Prime Peja

[druggas]

I remember his clutch defense against the Mavs in the playoffs one year. It was the last year the Mavs had Nash if I recall...the Antawn/Antoine year. If I remember correctly it was a 4-1 series but every game literally came down to the last shot, which the Mavs never made cause Peja is such a defensive juggernaught. We tried all our best plays, I think the first time Finley ISO'd him and took it left to the corner freethrow line jumper, his best move, clank. Then I think the Mavs tried the unstopped Nash/Dirk pick-n-roll, well Peja wasn't having that BS he shut that down too. Desperate for a clutch bucket next game they tried the plain old Dirk ISO midrange post up, PEJA STOPPED IT IN ITS TRACKS with his clutch D, that series was probably why Cuban didn't resign Nash, true story, Nash is in PHX cause of Peja's intense defense, someone back me up on this...

Please don't use the phrase "clutch defense" and Peja in the same sentence.

You're doing "clutch defense" a disservice.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

He was a very underrated defender for sure. People just assume that because he was a European finesse player he couldn't play D, but it's completely inaccurate.

[realfung]

The scary part of his game is even though he can shoot threes, he likes driving to the basketball or drive and pull up jump shots.

He is defintiely the best option behind Webber and Bibby in the Kings uniform.

[rilamann]

When I think of Peja the first memory that comes to mind is that wide open 3 he had in game 7 vs the Lakers in 2002.

There was about 15-20 seconds left in the 4th qtr and the Kings where down by 1,I think it was 97-98 Lakers in the lead.Hedo drives and dishes to a wide open Peja and Peja shoots one of the worst air balls I have ever seen.

I'm sure most here remember it.

It wasn't even so much that he missed the shot,it was that he missed so bad and he was WIDE OPEN,then you combine all that with the fact he was a great shooter.

It looked more like a lob pass than a shot.

If someone asked me for a textbook example of ''choking'' I'd probably use that play by Peja as the example.


The Kings did get screwed in game 6 vs LA in 2002 and probably should have won the title in all honesty.

But if Peja hits that wide open 3 late in the 4th the Kings probably win that game,or the Kings win if they don't miss so many free throws in that game 7.

But they would have gone down as the softest and most gutless NBA Champion in the history of the league.

[Winsome Gerbil]

But they would have gone down as the softest and most gutless NBA Champion in the history of the league.

Its funny how actually winning a title suddenly shifts those whole reputations. People forget that the Shaq Lakers were annually getting swept out of the playoffs and being accused of being gutless chokers, and then Portland chokes in the 4th quarter of Game 7 and all of a sudden the Lakers are the unbeatable champions. Ditto this current Lakers team, who were too soft to get it done against Boston, but all of a sudden they win one and they are unbeatable. Same thing would have likely happened with those Kings.

But it didn't and I am still laughing at some of these Peja comments. Yeah, Peja was a "beast!" Yes, very intimidating. A one dimensional jumpshooter who played the game like he did not want to break a nail and disappeared in the clutch = not exactly my idea of "a beast!"

[bjax24]

Peja was a stud, but he never learned how to be a stud while another stud was on the team. When Webber came back that year Peja all the sudden lost it. I didn't blame Webber for that, I blamed Peja. Always liked him on the Kings, but never really thought he let himself reach his full potential.

[ilikecb4]

In his prime Peja could be the 3rd best player on a championship team


Usually when i judge players i say to myself


on a championship team this guy could be

1) option
2) option

3) option
4) role player

[CousinOfDeath]

So who wins in a shooting contest, Peja or Ray Allen?

[og15]

I think Peja wins depending on how many shots they have to take. Ray Allen's shot takes a lot more energy than Peja's shot does.

[JordansBulls]

My memory is fairly fuzzy and I can't remember too much about prime Peja outside of his injuries and phenomenal shooting stroke. I don't remember him being too athletic and don't think injuries would have hurt his game much, so I'm just wondering, what made prime Peja so good? How good was he? Where would he rank in the game today?

A lot depends on if Rick Fox is guarding him. For some reason he could hardly ever score on the guy.

[JCWalters]

I did not see the Laker-Kings game; I caught that game 7 on the radio. So I did not know about the Fox-Peja battle.

However, I did see the Kings go at the T-wolves, and Hassell neutered Peja. Peja is pretty much a one trick pony--shooting. And Hassell, WORKING ALONE--SINGLE COVERAGE, hammered Peja into an 48.8% TS. Peja has 62.4%TS in that regular season.

Peja is 6-10 and hassell is 6-6 at most. Hassell stayed between Peja and the basket, and upon Peja catching the ball, Hassell would close the distance and be in Peja's jersey before Peja can get the ball over his head and get into a shooting motion. Players that can be stopped that easily--single coverage by a smaller defender--are not MVP-caliber. I, too, thought his 4th place MVP voting was a joke.

Main problem: Peja cannot create. He shoots the ball from a spot that is almost behind his head. This make his shot hard to block. But if you can gameplan against him by studying his shooting form and not let him get the ball up or up smoothly, you can play VERY EFFECTIVE defense on him, b/c Peja has no drive when a defender plays him tight and he has no post game when the defender is a more mobile but smaller player.

[cmw17]

in his prime, he was one of the greatest shooters in the history of basketball. In the past decade, he's up there with Nash, Dirk, Allen.

[cmw17]

So who wins in a shooting contest, Peja or Ray Allen?

very close. in his prime, I would probably say Peja, but Allen had a better all around game.