Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs – Tuesday, May 12, 2009: Kobe and the Lakers Crush the Rockets By 40
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
TNT’s “40 Games in 40 Nights” NBA Playoffs coverage continues on Wednesday, May 13th with exclusive coverage of the Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets (Game #5) at 9 p.m. ET.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“Is it talent? Is it how hard you play? How hard you want it? Because I really think that the Orlando Magic are the better team.”– Webber on the Magic needing to play better.
“I think that too, but not from the neck up.” – Barkley.
Game #1: Orlando Magic (88) @ Boston Celtics (92) - Boston leads the series 3-2
Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller with David Aldridge reporting
Miller on Celtics forward Glen Davis hitting the game winning shot in Game #4: “If you took a poll of the 30 NBA coaches and you tell me that if they’re playing the Boston Celtics and they can take the ball out of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Eddie House’s hands and you don’t care who else is going to take the game-winner, they would take it. Glen Davis made a great shot and a great effort. It was a big play on his part.”
Magic guard Rafer Alston on it being a ‘bounce back’ series: “This series has been a bounce back series, we actually hope that’s the case tonight. I think each team always has answered the call in the next game and I think it’s our turn now. It’s going to tough in their home building, but we are a team that’s ready and we believe in each other.”
Miller on the Magic going with a bigger front line: “(Magic head coach) Stan Van Gundy has gone to the ‘twin tower’ look of (Dwight) Howard and (Tony) Battie and a 6’10″ small forward in (Hedo) Turkoglu (against the Celtics). They create a very big line for the Magic.”
Miller on the importance of guard Ray Allen to the Celtics: “(The Celtics) need (Ray Allen’s) offensive production if they are going to be successful against the Magic.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber
Barkley on why the Magic are going to win their series against the Celtics: “The reason why I think Orlando is going to win the series is because they have better players overall. Dwight Howard is the best player in this series, (to go along with Hedo) Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis and they’ve got better scorers.”
Smith on Celtics guard Rajon Rondo playing bigger than a typical point guard: “(Rajon Rondo) plays bigger than he is. (He’s) not only controlling the tempo, he’s getting (the Celtics) extra shots. This is going to be a long series because he is rebounding just like Dwight Howard rebounds.”
Barkley on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban apologizing to Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin and his mother on his blog: “Mark Cuban is my guy but he was wrong. I wish he would’ve done this yesterday. I wish he would’ve walked up to the mom and (Kenyon Martin) at the game yesterday. But he apologized (on his blog) and that’s all you can do.”
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Miller on what Celtics guard Rajon Rondo needs to do in the off-season if he wants to become an elite point guard: “If (Rajon) Rondo wants to take the next step to become a great point guard, this summer I would take a month off after the season to let your body heal. Then I would get into the gym and shoot 500-700 fifteen to twenty-two foot jump shots to get that down consistently, and I would shoot over 1000 tear drop (shots) ala (Spurs point guard) Tony Parker.”
Miller on the resilience of the Magic: “The Magic have an answer. Every single time the Celtics are getting ready to make a run someone on the Magic makes a move or hits a three pointer.”
Celtics forward Kendrick Perkins on young players being forced to grow up quickly in the playoffs: “(Playing in the playoffs) makes you grow up real fast. If you haven’t grown up, you will, especially going through this process. If you’re a competitor in the game of basketball, you want to win. It’s basically bringing out my personality and my character out and being the person that I am in the game of basketball. You have to love it. You embrace opportunities like this.”
TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Celtics guard Paul Pierce following the game
Pierce on the Celtics wanting to win the series more that the Magic: “I said before the game that this is a game of wills. That’s all it really was. When we came out here and we were down ten points with four minutes left…it’s about will and who wants it more. There’s no denying that this team has that (will) from start to finish.”
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Gamebreak:
Johnson, Smith, Barkley and Webber
Barkley on Orlando’s struggles on offense in Game #5: “It’s so frustrating to watch Orlando play. They never go to Dwight Howard…the only time Dwight Howard touched the ball was when they threw it to him in-bounds (at the end of the game).”
Webber on the Magic needing to play better: “Is it talent? Is it how hard you play? How hard you want it? Because I really think that the Orlando Magic are the better team.”
Barkley: “I think that too, but not from the neck up.”
Webber on Dwight Howard not getting enough shots: “(Dwight Howard) only got ten shots and he is the best player on the (Magic). Their whole strategy was a tactical error.”
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Game #2: Houston Rockets (78) @ Los Angeles Lakers (118) - Los Angeles leads the series 3-2
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting
Collins on the Rockets lacking depth on their front line: “A problem for the Rockets is that they don’t have any depth on their front line. They don’t have (injured centers) Yao Ming or Dikembe Mutombo and they are very thin and small on that front line.”
Collins on Rockets forward Ron Artest needing to play inside more: “I’d like to see (Ron) Artest get into the paint more often. He’s settling for the three (point shot) a little too often.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on the significance of losing in the playoffs: “I’m not a big proponent of losing by 30 points or losing by one point. What’s the difference? A loss is a loss. It’s not going to carry over into the next game. It’s not going to linger. In the playoffs, a loss is a loss.”
Collins on the Rockets needing to adjust their game since Yao Ming is out with an injury: “With no Yao Ming, (the Rockets) can’t come down and throw the ball into the post. They are going to have to trust each other, make the extra pass and they are going to have to be disciplined enough to keep your spacing so you can have room to work and (Aaron) Brooks can find people.”
Collins on the toughness of the Boston Celtics: “You cannot put a price on mental and physical toughness. Boston has (both).”
Bryant on Rockets guard Aaron Brooks: “We had to pay more attention to him. He’s a great shooter and we can’t give him too many open looks.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber
Smith on how Lakers forward Pau Gasol doesn’t let guard Kobe Bryant get double-teamed: “I told Kobe before that when Shaq (O’Neal) was there, the only reason he was going to really miss Shaq was he’s the best one-on-one basketball player in the world that gets to play one-on-one. He doesn’t get double-teamed. That’s what Pau Gasol is doing right now, not letting (Bryant) get double-teamed.”
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Collins on how Lakers forward Pau Gasol has to perform consistently: “You have to perform once you get to this stage (in the playoffs) and the stakes are higher with the pressure. The guy that has to perform consistently is Pau Gasol. He has to be (the Lakers) second option every night. That’s the guy that has to be there for Kobe (Bryant).”
Collins on Lakers guard Trevor Ariza: “Last year (Trevor Ariza) came off the bench and he was getting acclimated (after his trade from Orlando). (The Lakers) love his speed, his athleticism and his size. They hope at some point in time, he’s going to be a lock-down defensive player.”
Collins on injured Rockets center Yao Ming: “All you hear from the Rockets is that he’s the best teammate they’ve ever had. He’s the hardest worker and my heart breaks for him not being able to play.”
Collins on how the Lakers success on offense leads to aggressive defensive play: “I think that when they play good offense, they get excited and they play better defense. Whereas, I think the Rockets play good defense and when they play good defense, it helps their offense. Anytime the Lakers get things going offensively, they become more aggressive (defensively), they get into passing lanes and they get deflections.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed actress Kyra Sedgwick and her husband, actor Kevin Bacon, during the game. Sedgwick stars in “The Closer,” which returns to TNT with its season premiere on Monday, June 8.
Kyra Sedgwick on watching a game at Staples Center: “It’s fantastic. I’ve only been to Knicks games in New York, but L.A. is my home away from home now that I do ‘The Closer’. When in Rome.”
Sedgwick on the New York Knicks: “I don’t know (about the Knicks). We don’t feel so good about the Knicks these days.”
Kevin Bacon: “We remain hopeful…ever hopeful for the New York Knickerbockers.”
Sedgwick on the upcoming season of ‘The Closer’: “This year is about change, so they’ll be some changes, some changes in the squad, she’s getting married. A lot of good stuff.”
Collins on NBA legendary coach Chuck Daly who passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to (Daly’s family) and all the people who are walking around this arena thinking about chuck and he’s meant to the NBA and all the championships. He was a mentor, he was a teacher, he reached out and he was always there to help someone at anytime. He will be missed and his void will never be filled. Whether I played for him or coached against him, (I will remember) how well we he was dressed, the coifed hair, and that dignity and class that he carried his life on a daily basis, and he was someone I cared deeply about.”
Collins on being rumored to be a candidate for the Philadelphia 76ers head coaching job: “I have not spoken to (the 76ers) and I want them to understand that. I feel very badly if there was a miscommunication. I talked to Phil Jasner, the great beat writer for the (Philadelphia) Daily News, and I have not talked to the Sixers. So if there is any misinformation, I feel very badly for (76ers GM) Eddie Stefanski for the situation this might have put him or the Sixers in…it’s good that we can get that clarified and if there was any misinformation with the way it was reported or the way I said it, to make it look like I had spoken to them, I have not spoken to them.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Announcers: Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber
Webber on how a center can contribute when he’s not scoring: “As a scorer and as a big fella, if you’re not scoring or you’re not in the game, one of the best things to do is play hard and rebound and get back and try to get some easy points that way.”
Webber on the Lakers/Rockets series being over: “I think (the Lakers/Rockets series) is over. You have to take advantage of teams when they don’t have that player or that momentum. I believe in momentum and I believe in the right time, I think the right time for that team (the Rockets) to try to win was tonight. I don’t think they have a chance, I think it’s over.”
Smith on why it is not going to be easy for the Lakers to beat the Rockets: “(Houston) plays with too much effort to just say they are going to lose that easily, and also, the Lakers turn it on and off. We know that (the Lakers) are the most talented team, they have the most skills, they have one of the deepest, if not the deepest, benches. They have more skilled players, but what they don’t always do is they don’t always play with effort because they are so skilled. The Rockets, the only way they can play well is with effort. In Houston, what I saw last game, with the effort, it’s not going to be a cake walk.”
Webber on the elite coaching experience of Lakers head coach Phil Jackson: “I’m not disrespecting the Rockets, I love watching them play because of how hard they play. The Lakers are lackadaisical, but they went to the championship last year, let’s remember that. Phil Jackson has how many rings, nine? And one thing he does is he coaches demeanor. There are no Josh Smith dunks at the end, there’s nobody getting happy after Game #2, and even yesterday, we were all saying they were disappointed and Phil Jackson was like, ‘disappointed?’ What he was saying was, ‘I don’t owe us in here anything, I don’t owe the fans anything, we lost a bad game, you all don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He was saying, ‘we have championships, we’re going right back,’ so yeah, I think they are going to close them out at Houston.”
Smith on Magic center Dwight Howard telling the press he needs the ball more: “In the immortal words of Michael Ray Richardson, it sounds like, ‘the ship be sinking.’ That’s what it sounds like to me. That sounds like a team that’s unraveling because now it comes to a point where I have to demand the ball in the paper. Your point guard sits right next to you, your coach is right over there, you don’t have to demand the ball in the paper. Hakeem Olajuwan demanded the ball a lot from me, every single play, but he never demanded the ball from me in the paper. So he came to my locker and he said, ‘listen, David Robinson cannot guard me, get me the ball the first five plays, forget what we just said, let’s run this play for me.’ I said, ‘Ok, I can’t do the first five times or I’ll get taken out of the game, but I’ll do it three.’ We came up with a compromise, but we didn’t have to do it in the paper and we won two rings.”
Barkley on the Celtics working harder to win than the Magic: “Dwight Howard can’t say that (he needs the ball), we can say that. The ship be sinking. I loved Orlando to win this series, but it just goes to show you, Doc Rivers has done a fantastic job, they are grinding their behind off. It just goes to show you grinding will beat talent. Clearly, Orlando has more talent top to bottom than the Celtics. If you just play hard, it’s an easy game.”
Smith on his conversation with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban regarding Cuban’s subsequent apology for the comment he made to Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin’s mother, which Cuban posted on his blog: “I talked with Mark (Cuban) today at length. He was a little upset with comments I had made on Twitter. I said a personal attack deserves a personal response, period, end of story. If you say something to someone directly, you need to be there, if you say it in the paper, ok, you can apologize in the paper, you said it in a blog, you can apologize in a blog. I felt he knew where (Kenyon Martin’s) mom was that time, he could have figured out where she was again, that’s what I had a problem with. He said he made several attempts throughout the day and the day before to contact her. I accepted that, but I said, ‘Mark, I wish you had done it a different way and you would have done it directly to his mom where (it was) visible because it became visible to the world. But he said he called the agent, he called Kenyon, he waited for Kenyon to come out to shoot around before the game, he never came out and said he wouldn’t talk to him.”
Webber on Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s apology on his blog to Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin’s mother: “It’s not enough for me because he needs to go to the family. Sitting on it when I first came in today I thought it was cool, but the longer it went I started thinking it was kind of cowardly, putting in phrases like, ‘you can come sit next me.’ I’m one of the best talkers when it comes to us hanging out and I could throw you a backhanded compliment. When I started thinking about it, we’re just a bunch of mama’s boys. I think it takes a handshake, a look in the eye and after that it’s just over. You have to look a man in the eye.”
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LOL….Barkley is full of shit.
He said before the series began that he liked the Celtics to win it. He’s been “flip-flopping” throughout the playoffs with his picks.
Regarding Cuban…..Kenny Smith is on point and it’s exactly what I said when I read that B.S. apology. It was a cowardly act on his part and he should’ve been a man and apologized face-to-face.
And I don’t buy into that bullshit excuse he gave regarding not being able to get in contact with K-Mart, his mom or their family. He’s ‘Mark Cuban’, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. If he wants to get in touch with someone, he has the personnel and the connections to make it happen.
I concur sir…wholeheartedly. Bitch move.
Well the party is over!!!!! Sorry I couldn’t make the live blog I was working.
Let’s just fast forward to LA/CLE. Love seeing my boy Webb on the TNT set. These guys are far more entertaining then the ESPN cast. With equal b-ball knowledge as well. I really enjoy tuning in.