Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, January 14, 2010: Sundiata!
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune )
TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues with a special MLK tripleheader on Monday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. ET featuring the Phoenix Suns @ Memphis Grizzlies (5:30 p.m. ET), Dallas Mavericks @ Boston Celtics (8 p.m. ET) and Orlando Magic @ L.A. Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET)
CLIP OF THE DAY
(click on link below to watch)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Charles Barkley on Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James promising to participate in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk: “Has LeBron confirmed yet?”
Ernie Johnson: “He has not.”
Barkley: “LeBron, you’ve got to get off your can, come on, LeBron.”
Kenny Smith: “Maybe LeBron can only dunk in a game.”
Johnson: “I saw him the other night for the Cavs/Hawks game and I said, ‘what are you?’ and he said I’m 50/50. I said, ‘you told the Jet you would do it,’ he says, ‘50/50.’”
Barkley: “He should do it just for the good of the game.”
**** **** **** ****
TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith
TNT unveiled the two players competing in the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk-In to determine one of the participants in the Sprite Slam Dunk. DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) and Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers) will compete live on TNT during halftime of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, airing on the network on Friday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. (ET) from American Airlines Center in Dallas. Fans will determine the winner by voting via SMS text message and at NBA.com.
Barkley’s reaction to the ongoing situation with Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas: “I’m upset. First of all, what Gilbert Arenas did was wrong. I’ve got great confidence in Commissioner (David) Stern. Gilbert Arenas has to be suspended, but this notion that they are going to kill his contract, this was not a $90 million mistake. I like Gilbert, he’s a really good player. I thought the same thing with Plaxico Burress, Plaxico should not be in jail and I think the same the same thing with Gilbert, he should not go to the jail. I don’t want the Wizards, who are a horrible organization I might add, to use this as a way of saving money. Gilbert should be suspended, but the notion that he should be suspended the rest of the year or kill his contract that he has $90 million left, this is not a $90 million incident.”
Smith on Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas needing to accept responsibility for his actions: “I do like Gilbert (Arenas) as a basketball player, but obviously he’s immature. There is a great responsibility when you have a registered handgun. That responsibility is one, you keep it in the state, two, you don’t take it to work, and three, you don’t pull it out on teammates. If he doesn’t want the consequences that come with it, which might be a $90 million loss, you lose your contract or you lose your freedom and go to jail, then you have to abide by the rules that everyone else abides by. If you continually do something and it’s, ‘he does that, but he’s a good guy. He does this, but he’s a good guy.’ After a while, you’re not a good guy, you’re doing bad things and you’re a bad guy.”
Barkley on star players having more leeway with their actions: “There are examples of great players all the time that get away with stuff that players who can’t play don’t get way with. (Former Dallas Cowboys coach) Jimmy Johnson, one of my favorite coaches, said that one guy fell asleep in a meeting and when he woke up, he cut him. (Someone asked) what if that had been Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith? He said, ‘I would have woke them up.’ Guys who are great players get away with stuff all the time.”
**** **** **** ****
Game 1: Chicago Bulls (96) @ Boston Celtics (83)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting
Collins on whether Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose gets the same calls as All-Star players: “I thought (Rose) got some of those (calls) last year. You look in the playoffs, he went to the line 12 or 14 times in the first playoff game. So if you drive that ball to the basket and create contact, you’re going to get the calls. This was a guy who was Rookie of the Year, he came in with great statistics and won when he was at Memphis, and you can see how well he’s done the last 18 games.”
Collins on Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen: “(Defense) has been (Tony Allen’s) calling card. I think Doc Rivers is trying to get him to a role right now handling the basketball, running the team. It’s settled him down on the offensive end and his defense has been terrific. They missed him last year in the playoffs, he’s one of the guys you can put out there like a Marquis Daniels to play against the other team’s best perimeter players and allow Paul Pierce to rest just a little bit.”
Collins on Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas barreling into the announcers’ table during the second quarter: “The scary part is I didn’t even move, I was frozen here in my seat. My mobility is gone!”
Collins on Harlan’s likeness being used in a skit during Barkley’s Saturday Night Live appearance: “You never looked or sounded better on television.”
Sager interviewed Bulls forward Luol Deng after the first half.
Deng on playing well defensively against the Celtics’ Paul Pierce: “We’re doing a good job moving the ball, so I’m just trying to read what they’re trying to do defensively. Whenever (Pierce) helps I’m trying to find a spot to shoot.”
**** **** **** ****
Halftime
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on who he would pick in a Celtics/Cavaliers playoff match-up: “I’d take the Celtics. Cleveland still plays that horrible offense where they don’t speed the tempo of the game up. If they get in a half court game with the Celtics, the Celtics play the best half court defense in the NBA so I’d give them the advantage, if they’re healthy.”
Barkley on the Cavs not improving even with the addition of center Shaquille O’Neal: “I don’t think (the Cavs have) improved since last year. They are not better with Shaq, nothing against my guy Shaq. Shaq and (Zydrunas) Ilgauskas are really the same player.”
Barkley on Cavaliers forward LeBron James promising to participate in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk: “Has LeBron confirmed yet?”
Johnson: “He has not.”
Barkley: “LeBron, you’ve got to get off your can, come on, LeBron.”
Smith: “Maybe LeBron can only dunk in a game.”
Johnson: “I saw him the other night for the Cavs/Hawks game and I said, ‘what are you?’ and he said I’m 50/50. I said, ‘you told the Jet you would do it,’ he says, ‘50/50.’”
Barkley: “He should do it just for the good of the game.”
**** **** **** ****
Collins on the passion of Chicagoans for the Bulls and this being a critical year for the franchise to develop into an elite team: “If you walk around Chicago, they so love the Bulls, they are so starving for a good team. (It has been) Eleven years now since Michael Jordan has played here, they sold out every game. This is a very important time, they’ve got some very good young players on this team, they need to make the playoffs, they need to find a way to get money underneath the cap so they can go out and get a star. They are a star away from vaulting themselves into an elite team. You need a superstar to compete for an NBA Championship.”
Collins on the Celtics missing the presence of forward Kevin Garnett: “I just think everyone knows what Kevin Garnett brings to this team, not just the defensive presence, but the energy. He’s the defensive anchor and he really changed the culture of this team over the last couple of years with the way he’s played the game. But how many star players on the top teams have missed games this year? This could be a battle of attrition going into the playoffs this year. How many players are healthy?”
Collins on Celtics guard Eddie House: “(House) is the one guy who can give you energy and his shooting is what brings the energy.”
**** **** **** ****
Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers (96) @ Utah Jazz (97)
Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Mike Fratello; with David Aldridge reporting
Aldridge interviewed Cavaliers coach Mike Brown after the first quarter.
Brown on the defensive performance of the Cavaliers in the first quarter: “I thought we did a decent job defending, but the big thing with Utah is to try to limit those guys to one shot and do what you can to eliminate the paint points because they are a very good executing team. And try to get out and run a little bit and put some pressure on their defense. I thought we did all three of those things.”
Brown on the advantages of playing Cavaliers forward LeBron James in the post: “What I like is it allows me to sit down and relax a little bit and enjoy the show. He’s a big guy, he’s strong, he’s a beast, whatever you want to call it. He can get it done down there, and when he is down there it makes everyone’s job easier including mine.”
Miller on Cavaliers forward Jawad Williams: “(Jawad Williams) is long and he’s athletic and he’s a better shooter than people give him credit for. I think he’s going to start to get more time. Mike Brown is high on this young player.”
Fratello: “That’s a nice problem to have when you have a lot of players who are skilled at the same position and you have that depth. Around the All-Star break they should be getting Leon Powe back too.”
Fratello on Jazz forward Kyle Korver blocking one of LeBron James’ shots: “Do you know how many times we’ve seen LeBron James chase someone down and block a shot? For the rest of his life, Kyle Korver will mention that he chased LeBron down and blocked his shot.”
Miller: “Kyle Korver, from here on out, he’s going to tell all his boys, his kids, his grandkids, ‘I chased LeBron James down and I swatted his shot away.”
Fratello: “The difference is, LeBron blocks his (opponents’ shots) about two feet above the rim, Kyle blocked that one below the rim.”
Jazz guard Deron Williams on what adjustments make the Jazz more effective: “We’re playing with a lot better energy on both ends of the floor. We’ve executed, we’ve made extra passes, we’ve always said we’re a great team when we get extra passes and guys get looks, so that’s what we need to continue to do.”
**** **** **** ****
Halftime
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on a highlight in Kenny’s Pictures showing the Cavaliers running the break: “It’s very interesting, one of my big complaints of the Cavaliers is how slow they play. If they played like that they would be a much better team. Normally they get a ball to LeBron and walk the ball up and down the court. That (highlight) is a perfect example of how good they would be if they ran because when LeBron runs he gets everyone in the building’s attention, and that gave Mo Williams a wide open three. He would get another 10 points a game in layups and dunks, instead of trying to go one on five. It never really shows until during the playoffs when they run against a good team that plays half court and is good defensively.”
Barkley on the Cavaliers playing forward LeBron James in the post recently: “I like that, but I would like that better if they would speed up the tempo of the game. They’re deep enough and it would make LeBron more effective. He’s going to be great on the box his entire career. He would be much better if he could get easier baskets.”
**** **** **** ****
Miller on Cavaliers forward LeBron James’ needing to have him attack: “I like them putting LeBron James on that mid-posting facing, but his next evolution…I understand him playing possum and baiting them to come over, but he can go a lot quicker and get fouled and get to the basket. Stop waiting for the double team to come. Make a quick move.”
Aldridge interviewed Jazz coach Jerry Sloan after the third quarter.
Sloan on how the Jazz can defend the Cavaliers without forward Andrei Kirilenko: “That’s a big question mark. If they stand out there and make threes, from (Delonte) West and (Anthony) Parker and those guys, it’s pretty tough, so hopefully we don’t get lost when we find where we’re supposed to be.”
Fratello on the persistence of Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao: “You can never stop paying attention to Anderson Varejao. He never stops going after the ball, trying to keep it alive, trying to slap it out of your hands, trying to tip it back to his teammates. He is relentless in his pursuit of the basketball.”
Fratello on Cavaliers forward Jawad Williams: “I’m very impressed with Jawad Williams. He’s very much under control, whether making a shot or taking it to the basket or making a pass, he seems to make the right decision.”
Miller on the Utah Jazz outperforming the Cavaliers during the fourth quarter: “From the start of this fourth quarter, I’ve felt that the Utah Jazz has outhustled and they’ve outplayed the Cavaliers so far for nine minutes. Those 50/50 balls, (the Jazz) have just been that much quicker to them.”
TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Jazz guard Sundiata Gaines who hit a game-winning three-pointer to defeat the Cavaliers
Gaines on his game-winning three-pointer: “I’m on adrenaline right now. I’m happy; the crowd does a great job of keeping us in the game. I just want to come in and give energy. I’m just excited.”
Gaines on Cavaliers guard Mo Williams creating some turnovers to get the Cavs back in the game: “It’s an NBA bout. That’s where I get experience. Mo (Williams) is a good player but I had confidence all along. I knew that if I got the ball, I was going to shoot it and it was going to go in. I’m happy for our team’s win.”
Gaines on TNT’s Kenny Smith and former NBA player Kenny Anderson who attended his alma-mater Arch-Bishop Milloy High School in New York: “We’ve got two potential Hall of Famers, they are both great guys and I came from a great high school. I’m just happy to come out and give this team energy.”
Aldridge: “But you’re better than Kenny Smith, right?”
Gaines: “Not yet, I’ve still got some work to do.”
**** **** **** ****
Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley and Smith
Barkley on Jazz guard Sundiata Gaines’ game-winning shot: “I think about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, everybody else. There are very few guys who have hit shots like that to actually win the game. You make plays along the way but I don’t remember if I ever actually hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer like that. That is a wonderful moment, especially for a kid who just got to the NBA. That’s just great.”
Barkley on the NBA D-League: “One good thing that the D-League does is to give kids the opportunity to play against good competition instead of sitting on the bench. You can get better. I don’t think you can get better by sitting on the bench. The D-League has some good players (but they don’t get to the NBA). Sometimes it’s because of guaranteed contracts, sometimes they need to get stronger, sometimes they have to learn a different position. I think that’s a good thing that the NBA has done.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Bulls forward Joakim Noah following the Bulls win over the Celtics
Noah on the tragic situation in Haiti dealing with the earthquake: “We are there with them, they are in our prayers. Stay strong. It’s horrible what’s going on over there. We’re in a very privileged situation in this country and I think it’s very important for us to be able to give back to people who definitely don’t have as much as we do.”
[...] Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, January 14, 2010: Sundiata! | The Starting Five thestartingfive.net/2010/01/15/notes-from-tnt%E2%80%99s-coverage-of-the-nba-%E2%80%93-thursday-january-14-2010-sundiata – view page – cached Game 1: Chicago Bulls (96) @ Boston Celtics (83) Game 2: Cleveland Cavaliers (96) @ Utah Jazz (97) [...]
Lakers are about to go on a big time roll.