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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Sometimes you need the entire team to guard Kobe Bryant.

In the aftermath of the report of Kobe Bryant saying he’d beat LeBron James in a game of 1-on-1, I figured I’d begin my NBA greatest of the greats list naming the 10 best 1-on-1 players in NBA history.

The video you’ll see by clicking on the link above dates his comments back to May 2, 2010 in London. So this is old news, but let’s get back to the list. I’m going to go from 10 to 1.

Just so it’s known right now, these 10 guys didn’t make the final cut: James, Dwyane Wade, George Gervin, Paul Pierce, Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Had to cut somewhere.

Before revealing the list, I ask that you voice your opinions on the list by leaving comments. Tell me I suck. Tell me I hit the money. Tell me I look sharp of silly in my blog photo. Let’s get some chatter chatter going here.

Here we go.

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Here’s the 15-minute interview my girl, Rachel Nichols of ESPN, did with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade after James and Bosh decided to join Wade in Miami to play for the Heat.

If Kobe Bryant wins a sixth NBA championship next season, can he then be on share the same stage with Michael Jordan?

The Los Angeles Lakers did it again.

Having been out of town and off work since Thursday’s Game 7 the Lakers won to win back-to-back NBA titles, I just got back at it today.

Very interesting Game 7, but the better team won the game and the series.

The Lakers have the best player in Kobe Bryant, the best coach in Phil Jackson and had home-court advantage.

Got a little help when Pau Gasol traveled on that inside bucket late in the game, but if Ron Artest can hit a 3-pointer in the clutch after building  town homes with all those bricks he was hoisting from behind the arc in this series, the Lakers were destined to win the game anyway.

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No, not just Cedric Jackson.

Alade Aminu.

After representing the Erie BayHawks in the D-League All-Star game, Aminu was back in Erie for Tuesday’s practice. I caught up with him after practice at LECOM. Aminu scored four points for the East, which lost 98-81 to the West on Saturday in Dallas.

On his experience in Dallas for the All-Star Weekend: Ah it was lovely, man. Great atmosphere, man. Every basketball Hall of Fame name you could think of was there. I was in the elevator with Bill Russell. Who else was out there? Dominique Wilkins. All the Hall of Fame guys were out there. It was a beautiful atmosphere.”

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Dwight Howard has met LeBron James at the rim most of the time whenever given a chance to do so.

Here are three things to look for heading into tonight’s pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals as the Cleveland Cavaliers begin trying to crawl out a 3-1 series deficit it has against the Orlando Magic.

1. LeBron James has found himself battling fatigue late in Game 3 and Game 4 partially because he’s carrying the offense and starting his drives 25 feet from the basket. Look for him to post up more closer to the rim and either shoot the turnaround J or spin baseline for a power finish at the basket.

2. For as well as Dwight Howard has played in this series, he’s lost his cool and left himself vulnerable to getting hit with a technical foul. However, Howard plays well when passionate. See how he tries to balance both tonight.

3. After the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead Wednesday night, Hall of Famer and ESPN/ABC analyst Magic Johnson said Cleveland should take notes. He thinks James should play the role of decoy as Kobe Bryant did in Game 5 and get other guys involved early. If James takes that approach and the team starts off slow, see how long he stays dormant.

Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly passed away today.

Former NBA coach Chuck Daly passed away of pancreatic cancer this morning in Jupiter, Fla. One of the greatest coaches ever, Daly lead the Detroit Pistons to three straight NBA Finals.

The Pistons won it all those last two trips in 1989 and 1990. In an era in which the L.A. Lakers and Boston Celtics dominated the NBA, Daly’s Pistons, better known as the “Bad Boys.” broke through that mode.

He then coached the first Dream Team lead by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to a gold medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

I always respected how he was able to handle superstars. He did it before Phil Jackson became the master of it.

Rest in peace, Coach.