TNT has the NBA Playoffs tonight…
8 p.m. ET New Jersey Nets @ Cleveland Cavaliers (Game # 2)
Game two of the double header will feature San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns (Game #2).
VERSUS, coverage of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Final round starts with The Eastern Conference Final round starting on Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. ET when the Buffalo Sabres host the Ottawa Senators and Western Conference Final coverage begins on Friday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET with the Anaheim Ducks at the Detroit Red Wings.
What they are talking about…
Collins on Bulls center Ben Wallace needing to separate himself from his former Detroit Piston teammates: “Ben Wallace has got to play well tonight, not just statistically, but he needs to bring some fire to this team. He’s got to bring some toughness here in the Palace against his old teammates. He’s going to have to make a conscious effort for the next couple of weeks that he says, ‘I can’t worry about what these guys think of me, I can’t be their friend.’ That’s easier said than done when he’s looking across at guys that he’s been in the foxhole with; with all these different situations and playoff appearances and talks about all the things they did. He’s got to switch gears right now and be that force for the Chicago Bulls and that’s the reason why they went and got him, for that serious nature that he brings to that post.”
Collins on the Detroit Pistons establishing themselves with a lead in the first quarter: “This is a team that lost 15 games at home this year after only four the year before. In the first quarter they’ve gotten off to a great start; you get off to a good start so when you go to the bench, your bench is playing with a lead and they come in with energy. Now when (Jason) Maxiell, (Antonio) McDyess and Lindsey Hunter are playing, they are justpicking up where the starters left off.”
TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed NBA Commissioner David Stern at the Chicago/Detroit game.
Stern on the first round upsets: “Any team that makes it into the Playoffs these days is sufficiently good and the talent is rich, so that means beware if you’re a favorite. I was at a game in Oakland at Oracle Arena, those guys (the crowd) were going crazy, dressed in yellow and you could feel them willing (the Warriors) to victory.”
Stern on the study released that indicated a racial bias in NBA officiating: “We thought that the New York Times sold its front page to a professor for an exclusive and it was undignified, and now the professor is running around like a trapped academic casting aspersions on the NBA. The facts will turn out to be what they are and we think we have one of the most diverse workplaces with the least amount of discrimination…we don’t buy it.”
Collins on the Pistons being a harder match-up for the Bulls: “This Chicago team played a great series against Miami. The Bulls are moving up in class, they have not seen the best of Detroit this year. Detroit has upped the level of their game. They cruised through the regular season. Their goal was to be better right now than they were to start the season. The difference is they trust theirbench, their guys are rested and ready to go and Detroit is playing great.”
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Halftime
Barkley on the difficult match-up for the Chicago Bulls: “The Bulls can’t beat them, they can’t stop Rip Hamilton or Chauncey Billups, but the real problem they have is guarding Chris Webber. (Webber) can make the outside shot, so Ben Wallace has to stay close to him. So when (the Pistons) initiate their offense, it keeps Ben Wallace away from the basket. Ben Wallace is not going to get hustle points, and they can’t match up with Chris Webber and they can’t match up with the two-guards.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Jackson on what it will take to beat the Utah Jazz: “The key to the series is keeping our composure and not letting their crowd get into us because they have one of the best crowds in the league. And we have to stop Carols Boozer, he’s a first year All-Star, he’s playing great, and had a monster game in Game #7 against Houston. He’s a big factor.”
Johnson on Stephen Jackson’s comments: “Two words that don’t often collide in the same sentence, ‘Stephen Jackson’ and ‘composure.’”
Barkley on Utah being a harder match-up for Golden State than Dallas: “Utah has a better team. The stuff they employed against Dallas they can’t do against Utah. Baron Davis won’t be able to bully Deron Williams like he did with (Mavericks) Devin Harris and Jason Terry. They have better outsides shooters with Mehmet Okur, and I think (Andrei) Kirilenko is gong to be huge this series.”
Smith on the Warriors’ need for a different game plan against the Jazz: “(The Warriors) don’t have the same advantages (that they had against Dallas). For Golden State to win, they have to come up with Plan B. Plan A of running them out of the gym, opening the floor and penetrating, that doesn’t work against them. I believe Utah is the better team and they will advance, but (the series) will go a long way.”
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Collins on the Detroit Pistons: “(The Pistons) are a well-oiled machine. All these guys are skilled basketball players, they can pass, they can move without the ball… their big men are good passers and are versatile.”
Collins on Bulls coach Scott Skiles giving some players additional minutes in the loss to the Pistons: “(Tyrus) Thomas had some pretty good regular season action and he’s playing much better tonight after he was so jittery in Game #1. This is good in a game like this, Scott Skiles is giving (Thomas) a lot of minutes, and he’s giving (Thabo) Sefolosha a lot of minutes. They are going to be going home for Game #3, and if they can play well in front of the home crowd, it will give them a great chance to get a win at home. I think this is a great move by Scott Skiles to leave these young guys out there and let them play.”
Collins on the Utah Jazz’s series win over the Houston Rockets: “Tracy McGrady played well, he just didn’t have enough guys to help him finish that game. How about (Andrei) Kirilenko the last couple of games? He came through. (Mehmet) Okur hit some big threes late in the game when they needed him and how about my man Carlos Boozer? He was fabulous.”
Collins on the Bulls returning to Chicago down 0-2 in the series against Detroit: “They will go home, hope there’s energy at home, hope they shoot the ball better…(Ben) Gordon, (Kirk) Hinrich and (Luol) Deng, those guys are going to have to make shots, and those guys are going to have to come up with a better shooting percentage.”
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Game 2: Golden State Warriors (112) @ Utah Jazz (116) – Utah leads the series 1-0
Announcers Dick Stockton and Reggie Miller; Pam Oliver reporting
Miller on Jazz guard Deron Williams and Warriors guard Baron Davis: “I think it will be the key to the series, the match-up between (Deron Williams and Baron Davis). Baron (Davis) we know is so strong and athletic, and in this series, if he has a healthy hamstring he should be the best player in this series. Deron Williams is so young and confident, this is his first time in the playoffs and he doesn’t know any better. He has the size, the strength and the shooting ability to be just like Baron Davis in five years.”
Miller on Warriors guard and former Pacers teammate Stephen Jackson: “(Stephen Jackson) definitely needed a change of scenery when he left Indiana. I think he came to the perfect place and the perfect opportunity (at Golden State). This is wide-open, small ‘Nellie’ (Coach Don Nelson) ball that is his style of play. Everyone has embraced him despite the off the court problems. (The Warriors say) ‘Who cares about that, let’s just go out and play as a team.’”
Miller on forwards Matt Harpring and Matt Barnes: “This is blue collar versus blue collar – Matt Harpring going against Matt Barnes – two guys that really in there to do the dirty work for their respective teams.”
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Halftime
Johnson, Smith and Barkley
Barkley on the difference between Utah and Golden State: “(The Jazz) are a deeper team, they are going to get more easy baskets than Golden State does. (The Warriors) can’t stop (Carlos) Boozer down low, they’ve got to double. The difference in the game is that Utah is going to get more lay-ups and Golden State lives and dies by the jumper.”
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Miller on the Warriors’ style of play: “If you’re turning on the TV for the first time and you’re looking at the Golden State Warriors and thinking, ‘What kind of ill-advised shots are those? What kind of tempo is this?’ This is what they want, this is the style of play that has gotten them to the second round, and you should not be shocked (to see this). Coaches everywhere- especially college coaches – are seeing these one-pass shots, behind-the back-passes and saying (to their teams), ‘Don’t do it,’ but this is how the Warriors play.”
Miller on Warriors guard Stephen Jackson accidentally running into a Utah Jazz fan in the stands: “What makes (Stephen Jackson running into a fan) so funny is that he runs into the guy with the sign that says, ‘Jackson, the league can use another $50,000.’ That’s what makes it so comical, that he goes into the stands and almost knocks out the guy that took all day to make that sign. I guarantee he wanted to grab it and rip it!”
Miller on the close game down the stretch: “Which team is going to blink? This (playoff experience) is new to both teams, they are young and energetic.”
Miller on the Warriors playing a competitive game down the stretch while on the road: “As a competitor, these are the games that you love to play in. If you’re the Golden State Warriors and you’ve played well enough, you’d rather get blown out on the road than lose a close game like this that you think you should have won.”
Miller on Jazz forward Carlos Boozer: “(Carlos Boozer has) been the constant on the offensive glass, relentlessly pursuing the rebounds.”
TNT’s Pam Oliver interviewed Utah Jazz guard DeronWilliams after their win over the Warriors.
Williams on the maturity of the Jazz as the Playoffs progress: “We’ve grown a lot over the last series over Houston, we learned a lot about ourselves and that we can stay in a fight with anyone in this league. We’ve shown a lot composure; we were down 0-2 in the last series (against Houston) fought a tough Game #7 and now we’re in the second round.”
Inside the NBA
Johnson, Smith and Barkley
Barkley on Utah Jazz guard Deron Willams: “Deron Williams is going to be a household name after this series…The big difference between him and Jason Terry and Devon Harris is that he’s strong enough to handle Baron Davis and score on the other end.”
Barkley on Utah being stronger offensively than Golden State: “Utah can play (with Golden State). Utah is a deeper team and I think they have more offensive weapons and they have one advantage that Utah doesn’t have, they have a post game. I think Utah is going to win this series, and as the series progresses their depth and Carlos Boozer are going to wear (Golden State) down.”
Smith on Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan focusing on the team as a unit: “The on thing (Deron Williams) and Carlos Boozer have to fall back on is Coach Sloan. He will not allow them to think of an individual in their team concept. He won’t allow them to say, ‘Its Carlos Boozer’s team’ or ‘Deron Williams team.’ He allows them to play within in the confines and let the play do the talking…When you do that as a player you can calm down if this is your first experience in a high intensity situation.”
Barkley on the Detroit Pistons: “Detroit played like a team that really wanted to send a message tonight.”
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