Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA Playoffs – Monday, April 26, 2010: The Charlotte Bobcats Have Gone Fishin’
I won’t address the Larry Brown to Philly rumors because nothing has materialized as of yet, but the reality of it all is Charlotte felt that 4 game Orlando broom. The Magic are really good and despite the constant foul trouble of Dwight Howard (he averaged around 30 minutes a game), Orlando still got it done.
Who is next?
TNT’s coverage of the 2010 NBA Playoffs continues on Tuesday, April 27 at 8 p.m. (ET) with a doubleheader featuring the Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers (Game #5) followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers (Game #5).
TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com
Matt Winer, Charles Barkley and Chris Webber
Webber on what the Bobcats can do to stay alive in Game #4: “Nothing; pray, try to suit up Michael Jordan, nothing. When I say nothing, I mean nothing because Dwight Howard is going to have a better game. When your best player can get 24 and 14 any night, but he’s not doing it and they are still winning, (the Bobcats) don’t have a chance.”
Barkley on the Orlando Magic’s arsenal of scorers: “It is very simple; they (Charlotte) don’t have enough fire power. They have two players that can get 20 points in Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. There is nobody else on that team that you can say, ‘he can get me 20 a night.’ On the Orlando team, Dwight Howard can get you 20, Matt Barnes, Jameer Nelson, Rashard (Lewis), Vince Carter. I mean they just have two many weapons for the Bobcats, plain and simple.”
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Game 1: Orlando Magic (99) @ Charlotte Bobcats (90) – Orlando won the series 4-0.
Announcers: Matt Devlin (play-by-play) and Kevin McHale (analyst) with Cheryl Miller reporting
Devlin on the new nickname that Jameer Nelson gave teammate Dwight Howard: “He is no longer ‘Superman,’ it is ‘Foul on You’. They have been calling him ‘Foul on You’ for the last two days.”
McHale on how jump shooting can get players off to a bad start in the playoffs: “That’s how you get yourself off to a funky start in the playoffs, taking too many jump shots. First game, get to the line and get yourself settled down.”
McHale on how physical the playoffs used to be: “You played teams all the time. If you wanted to run down the middle of the floor and get the ball in the paint, you were going to get hit. You knew you were going to hit, you knew there was going to be a lot of contact.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Charlotte Bobcats guard Raymond Felton at halftime
Felton on his aggressive defense on Magic guard Jameer Nelson: “I just tried to get up in (Nelson) and tried to be a little more aggressive with him. He was getting into his comfort zone over the last three games, getting into his rhythm. If you let any player get into his rhythm, they can get hot. I tried to crowd him and just be a little more physical.”
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Halftime
Winer, Barkley and Webber
Webber on Magic center Dwight Howard’s foul trouble: “I think it gets dangerous. Game #1 and Game #2 are just fouls, but I think (Dwight Howard) will have a reputation for the rest of the playoffs. He can’t cry about fouls and I think other teams are going to attack him just because they know he is foul prone.”
Barkley on Magic center Dwight Howard abusing his strength: “(Dwight Howard) does want to prove he is the strongest man in the room. If you notice, every time someone grabbed his arm, he tried to throw them down. You don’t always have to prove you are the strongest guy in the room and that’s what he does every single time. Those aren’t good fouls. He is a great, great player and you are going to get X amount of fouls, but he has to cut out the silly fouls.”
Barkley on Magic center Dwight Howard’s flaws not being exposed until the Eastern Conference Finals: “(The Magic) have a huge advantage. They are going to win this series and the next series. His flaws won’t really show up until he plays LeBron James for seven straight games because that is going to be a touch match-up. Even (Antawn) Jamison is going to be a tough match-up.”
Webber on how Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy changes things strategically for the Blazers/Suns series: “I don’t think the coach should change anything. I think they should play (Brandon Roy) just like he did in the other game. I mean this team has already shown they can win without Roy, but they need him to continue winning. The second game is a little different. He is going to be a little sore, stiff. We don’t know how he is reacting. I’ve played with a torn meniscus before. It is no joke the next day coming off of it. I think he and the coach will sit down and talk and monitor his minutes. But if he needs to be in the (game in the) fourth quarter, no matter how much is leg hurts, he will be in the fourth quarter.”
Barkley: “The second game is going to be different. Your adrenaline gets you pumped and the crowd probably had a huge effect on him giving him energy and everything (in Game #4). Tonight is going to be a big game. He has to worry about his conditioning. This is going to be a little different than it was at home in Portland.”
Barkley on the Atlanta Hawks losing to the Milwaukee Bucks: “If you can’t beat a team without their best player (Andrew Bogut), you are a pretender not a contender.”
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McHale on reports that Bobcats head coach Larry Brown is planning to head to the Philadelphia 76ers: “I certainly hope that is not true. If you are a player for the Charlotte Bobcats, leaving your heart and soul on that floor, you don’t want to hear that your coach is taking another job. I hope that is not true. I really like Coach Brown and I know he is committed to the Bobcats so I hope those are erroneous rumors.”
McHale on the dedication the Charlotte Bobcats have to coach Larry Brown: “One thing you can say about Charlotte is that they may have a tough time scoring, but they play hard. Those guys give it to their coach. Larry Brown demands effort and they really give it to him, so he has to be very, very happy with his team. Like I said, if you are player bleeding on the floor for your coach, you hate to hear reports like that thinking he is leaving them.”
McHale on Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes: “(Matt Barnes) brings a lot of grit to that team. I like Matt Barnes, a big fan of his. He’s a tough guy. Not afraid to guard the other team’s top player, take him on one-on-one and get into a little scrimmage with him.”
McHale on feeding your hot players: “Make sure the ball finds the hot guy – that is rule number one in the NBA.”
McHale on Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace: “Gerald Wallace is an absolute battler and a fighter. I love that kid and he won’t go down without a fight.”
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Game 2: Portland Trail Blazers (88) @ Phoenix Suns (107) –Phoenix leads the series 3-2.
Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst) with Craig Sager reporting
Fratello on the plan for the Portland Trail Blazers in Game #3: “(The Trail Blazers) know on the road they must keep the calmness about them and control the tempo of the game and get ready to start each quarter because Phoenix will come after you.”
Fratello on Phoenix Suns forward Amar’e Stoudemire’s comments to his teammates after their Game #3 loss: “Stoudemire is trying to show some of his leadership qualities after the last game by saying ‘we gave away the advantage that we had by not playing hard and not coming in mentality prepared, not knowing how tough that game was going to be to win.’”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye at halftime.
Frye on what helped boost his confidence in tonight’s game: “To be honest, when we were coming back from Portland, we saw a bunch of Army guys getting on a plane probably getting ready to go back to Iraq. It kind of hit me, God gave me an epiphany; I have the best job in the world. Just relax and have fun and enjoy this moment and come out and play.”
Frye on why he is playing better at home: “I think there are three reasons. Number one, it is hot out here, number two, my wife is here with my little baby and three, the fans are great here, they have really supported me out here and it is really great to play at home.”
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Halftime
Winer, Barkley and Webber
Barkley on Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy only playing six minutes in the first half: “That first game is a little bit different. This time (Brandon Roy) probably has swelling. If you come back from an injury, that first game your adrenaline is through the roof. That helped him play at home, but tonight you have got to feel like he is a little stiff and can’t move.”
Barkley on the impact of Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson: “I think (Richardson) is that third guy. The games he played well in they win, the games he doesn’t play well in they lose. He is the barometer of the Phoenix Suns.”
Webber on Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill: “(Grant Hill) is playing very young right now and moving his body around. He is making it really difficult for these guards to get their shots. Grant is going to have to keep doing a good defensive job and switch on anyone that gets hot. He is really the only defender that can really handle the guards on this team.”
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Fratello on the wavering tempo of the game: “I’m not sure if you ask me what the tempo of the game is right now, I would know. The game has been distorted, you can’t get out on a run, and you can’t put a string together. There has kind of an off and on flow to it.”
Fratello on the tenacity of the Portland Trail Blazers: “(Trail Blazers head coach) Nate MacMillan and his staff have done a great job of playing through all their player injuries. They have done a wonderful job of survival and going into tonight’s game 2-2 in the series.”
Fratello on the surprise team of the NBA Playoffs: “I think Oklahoma City has captured everyone’s attention for the fact that they have played the Lakers even. It seems like in their mind they can beat the Lakers.”
TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash following the game.
Nash on dictating the pace of the game: “I thought we didn’t get hesitant because they got a bunch of shots to start. We stayed with our game and tried to push them off the court. We are not always looking for fast break points. We just want a nice rhythm to our game. I think that is important to make our team difficult to defend.”
Nash on Channing Frye and Jared Dudley combining to score 39 points: ”I thought it was big. We are going to create open shots for each other. When we knock them down, we are making them pay for taking away other things. Those guys stepped up and had a great game. I think we have a lot of guys on our team that have confidence and can have games like that. We have to go up to Portland and have the same mentality and do the same thing.
Nash on how important it is to win Game #6: “We always have Game #7, which is nice to have home court, but we can’t look at it like that. We have to go up there and think this is a great way to end the series. We are going to go out there, like I said, and have a great attitude.”
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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai
Winer, Barkley and Webber
Webber on Suns point guard Steve Nash: “Steve Nash got his team going. He is the quarterback (of the Suns) and the way he goes is the way his team goes.”
Barkley on Blazers guard Brandon Roy: “(Roy) is showing tremendous heart, he’s a great kid and a great player. But with the way the Suns played (in Game #5), he’s really got to be tired out there.”
Barkley on the Suns winning their first round series against the Trail Blazers: “I think the Suns will close (the Blazers) out (in Game #6). I think (the Blazers) got that initial rush when Brandon Roy came back and now I think reality is setting in. Without Brandon Roy, the Suns are just a better team. He gave them a great lift and the crowd is going to try to pump them up but he’s got to be getting tired physically and I think it will catch up with him. Bottom line, without Roy at 100%, the Suns are a better team.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Magic guard Vince Carter following the game
Carter on what attributes the Magic need to take into the second round of the Playoffs: “Composure more than anything. When it’s not going our way, can we still fight? No matter who steps on the floor, we have to bring it and we’ve shown that (we can do that).”
Barkley on reports that Larry Brown could leave the Charlotte Bobcats to take a front office job with the Philadelphia 76ers: “It wouldn’t surprise me if he went up to the front office. I believe him when he says he won’t coach anywhere else but that doesn’t mean he won’t take a (front office job) with the 76ers. The 76ers are in a lot of trouble, they have a long way to go and they are not a very good team so he’s definitely not going to go there to coach. If you look at the Charlotte team, they are not a contender in the next (few) years. They’ve got two great building blocks in Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. They are not going to win the Championship in the next two or three years.”
Webber: “Philly might not make the Playoffs in the next ten years,”
Barkley: “But being upstairs (in the front office), he won’t have the stress of sitting on the bench. Let’s be realistic, Larry isn’t a spring chicken. So does he want the stress of staying in Charlotte and having a good team…”
Webber: “Or do you want the stress of getting rid of Elton Brand’s contract, getting Andre Iguodala right and getting Samuel Dalembert right?”
Barkley on the Cavaliers and Magic being the two best teams in the NBA: “I like everything about the Magic. I picked the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Championship but I think the Orlando Magic are the second best team in the NBA. I think the Cavaliers and the Magic are the two best teams in the NBA. When they play (each other), it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out (fight).”
Webber on the Bucks having the confidence to win their series against the Hawks: “The size of (your) heart doesn’t show up on paper. It’s that simple. Some teams, you know you can beat them at home. There are some teams where guys care more about scoring than they do about winning. Some teams, guys will jump up and try to fight you and then they won’t do anything. That’s just the way that it is. (Bucks head coach) Scott Skiles and his team believe that they can come into Atlanta (and win). Atlanta needs to think about, ‘what if we do win this series? We still can’t beat Orlando because we can’t win a game on the road.’ At some point, you have to show discipline. What have they done to show that they can win in Orlando.”
Barkley on Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant being an older player: “Kobe Bryant is an old basketball player. He’s one of the greatest basketball players ever. But once you’ve been playing as long as he has, you’re going to get banged up and you’re not going to have the same explosiveness. Now he’s playing against a 20-year-old kid (Kevin Durant) who’s got some talent. People are saying, ‘Kobe Bryant doesn’t explode like he used to.’ Of course he doesn’t, he’s been in the NBA for 13 or 14 years, he’s played in the Olympics and in the Playoffs. He’s still a terrific player but age takes its toll on everybody.”