Game 36: San Antonio Spurs (19-17) @ Los Angeles Clippers (21-14) - 7:30 PM PT

[Galloisdaman]

I'm not bashing Avery. I'm not against Avery. My comment ws only about his 0 ft games that caught my eye.

If I see a starter with 0 FT many times I wonder if he is being aggressive enough offensively.
If I see a starter with 0 fouls many times I wonder if he is being aggressive enough defensively.

It was a former NBA player that once mentioned this many years ago. It may have even been Doc. I can't remember who it was though.

The complaint around here is that Avery's TOO aggressive offensively. Like even touching the ball.

Not by me. I think it is important that they get more production from the starting guards and center. Not just Avery. SGA, Gortat or whoever is in there.

[esqtvd]

I'm not bashing Avery. I'm not against Avery. My comment ws only about his 0 ft games that caught my eye.

If I see a starter with 0 FT many times I wonder if he is being aggressive enough offensively.
If I see a starter with 0 fouls many times I wonder if he is being aggressive enough defensively.

It was a former NBA player that once mentioned this many years ago. It may have even been Doc. I can't remember who it was though.

The complaint around here is that Avery's TOO aggressive offensively. Like even touching the ball.

Not by me. I think it is important that they get more production from the starting guards and center. Not just Avery. SGA, Gortat or whoever is in there.

Well, if we had Dame Lillard, it wouldn't matter what Avery and Gortat were doing offensively. We got what we got.

Look, we have the 3rd highest ppg in the NBA at 115.9, a tick behind NOLA's 116.0. We're 7th in Offensive Rating but 21st in Defensive Rating. Like you said, we have to stop giving up 120 points a game lately. Production from the 4th or 5th offensive option is not a priority. Mostly, our biggest problem seems to be rim protection, but after giving him a few starts, Bobi does not seem to be the answer.

Nothing wrong with us that Lillard and Embiid couldn't fix. You can only brainstorm your way around your holes so much.

[Roscoe Sheed]

I hope doc starts bobi against the sixers. I think he bothers Embiid with his size. Embiid killed the clippers in the first half of the last game they played

[Galloisdaman]

The complaint around here is that Avery's TOO aggressive offensively. Like even touching the ball.

Not by me. I think it is important that they get more production from the starting guards and center. Not just Avery. SGA, Gortat or whoever is in there.

Well, if we had Dame Lillard, it wouldn't matter what Avery and Gortat were doing offensively. We got what we got.

Look, we have the 3rd highest ppg in the NBA at 115.9, a tick behind NOLA's 116.0. We're 7th in Offensive Rating but 21st in Defensive Rating. Like you said, we have to stop giving up 120 points a game lately. Production from the 4th or 5th offensive option is not a priority. Mostly, our biggest problem seems to be rim protection, but after giving him a few starts, Bobi does not seem to be the answer.

Nothing wrong with us that Lillard and Embiid couldn't fix. You can only brainstorm your way around your holes so much.

That is actually a good point. The offense is there for the most part. The real weakness is defense and rebounding. If they could find a rebounding rim protector at center things might change.

[esqtvd]

Not by me. I think it is important that they get more production from the starting guards and center. Not just Avery. SGA, Gortat or whoever is in there.

Well, if we had Dame Lillard, it wouldn't matter what Avery and Gortat were doing offensively. We got what we got.

Look, we have the 3rd highest ppg in the NBA at 115.9, a tick behind NOLA's 116.0. We're 7th in Offensive Rating but 21st in Defensive Rating. Like you said, we have to stop giving up 120 points a game lately. Production from the 4th or 5th offensive option is not a priority. Mostly, our biggest problem seems to be rim protection, but after giving him a few starts, Bobi does not seem to be the answer.

Nothing wrong with us that Lillard and Embiid couldn't fix. You can only brainstorm your way around your holes so much.

That is actually a good point. The offense is there for the most part. The real weakness is defense and rebounding. If they could find a rebounding rim protector at center things might change.

Thanks, bro. You got it.


Defense doesn't show in the box score, and even defensive metrics have their limits. Defense is a 5-man game. One guy falls down on the job and the other 4 of us get a minus-2.


As for Avery--a perfect illustration--his offensive suckage was there for anyone picking up the morning paper to see. But Shai could score 17 points or Tobias 30 because Avery was guarding what should have been his man, the 1 or the 3, or whatever.

There's no metric for that. That's what coaches are for. That's what teams are for.


It's not like I'm an expert in all this, but I also see that nobody is, which is why I'm so into discussing it. I love Justin Russo's eye for significant facts, but I'm not sure about his interpretations. I agree with you that individual plus/minus is of questionable value.


Basketball is still finding its way how to analyze the incredible amount of data it now generates. I'm a huge baseball fan, but sabermetrics is almost a finished form. There's really very little interactivity between players.

But basketball is all about combinations, like a jazz or a rock band. It's got to have soul. Certain combinations do have a magic to them; some are puzzlingly ineffective. And unlike music, there's a scoreboard. It's not all just opinion or 'eye tests.' You have to back up your feelings and intuitions with some facts.

That's what makes this fun.