Post#210 » by 2010 » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:35 pm
We lost this game because we were outcoached. Stan Van Gundy went to the zone defense and Mike D'Antoni (the offensive guru) had no offensive adjustment to offset SVG's defensive strategy. SVG showed great in-game adjustment skills to protect his star, Dwight Howard who had just picked up his 5th foul. We had no answers from there. Good coaching is often the deciding factor in close games between wins and losses.
IMAN SHUMPERT
Played good defense and has very quick, active hands. Needs to do a better job of fighting over NBA screens though, as he's constantly going under and forcing our big to switch, which creates mismatches. We got burned for 3pt shots because of this. Offensively he needs to drive to the rim and attack, attack, attack. He's an excellent FT shooter and a guy with his size, quickness and body should be making a living at the charity stripe. He's settling for too many jumpers. This game he was 2-4 from 3PT but he was again an inefficient 3-9FG overall. He'll be a much more efficient player offensively if he draws fouls. I am still high on him, he just needs better coaching.
LANDRY FIELDS
I'm pretty down on this guy. Don't really see any light at the end of the tunnel for him. I think he's a bad fit for this team and especially in our starting lineup miscast as a SG when he's really a SF. Really got burned by Redick a few times, leaving him open in the corner because he doesn't have the foot speed to defend 2's who run off screens. Offensively he is vaginesque and a liability out there. He hurts us on both ends so he's undeserving of playing anywhere near 30mpg. When Davis returns I'd hope it renders him as the 9th man, slotted behind Douglas, Harrelson and Jeffries off the bench.
CARMELO ANTHONY
I'll cut him some slack as he's playing hurt and gutting it out for the team in an effort to keep us afloat. He got to the FT line a ton today and had some pretty assists. But he forces things in his "get mine" moments and really disrupts the offensive flow with some bad shot attempts. He needs to just play team ball the way he has done in spurts, but do that 90% of the time. The other 10% should come when it's the 4th and we need "go-to-guy" buckets (or at the end of quarters).
AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE
He's been killing us. When he was in foul trouble in quarters 1-3 we played excellent defense with Jeffries and Harrellson manning the PF position next to Chandler at C. That Jeffries/Chandler combo really did a number on Howard. Stoudemire came back in for the 4th and although he scored early on, he really hurt us defensively and that's when the Magic got hot from 3pt land. How long until he starts hearing boos at the Garden?
TYSON CHANDLER
Excellent defensive game! This guy really exposed Dwight Howard for the fraudulent manufactured NBA superstar that he is. He is fully capable of defending Howard one-on-one and shut him down basically whenever they went head-to-head and were actually allowed to play. Then VIOLET PALMER decided she had to give Howard some help and he still couldn't do anything with Chandler despite her best efforts. So when she attempted to circumvent Chandler's defensive intensity we were forced to start doubling with Jeffries. The immediate effects were golden as Howard was relegated useless again. But it turned out to be fool's gold as it lulled us into a state of false security with constant the double-teaming when we really didn't need to, if it weren't for the influence of the refs attempting to put their fingerprints on the game. Then the Magic got hot and the rest is in the books as history. If Palmer doesn't enter the arena today, we likely walk out a winner with our heads held high. The NBA should be ashamed of itself.
TONEY DOUGLAS
Was having a nice bounce-back game for himself on both ends as he was taking it to the hole, hitting his mid-range shot and defending. Also didn't get hammered too hard on any blindside picks. But he negated all of that by going into full-on chuck mode late in the 4th when we went down by 5pts. Started taking unnecessary 3's when we had plenty of time to come back and played right into SVG's gameplan. Just not an intelligent player. Really don't want him or Fields on this team long-term.
BILL WALKER
This guy is useless. I keep saying he's not an NBA rotational player. That play where he barreled into Glen Davis, where the Magic also got the 3pt shot and the foul was a killer. 4pt swing in a crucial moment. I'm tired of his boneheaded play.
JARED JEFFRIES
Excellent game defensively and even hit a couple layups. Is a nice piece off the bench when playing in a lineup with guys like Chandler and Shumpert who have defensive BBIQ and know how to rotate and play team defense. He has a role here, especially with clear offensive options on the team like Melo and Stat which keep him from trying to do more than he's capable of. Loved the way he stood up for his teammate, Jorts when Howard tried to throw a cheapshot elbow. He definitely has a place on this team. Good glue guy.
JOSH HARRELLSON
Another solid game from the rookie bigman. He always makes me feel safe and secure when he's out there on the court. Hit a couple 3's, defended very well, and even showed some mental toughness when he got tangled up with Howard, who objected to a good foul and resorted to throwing a cheapshot elbow. Rook definitely didn't look scared or ready to back down. He commited a good foul and was simply tryna hold Howard up so he wouldn't get hurt. I'd like to see him get more minutes somehow.
MIKE BIBBY
Pretty useless when he's not hot from 3PT.
SOTN: tie between Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard
2024 Bubble Champs1: Thompson |
Nembhard |
Smart2: White |
Wallace |
Clark3: Dort |
Sharpe |
Rupert4: Wembanyama |
Green |
Bol5: Gobert |
Drummond |
Mamukelashvili