Ernie Johnson
TNT will have its studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal call the Timberwolves-Lakers game on Christmas night. Johnson talks about that and more with The Post’s Justin Terranova.
Q: How did this decision come about?
A: Discussions like that are held at a higher level then floated to us. So, we said, “Sure, we’ll do that.” I don’t think it’s anyone’s dream to be away from home on Christmas, but we’ll take one for the team.
Q: How do you think it will it work with that many voices?
A: It’ll be fun. It’ll kind of morph as the night goes on. It’s tough enough when you have a two-man booth, but when you have a four-man, that’s a lot of voices. I’ve always been one of those guys when I am doing baseball I think less is more. You don’t have to talk nonstop, and you let the game breathe. This is going to be different. It’s going to be an extension of the studio show and incorporating ele- ments of the play-by-play…. There’s no way to say, “Hey, it’s going to go exactly like this.” With this group, you can never tell.
Q: How have you guys handled your coverage of Lonzo Ball?
A: Chuck’s gone out there, and he and LaVar have gone back and forth a few times but nothing face-to-face. It’s all been comments here and there from Chuck. Nobody doubts the fact that LaVar has been building to this setting his entire life. But I think the rookie he’s impacted the most on the positive side is Kyle Kuzma because of all the attention going to Lonzo. It’s allowed Kuzma to slide in there and with very little attention become a really good player his rookie season. So, LaVar did not do his son any favors by putting this bull’s-eye on his back from the rest of the league.
Q: Are you confident the Knicks have turned the corner?
A: If (Kristaps) Porzingis is there night in and night out, New York can make the playoffs. It sounds simplistic, but his loss and the loss of Tim Hardaway Jr. really hurt. Hardaway was finding his way in this league. In the East after Cleveland, Boston and Toronto everyone is clumped in there.
Q: Are the Rockets a legitimate threat to the Warriors?
A: It takes so much to beat Golden State even once. When they’re dialed in, and when it’s Houston they’ll be dialed in, I can’t see Houston doing that four times in a series.