Again, I’m combining two releases here, one a preview of Thursday’s NBA on TNT doubleheader and the other, quotage from NBA TV’s Fan Night.
First, the TNT preview.
NBA Action Continues on TNT with a Doubleheader
TNT and NBA TV analyst Chris Webber to Take Part in Live Video Chat
TNT NBA Thursday continues on December 10 with a doubleheader beginning at 8 p.m. (ET). The first game will feature Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics visiting Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards. Play-by-play announcer Marv Albert will call the game alongside analysts Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller with David Aldridge reporting. In the second game of the night, Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz will host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at 10:30 p.m. (ET). Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Doug Collins (analyst) will be courtside with Craig Sager reporting. The Emmy® award-winning studio show Inside the NBA with Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst) will recap the games.
Following halftime of the Celtics @ Wizards, studio analyst Chris Webber will take part in a live video chat with fans on NBA.com (http://www.nba.com/turnersportslive/). Fans who would like to participate can log on to the NBA on TNT or the NBA fan pages on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com) to submit their questions.
This week, TNT will announce the nominees for its ‘TNT All-Decade NBA: Playoff Defense’ category. Fans can visit NBA.com’s ‘TNT All-Decade NBA’ page (http://www.nba.com/alldecade/vote3/) to view clips of the previously announced nominees and cast a vote on who they think should win. The ‘TNT All-Decade NBA’ includes the top performances, games and moments throughout the 2000’s and winners will be announced in a special one-hour show airing during TNT’s exclusive coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. (ET).
Exclusive content, analysis from TNT announcers and replays of Inside the NBA are available on TNT OverTime on NBA.com. The broadband channel gives fans the inside scoop on players, coaches and storylines taking place around the league seven days a week. Check out the NBA on TNT pages on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NBAonTNT) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com) to see the latest NBA on TNT schedule, news updates and special features from TNT announcers.
TNT NBA THURSDAY SCHEDULE:
Thursday, Dec. 10
8 p.m. NBA Tip-Off
Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
8:15 p.m. Boston Celtics @ Washington Wizards
Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Mike Fratello (analyst), Reggie Miller (analyst) and David Aldridge (reporter)
10:30 p.m. Orlando Magic @ Utah Jazz
Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
Post-game Inside the NBA
Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst), Kenny Smith (analyst) and Chris Webber (analyst)
NBA ON TNT UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
Thursday, Dec. 17
8 p.m. NBA Tip-Off
Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
8:15 p.m. Orlando Magic @ Miami Heat
Announcers: Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Doug Collins (analyst), Kevin McHale (analyst) and Cheryl Miller (reporter)
10:30 p.m. Phoenix Suns @ Portland Trail Blazers
Announcers: Marv Albert (play-by-play), Reggie Miller (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter)
Post-game Inside the NBA
Ernie Johnson (host), Charles Barkley (analyst) and Kenny Smith (analyst)
And we conclude with the quotage from NBA TV on Tuesday night.
Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night – Tuesday, December 8, 2009Cleveland Cavalier (109) @ Memphis Grizzles (111) – Overtime
Voting is open on NBA.com for next week’s Fan Night match-up that will air on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Fans can select between the following games:
New York Knicks @ Charlotte Bobcats
New Jersey Nets @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors @ Miami Heat
Los Angeles Lakers @ Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons @ Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings @ Portland Trail Blazers
CLIP OF THE DAY
(click on link below to watch)
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Pre-Game Show
Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber
McHale on Cavaliers guard Delonte West: “I love Delonte West’s game. I know he has some issues that he has to work through, but it all boils down to trust. Can they trust him? I don’t believe that they can win unless they can get him playing at a really high level.”
Webber on West: “They do need him. I played with the guy while we were in the championship run and he let the whole team down because you had to worry about where he was during the process and worry if he was okay when everybody should be worrying about themselves and their families. You are right, if it is a distraction it can be a trust factor. But they have known him a long time and usually you are willing to trust someone a little bit more when you have been with them for a long time.”
Webber on Cavaliers forward LeBron James: “I would describe LeBron as someone that does everything he has to do at that time. Last year he had to do a lot of scoring. One thing that is disheartening to me when looking at the stats for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that LeBron leads them in rebounding. By him leading in rebounds as a power forward that lets me know two things; one – the big men aren’t rebounding and two – this guy has the weight of the world on his shoulders. I think he has done all that is asked of him.”
McHale on James: “It’s like fine wine that gets better with time. He is still a young man. He has looked like that since he was 16 and is just getting better. I think he is better today than he was a year ago at this time.”
McHale on the Grizzlies’ chemistry: “They have a nice nucleus of players. They have Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. I like the fact that they have a youthful team and the fact that they are going to be able to grow together and really develop some chemistry together. If you can keep young teams together long enough through all the growing pains they should be able to bond well.”
Webber on Zach Randolph fitting in with the Grizzlies: “I think this is a fit. Why? Because Zach Randolph can score and he likes to take shots. He can rebound but he also likes to take shots. This team needs him to take shots, so he has found a home. They need a post man that can score.”
McHale on LeBron James’ dancing antics: “In the old days, if a guy was doing the Riverdance like that, coach would come over and say ‘who’s got the fewest amount of fouls of my big fellas?’. If you raised your hand, he would say ‘we will let him drive and then we will throw him on the ground;’ when he is laying there we would say ‘do you feel like dancing now?’ And that pretty much solved the dancing problem.”
Webber: “I got to play with Robert Parish and Moses Malone and guys that are younger (in the league today). I don’t know where to come in on this. If I am Joakim Noah, I’m supposed to be mad. But truthfully, go in and play good and have them fear you. That’s what I would say to my team. We know LeBron is a hard worker; if this is his personality you can’t judge his personality. Because I love LeBron’s track record, the jury is out on this one. As a player on the opposing team, I would try to foul the hell out of everybody that came into the paint on that one.”
Webber on Raptors guard Jarrett Jack tying his shoes in the middle of the game: “I am more disappointed in the guy that is checking him (Chicago’s Luol Deng). Where is the talking on defense? Everyone is supposed to be talking. Someone is supposed to trap him on defense. I don’t know what happened with this play.”
McHale: “For Luol Deng or someone not to run up to him and bum-rush him in the middle of tying that shoe is unacceptable. I think you have to be aggressive. You have a guy in the middle of an NBA game that has the ball under his arm reaching down tying his shoe.”
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Halftime Report
Johnson, McHale and Webber
NBA TV interviews Sean Tuohy, the adopted father of NFL player Michael Oher to discuss the story that inspired the movie “The Blind Side.”
Tuohy on the popularity of the movie: “We are still trying to figure out why everyone is so interested in it. We didn’t anticipate that. It wasn’t a massive decision on our part. It is an interesting story because we feel that it is happening so many times and in so many places in the country. Maybe the movie will kick start you to do something nice for someone else.”
Tuohy on life lessons he instilled in Oher: “When Michael came to our house, he was a great kid and we just didn’t screw him up. A lot of times what you have to do is give a kid love, a warm place to stay and some direction but what he did for us was huge. As a family he really brought us closer to together.”
Webber on if the Nuggets can be considered an elite team: “I don’t know if they are an elite team until they get another post player or until (forward) Nenê (Hilario) steps up. You definitely can’t lose these games and call yourself an elite team.”
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NBA GameTime
Johnson, McHale and Webber
Webber on Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins drawing up the final play of the game against the Cavaliers for guard Mike Conley: “I know (Mike Conley) has been struggling and by the (head) coach calling that play (for Conley), that just shows trust. Even if they wouldn’t have won the game, that play would’ve gone a long way two weeks from now. (Hollins is) going to have to put the guys in position again to say, ‘How do you learn to win except you lose in tough situations?’ I think the coach gets a great kudos for the job he did, especially late in the game.”
Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo joined the crew via Arena Link
Mayo on the young Grizzlies figuring out their identity as a team: “We’re all trying to figure out our identity as a team and as individual players. Coach Hollins does a great job of putting us in different positions to be successful. We have to learn to believe in and trust each other. It’s really important for us to trust each other offensively and defensively.”
Mayo on how the Grizzlies came together following Allen Iverson’s abrupt end to his tenure with the team: “After A.I. left and we were struggling, coach said to the team, ‘this is your team and you need to have a player’s meeting. No coaches and you guys can talk about what’s going on.’ He put together a film of our mistakes in our first eight games and we watched it as a team. We criticized each other and we made a promise to each other that this is a new page. We’re going to give it all we have, we have each other’s back and we’re going to play together as a team. When we leave the huddle, we yell. ‘one team!’ and this one team got a great win tonight (against the Cavaliers).”
Webber on Charlotte Bobcats guard Gerald Wallace: “Gerald Wallace has been the most underrated player the last couple of years. He’s played with a collapsed lung, doing everything he’s done and being a great player. He extends every ounce of energy every night.”
Webber on the Nets at Bulls match-up: “I used to play in the Gus Macker Three-on-Three Tournament and they had something called the ‘Toilet Bowl’ (for the last place team). That’s what this was.”
McHale on the strength of Sacramento Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans: “What a strong guy (Tyreke Evans is). That guy is a bull-moose out there. He’s strong as an ox and he can finish around the hoop. He’s in a dead heat with (Bucks guard Brandon) Jennings for Rookie of the Year.”
Webber on Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins gaining the trust of his team: “Teams like this can be a graveyard for coaches because you can be put in a messed-up situation by having to teach guys to grow for another coach to reap the benefits. I think Lionel Hollins is growing trust from his players and the community. The plays he called late in the game really impressed me because everybody on (the Grizzlies) could have given up the way LeBron (James) kept coming at them. Great job by the coach and the team.”
We’re done. Good night.
