Boston Sports Media Watch

The Comcast SportsNet Game 5 telecast of the Celtics/Hawks first round playoff series earned a season high 7.7 rating and reached an estimated 354,000 households in New England. Game 5 achieved an 8.0 rating with men (25-54) and was the second most watched program by men trailing only American Idol. Celtics-Hawks Round 1 is averaging a 6.2 rating through the first five telecasts, up 82 percent over the regular season.

Here are some notes and quotes from TNT’s coverage of the game last night:

Announcers: Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello, Cheryl Miller reporting.

Fratello on the Celtics closely guarding Hawks guard Joe Johnson at the start of the game: “You see the extra attention that the Celtics are paying to Joe Johnson, last game the Celtics opened up with a 16-3 run, (with) Atlanta finishing the quarter on a 20-3 run. You hear over and over again, the NBA is a game of runs, there is some truth to that.”

TNT’s Inside Trax showed Hawks coach Mike Woodson giving a pre-game speech to the Hawks.

Woodson on the Hawks being 14 wins away from winning the NBA Championship: “Watching Phil Jackson talking about the Lakers and how he puts up every year 16 wins…we’re 14 wins away from winning the NBA. If that doesn’t drive you, there’s something crazy. And this supposed to be the best team in basketball. Let’s go try to get us some wins.”

Fratello on the skirmish between Hawks center Zaza Pachulia and Celtics forward Kevin Garnett: “It was maybe the biggest play of the game for the Atlanta Hawks because the message they sent was ‘we’re tired of getting beat up, we’re not going to let you push us around, we’re going to stand nose to nose’.”

TNT’s Inside Trax showed Celtics coach Doc Rivers talking to his team during a timeout.

Rivers talking to the Celtics huddle at a timeout: “Don’t get caught up in just your guy, you’re playing great, you’re playing great, you’re playing aggressive but it’s the little things with the team defense.”

Stockton on the positive feedback Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave in the huddle: “In Games #1 and #2 there were always things he didn’t like, but he’s saying they’re playing great.

Fratello: “A coach knows when to build a team up and when it’s time to tear it down a little and start over again. Doc Rivers, he’s trying to give them confidence again. He knows it’s a short series, there’s a lot of pressure on them he’s trying to get this team playing loose and understand that it starts with defense.”

Pierce on keeping the Hawks out of transition in the first half: “That’s the key, you’ve got to keep these young guys with a lot of energy out of transition because they can get to flying and get to jumping and get excited and get confident. So we took care of that part, got them in half court and we’re in business.”

Halftime

Kenny Smith on Celtics guard Sam Cassell playing more aggressively in Game #5 to prove himself: “I know he doesn’t want me to say this, but I’m going to bring it out. I talked to Sam today and he was a little disappointed that down the stretch (the Celtics) didn’t go to him. I told him ‘they didn’t bring you here for the first round, they brought you here for past the first round in those late playoff games against Detroit and everyone else.’ He was like, ‘I’m coming out aggressive today. Because I just want him to know what he has in here.’ (Sam Cassell) takes you to spots, it doesn’t matter how long you are, how quick you are, how good you are, how high you can jump, he runs the spots in the floor and he takes you to the spots.”

Charles Barkley on the Celtics needing Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to step up their game: “It’s time for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to step up. They are terrific players, but neither one of them have had a breakout game, I see Paul is really being aggressive, but him and Ray Allen have got to step up. KG has been the man on that team all season, but those two guys are more accomplished offensively than Kevin Garnett, they need to step up especially at home.”

Barkley on the NBA issuing no suspensions for Celtics center Kendrick Perkins and Hawks forward Marvin Williams stepping onto the court during a skirmish in Game #4 against the Hawks: “I applaud the NBA for not suspending these guys, it’s a bull rule. You only suspend guys if they escalate the situation; they were wrong for suspending those guys for the Suns last year. It’s a stupid rule and they need to change the rule.”

Fratello on the leadership of Celtics forward Kevin Garnett: “It’s great when you have a leader that people will follow and they follow (Garnett) because he’s an unselfish basketball player, he’s a guy who has high energy night in and night out.”

Fratello on Celtics guard Sam Cassell getting open looks: “Most of Cassell’s looks have been way too easy, there’s no defender within three or four feet in front of him and he’s winding up getting shots that he’s knocking down like he’s in practice.”

TNT’s Cheryl Miller interviewed Celtics forward Kevin Garnett after the Celtics win over the Hawks.

Garnett on what they’ve learned in their two losses against Atlanta: “Composure, continuing to keep the intensity very high, you see the difference in intensity tonight. We’ve got to continue this pressure when we go to Atlanta.”

Garnett on playing Celtic basketball: “Celtic basketball is sharing the ball and sharing yourself on both sides of the court. Tonight defensively we were fine, offensively we can get better, but I’m sure Doc will have us watch tape.”

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Here are some excerpts of interest to Celtics fans from Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley’s comments in yesterday’s TNT NBA Playoffs conference call:

Miller on picking Boston in the Eastern Conference Playoffs:  “It’s going to be such a blood bath out West where I see every series going at least six games.  The least resistance is in the East.  It’s going to come down to Boston and Detroit, the two best teams in the East.  Charles and I are in unison that we love the passion that Kevin Garnett has brought to Boston, there is something special that Doc (Rivers) has resurrected in his team. I like the addition of Sam Cassell, he’s been great as of late. I like Boston in the East.”

Barkley on how he sees the NBA Playoffs shaping up: “The East (Conference) is obviously Boston and Detroit, that’s going to be a monster series. They are the two best teams in the East by far. I’m not sure who is going to win it but I think it’s going to be a great series. I can’t even really pick a team in the West (Conference) right now because we don’t know what the match-ups are going to be. It’s up for grabs right now. I think realistically, in no particular order, Utah, the Lakers and San Antonio are the three best teams. San Antonio and Utah could play (each other) in the first round so that would eliminate one of my picks. At mid-season, I picked Utah (to win the West), I still feel pretty good about that pick. I’m not sure if the Lakers can win without (injured center Andrew) Bynum. I don’t think the Lakers want to play Denver in the first round of the playoffs. Any team that can score that much and have guys like Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, they can win any night. (If the Lakers and Nuggets play) it’s not going to be a sweep, it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out (fight). If New Orleans is the number two seed (in the West) and they play Dallas (number seven seed), I would take Dallas. San Antonio and Phoenix would be a knock-down, drag-out series. But we don’t know who is going to play who. I’m looking forward to the West (seeding) finally being over.”

Miller on an Eastern Conference teams chances to win the NBA Championship: “I would not be surprised if every first round series in the Western Conference did not go six or seven games. And I would not be surprised if a team from the Eastern Conference, once they get to the Finals, end up winning it because these teams in the West are going to be so emotionally drained. Their playoffs started right after the All-Star break when everyone was trying to jockey for position. They’ve been in playoff mode for almost two months now. Meanwhile, Boston and Detroit have been almost cruising the last three or four weeks, resting a lot of players. I would not be surprised if a team from the Eastern Conference ends up winning (the championship).”

Barkley on re-formatting the NBA Playoff system: “The league is always going to be cyclical and you can’t change the rules just for that reason. Detroit and Boston don’t play the same number of games against good teams that the West (Conference teams) do. They get to play Miami, who stink. The Denver Nuggets are a good, solid team but teams (in the West) have to play them three or four times. They have to play the Golden State Warriors three or four times. They have to play the Portland Trail Blazers, who have a bright future, three or four times. The East stinks at the bottom. Even the teams who are in the (East) playoffs aren’t very good teams. The Atlanta Hawks are not a really good team. The Philadelphia 76ers are not a really good team. So the Celtics have to play those teams four or five times.”

Barkley on if the Cavaliers are poised to make a big playoff run: “I think (the trade with the Bulls was) an upgrade (to their roster). I think (the Cavaliers) are better suited for the playoffs when they play against the Celtics or Detroit, they’ve got bigger bodies. I think they are a lot better but the Celtics are (still) a lot better and you never know what the Pistons are going to do. (The Cavaliers) are better suited to make a run in the playoffs. Last year was just a fluke. This year if they get to the Finals, they are going to have to go through the Boston Celtics.”

Barkley on his equal opportunity criticism of players: “I don’t have an obligation to tell the players they are good when they are bad. I don’t say ‘they stink’, I might stay their teams stink. I don’t ever criticize a guy personally. I don’t worry about what the players think. I speak for the fans, they’re watching the games, they know who stinks and which teams stink. I will sit down and go back and forth with any player, and say lets talk about what I said about him and there is a reason why I said it. I don’t think you can have a double standard, a lot of guys in the media will kill a guy they don’t like, but protect ones they do. You’re job is to represent fans and be honest and be fair; I know I do that. I don’t have a hidden agenda against any player.”

Barkley on needing a player who can make a play to win a game: “You need to have a guy on your team that says, ‘we’re not going to lose tonight.’ Everyone in the world knows that the ball was going to Reggie with the game on the line, the ball was going to me with the game on the line, and to Kevin (Garnett) and everyone knows it’s going to go to Carmelo (Anthony) or AI (Allen Iverson) and you say to yourself, ‘I’ve got to score, I’ve got to get a shot that I might miss or I’ve got to set up a guy for a wide open jumper.’ Those to me are the three intangibles. It happens to every great player sometime in the game. It was no different from Larry Bird, Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. At some point, you’ve got to say I’ve got to make a play for us to win.”

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Some items from last night’s TNT coverage of Celtics/Mavericks:

Reggie Miller on Craig Sager’s report on an argument between Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and head coach Avery Johnson: “Where there’s smoke there’s fire, so if both guys are downplaying it then something went on. The biggest complaint from Mark Cuban was about Brandon Bass and his play the other night against the Lakers, he only played 13 minutes. It was a high energy game and he’s one of their high energy players.”

Kevin Garnett on the recent comments made by Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor that Garnett tanked games last season: “Sam Mitchell told me this a long time ago, he said, ‘You take care of yourself and you do what you can do and at the end of the night you look at yourself in the mirror and you ask yourself truthfully, did I do everything I can do?’ and if you can live with that, then so be it.’ People are going to say what they got to say, people are going to say what they want to say. But just because you’re a billionaire doesn’t make you full of taste and class, so it’s cool with me.”

Craig Sager reporting on the NBA reprimanding Glen Taylor for his comments about Kevin Garnett: “(Glen) Taylor was summoned by the (NBA) league office and he has been reprimanded for comments detrimental to the game.”

Miller on Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor’s comments about Kevin Garnett: “The comments were personal and, in my opinion, way out of bounds. (Kevin Garnett) was an 11-time All-Star for the Timberwolves, league MVP in 2004 and outstanding in the community. I agree with Kevin, for Glen Taylor to make those comments it let’s you know that sometimes money can’t buy class. This is a guy that I’ve known for the past 10-plus years and he’s always given 100 percent…It’s just out-of-bounds for those comments.”

Miller on aging Boston Celtics guard Sam Cassell: “Jason Terry is taking the right approach with Sam Cassell guarding him. He knows (to) continue to move, because Sam’s not the same Sam Cassell of old. He’s a little bit older and it’s tougher for him to cover a guy like Jason Terry when he’s running off the picks.”

Miller on the Celtics sweeping the ‘Texas Triangle:’ “This was a measuring stick for the Celtics. Everyone was wondering (what would happen) when they went out West and had to go through the Texas Triangle and they came up 3-0 on them.”

Charles Barkley on his MVP selection: “You’ve got two guys who are legit MVP candidates in the East, and that’s Kevin Garnett and LeBron (James). They are contenders, but I can’t give it to LeBron. If I was going to give it to somebody in the East, I would give it to Kevin Garnett because they’ve got the best record. But the West is much tougher, much better competition. I’ve got to give (Hornets’) Chris Paul, Byron Scott and Tyson Chandler a lot of credit. Chris Paul has been a one man wrecking crew. But Kobe Bryant it the best player we’ve got in the NBA. You’ve got an injured (Andrew) Bynum, working (Pau) Gasol in and now Gasol is out, and to still have the best record in the NBA, that’s why I would give the MVP to Kobe Bryant. I’m going it to give guys with a better record facing better competition.”

Barkley on a locker room confrontation between Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and coach Avery Johnson: “The little dust up between Mark Cuban and Avery Johnson, confrontation is a part of sports. As long as you keep it in the locker room it can bring the team together. I think it’s going to help Dallas. Mark Cuban is my favorite owner and Avery’s got to take some criticism, that’s part of it. Now they’ve got to circle the wagons, and say, ‘you know what, this is our team and we’ve got tot stick together’ because a lot of people are trying to pull them apart.”

Barkley on assumptions that the Celtics will be the NBA Champions because they’ve gone 23-4 against Western Conference teams: “It’s not the same as playing a team four out of seven times. You’ve got to factor that in some teams might have played the night before and have been on the road or played four games in five nights. You can’t jump to that conclusion when you say they are 23-4 against the West. They are going to have a tough time with Cleveland in the second round of the playoffs and against the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. Under that theory they should trade Ray Allen because they’ve played better without Ray Allen, they beat the Champs (San Antonio Spurs) and the Houston Rockets.”

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Some quotes and comments from last night’s TNT telecast of the Celtics/Rockets game:

Charles Barkley in response to Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor making comments that former Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett tanked the last five game of last season: “Glen Taylor has got a lot of money and doesn’t know anything about basketball…If you ever watch Kevin Garnett play, you can’t ever say he tanked a game. As much as KG has done for the Timberwolves and the trash they put around him, when they got Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell they got to the Western Conference Finals.”

Doug Collins on Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett setting the tone for the team: “(Kevin Garnett) came in and brought tremendous energy and an MVP kind of talent (to the Celtics). Their defense and everything they do everyday in practice, he sets the tone for everything they do and everybody else follows.”

Collins on Celtics coach Doc Rivers having a better season: “It’s amazing what a great coach Doc (Rivers) is with great players, I think they lost 18 straight at one point last year.”

David Aldridge interviewed Celtics head coach Doc Rivers after the first half.

Rivers on playing a new offense in Houston: “We’re trying to play an offense we haven’t seen before, so we’ll settle down, get some sets and some extra juice and I think we’ll be fine.”

Barkley on the shoving that occurred between Rajon Rondo and Rafer Alston at game tip: “That’s the perfect example of two guys (Rajon Rondo and Rafer Alston) that can’t fight just pushing each other. They should kiss next time, it would be more aggressive.”

Collins on the Celtics gaining control in the second half of the game: “Boston has done what Doc Rivers asked them to do, they’ve settled down and they are playing at a much better rhythm on the offensive end. They were very frenetic in that first half.”

Collins on the Celtics allowing head coach Doc Rivers to keep his position: “I’m so happy for Doc Rivers that he was able to stick around. (GM) Danny Ainge recognized that there is no way that Doc Rivers could win with that team last year, he gave him a chance to coach this year and I think it’s great.”

Collins on the comments by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor that Kevin Garnett tanked games last season: “Especially for a guy who gave his heart and soul for that organization, and not only that, but every single night if there is a guy who has played hard in this league it’s Kevin Garnett. I like that he didn’t respond, there is no response necessary. His body of work speaks for itself. Kevin, keep doing what you’re doing and let people respect what you do on that floor.”

Aldridge interviewed Celtics forward Kevin Garnett after the Celtics win over the Rockets.

Garnett on breaking the winning streak: “The Rockets have been playing some unbelievable basketball, 22 wins in any sport is hard to do. This (Celtics) team has a lot of depth, people don’t give our bench a lot of credit. We are a team in progress, but it’s good to have a consistency to what we’re doing, it feels good.”

Garnett on the comments made by Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor: “I’m in Boston. I (could) care less what Glen Taylor thinks of Kevin Garnett, that’s nonsense. I don’t know why he would bring that up, but it shows the taste of some people.”

Barkley on Garnett’s comments about Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor: “I like what (Kevin Garnett) said about Glen Taylor, he let that go…That’s the difference between me and Kevin Garnett, I can never take the high road.”

Much of the pre and post game programming was focused on the Rockets. You can understand why, with the 22 game winning streak and all. TNT approached the matter as the Rockets being the story of the moment, whereas the Celtics have been a story for the entire season, and will continue to be a big story as we move towards the playoffs.

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This weekend brings us two high-profile sports events in the Daytona 500 and the NBA All Star Weekend.

The 50th Daytona 500 

FOX brings us a number of new technological advances to their broadcast, two being outlined in the exceprts from their press releases below:

On Sunday, February 17 (2:00 PM ET), FOX Sports proudly presents the 50th running of the Daytona 500 with an electrifying 80 minute prerace show to celebrate the races history and most memorable moments from the past 49 races. Hosted by Chris Myers along with analysts Jeff Hammond and Darrell Waltrip the show is a special tribute to living racing legends who have won the Daytona 500 including Bobby Allison, Richard Petty and FOX’s very own Waltrip. In addition to previewing Sunday’s race, FOX welcomes motorsports broadcasting legend Ken Squier as a special contributor to the broadcast, adding historical perspective. It was Squier who called the first live televised Daytona 500 back in 1979 and who coined the phrase “The Great American Race.” Also in the prerace, NASCAR on FOX analyst Larry McReynolds takes a look back at the late Dale Earnhardt’s first and only Daytona 500 win in 1998 where he served as crew chief.

GOPHER CAM PROVIDES “HOLE” NEW PERSPECTIVE – Imagine that your ultimate wish is to stand trackside at the world’s most famous superspeedway, inches away as the best drivers anywhere whiz by at a breathless 185 miles per hour during the nation’s most prestigious auto race.  That’s the view Gopher Cam provides at the 50th Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 17 (2:00 PM ET) and beyond.

Gopher Cam is a small, stationary high-definition point-of-view camera buried underneath the asphalt track surface, inches below the yellow line at Daytona International Speedway.  There are four Gopher Cams in-place for the 50th Daytona 500, one in each of the track’s four turns.  This is the first instance where a camera has been installed below the surface of a superspeedway, and this is the first time that a sub-track surface camera is HD caliber.  The cameras have also been paired with high quality condenser microphones, another first, for an unbelievably realistic audio/video experience.

“Television’s never-ending goal is to bring the viewer as close to the action as possible,” said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill.  “We’ve had great past success with Catcher-Cam and Diamond-Cam in our MLB coverage and Grass Cam and Wall-Cam in NASCAR on FOX broadcasts.  However, Gopher Cam, and forgive us for having some fun with the name, is different. These are HD cameras developed specifically for this use.  The pictures are phenomenal, and the audio that the mikes provide is mean and loud.  It’s a tremendous complement to our Emmy-caliber NASCAR broadcasts.” 

The camera hardware and electronics have been installed six inches below the asphalt, and is housed in a cylindrical stainless steel fixture.  The lens is less than a half-inch in diameter, and camera is angled slightly to see oncoming traffic.  The assembly is covered by a protective dome that is four-inches in diameter and rises less than one-quarter inch above the track surface.  Cars rolling over them will have no idea of their presence. The cameras are connected to FOX’s mobile production units outside DIS via copper wiring that was trenched in below the track and grass and run to where it meets up with the network’s advanced fiber optic wiring system. 

Live Online Q&A System To be Launched

This virtual Q&A is unlike others that may have preceded it.  On FOXSports.com, NASCAR on FOX analysts Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond and Larry McReynolds, three of the sport’s most knowledgeable experts, can answer viewer’s questions in real time.  Each individual has been recorded providing simple, concise explanations to hundreds of potential questions that might arise during a NASCAR on FOX race.

“Every sport, including NASCAR, is loaded with unique terminology that many core viewers understand, but sometimes has others scratching their heads,” said FOX Sports Chairman David Hill.  “Our virtual Q&A is designed to enhance the viewing experience by helping the curious fan better understand what they’re seeing while they’re seeing it.”

FOX’s virtual Q&A is an adaptation of patented technology called Synthetic Interviews developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Penn., by Scott Stevens, Ph.D. and Michael Christel, Ph.D., computer researchers in CMU’s School of Computer Science and Entertainment Technology Center (ETC). 

“By enabling fans to interact with their favorite on-air personalities online, FOX Sports and FOXSports.com are delivering the type of engaging, multi-platform experience that users have come to expect from sports event coverage,” said Brian Grey, SVP and GM of FOX Sports Interactive.  “It’s these types of multi-platform programming experiences that deliver a new level of engagement for sports fans and also resonate with brand advertisers.”

Synthetic Interviews is a technology that allows users to ask questions and receive video answers as if they were engaged in a face-to-face conversation with a live person.  Specifically regarding this effort, one of the three NASCAR on FOX experts appears to answer the question or explain the term as though speaking directly to the viewer.  When the project is launched on

Sunday, over 300 terms frequently used during race coverage, such as wedge, marbles or camber can be explained by the FOX Sports Answer Man.  While not every possible question can be anticipated, items featured can be refreshed and updated based on demand.  

NBA All Star Weekend on TNT

TNT’s coverage of NBA All-Star Weekend festivities tips off Friday, February 15 at 9 p.m. ET with the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley will be courtside to call the action with Craig Sager reporting from the sidelines. Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai will follow with Johnson, Smith and Barkley.

The excitement continues on Saturday, February 16, when Inside the NBA presented by Hyundai tips off an exciting night at 5 p.m. ET. TNT guest analyst Magic Johnson and NBA Insider David Aldridge will join Ernie Johnson, Smith and Barkley live from the historic French Quarter of New Orleans. At 7 p.m. ET, TNT will present NBA’s Greatest Slam Dunk Contest: Airborne. Through first-person interviews of players and TNT announcers, ‘Airborne’ reflects on memorable NBA dunk contests and the host cities that served as backdrops to the dunks that made history. Beginning at 8 p.m. ET, TNT will televise exclusive live coverage of NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, which includes the Haier Shooting Stars competition, the Playstation Skills Challenge, the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, and the Sprite Slam Dunk. The evening will be capped off by the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2008 presented on TNT by Old Spice Pro Strength at 11 p.m. ET/10:30 p.m. PT.

TNT’s All-Star coverage takes center stage on Sunday, February 17 at 8 p.m. ET with the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Play-by-play announcer Marv Albert and analysts Doug Collins and Reggie Miller will be courtside with Craig Sager reporting from the sidelines.

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