Charles Barkley loves him. So does Reggie Miller.

Ivan Johnson impressed Barkley, a Hall of Famer, and Miller, a future Hall of Famer, with his effort for the Atlanta Hawks in their 116-109 triple-overtime home loss Thursday night to the Miami Heat, who were without injured stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

Johnson, who starred for the Erie BayHawks last season, had 13 points Thursday night that included a coast-to-coast jam in the third quarter.

Johnson added four rebounds for the Hawks before fouling out in the third and final overtime.

If the NBA stays in lockout mode for the entire season, I may miss the interviews more than the play and the players.

Having been in my share of NBA locker rooms and at my share of press conferences over the years, you have a good idea of what a player might say. Most use cliche lines like, “We played hard” or “We wanted to come out with great energy.”

But then there are those who throw caution to the wind and either say what pops in their head or what has been on their mind for so long that they can’t contain it anymore.

Now we’re going to get some real doozys if the lockout goes all season, but right now, check out some of the ones that have always left me either laughing, scratching my head or amazed.

Allen Iverson – “We talking about practice.”

I miss A.I.

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When watching Game 4 of the Western Conference finals tomorrow night (Tuesday) on TNT, you’ve got to check out Craig Sager’s suit.

For those who don’t know, Sager, a sideline reporter for the network out of Atlanta, wears the most outrageous stuff. I know brothers who wear ultra-bright colors and they wouldn’t be caught dead in what Sager sports.

I remember covering a Cleveland Cavaliers-Detroit Pistons playoff game in Cleveland and Sager had on a lavender suit and shoes to match. Someone said to him, “Hey, nice Gators (alligator shoes).” Sager replied, “No, it’s crocodile.” I was like Flavor Flav.

“Wooooooooooow!”

According to TNT, James didn't talk to the media after the Cavaliers lost Game 6 Saturday.

Apparently, LeBron James didn’t feel like talking.

According to TNT NBA sideline reporter, Craig Sager, LeBron James was so upset, he decided not to talk to the media after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs following a Game 6 loss against the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals Saturday night.

Now I’ve been following the Cavaliers for four years and I’ve never seen James skip a press conference after a playoff loss.

Even after the San Antonio Spurs swept the Cavaliers in the 2007 finals, James talked to the media.

So this is unprecedented for him.

Now maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see James congratulate any of the Magic player after the game, either. It looked like he just left the court.

I understand why he’s so upset. He did everything he could to win this series, but James is the leader of the Cavaliers.

He can show that in other ways besides on the court and in the locker room.