The following is comments for the Spurs/Hornets Game 7 Monday night. The comments come from the NBA on TNT broadcast team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber, as well as comments from Reggie Miller and courtside interviews with Hornets head coach Byron Scott, Spurs guards Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker

TNT’s NBA coverage continues on Wednesday, May 21 at 9 p.m. ET with exclusive coverage of the Western Conference Finals Game #1 (schedule below).

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TNT NBA Tip-off presented by AutoTrader.com

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Spurs guard Manu Ginobili before Game #7

Ginobili on if the Spurs can win without a big game from center Tim Duncan: “Yes, I think we can (win without Duncan ). He’s a very smart player and every time he is going to get blitzed defensively, he’s going to kick it (out). I think we’ve got good enough shooters to step up. I think we haven’t been making those shots in ( New Orleans ). If we add that part of the game (and play) solid, steady defense for four quarters…not just three, we have a chance (to win).”

Barkley on the difference between the Spurs and the Hornets: “(Spurs head) Coach (Gregg) Popovich is unbelievable because he made a (defensive) switch. That’s why Morris Peterson and Peja (Stojakovic) can’t get off because (the Spurs) are going to let Chris (Paul) get his (shots) and David West get his (shots). Unless (the Hornets) get the tempo sped up, that helps Tyson Chandler and the other guys. San Antonio can win an ugly game, New Orleans can’t. They’ve got to run-and-gun to get those other guys involved.”

Barkley on the New Orleans Hornets surprising season: “(The Hornets) might not win tonight but we’ve been saying for four months that New Orleans is going to fold. When they had the best record in the West (Conference) at the All-Star Break we said, ‘They’re too young, they’re going to fold.’ Then with a week to go (in the season) they still had the best record in the West. Then we said, ‘Well, the Dallas Mavericks are definitely going to beat the New Orleans Hornets.’ And (the Hornets) beat them 4-1 (in the first round of the playoffs). Now, we’re in game seven against the defending champs. I think the one guy we’re not giving credit to is (Hornets head coach) Byron Scott. There’s not a single person in the NBA this year who said, ‘The New Orleans Hornets would have the second best record in the West and they are going to take the champs to seven games.’”

Webber on the Hornets needing to take advantage of a game seven at home: “I hope (the Hornets) take advantage of (Game #7). I’ve been in this position before, playing a game seven at home. You think this time is your time, you think next year is your time and you think you have potential in the great NBA. If you don’t take advantage of tonight, you may never see it again.”

Smith: “One injury away from being back in the lottery (draft). So you better take advantage of it.”

TNT aired a ‘Inside Trax’ segment featuring the pre-game talk of New Orleans Hornets head coach Byron Scott

Scott: “I’ve been so blessed, I’ve been to seven game seven situations as a player and this is my second elimination game as a coach. You have to play this game as if it is the last game, there is no tomorrow. There’s no waiting around.”

Smith on the difference between a game seven and an elimination game: “There’s a difference between an elimination game and a game seven. I’ve been in a lot of elimination games where we were facing elimination but the other team wasn’t. So they don’t have the same urgency that you have. But now (in game seven) the urgency is on both teams. So now possessions mean more, every basket means a little bit more for both teams. So a game seven does have a different reflection because one team usually doesn’t have the same urgency as the other.”

See game commentary and interviews by selecting Read More

San Antonio Spurs (91) @ New Orleans Hornets (82) – San Antonio won the series 4-3.

Announcers Marv Albert and Reggie Miller with Craig Sager reporting

Miller on Hornets guard Chris Paul making smart decisions: “It’s the decisions that Chris Paul has made throughout his young career, that’s the reason why these Hornets are one of the toughest teams to play, especially at home.”

Miller on Spurs center Tim Duncan being more aggressive in Game #7: “This is the most I’ve seen Tim Duncan be aggressive against the double teams all series. I understand he was a little under the weather in Games #1 and #2, but he is not settling waiting for the double team to come.”

Miller on New Orleans head coach Byron Scott not resting Chris Paul at the start of the second quarter: “I equate this to Major League Baseball when a starting pitcher goes to the bullpen and they’re available at any point during the game. Chris Paul is going to be available at any point in this game.”

Miller on Hornets guard Jannero Pargo: “Speaking with Byron Scott he said that (Jannero) Pargo is the guy that has to be the energizer, that one X factor for the Hornets. He’s really struggled in this series, he’s got to come back to life like he did against Dallas .”

Craig Sager interviewed Spurs guard Manu Ginobili at halftime.

Ginobili on missing early shots: “I just kept my confidence up, didn’t worry about the missed shots at the beginning and Tim ( Duncan ) has been unbelievable kicking it out and making us take the open shots.”

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Halftime

Johnson, Barkley, Smith and Webber

Barkley on Hornets role players needing to step up: “I picked the Hornets to win, but the pace is way too slow. San Antonio has done a great job and New Orleans has not found that third guy. (David) West is going to get his, (Chris Paul) is going to get his and unless somebody on that team steps up they are not going to win. Plain and simple.”

Webber on the pace of the game: “Just the momentum and the flow of the game right now (at halftime), it isn’t going well for the Hornets. San Antonio is using their composure to make sure they get the right shots at the right time so you see them getting shots off the glass. What I thought was especially big was in the second quarter when Tim Duncan wasn’t in the game and a lot of the scorers weren’t in the game and San Antonio sustained the lead.”

Barkley on the Hornets home crowd: “The crowd has got to get into the game, this is a nervous crowd… This crowd is nervous, they don’t think (the Hornets) are going to win. They need to find a way to get the crowd involved, that’s the beauty (of home court advantage)…Home court really means something, especially in a Game #7. If they’re going to be scared it’s not helping the Hornets at all.”

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Miller on Hornets guard Jannero Pargo coming alive late in the fourth quarter: “He’s starting to show life here a little bit late (in the game). He’s done a good job of not settling for those quick wild shots and doing a good job of penetrating and getting into the teeth of the defense.”

Miller on the performance of the San Antonio bench in Game 7: “I’m impressed by the bench of the San Antonio Spurs. Both benches really have been nonexistent in this playoff series but in Game #7 (Ime) Udoka, (Michael) Finley and Robert Horry (are) coming up huge for Gregg Popovich.”

Miller on Hornets guard Chris Paul: “When you look at (Chris Paul’s) numbers (in tonight’s game) it’s a near triple double, but how about Chris Paul being one of the new faces of the league? What he has done this year, second in MVP voting behind Kobe Bryant, really willing this team and bringing this city together all on his shoulders. It’s great what he has done for this franchise.”

TNT’s Craig Sager interviewed Spurs guard Manu Ginobili following the game.

Ginobili on his mentality going into Game #7: “Not any different from than any other game. In Game #6 we had the same responsibilities, so it just happened that I made a lot of shots in the first half and then in the second I didn’t play as good, but we stayed solid and we kept them with 82 points, and that’s great for us. It was great teamwork.”

Ginobili on containing Hornets guard Chris Paul: “The last two games we did a very good job on him. We have to give Tony (Parker) and Bruce (Bowen) a lot of credit, they did an unbelievable job, he’s a heck of a player. He’s very smart and good finishing at the paint, so it was a tough job, but they did unbelievable work the last two games.

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Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai

Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Chris Webber

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker joined the show via satellite.

Parker on how the addition of Pau Gasol to the Lakers affects the Spurs: “It makes it a whole lot different because now they got a presence inside and they are playing very good basketball. Kobe (Bryant) is playing unbelievable so it’s going to be a very tough task. It’s a quick turnaround for us, with my old team it’s going to be tough, but we’ll see.”

Parker on whether or not the team confidence wavered during the series: “Not at all, not at all. We always thought we were playing well, we just played horrible third quarters. So we always thought we had a chance if we could just play for 48 minutes and that was the whole key against ( New Orleans ), play them for 48 minutes.”

Smith on which area the Spurs will have an advantage over the Lakers: “(The Spurs will have an advantage over the Lakers in the) point guard (position). It’s going to be difficult for Derek Fisher and ( Jordan ) Farmar to keep Tony Parker out of the paint. They are different kinds of guards, they are better defenders off of jump shooter guards…but guys who penetrate like Parker he has a clear advantage.”

Barkley on point guards Derek Fisher and Tony Parker: “Derek Fisher is underrated, he’s like the brains of the whole operation. I don’t think Tony Parker is going to get near as many layups against (Lamar) Odom and ( Pau ) Gasol as he did against New Orleans because they are a small team.”

Webber on LA Lakers guard Derek Fisher: “I think Derek Fisher is the reason that (the Lakers) were in first place before they got ( Pau ) Gasol. A lot of people are saying ‘Gasol, Gasol, Gasol,’ but Fisher was the point guard on the (LA) championship team that was killing everybody in the West before. I think him being in there, keeping everybody calm, playing defense, hitting those open threes, I won’t say that they have an advantage but I think those two are going to play head-to-head.”

Barkley on the potential of this season’s Lakers team: “I think this Lakers team could potentially win a lot of (NBA) Championships in the next few years.”

Webber: “I agree with that, they could win a championship in the next three or four years in a row.”

Smith: “From top-to-bottom, this is the most talented Lakers team.”

Webber on what led to Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic be ineffective in the last two games of the series: “I would say the point guard (didn’t help Peja Stojakovic be more effective), but you can’t blame anything on Chris Paul. Peja has to take it on himself to be more aggressive. But he’s used to playing with a point guard like (Mike) Bibby and the Chris Paul who force feeds you and you can’t get your shot one-on-one. He needs to be more aggressive because he’s hard to check and I don’t think he was able to get himself in the rhythm.”

Smith on Detroit center Rasheed Wallace: (Rasheed Wallace) can do everything Kevin Garnett can do, he just can’t do it as consistently. He can do more thing that Kevin can’t, that’s step outside for three (points). But for seven games, he possibly can be just as good or even better as a guy who’s a (future) NBA Hall of Famer.”

Source: TNT

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