Sports: NBA quotes of the week

QuotageThe lowdown

Memphis power forward Zach Randolph told SI.com that many young big men lack the skills to score close to the basket: “You can’t teach footwork. I mean you can, but you’ve gotta have that feel, you’ve gotta have that knack. It’s a lot, reading a guy. If a guy’s on your body, your instinct tells you to step through, push them off, or jab them. It all has to do with instincts and feel. . . . At the end of the day the paint is where you win.”

Black and blue

Boston center Kelly Olynyk his left eye bruised, nearly shut and sporting four stitches after taking an elbow while playing one-on-one, nonetheless scored 19 points in a Celtics win over Indiana, then said afterward that Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton inspired him: “He told me he broke his ribs and he’s trying to come back before the playoffs. I was like, ‘I can’t sit out, he’s gonna rip me.’ All those hockey guys would have killed me, so I had to do it.”

He’s got my vote

Former Golden State coach Mark Jackson, weighing in during the “Dan Patrick Show” on the two favorites in the MVP race, Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Houston guard James Harden: “If you twisted my arm today, I would probably vote for James Harden. He’s single-handedly put that Houston Rockets team in the position they are in today. He’s stepped up his game defensively [too].”