Unrelated but the video going around of Westbrook sitting in the paint hoping to grab a rebound so that he gives up a wide-open Beverley corner 3 is damning. I don't blame him for chasing records in the regular season, but it's kinda shameful to do so during a playoff game.
Khris Middleton only played ~20 games this year. The guy's over all game is average, maybe above average as a defender... he is a long range sniper thriving on the Raptors stacking the paint. The Ibaka/Lowry/Tucker combination played basically zero minutes this year and Tucker is going to be Casey's #1 option for guarding Giannis. This makes tonight's game tough to call.
I say the Raptors continue with their multi-headed monster offense, Ibaka's ankle gets better, and the non-stop supply of hockey assists continues and the Raptors take tonight's game.
I don't have any great attachment to Westbrook, but I feel like we're arguing for argument's sake at this point. If that was a video of Harden we'd be laughing at what a goofball he is. I'm not sure leaving a guy who shoots one 3 a quarter is a damnable offense.
At the end of the day, this is a 3-6 matchup. Were you expecting the Thunder to win? They kept it close for one game out of 2. Seems normal.
Still can't believe how hard that was to watch at the end (or that Donovan didn't try to corral him/them). Talk about watching a train wreck...
On April 21 2017 00:21 JimmyJRaynor wrote: Khris Middleton only played ~20 games this year. The guy's over all game is average, maybe above average as a defender... he is a long range sniper thriving on the Raptors stacking the paint. The Ibaka/Lowry/Tucker combination played basically zero minutes this year and Tucker is going to be Casey's #1 option for guarding Giannis. This makes tonight's game tough to call.
I say the Raptors continue with their multi-headed monster offense, Ibaka's ankle gets better, and the non-stop supply of hockey assists continues and the Raptors take tonight's game.
I like the Raptors tonight too. And the bolded part stands out even more when you realize the Bucks are one of the only 2 teams to have had more open 3-point shots than not (Jazz).
Hmm, Spurs really just had one shitty quarter. They needed a 3rd person to step up in scoring tonight and it didn't happen. Surprised Jonathan Simmons didn't get more time.
"He still amazes me," Irving said of James. "The question is, can he ever amaze you guys [in the media]?"- Says Irving after they have to comeback from 25 points down in a 2-7 matchup.
i'm amazed. he has been the best player on planet earth for a few years now. of course, according to Irving there are no other planets so i guess from his viewpoint James is the best player in teh universe.
On April 22 2017 13:17 Scarecrow wrote: OKC dodged quite a few bullets, that Adams putback really bailed them out. I doubt they shoot this well again, will be lucky to get another
also why foul harden when you're up 3? It's virtually an instant 2 points with no time off the clock
Seemed weird to foul that early, but I assume they assumed Harden knew what was going on and didn't want to lose to a 3, or worse 3 FTs.
I feel like coaches get bitched out no matter what they do there.
On April 22 2017 13:17 Scarecrow wrote: OKC dodged quite a few bullets, that Adams putback really bailed them out. I doubt they shoot this well again, will be lucky to get another
also why foul harden when you're up 3? It's virtually an instant 2 points with no time off the clock
Seemed weird to foul that early, but I assume they assumed Harden knew what was going on and didn't want to lose to a 3, or worse 3 FTs.
I feel like coaches get bitched out no matter what they do there.
Yeah but they couldn't lose to a 3, OT at home isn't that bad if he does make it. Then they traded ft's with harden and gave him a shot at a 3 to win instead... Assuming it was a coaches decision, he definitely deserves criticism. You really think he'd have been bitched out for not fouling Harden there?
On April 22 2017 13:17 Scarecrow wrote: OKC dodged quite a few bullets, that Adams putback really bailed them out. I doubt they shoot this well again, will be lucky to get another
also why foul harden when you're up 3? It's virtually an instant 2 points with no time off the clock
Seemed weird to foul that early, but I assume they assumed Harden knew what was going on and didn't want to lose to a 3, or worse 3 FTs.
I feel like coaches get bitched out no matter what they do there.
Yeah but they couldn't lose to a 3, OT at home isn't that bad if he does make it. Then they traded ft's with harden and gave him a shot at a 3 to win instead... Assuming it was a coaches decision, he definitely deserves criticism. You really think he'd have been bitched out for not fouling Harden there?
I think Houston wins 75% of overtimes. That's just me, but what you think changes the choice for sure. Also, Houston has a ton of good 3 pt shooters on the floor.
I think, probably, the optimal choice is pressuring the inbounds, doubling Harden, and fouling who he passes to over center court. That should get you, at worse, a 1 pt lead with 3 seconds to go. I, however, have little faith in NBA players executing that (look at recent NCAA academic scandals for the best evidence).
IMO trading FTs should favor the winning team, because you can do it just by putting your best FT shooters on the floor, and can foul slowly or quickly depending on time remaining.
The random lunge at Harden after no time is indefensible as optimal strategy, but its decent. OKC should have had a 3 PT lead with 4s to go after the initial exchange if Westbrook hits his.