The Cavs looked great in their game one win over the Bulls and tonight at 8pm TNT has game 2 of the series starting at 8pm.
Game two of the NBA Playoff doubleheader will feature Utah looking to pull even with Denver after losing game one. That game will begin at around 10:30pm
Radio on ESPN and Sirius-XM
Here are some comments from the TNT postgame crew –
Inside the NBA
Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber
Barkley on his disappointment in the Phoenix Suns’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game #1: “That was impressive by the Portland Trail Blazers. I’ve been on Phoenix’s bandwagon and I’m disappointed, not in their effort but in their mental toughness. If you let teams hang around guys are going to hit shots. Everybody in the NBA can play. That’s why when you have a superior team, and the Suns clearly have a superior team, you’ve got to smack that team in the mouth and say, ‘hey, you guys are not going to win, you’re missing your best player, you are not going to come into Phoenix and win.’ That’s what disappoints me.”
Barkley on Mavericks guard Jason Kidd being the best point guard in the last 20 years: “Jason Kidd has been the best point guard in the NBA in the past 20 years. The best since John Stockton. I was just trying to figure out if Jason Kidd is a better point guard than John Stockton. I love John Stockton, but Jason Kidd has been unbelievable. I don’t want to leave you out, Glove (Gary Payton), you’re in the conversation. (Payton) is one of my favorite players of all time.”
Smith on whether Spurs guard Tony Parker should start in Game #2 against the Mavericks: “Starts of games are vital and you give yourself every opportunity when Tony Parker has the start.”
Smith on the resiliency of Thunder forward Kevin Durant: “We’re really going to see how good of a player Kevin Durant is in how he bounces back after this game. This is what superstars are made of.”
Barkley on Thunder forward Kevin Durant’s need to adjust his game if he’s unable to make shots: “Kevin Durant is going to have to learn that sometimes you can’t make shots, and you’ve got to find another way to help your team. He got frustrated, but sometimes you have to find another way to help your team. No matter how great you are some nights you just can’t make shots. Kevin Durant didn’t have it today and they didn’t have a Plan B.”
TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Bobcats guard-forward Stephen Jackson who tweaked his knee during the game against the Magic.
Jackson on hurting his knee during Game #1 against the Magic: “It was a shocking incident and it hyper-extended my knee. It scared me a little right before the half, but I was able to get through it. By the third quarter I was feeling well and able to get to the basket and I was able to block it out. It was Coach’s (Larry Brown) decision to sit me down. There were seven minutes left in the fourth, I wanted to play because this is what I play for. But I’ve got to respect Coach’s decision.”
Jackson on not understanding why Bobcats Coach Larry Brown chose not to play him during the fourth quarter: “I was definitely surprised and I was definitely upset. Coach knows me, I want to be out there every minute I can. I was feeling good and I was getting a good rhythm. I didn’t really understand it, he said I was limping, which I was, but I was getting through it. I’ve been playing hurt almost my whole career so it was nothing new. I didn’t understand it.”
Barkley on the newest member of Turner Broadcasting, Conan O’Brien: “Conan O’Brien has got to be the luckiest guy in the whole entire world. First of all, they gave him $40 million to fire him, which I want one of those deals, and now he’s already working again.”
