Basketball-themed Releases

Two releases for you now. One NBA-related, the other college basketball.

This is from ESPN and the start of college basketball season this Monday on ESPNU as the family of networks somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 million games this season.

ESPNU Tips Off 2009-10 Men’s College Basketball Season Nov. 9 with Isiah Thomas’ Debut against National Champion No. 4 North Carolina; First 16 Games Across ESPNU and ESPN360.com

Twelve of First 16 Games Features Ranked Team, Including Six of Top Eight; ESPN Coverage Begins Nov. 17 with Second Annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon

ESPN’s 2009-10 men’s college basketball season will tip off Monday, Nov. 9, with an ESPNU tripleheader beginning at 7 p.m. ET when Isiah Thomas debuts as coach of Florida International at defending National Champion No. 4 North Carolina. That game will be followed by No. 25 Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim going for his 800th career victory when the Orange host Albany at 9 p.m. The 11 p.m. telecast will feature Murray State at No. 12 California.

ESPNU and ESPN360.com will offer coverage of the first 16 games of the season across the ESPN networks, highlighted by 12 matchups featuring at least one team in the ESPN/USA Today poll, including six of the top eight: No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Kentucky, No. 7 Purdue and No. 8 Duke.

Additional first-week highlights on ESPNU include John Calipari’s debut as Kentucky head coach when the Wildcats host Morehead State on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m., along with telecasts involving No. 12 California, No. 14 Connecticut and No. 25 Syracuse. ESPN360.com will offer three exclusive games Friday, Nov. 13, including No. 2 Michigan State, a participant in last year’s national championship game, against Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m.

ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage will begin with the second annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, featuring 12 consecutive game telecasts in 24 hours Tuesday, Nov. 17, on ESPN. Games are scheduled to tip off every two hours beginning at midnight with Cal State Fullerton at UCLA. The 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. telecasts mark the first time ESPN has televised live college basketball games in those time slots – through more than 8,200 live matchups in 30 years. In addition to ESPN’s 24 consecutive hours, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will combine to present at least 38 total hours of coverage with 19 games — 17 men’s and two women’s – in a minimum of 25 ½ hours.

Overall, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ABC, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN Regional Television and ESPN FULL COURT will feature approximately 1,100 games.

Most High Definition Telecasts Ever

ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNU HD and ESPN Regional Television will combine to offer more than 445 games in high definition, the most for the sport and an increase of 71 percent over last year’s 260 telecasts. ESPN HD will televise every game except one in high definition (Northern Colorado at Hawaii, Nov. 17, at 4 a.m.) while ESPN2 HD will increase high definition productions by 313 percent. ESPNU HD will televise nearly 90 high definition games and, for the first time, ESPN Regional Television will offer syndicated games in high definition.

ESPNU and ESPN360.com schedule through Nov. 16

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Network
Mon, Nov 9	7 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer – Florida International at No. 4 North Carolina (Chapel Hill) Rob Stone, Jay Williams & Andy Katz	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer – Albany at No. 25 Syracuse (Syracuse) Dan McLaughlin, Tim Welsh & Quint Kessenich	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer –Murray State at No. 12 California (Berkeley) Carter Blackburn, Mark Gottfried & Steve Lavin	ESPNU
Wed, Nov 11	7 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer – Robert Morris at No. 25 Syracuse (Syracuse) Dan McLaughlin & Tim Welsh	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer – North Carolina Central at No. 4 North Carolina (Chapel Hill) Rob Stone & Jay Williams	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	Coaches vs. Cancer – Detroit at No. 12 California (Berkeley) Carter Blackburn & Mark Gottfried	ESPNU
Fri, Nov 13	6:30 p.m.	Morehead State at No. 5 Kentucky Dan McLaughlin, Jimmy Dykes & Andy Katz	ESPNU
	7 p.m.	Florida Gulf Coast at No. 2 Michigan State Frank Giardina & Tim McCormick	ESPN360.com
	7 p.m.	Cal State Northridge at No. 7 Purdue Jim Barbar & Mac McCausland	ESPN360.com
	8 p.m.	Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at Illinois Lou Canellis & Dickey Simpkins	ESPN360.com
Sun, Nov 15	2 p.m.	CBE Classic: UC Irvine at No. 3 Texas (Austin) Dave Armstrong & Reid Gettys	ESPNU
	4 p.m.	CBE Classic: Fairleigh Dickinson at Wichita State (Wichita) Dan McLaughlin & Mac McCausland	ESPNU
	6 p.m.	CBE Classic: Texas-San Antonio at Iowa (Iowa City) Jim Barbar & Mike Kelley	ESPNU
Mon, Nov 16	7 p.m.	NIT Season Tip-Off – Regional Semifinal: Coastal Carolina at No. 8 Duke (Durham) Mike Gleason & Jimmy Dykes	ESPNU
	9 p.m.	NIT Season Tip-Off – Regional Semifinal: Colgate at No. 14 Connecticut (Storrs) Justin Kutcher & Bob Wenzel	ESPNU
	11 p.m.	NIT Season Tip-Off – Regional Semifinal: Texas State at Arizona State (Tempe) Steve Physioc & Miles Simo

And here’s quotage from TNT’s NBA doubleheader from Thursday.

Notes from TNT’s Coverage of the NBA – Thursday, November 5, 2009

TNT’s NBA Thursday coverage continues Thursday, November 12 at 8 p.m. ET with an exclusive doubleheader featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers @ Miami Heat followed by the Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers.

CLIP OF THE DAY

(click on link below to watch)

A fan of Inside the NBA sent the guys a very unique putter.

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TNT NBA Tip-off

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Chris Webber

Barkley on the Cleveland Cavaliers not being one of the top teams in the NBA: “Let’s be realistic, they can’t beat the Celtics or the Lakers and probably not the Magic or the Nuggets. (Acquiring Shaquille O’Neal) is going to be a great trade for them with clearing out cap space next summer. But they are not one of the two or three best teams in the NBA.”

Barkley on Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson complaining about coming off the bench: “Allen Iverson is a great player, one of my favorite players and a future Hall of Famer, but he’s 100% wrong. Memphis was the only team that wanted him. When you are a great player, the hardest thing is to get older with dignity. You’re not the same player you used to be and you have to accept that. What I would like Allen Iverson to do is to help O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley and Rudy Gay. That’s the one thing that I think is really missing in the NBA these days. When I got to the Philadelphia 76ers (as a rookie), Moses Malone was my mentor and I love him like a father. Dr. J (Julius Erving), Mo (Maurice) Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Clemon Johnson, Clint Richardson and Bobby Jones, those guys taught me how to play and they retired with dignity. You can’t play like you used to play.”

Webber on Memphis being to blame for the situation with Allen Iverson: “I actually think it’s Memphis’ fault. I could be playing now if I could come off the bench for a championship team. But I didn’t want to go to (a team like) Memphis and come off the bench. He’s too good of a player to play for Memphis. They aren’t going to make the playoffs. So why would one of the greatest guards to ever put on (basketball) shorts go (to Memphis)? I would rather he go to the (Harlem) Globetrotters.”

Barkley on being impressed by Milwaukee Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings: “He is so fast and he’s done a good job. He’s clearly the best rookie so far. He is so fast and to me, he’s a left-handed Chris Paul. He is flying up and down the court.”

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Game 1: Chicago Bulls (86) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (85)

Announcers: Marv Albert, Mike Fratello and Reggie Miller with David Aldridge reporting

Fratello on Bulls rookie guard Taj Gibson: “(The Bulls) are very, very high on (Taj) Gibson. As far as rookies go, he might be the most advanced rookie defensively that they have seen in a long, long time. He gets it and he understands team defense.”

Miller on Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao: “He’s been that energy factor for the Cavaliers, something they have been lacking in the early part of this season. This is the one guy who can give you a shot in the arm.”

Miller on LeBron James’ upcoming free agency: “Absolute
ly not, I think that LeBron’s main focus right now is getting this team over the hump and back to the (Finals). They’ve added new pieces in Shaquille O’Neal, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker and (LeBron) is focused on basketball. I think everyone else is pulling at him.”

Fratello on the Cavaliers playing centers Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas at the same time: “What this combination has done is it’s caused a lot of problems for the opposition when they try to go to the basket against Shaq and ‘Z’.”

Miller: “Do you like the ‘Twin Tower’ look for the Cavs?”

Fratello: “You’ve got to see if you can do it against every team. It may not be effective against every team because you have to play defense.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley and Webber

Barkley on the Cavaliers playing Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas at the same time: “Why in the world would you play Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas together? I like (Cavaliers head coach) Mike Brown but it makes no sense to me whatsoever to play those two together. It slows them down. It slows them down when one of them is on the court but to put both of them out there together slows the entire team down. It makes your offense worse because there’s not enough space for LeBron when he’s got two seven-foot guys in the paint area or anywhere in the building. It doesn’t give him any flexibility.”

Spurs forward Manu Ginobili on swatting a bat out of the air on the court this past week: “I guess I have quick hands. I saw it close to me, tried to grab it and I did. I didn’t think it was going to be that complicated. But when everyone started talking about it, then I realized that it wasn’t something that common.”

Barkley on the potential for an Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings game next Tuesday on NBA TV’s Fan Night: “I’m going to watch Oklahoma City against Sacramento (Kings) next Tuesday. The nice little trio they have in Oklahoma City with (Kevin) Durant, (Jeff) Green) and (Russell) Westbrook. They are a team on the rise. One of my favorite people in the world Paul Westphal is coaching in Sacramento with (rookie guard) Tyreke Evans. I’ll be watching that game next Tuesday.”

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Fratello on who is going to take the end-of-game shots for the Bulls with the departure of guard Ben Gordon to the Detroit Pistons: “Right now, it’s going to get done-by-committee. The ball is going to get into the hands of Derrick Rose and then your options are (John) Salmons or (Luol) Deng or (Joakim) Noah, if he’s on the floor, for a big shot.”

TNT’s David Aldridge interviewed Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown following the third quarter

Brown on the Cavaliers needing to improve their interior defense: “We still have to get better in that area. They are getting into the paint too easy and able to make plays.”

Miller on Bulls forward Luol Deng: “(Luol Deng) has the size and the quickness to stay with LeBron (James).”

Miller on the officials having the ability to use instant replay: “I like the new rule. I like for the officials to have the ability to go to the videotape and get the call right. That’s all you want, at the end of the day, is for the call to be correct.”

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Game 2: San Antonio Spurs (99) @ Utah Jazz (113)

Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins with Craig Sager reporting

Collins on the versatility of Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko: “He’s tall and rangy but he can get to the basket. He’s kind of a streaky shooter. He’s one of those guys that fills up the stat sheet. He’s one of the best shot blockers in the league at his position. He gets steals and rebounds but they need more scoring from him because their bench is depleted.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili on how it’s important for the Spurs to get off to a good start this season: “This year is going to be different because it’s important for us to win in the first two months. It’s not what we’ve always done because (in the past) in January and February we’d start to get into playoff shape and becoming as good as we want to be. This year we’ve got to do it quicker because we have too many games at home and we can’t let them go.”

Collins on how Spurs forward Richard Jefferson is adjusting to his new team: “(Richard Jefferson) is getting acclimated to where his shots are coming from; how he fits into the offense, when to take the three (point shot), when to drive the ball to the basket and when to create something.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich following the second quarter

Popovich on what concerns him the most with the Jazz scoring 22 points in the pain in the first quarter: “22 points in the paint.”

Sager: “How do you change that?”

Popovich: “Try harder.”

Collins on the Spurs trying to pick up their offense:
“The Spurs are trying to speed up the tempo, they are trying to get their offense picked up. Their defense has always been very solid. Last year, they had to play too many hard minutes and too many close games. That took a toll on (Tim) Duncan and (Tony) Parker and (Manu) Ginobili was hurt.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Jazz forward Carlos Boozer after the first half

Boozer on winning the Jazz fans back after the teams 1-3 record to start the season: “It’s been tough, we’ve had a couple of games we should’ve won and we lost them. We’re trying to win our fans back and we’re playing hard.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley and Webber

Barkley on the San Antonio Spurs: “This is not the same team defensively that they’ve been in the past. Tim Duncan is clearly getting older. They are really a small team.”

Webber on the Spurs interior defense not being what it’s been in the past: “Tim Duncan is a great defender but he always had another great defender with him. Whether it was a seven-footer in David Robinson, he always had a seven-footer with him. McDyess is a great defender but they don’t have that double shot-blocker inside. If I was an opposing team, I would try to attack inside.”

Barkley on the importance of Manu Ginobili to the Spurs: “Ginobili is the X-factor. You wonder if he is going to get that athleticism back. He used to be all over the place and a bundle of energy. At some point, you lose a step here or there.”

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Collins on Jazz center Mehmet Okur: “He’s so important to the team. He’s their big money guy. He’s the guy that makes big, critical shots.”

Collins on Spurs rookie forward DeJuan Blair who is playing without an ACL in either knee: “If you can only play three or four years, make them good ones. He’s doing a good job and he’s relentless on the offensive boards.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan after the third quarter

Sloan on Spurs point guard Tony Parker: “We tried really hard (to defend him) but he’s a great player. He’s got a real knack for going at big guys and making things tough on them. He’ll break their legs one of these days the way he goes after them.”

Collins on Jazz undrafted rookie guard Wesley Matthews having a breakout game: “This might be Wesley Matthews coming out party tonight. It’s a nationally televised game, (he’s) coming in off the bench. He really gave his team a shot in the arm.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Jazz guard Deron Williams after the game

Williams on the Jazz victory: “It’s very important. We needed a full 48 minutes of basketball and that’s what we got tonight. Prior to this game we hadn’t got that. We’re happy with our effort, I’m sure coach (Jerry Sloan) is. We hung in there and fought through the fourth quarter and got the victory.”

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Inside the NBA

Johnson, Barkley and Webber

Barkley on the Cavaliers needing to speed up their offense: “LeBron (James) should get 10-12 points (from running) a game. You don’t see (the Cavs) running that much, that’s the problem. When someone else gets the rebound, he goes and gets the ball and kind of walks it up and down the court. They don’t fast break. They’ve got to speed up.”

Webber on the final play by Cavaliers forward LeBron James where he drove to the basket but missed the shot: “You’ve got to give LeBron credit. He didn’t settle for a jump shot at the top of the key, he went right to the lane. Even though he missed it, you know he’ll make that nine times out of ten.”

Barkley on the Cavaliers’ offense: “(The Cavaliers) are not getting good shots. I’ve criticized the Cavs the last year because of their offense. LeBron is one of the most gifted bodies we have in the NBA and he should be finishing at the end. They’ve got to get Mo Williams pushing the ball more, they’ve got to get LeBron on that wing and let him finish at the basket. They play way too slow. What happens is what happened on that last play of the game; it ends up coming down to LeBron having to go one on five. He has to work too hard, there are too many games in the season. And when they start playing against better teams, it’s not going to work in the playoffs. They’ve got to push the ball. I’m sick of them not listening to me.”

Webber on the Cavaliers needing to model their offense after the Miami Heat: “Maybe (Cleveland) should take a page from Miami. Every time you see Dwyane Wade, he has the ball coming full speed at you. Maybe that’s what they need. I think that they have to have the ball in LeBron’s hands because I think that’s the only way they think they can win. Maybe when he has it other players get open shots. He’s the only player I know who’s that great without a sweet spot. He can shoot threes, he can go to the post, he can do anything he wants, but he doesn’t have a sweet spot because his team doesn’t have a system with a sweet spot for him in it.”

Barkley on whether the Lakers are better with forward Ron Artest: “(The Lakers) are going to be (better) if he controls himself. If Ron Artest just plays basketball I think they can be better. He’s going to have to keep himsel
f under control. He’s the fifth option, he’s not the fourth…he’s going to have to accept that winning is the most important thing. It’s easy to say that, but he’s the fifth option and he’s going to have to deal with that.”

That finishes this release post.