Aloha,
I wrote at the beginning of the year that after health, it was going to be the other guys that would determine how far this team could go, even with trades.
Last night the others stepped up. Once in a while we get a complete team effort. But it has usually happened when LeBron or AD wasn’t playing. We had several team games when LeBron was out. Just a couple of observations.
LeBron had a very efficient game and thankfully he only attempted 4 threes. One of the major reasons we won was because LeBron didn’t try and play hero ball. He played in the flow of the game. It’s a major reason why we won.
Russ was the engine that drove the win. The dude is relentless. On both sides of the ball. It’s actually been his defensive effort that’s been the biggest surprise for me. He had 12 assists to 4 turnovers. But all the turnovers were in the first half. And what was interesting was LeBron let Russ drive the team, he basically stepped aside and let Russ be Russ. And it worked. Yes you have to live with a few WTF moments with him but overall he was the biggest reason we won.
Now the others. Thomas Bryant was huge. He had missed the better part of the last 2 years because of a knee injury and it wasn’t fair to expect him to come in and be the guy he was before he got. Hurt. It takes time to rediscover your game a long with the mental aspect after a serious injury. We have seen flashes of his old self when he’s been given the chance but last night he truly put it all together. We got too see why he is considered one of the best rim running bigs in the game. And not just on the offensive side. He was down the court fast on defense as well. He out played the Joker in the 2nd half with 16 point but I thought he also defended him well. He was in good position and his 7’ 6” wingspan created havoc and the Joker threw the ball away a couple of times. And he is relentless on the offensive boards as well. Game ball to Thomas.
I watched a g league game a few days ago and Watched Max Christy nail 6 three pointers. I always thought he looked ahead of the curve on defense for a 19 year old but his shooting had been spotty. Last night not only was his defense on point, I love the blocked 3 on the close out, but he nailed a couple of big 3’s. While he is not as big as I would like on the wing, he is 6’ 6” with long arms so it does help. Has Jesse Buss found another hidden gem? It’s looking like he might have.
We finally saw what Robb was probably hoping for when he brought in PatBev and Dennis. They both played well on the defensive side of the ball but they both hit shots. Both of these guys are capable of these kind of games every night. Basketball is as much about the mental game and confidence as it is about skill. Obviously both of these guys have lacked confidence. Hopefully this game can help them regain that confidence. Perhaps they could even go from salary filler in a trade to trade targets for teams needing guard help.
There really isn’t much left to say about Austin. He plays like a crafty 10 year vet. He does so many little things on both sides of the ball that you keep forgetting that this is just his 2nd year. And he never forces anything. That’s key. He knows who he is and stays inside his box. While he may never quite be the defender Alex is because he’s not as athletic, he is still very good and makes up for it with his crafty offensive game.
Just a little shout out for Troy Brown, he has been playing very well without scoring. Last night he was a plus 12 without scoring at all. He is doing it on defense.
I heard it mentioned last night that Gabriel is about ready to come back. Which is great news. We really have missed his size and energy. With AD possibly missing sometime we will need all the size we can get. I would love to see Gabriel and Thomas running together with Russ. It would be a track meet.
If we play team ball like we did last night against a quality opponent we still should win a few with AD out. And moving forward with AD this needs to be the template for this team. We tend to rely to much on our stars. It’s up to the coaches and stars themselves to make our approach a team approach.
Great post, Michael. The bench dominated this game. Let’s hope we see more of this. Bryant was fantastic and deserves the game ball. He needs more minutes and looks like he’s going to get them.
Thanks Tom, we brought in several young players that had flashed potential but for various reasons, injury, role or team had not lived up to that potential. My hope that these guys would grow in this system and it’s beginning to look like they are. Still a long way to go but I’m optimistic that these kids will continue to mature.
It’s also a testament to stocking the coaching staff with player development guys. Don’t know any other team with so many key coaches having that focus. I agree it’s starting to pay off. We still need a trade but this could be a bigger bonus than anybody expected.
Yes, too much from LBJ & AD. Gotta get the team involved like last nite. Westy would be pretty darn good, if, he would stop shooting. I know he needs to drive some.
Michael, I pretty much agree word for word with this article, so nothing to add except to say that this is probably the best article you posted here.
It is not just about our quality win last night, but it is the way you analyzed the the game to perfection. I enjoyed reading your bullet points and every point you made was right on the money.
I have to be honest, I kept reading this post over and over. In the end, I kept nodding my head in agreement. That was a great writeup! Thanks for all your dedication to the blog!
Wow, thanks Buba. I appreciate that.