Aloha,
That first quarter was something to behold. I can’t recall a playoff game where a team dominated like that. But given the choice of dominating the 1st quarter or the 4th I would take the 4th every time. Because there are no safe early leads in the NBA.
Now the Griz are very good team and I knew that they would make some runs. While I never felt like the game was in danger, I felt we blew an opportunity to really cast some doubt in them. Instead they got close enough by the end to write the game off as just a bad first quarter.
For me the biggest problem was that 4th quarter. We went into the basketball equivalent of football’s prevent defense, way too soon. The Lakers abandoned what got them the big lead before the 4th quarter was even half way played. And Ja was able to make it uncomfortable. Hopefully we don’t do that again.
AD dominated like everyone wanted him too. While his defense has been stellar throughout, it’s his offense that has been choppy. What changed? Well he became decisive with ball and made his moves before the double could arrive. That is the key to AD’s game. He is going to get doubled if he doesn’t act immediately. His only flaw was trying to force baseline a few times when it it wasn’t there. We can go a long way with this AD.
The old geezer had another solid game. He made big mouth Brooks look foolish. And it clearly got into his head. I really didn’t want him getting tossed. Our defense is better when plays. Everyone knows that Brooks is a poor shooter except for apparently him. I don’t even like it when he gets in foul trouble. His defense has not been that disruptive and it’s nice when he’s out there laying bricks.
Rui has been amazing. The kid has the skill and the body to be a star in this league. You can trace his emergence to when coach Ham sat him for a game. It was like last year when Frank sat Malik to send a message. Ham didn’t think Rui was being aggressive enough. Well it worked. It also looks like he adjusted his 3 point shot. It appears to have more arch now. It was really flat before. While I think Rui will be a starter next year I can understand him coming off the bench now. We are not getting much scoring from the 2nd unit. He’s about the only one. But he only got 22 minutes. He should get more than that.
Austin is our Manu Ginóbili. He just makes winning plays. Timely shots. Timely defense. He is always solid.
Does anyone other than myself want to see Lonnie get some run in place of Beasley? Beasley isn’t giving us anything. Lonnie is a good scorer and that 2nd unit needs scoring. At least give the kid a chance to see what he can do.
While I doubt we will see another quarter like the first one, if AD plays with the way he did yesterday, I think we will go back to Memphis up 3-1.
Very well said, Michael. One thing I think AD needs to correct is his lack of a go-to move. When he’s at his peak form it doesn’t matter because everything he tries works well enough. But when he’s not at his best, the lack of a repeatable reliable scoring move makes his game seem tentative and disjointed. He is a nightmare to any opponent when he is engaged like last night.
As for Lonnie, I have been chirping for him to take Beasly’s minutes for a while now. It is getting to a point where I feel like we are missing an opportunity to be even more lethal. I would suggest the same for Mo Bamba. There is something to be tapped from Lonnie and Bamba. Thanks for the post.
Old Geezer played ok, but he hardly tore anyone’s heart out. Brooks is a clown, but still managed to get into his head. That weak little double pump reverse he barely got over the rim, followed by getting hung on that tired old tomahawk told another story. Now, he’s facing down one night’s rest followed by a rough travel schedule.
Most indicators says this won’t bode well for him. If AD can play like last night rather than the previous two, they’ve got a shot. If the role players can see 2-3 of them have a plus night, they might just pull this off.
Only thing missing from LBJ is 3 shot, but that’s about the same for rest.
Defense and efficiency pretty lacking too.
I agree definitively he only defends in spurts. But he was 52% from the floor last night and he is 54% for the series so far. He career playoff average is 49%. So efficiency isn’t a problem.
He’s dominating possessions and pounding the air out of the ball, playing that old man, below the rim game. Outside 15′, he may as well take the turnover.
DJ, I agree with LeBron’s missing 3-point shot. Quite frankly I don’t want him to be taking those 3s unless they are in the flow of the game. Missing those 3s is a waste of possession and they are momentum killers. They have the same effect as turnovers. It is very unwatchable when he misses those shots while the other team gains free possession.
Dump the Beaser! Rui should be getting 35 minutes! I still think Mem ain’t going to be a pushover Monday.
Rui is going to get the minutes. I say, give Beasly’s minutes to Lonnie. Simple as that. And you are right, Memphis is no pushover. That team is deep and talented.