn’t have to worry about scoring, they can concentrate on defense. Anything that happens good or bad, (the beast) will take the blame. You have to have a beast to win on the road.”
Luck - “You have to have a little bit of luck because there are certain plays that are going to happen. You have to have a little thing called luck.”
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