>>> WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY KEVIN DURANT AND WHAT A WIN FOR THE BROOKLYN NETS COMING FROM 17 DOWN TO TAKE GAME FIVE IN A 3-2 LEAD IN THE SERIES, AS WE WELCOME YOU TO "INSIDE THE NBA." ERNIE JOHNSON AND CHARLES BARKLEY AND KENNY "THE JET" SMITH AND SHAQUILLE O'NEAL. WE WILL GET TO THE HIGHLIGHTS IN A COUPLE OF SECONDS HERE. WE ARE AWAITING A POSTGAME GUEST HERE EVEN AS WE SPEAK. BUT THIS WAS, I MEAN, MILWAUKEE DOMINATED THE FIRST HALF OF THIS GAME. BROOKLYN WITH A HUGE RUN IN THE THIRD QUARTER AND GOT BACK IN IT. WITH DURANT PLAYING THE ENTIRE GAME AND GOING FOR 49-17-10, THEY WIN IT. HE HAD HELP AND WE ARE JOINED BY ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO WAS HUGE IN THIS GAME, JEFF GREEN, WHO HAD 27 POINTS AND 8 OF 11 FROM THE FLOOR AND 7 OUT OF 8 FROM DEEP. JEFF, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US. >> NO PROBLEM. >> SO I KNOW IT HAD TO BE KILLING YOU TO WATCH THE FIRST THREE GAMES OF THIS SERIES FROM THE SIDELINES WITH THE FOOT INJURY. YOU GET IN THERE IN GAME FOUR. THEN IN GAME FIVE, MAN, TAKE ME THROUGH YOUR NIGHT. >> IT WAS KILLING ME WATCHING THE BOSTON SERIES AS WELL BUT I HAD TO ROOT FOR MY TEAMMATES. TONIGHT WE ALL HAD TO JUST BE AGGRESSIVE. WITH JAMES COMING BACK, WE HAD TO HELP K.D. WE HAD TO TAKE SOME PRESSURE OFF HIM. SO EVERYBODY HAD TO COME IN AND BE AGGRESSIVE AND WHAT I TRIED TO DO. >> DID YOU COME INTO THE GAME SAYING, LISTEN, IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF SHOT OPPORTUNITIES WHENEVER I GET MY OPPORTUNITY I'M GOING TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND I NEED 20 OR MORE. WAS THAT YOUR MINDSET COMING INTO THE GAME TONIGHT? >> 100%. 100%. THE WAY THEY PLAY A LOT OF EYES ON KEVIN. WHEN OUR GUYS ARE DRIVING THEY ARE COLLAPSING IN THE PAINT. WE HAD TO BE READY TO SHOOT SO I HAD TO STEP UP AND BE CONFIDENT IN MY SHOT. >> JEFF, WERE YOU SURPRISED WHEN THEY KEPT LOPEZ ON YOU AND THEY DIDN'T GO SMALL, BRINGING BOBBY PORTIS IN THE GAME WHICH IS, OBVIOUSLY, A BETTER MATCHUP, WERE YOU SURPRISED THEY JUST NEVER WENT SMALL? >> I REALLY DON'T CARE. I MEAN, WHAT THAT HE DID, THEY WANT TO STICK TO THEIR GUNS SO WE JUST HAD TO MAKE THEM PLAY. >> NOW WE GO INTO GAME SIX. YOU GO INTO MILWAUKEE. THERE MIGHT BE, OBVIOUSLY, ADJUSTMENT. WHAT ADJUSTMENTS IN TERMS OF DEFENSIVELY YOU GUYS FEEL YOU HAVE TO MAKE TO KIND OF CREATE AN EASIER PROBLEM GAME FOR GAME SIX? >> WE HAVE TO TAKE THEM OFF THE LINE. THE FIRST HALF THEY GOT A LOT OF EASY LOOKS AND ESPECIALLY ON OUR SWITCHES. WE WEREN'T AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH. WE BE EVEN NOR AGGRESSIVE IN THAT CATEGORY. TAKE THEM OFF THE LINE, FORCING ONE SHOT I THINK WE WILL BE OKAY. >> LAST THING, JEFF. HIS STAT LINE CERTAINLY WASN'T GOOD. BUT HAVING JAMES HARDEN BACK ON THE FLOOR, WHAT DID IT MEAN TO YOU GUYS? >> IT WAS A BIG BOOST. I MEAN, REGARDLESS OF HIS CONDITION, HE IS A THREAT. AND, YOU KNOW, HE GAVE US HIS ALL. HE CAME OUT THERE, HE PLAYED WITHIN HIS MEANS. BUT THIS IS HIS FIRST GAME BACK IN A WHILE. I'M PRETTY SURE HE WILL GET HIS RHYTHM AND COME OUT THE NEXT GAME AND I'M PRETTY SURE HE WILL BE A LOT BETTER. >> UNCLE JEFF, 7 OUT OF 8 FROM THREE-POINT LINE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. >> I APPRECIATE YOU. >> OKAY. SEE PART TWO. HIM AND JAMES HARDEN AND K.D. ALL THEY NEED IS WESTBROOK AND CALL IT A DAY. >> 114-108. BROOKLYN WINS GAME FIVE. IF YOU MISSED THIS ONE, YOU MISSED A BEAUTY. AND WE JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR YOU. HARDEN GOES FOR A MONTH. HE CAN'T PLAY ON LAST NIGHT TO MOVING HIS WAY UP FROM DOUBTFUL TO QUESTIONABLE AND HE PLAYS. >> THIS IS LIKE WILLIS REED AND WALT FRAZIER GAME, ERNIE. EVERYBODY TALKING ABOUT JAMES PLAYING. THIS WAS CLYDE FRAZIER AND THIS MAN RIGHT HERE, BOOM. GIMME THAT. >> GIANNIS WITH A HUGE BLOCK ON JEFF GREEN HERE. AND THEN GIANNIS FROM JRUE HOLIDAY. IT DROPS FOR HIM. IT'S A 19-6 LEAD EARLY. HARDEN, IN THE MEANTIME, OUT OF SORTS. RUSTY. >> MILWAUKEE CAME READY TO PLAY. DOMINATED THE FIRST HALF. >> BUT. >> PAT CONNAUGHTON, A NICE DRIVE, THREE-POINT PLAY. >> I'M NOT SURE THEY WERE READY. THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD A BIGGER LEAD. >> THEY SHOULD OF. >> GIANNIS WITH A JUMPER THERE. >> OLE, OLE! OLE! >> AND MORE GIANNIS. >> MAN. >> 17-POINT LEAD. >> CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THEY WERE GOING TO THE BASKET AND HAD A 17-POINT LEAD? >> 59-43 WAS THE HALFTIME SCORE. MIDDLETON DRIVES FOR A COUPLE. THEN BROOKLYN PUTS TOGETHER THAT 17-5 RUN. HARDEN FLOATING OFF GLASS. HIS ONLY FIELD GOAL OF THE NIGHT. GREEN COULDN'T MISS FROM DEEP. K.D. JUST TOO MUCH FOR ANYBODY IN WHITE SHIRT. >> NICE BACK DOOR CUT. >> A GREAT LOOK FROM HARDEN THERE. >> DO YOU PLAY HARDEN IN GAME SIX? >> NO. >> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION, KENNY. >> LET'S EXPLORE THAT AFTER WE LOOK AT THE HIGHLIGHTS. GIANNIS FOR THREE. TO THE FOURTH. 87-81 GOING TO THE FOURTH, BUCKS. DURANT. >> THIS IS EASY, ERNIE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY LOPEZ, THEY SHOULD HAVE WENT SMALL SOONER. >> BRUCE BROWN FROM DURANT. THEN K.D. LAUNCHING AGAIN! >> HE IS ON FIRE, ERNIE JOHNSON! >> 49-17-10. >> HE IS UNSTOPPABLE, ERNIE JOHNSON! >> AT THIS POINT, THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE. NOTHING YOU CAN DO. >> JEFF GREEN FOR THREE. 104-100. HOLIDAY. HOLIDAY HAD 19 AND 8. K.D. >> COME ON. THAT WAS THE GAME. THAT WAS THE GAME RIGHT THERE. >> BEATING THE SHOT CLOCK. THEN THE FEED INSIDE. GIANNIS DROPS IT. >> HE FUMBLED IT. THAT IS WHEN YOU PUT YOURSELF IN HIS POSITION WHEN EVERY PLAY HAS TO COUNT. >> YOU KNOW WHY HE FUMBLED THAT BALL. >> WHY IS THAT? >> BECAUSE HE WAS IN A HURRY. HE KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO FOUL HIM. EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. NO DOUBT IN MY MIND. WHEN YOU RUSH LIKE THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GETTING FOULED. >> 114-108. BROOKLYN NETS COMING FROM 17 POINTS DOWN TO TAKE GAME FIVE BY SIX, BEHIND DURANT. AGAIN, 49 POINTS, PLAYING ALL 48 MINUTES. HERE IS STEVE NASH. >> HISTORIC, HISTORIC PERFORMANCE. I MEAN, HE PLAYED THE ENTIRE GAME. HE BARELY MISSED. GOT TO THE LINE. 17 REBOUNDS. 10 ASSISTS, 3 STEALS, 2 BLOCKS. I MEAN, 49 POINTS. I MEAN, IT'S RIDICULOUS WHAT HE IS ABLE TO DO. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW HE IS CAPABLE OF NIGHTS LIKE THIS, BUT TO DO IT TONIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE LOSE KI AND JAMES, OBVIOUSLY, IS SOLDIERING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, HIS AILMENTS. WE ARE DOWN BODIES. WE ARE WOUNDED. AND FOR HIM TO HAVE THE TOUGHNESS, THE MENTALITY, YOU KNOW, THAT WHAT MAKES HIM ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS. THIS IS A PERFORMANCE, A SIGNATURE PERFORMANCE FOR KEVIN AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL TO WATCH. >> DURANT WENT 16 FOR 23. HAD HE GONE 16 FOR 22, HE WOULD HAVE JOINED THE CHUCKSTER AS THE ONLY GUYS TO GO FOR 40-15-10 AND SHOOT 70% FROM THE FLOOR. YOU DID IT IN 1993 IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS AGAINST SEATTLE WHEN YOU WENT FOR 43-15-10. >> GOOD COMPANY, MAN. THAT WAS AWESOME -- >> HOW DO YOU SAY GOOD COMPANY AND IT'S YOU? >> NO, I'M SAYING GOOD TO BE ON THAT LIST. I WANT TO SAY THAT WAS JUST A GREAT PERFORMANCE TONIGHT TO PLAY THE ENTIRE GAME, TO PLAY THE ENTIRE GAME AND JUST LIKE THAT WAS -- WE TALKED ABOUT IT LASTED WEEK. WHEN YOU'RE STAR, HE WAS NOT GOING TO LET THEM LOSE TONIGHT. GO AHEAD, KENNETH. >> FOR ME, WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT IF JAMES HARDEN DIDN'T PLAY, HOW DO THEY WIN? YOU TRY TO KEEP THE GAME UNDER 90 POINTS AND. >> HAVE IT CLOSE AND LET HIM DO HIS THING. >> LET K.D. DO HIS THING. THEN HE BECOMES THE SCORER, THE MOST PROLIFIC SCORER IN TODAY'S MODERN ERA, POSSIBLY. TAKE WAS THE DIFFERENCE. THEY KEPT IT CLOSE. BUT WITH HARDEN, THEY WERE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, GET A COUPLE OF MORE POINTS BECAUSE HE WAS JUST A DISTRACTION. I WOULDN'T SAY HE WAS A THREAT. HE WAS A DISTRACTION FOR MILWAUKEE. THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GUARD HIM. THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF WE SHOULD DOUBLE HIM. SHOULD WE PLAY HIM HARD, SOFT, GIVE HIM A COUPLE OF OPEN THREES? HE WAS A DISTRACTION. >> ERNIE, LAST NIGHT, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR BROOKLYN TO GET A WIN? I SAID KEVIN A 40 OPI-PIECE AND HARRIS 20. I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION JEFF GREEN. AND BLAKE PLAYED SIMILAR IN GAME ONE AND MILWAUKEE MAKING A LOT OF DUMB MISTAKES. I TOLD CHUCK, I THINK I TOLD YOU AT HALFTIME, BROOKLYN IS GOING TO WIN THIS GAME BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING AGAINST A DEPLETED TEAM BUT THE DEPLETED TEAM STILL HAS ONE OF THE GREATEST SCORERS IN HISTORY AND YOU DON'T HAVE THEM BY A LARGE AMOUNT THEY CAN COME BACK EASILY. >> YOU DIDN'T SAY IT ON THE AIR BUT YOU DID SAY ON THE AIR AT HALFTIME, SHAQ, BECAUSE YOU WERE BREAKING DOWN WHAT MILWAUKEE WAS DOING WELL AND SAID, BUT LOOK, THIS GAME -- THIS IS FAR FROM OVER AND IT WAS FAR FROM OVER. >> YEAH. ERNIE, MAN. >> I HAVE A FEELING YOU'RE GOING TO THE MILWAUKEE SIDE HERE WITH THIS. >> YES. >> YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL? I HAD TWO GREAT COACHES IN HIGH SCHOOL. COACH HONEYCUTT AND COPELAND. WHEN WE PLAYED LIKE CRAP THEY WOULDN'T STOP AND LET US EAT. I WOULDN'T FEED THEM ON THE WAY BACK HOME ON THE PLANE. NO, SERIOUSLY, MAN. THAT WAS EMBARRASSING FOR BASKETBALL. TO LOSE THAT GAME, TO HAVE -- LIKE YOU COULD TELL THEY WERE GOING TO LOSE THE GAME AT HALFTIME. >> SHOULD THE COACHING STAFF EAT TOO? >> YOU KNOW MY RULE ABOUT SAYING PEOPLE SHOULD GET FIRED. I DON'T THINK THIS IS OUR JOB TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, ERNIE, YOU GO BACK. WHEN YOU DO DUMB STUFF AND IT WORKS, YOU KEEP DOING DUMB STUFF. YOU SIT THERE WHEN THEY WERE DOING DUMB STUFF IN GAME ONE AND GAME TWO, YOU'RE LIKE, THAT IS HOW THEY PLAY, CHUCK. LIKE, SO? THEY ARE KILLING THEM IN THE PAINT BUT THEY ARE GOING TO KEEP JACKING UP THREES. JUST BECAUSE THAT IS HOW THEY PLAY. YOU PLAYED -- LIKE HERM EDWARDS SAY, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME!" THAT WAS ONE OF THE DUMBEST GAMES! I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW. THEY GOT A BUNCH OF REALLY GOOD GUYS AND THEY PLAYED DUMB AND THEY DESERVED TO LOSE THAT GAME. SHOUT-OUT TO KEVIN DURANT AND JEFF GREEN. BUT, MAN, THE OTHER TEAM HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT. THAT WAS AWFUL BASKETBALL. >> IT WAS AWFUL. ALSO IN THIS SENSE, ERNIE, THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO WIN A CLOSE GAME WHEN YOUR BEST PLAYER IS NOT YOUR GREATEST FREE-THROW SHOOTER BECAUSE HE IS GOING TO HAVE THE BALL. EVEN WITH SHAQ, HE COULD DOMINATE FOR 46 MINUTES AND HE COULD SAY, KOBE, WHEN THEY START DOING THIS FOUL STUFF, YOU GOT THE BALL IN YOUR HANDS AND YOU'RE MAKING THESE PLAYS NOW. OR DWYANE WADE, SAME WAY. YOU KNOW? HE HAD THAT SECOND. WHY GIANNIS, THAT IS WHAT JRUE HOLIDAY WAS BROUGHT IN AND MIDDLETON. THEY DON'T RUN THOSE PLAYS THROUGH THOSE GUYS DOWN THE STRETCH AND IT PUTS THEM ON THE FOUL LINE AND SAY WIN THE GAME OR TIE THE GAME ON THE FOUL LINE IF YOU'RE GIANNIS. TO ME, HE CAN'T DO THAT. THAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HE AND KEVIN DURANT. KEVIN DURANT WAS ABLE TO FINISH THE SHOTS ON THE FREE-THROW LINE AND GIVE HIS TEAM A CHANCE TO WIN. >> YOU'RE UP 15 POINTS, AND YOU'RE DOMINATING THE GAME, YOU SHOULDN'T GET TO THAT. >> MY POINT. >> WE GETTING READY TO GO TO BREAK? >> YES. >> I WANT TO FIND A PIECE OF TAPE THAT PUT THIS GAME IN A NUTSHELL. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN GIANNIS GOT THE BALL ON THE BLOCK AGAINST JAMES HARDEN AND HE SAYS I DON'T NEED NO HELP. MAN, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. WHEN I SAW THAT, ME AND SHAQ WAS BACK THERE. JAMES HARDEN PLAYING ON ONE LEG, GOT GIANNIS IN THE POST. I WANT TO GET THE TAPE. IT WAS LIKE IN THE LAST -- >> IT WAS 1:30 ABOUT THAT. >> HE WAVED TO THE GUY. >> LOOK UP, ERIC. >> HE SAID I DON'T NEED NO HELP. THAT PLAY RIGHT THERE TELLS ME, YO, MAN, THESE BOYS, THIS IS A WRAP. >>
