Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs – Sunday, April 25, 2010: Utah Is Dominating Denver. Shocked?
Denver better get down with this. I have to admit, I’m a little shocked. I guess it’s because of Utah’s ability to win in Denver or anyplace else that Salt Lake for that matter (although that changed a bit this season). That Deron Williams is giving it to Chauncey is not a shock because it’s DWill’s time to shine. Making Billups work on defense is not the same as it ever was. These days and after all the wear and playoff tear, hungry young legs prevail. The takeover…
Don’t discount George Karl’s absence and that’s no slight to Adrian Dantley.
Get well soon coach.
TNT’s coverage of the 2010 NBA Playoffs continues on Monday, April 26 at 8 p.m. (ET) with a doubleheader featuring the Orlando Magic @ Charlotte Bobcats (Game #4) followed by the Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns (Game #5).
TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber
Smith on the toughness of Manu Ginobili who is playing with a broken nose: “There are two different things. Great players can play hurt. No player can play injured…that hurts. It’s gonna to get hit, it’s going to hurt, I’m gonna play. So there is a difference between playing hurt and playing injured. That’s why I love Ginolbili. I love guys who play tough.”
Barkley on Mavericks forward Caron Butler being benched during the second half of Game #3: “There’s great tension in the (Mavericks) locker room. When you’re losing, they always say that winning is the best deodorant. (Mavericks head coach) Rick Carlisle is a friend of mine but what he did (in Game #3) to Caron Butler, I disagree with 100%. You can’t (bench) him for the entire second half. First of all, he was the centerpiece of the trade (with the Wizards), he is probably their second best player and you’ve got to play him.”
Smith on there being no excuse for Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle benching Caron Butler: “The one thing that a player has to respect is a coach’s decision. As a player, Caron Butler can be mad but he can’t say a word. When you do that, your teammates will respect you. Now it’s up to Rick Carlisle to realize that he made a wrong choice. To me, no matter what excuse it was, it was the wrong choice because the guy never had the opportunity and he’s been giving you 20 points a game in the first two games (of the series). He is the difference in making you a contender. He’s not making you a playoff team, he’s making you a contender to win the NBA Title and you don’t play him in the second half. There’s no excuse for that.”
Smith on Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade being one of the best players in the NBA: “This (46-point game) puts Dwyane Wade back into the conversation. A lot of the time, he gets left out of the conversation of who is the best player in basketball. Because of what he does and who he has around him, he doesn’t have the size or the athleticism and strength that a lot of other players have around them. We did see him when he had that talent around him and he won an NBA Championship. Arguably, he could say that he is in the top two or three players in basketball. I don’t know if he’s ever mentioned as being in the top but he’s usually in the top five (players in the NBA). He doesn’t have the same talent around him that a lot of players have.”
Barkley on the Oklahoma City Thunder: “(The Thunder/Lakers series is) fun to watch. I pull for Scottie Brooks and Maurice Cheeks and I’m happy for them. That (Thunder game) environment looks like it would be fun to be at. This has turned into a great series. I think we are all surprised. A lot of people didn’t think (the Thunder) could win a game (in the series) and I didn’t think they could win two at home. They are playing terrific basketball.”
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Game 1: Dallas Mavericks (89) @ San Antonio Spurs (92) – San Antonio leads the series 3-1.
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins with Marty Snider reporting
Collins on the Spurs hitting their stride: “These are the Spurs (in Game #4) that I think everyone expected earlier in the season. (Spurs head coach Gregg) Popovich is monitoring his stars’ minutes. They are getting (Antonio) McDyess in the flow and with Richard Jefferson coming over in a trade. They are starting to put it together and defense is where they have really picked up their game.”
Collins on how Caron Butler can be the difference in the series: “(Butler) is a competitor and he’s tough. That is what they brought him to this team to do. Not to get through the first round but to win a championship. He’s a tough player and (Game #4) could be the difference. If he can play well, Dallas can win on the road.”
Collins on Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich managing his players’ minutes: “Nice job by Gregg Popovich of managing his players’ minutes so they would be fresh at this point in the season.”
Collins on the kind of shots that Shawn Marion takes: “Every one of his baskets have been off a double-team, a fast break, an offensive rebound. That’s the way he scores, he’s not a guy that you’re going to throw the ball to in the post and let him go one-on-one against players. That’s not his strength.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber
Smith on the Spurs need to play George Hill and Tony Parker together to have a quicker lineup: “(The Spurs) are probably going to have to play (George) Hill and (Tony) Parker together because that would give them speed on the perimeter along with (Manu) Ginobili, with (Richard) Jefferson at the four (position). When they have these lineups that don’t really get up the floor, it’s difficult for them to get back on defense.”
Barkley on the Mavericks offense: “When they run and get layups, that’s easy. Their half-court offense is not the best, they give the ball to Dirk (Nowitzki). It’s kind of ‘LeBron-ish’ – they give it to Dirk and hope that teams double-team him.”
Webber on how good teams get all of their players involved in the offense: “That’s why teams like the Lakers or Utah (Jazz) play so well because guys that can’t score one-on-one are coming off of flex-offenses or triangles. If your ball-handler has the ball and he’s going fast, it’s definitely to their advantage.”
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Collins on Spurs forward Antonio McDyess: “That’s why (the Spurs) got (McDyess). They thought he would be a good fit next to (Tim) Duncan because he can make a jump shot and he’s smart. He was a very big part of those Detroit Piston teams that went to the (Eastern) Conference Finals six years in a row.”
Collins on the Thunder/Lakers series: “Those young kids in Oklahoma City are playing some ball. The energy in that building, the Lakers fans in Staples Center better bring some energy because the Lakers need it right now. The Oklahoma City team is playing with so much confidence.”
Collins on the physical play of the Spurs: “People don’t talk about it but the Spurs are a very physical team. This is a tough, physical team.”
Collins on Spurs reserve guard George Hill: “This is his coming-out playoff party. His first two games (in the series), he was invisible. You didn’t even know he was playing. He is making all the critical jump shots (in Game #4). The man of the hour, George Hill, has fallen right into your lap.”
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Game 2: Denver Nuggets (106) @ Utah Jazz (117) – Jazz lead the series 3-1.
Announcers: Marv Albert and Reggie Miller with Marc Fein reporting
Miller on playing in Salt Lake City: “This is a great atmosphere for basketball. These fans are passionate. It’s a tough win to come in here as the road team. You have to play 48 minutes of hard, tough-nosed basketball.”
Miller on Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups: “When healthy, he’s one of the top point guards in the league because of his size. I love his leadership.”
Chauncey Billups on how he approaches leadership: “One thing about me is I don’t really worry about hurting anyone’s feelings that’s mad at me on the team, who didn’t like what I said. One thing I know is that it’s never anything personal with me. I’m never going to attack anyone personally. I just go at it to help the team win. If a certain guy doesn’t like it, I don’t really care. That’s how I lead, that’s how I am.”
Miller on Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams: “(Williams’) size, his strength and we’ve talked about his vision as a point guard. This is the best point guard in the game right now. He knows when to turn it on.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber
Barkley on Deron Williams dominating Chauncey Billups in the Jazz/Nuggets series: “Chauncey (Billups) is a guy who has to step up. I have great respect for Chauncey, but Deron Williams is just kicking his (butt). He is dominating this series totally. He has been the best player in every game. He is imposing his will and this team is missing two of their better players (Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur). It’s like what Dwyane Wade did earlier (46 points against the Celtics) and he is leading his team. Chauncey has to step up, plain and simple.”
Webber on why Chauncey Billups can’t stop Deron Williams: “One of the reasons why Chauncey can’t do anything is because Deron Williams is going after him. Defensively, he can’t lock down on him.”
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Miller on the Oklahoma City Thunder: “Oklahoma City is playing fantastic basketball right now. They are a young team that’s getting it done on both ends of the floor.”
Albert: “You just love to watch the Thunder play. A fast-tempo (style of play) lead by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green.”
Miller on Jazz center Kyrylo Fesenko: “If anything, Fesenko takes up space. He’s a big body. (He has) good fundamentals down low, he knows his role and understands the system. He does need to learn how to go up quick and finish though.”
Miller on the Western Conference being up for grabs in the playoffs: “At some point in time, they’ve all had extended runs. If you look at the playoffs now, anyone can win this. When you look at what Oklahoma City has done with the Lakers (series tied 2-2) and the San Antonio Spurs going up 3-1 on the second seed (Dallas Mavericks), it’s anyone’s game.”
TNT’s Marc Fein interviewed Jazz forward Carlos Boozer following the game
Boozer on the Jazz’s Game #4 victory over the Nuggets: “It’s a great game, ‘Melo (Carmelo Anthony) hit some big shots down the stretch for them and we stayed composed. D-Will (Deron Williams) hit some big shots and some big free throws. We had a good enough cushion to win it and I’m proud of the young guys who are doing a great job on Nene and ‘Melo. ‘Melo got cookin’ but that’s part of the game. He’s a great player but we stuck together as a (team) and won a big game for us.”
Boozer on how everyone on the Jazz is an option on offense: “We are aggressive and when we run our offense, everyone is an option. We don’t only go to one or two guys. Well, me and D-Will (Deron Williams) get a lot of shots every now and then but everyone is an option and everyone is a threat. When we execute well, we get good shots.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber
Barkley on the Utah Jazz defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game #4: “You’ve got to take your hat off to Utah, they played fantastic. I was really impressed with Carmelo Anthony, he was really trying to will his team to win, but the bottom line is he didn’t get any help whatsoever.”
Webber on the style of play by the Nuggets leading to their loss to the Jazz in Game #4: “I love (interim Nuggets coach) Adrian Dantley because he played with the Pistons while I was growing up, but you know what (his press conference) sounds like to me? (Takes white handkerchief out of pocket and waves it like a surrender flag). Denver has a better team, but I’m going to tell you why Utah wins. Utah has 24 assists. Why is that important? That means that somebody was setting up the other players, they were passing it and said, ‘here, you can’t score one-on-one so I’ll give you an open, easy shot.’ You go to Denver, they have 13 assists. That means that all of them are going one-on-one, and there is only one great one-on-one player and that’s Carmelo Anthony. So it’s not Carmelo’s fault they lost tonight, he came in and got 39 and 11, he played hard. But it’s the style of play, Utah gets easy shots, they get shots at the basket, they get shots off a flex offense, that’s part of your defense because you know you can get a lay-up. And when other guys are going around one-on-one or the pace of the game is not there, that’s why I believe they lost. You can’t say Denver has guys who can’t score, but Denver is shooting a lot of one-on-one ball and when you do that, you cannot win.”
Barkley on Jazz guard Deron Williams being the best in the NBA: “If somebody says (Deron Williams) is arguably the best point guard, nobody’s arguing, he is the best point guard in the NBA.”
Smith on the comparison between Heat guard Dwyane Wade and superstar Michael Jackson: “(Dwyane Wade) had some help today, he had some help. He was singing all his greatest hits, but he had some help.”
Webber: “Did he put that white glove on?”
Barkley: “He sure did, he put on that white glove. He belted out Billie Jean, Dirty Diana and everything. ‘The way you make me feel.’”
Barkley on the Suns being perceived as soft due to their lack of offense: “(The Suns/Trail Blazers series) hasn’t been a tough series to read. If the game is played fast, the Suns are going to win. If it’s played slow, the Blazers have a great chance. As a player, I would be embarrassed if people said, ‘well, they’re soft. They can only win if they’re running and gunning.’ It tells people they’re not tough, they don’t want to play defense, they don’t want to rebound. (The Suns) have been trying to change that mentality.”
Webber: “I agree, really what you’re saying is, ‘go ahead and shoot, I’m not going to give any effort on defense, if you miss it or make it we’re going to push it and we know we’re going to score. We just hope that you miss more than you make.’ It’s just defense (that’s needed), it’s effort, it’s attention to detail. So it does make a team seem kind of soft (not to have that).”
Smith: “As a point guard, I would take it in two different directions. I would be like, ‘I can impose my will in this game and they’re nervous about that, that we can run.’ Steve Nash is probably thinking, ‘you know what? You know we want to run, you know we want to get out, but you can’t stop us. You’re going to have to play the way we are to beat us.’ That was the first way. The second way is (directed to) our big guys. That means we’re not rebounding. As the point guard, I never put the blame on me, I always pointed the finger because I gave you the ball. So that means our big guys don’t rebound well enough. So if we rebound, we won’t be considered soft and then we can run.”