Personal Game Thoughts: San Antonio Spurs @ New Orleans Hornets

[Chieflion]

To support the "Raising the Bar" program on the Spurs forum, I will post game thoughts on the Spurs' road games in the regular season from now on.

Disclaimer: If you disagree with me, feel free to voice your opinion without being a total dickhead. My opinion does not represent the entire Spurstalk opinion and by all means do not agree with everyone.


Final score: (Spurs: 106, Hornets: 92)

TV companion with box score/play-by-play: http://www.nba.com/tvc/index.html?gamecode=20100301/SASNOH&brand=NBA

Starting lineup: Keith Bogans (SF), Tim Duncan (PF), DeJuan Blair (C), George Hill (SG), Tony Parker (PG)

First of all, I have no need to post the statlines of any of the players with the link posted. I am going to tell you what I saw and my opinion of the offense and defense of individual players.

Keith Bogans: His contribution on offense, or lack of, hurts the Spurs. Heck, leaving him wide open on offense is a safe roll of the dice the Hornets were willing to take and Bogans cannot take advantage of it. His defense is nothing to write home about either, although he usually is at the right place at the right time, usually just in time to get his ass burned by the likes of Peja and Marcus Thornton.

Tim Duncan: Mr Fundamental played a decent game, his minutes were regulated enough and he shot well from the field, although his defense and rebounding were pretty poor in the 1st half due to the back-to-back on his old knees. The Hornets were able to keep themselves from doubling Duncan, limiting the effectiveness of the passing from Tim Duncan.

DeJuan Blair: The Beast put up respectable numbers and scored on pick and roll opportunities and had some chances with offensive rebounds. A good development is that he has somewhat improved his defense but he is still quite poor at team defense at that regard.

George Hill: The Naked One played a team high 44:18 of playing time. Coach Pop is definitely not micromanaging his minutes and prefers George Hill to wear himself out on a back-to-back just to develop him. Hill scored a team high 23 points and burned the Hornets early in the 1st quarter, scoring 13 points in the 1st. Hill missed some defensive rotations but Collison wasn't able to make him pay, with a memorable miss from right underneath the basket.

Tony Parker: After being limited in the 1st half, Tony Parker lit up the Hornets in the 3rd quarter, picking his spots and extending the lead in the 2nd half, enough for the Spurs lead to never really get threatened. Parker did a good job limiting his man, Darren Collison, from going off on him. Parker's minutes have been limited recently, he only played 28 minutes. But he looks fresher and it would be the right move to limit his minutes the way it is until the playoffs.


The best artificial bench in the league: Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, Roger Mason, Malik Hairston, Ian Mahinmi

Manu Ginobili: Manu stole the ball again and again in the 1st quarter, setting the defensive tone with his energy, creating havoc and got the Spurs the lead. His play in the 2nd quarter also helped the Spurs get the lead and push it to 9 to end the half. He gradually disappeared in the 2nd half because of the back-to-back but he had a good time dishing the basketball and getting easy opportunities for his teammates.

Richard Jefferson: Richard got into foul trouble early and was getting flopped on by James Posey. None could take away his aggressiveness these past few games. Pop limiting small ball allowed him to regain his confidence level and he is attacking the basket more often. It is painfully obvious that due to foul trouble, he cannot get into the rhythm he needs to get into a groove, not getting enough minutes. His defense was respectable and he was attacking the boards, snatching them left and right.

Matt Bonner: Pop has an absolute disdain for Ian. He absolutely would not play Ian even if it means playing a guy like Mikki Moore, Kyle Gordon, small ball or whatever. Pop decided to play Matt Bonner, the prince of the +/-, the Hoagie man, the sandwich guru. The awesome Matt Bonner was able to hit 2 buzzer beaters to end the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter. Matt Bonner played decent defense (for him anyway), and did not get fouls called on him. He was allowed to get physical with David West. He also chucked his way to a bench high 11 shots.

Roger Mason: He shot one shot, got only 5 minutes, and did nothing significant to make or break the Spurs. With Finley's departure, Pop is still unwilling to give Roger Mason minutes, despite Richard Jefferson's foul trouble, Keith Bogans' injury and what not, Pop gave Bogans more minutes than he deserved, yet refusing to play Mason.

Malik Hairston: We can see how stubborn Pop is. Malik Hairston just doesn't seem to be able to get minutes over Keith Bogans. Malik did not do anything to impress nor turn people off.

Ian Mahinmi: It is contradicting to see Ian get the ball to try and produce in garbage time in one minute, he missed his only shot but knows where he must be on defense, shading the ball handler to provide help defense. He is definitely laterally quick enough to be servicable.

Summary: Winning a road game against a good home team in the West is a step to the right direction and I hope the team will do well enough in the future.

[spurster]

First win in the post-Finley era.

[bdictjames]

1-0

lol @ The Naked one

[Cane]

Roger Mason: He shot one shot, got only 5 minutes, and did nothing significant to make or break the Spurs. With Finley's departure, Pop is still unwilling to give Roger Mason minutes, despite Richard Jefferson's foul trouble, Keith Bogans' injury and what not, Pop gave Bogans more minutes than he deserved, yet refusing to play Mason.

Disagree about Bogans getting more minutes than he deserves since he puts a better effort and hustle defensively than Roger; Mason Jr. contributes much less on that end AND his shot isn't falling. Since the rodeo trip he's been 9-36 from downtown : 25%. 16-56 from the field, 28%.

Bogans hasn't been much better @ 5-24 from downtown, 20% and 14-41 from the field, 34%; again the key difference is that Bogans actually uses a lot of effort and hustle defensively. Unfortunately he's far from Bruce Bowen status but he deserves the minutes over Roger. You'd think after whining to the front office about more minutes and wanting a trade that he'd ante up...hopefully he and Bogans can get their act together from downtown - earlier in the season they were around 40%.

[TJastal]

Disagree about Bogans getting more minutes than he deserves since he puts a better effort and hustle defensively than Roger; Mason Jr. contributes much less on that end AND his shot isn't falling. Since the rodeo trip he's been 9-36 from downtown : 25%. 16-56 from the field, 28%.

Bogans hasn't been much better @ 5-24 from downtown, 20% and 14-41 from the field, 34%; again the key difference is that Bogans actually uses a lot of effort and hustle defensively. Unfortunately he's far from Bruce Bowen status but he deserves the minutes over Roger. You'd think after whining to the front office about more minutes and wanting a trade that he'd ante up...hopefully he and Bogans can get their act together from downtown - earlier in the season they were around 40%.


Roger Mason's defense is > Bogans. Here's why:

Bogans' defense is pure crap. I remember one play in particular Collison drove to the middle of lane and easily rose up over Bogans for an easy 8-footer, reminiscent of how Ray Allen so easily shot over him earlier in the season. Bogans seems to think defense only involves keeping himself between his man and the basket and not contesting shots. Bogans has good footwork on defense but that's only half of the job. Roger Mason has average footwork but is much better at contesting shots so overall Mason > Bogans.

[ElNono]

Bogans is garbage defensively and so is RMJ. They're both slow as molasses too. However, Mason will still knock down wide open threes, so the other team simply cannot completely slack off him. Bogans, on the other hand, commands no such attention.
I pointed it out early during the game blog last night. Teams are simply sending whoever is supposed to guard Bogans to roam around on defense. He's currently the antithesis of 'spreading the floor'.

[Cane]

Roger Mason's defense is > Bogans. Here's why:

Bogans' defense is pure crap. I remember one play in particular Collison drove to the middle of lane and easily rose up over Bogans for an easy 8-footer, reminiscent of how Ray Allen so easily shot over him earlier in the season. Bogans seems to think defense only involves keeping himself between his man and the basket and not contesting shots. Bogans has good footwork on defense but that's only half of the job. Roger Mason has average footwork but is much better at contesting shots so overall Mason > Bogans.

Mason Jr. can contest shots, in fact a scouting article says as much, but since the rodeo trip his hustle and effort on the defensive end has been as inconsistent as his shot. With Bogans you see consistent hustle and effort defensively, Mason Jr. not so much recently. :depressed

EDIT: Mason Jr's specialty is also against undersized SG's or PG's, however Hill does a much better job against those players so he's kind of redundant. Bogans can match up with bigger guys since he's stronger but still exploitable.



Bogans: Not a very skilled or creative offensive player, but plays very good defense to make up for that. Shows a willingness to compete on every possession on that end. Made that very clear during his days at Kentucky.

Defense: A very solid defender who uses his strength to his advantage. Does a good job getting into position to deny dribble penetration. Won’t get pushed around on the block or by a ball handler trying to get a step. Has a hard time defending taller swingmen. Doesn’t take many risks as a half court defender. Shows a willingness to get on the floor when he can grab a loose ball. Always turns with the shot and looks to box out and secure the rebound.

Mason Jr:

Defensively, Mason is a pretty solid man defender-especially when matched up against back-up PGs. His length and size are a problem for opponents and he keeps them working on the other end of the court because of his constant motion. Mason is good at pressuring jump shots and doesn’t give his man a lot of open looks

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/NBA-Scouting-Reports-Southeastern-Division-Part-2--2685/

[Cane]

Bogans is garbage defensively and so is RMJ. They're both slow as molasses too. However, Mason will still knock down wide open threes, so the other team simply cannot completely slack off him. Bogans, on the other hand, commands no such attention.
I pointed it out early during the game blog last night. Teams are simply sending whoever is supposed to guard Bogans to roam around on defense. He's currently the antithesis of 'spreading the floor'.

Both have been shooting well under 30% from downtown since the rodeo trip. However unlike Roger, Bogans is still shooting at least 34% from the field whereas Mason is sitting at 28%. At this point, both of 'em don't warrant much defensive attention from the other team but thats what happens when you're cold and have Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Hill, etc.

I'm not sure how you can claim he's the "antithesis of spreading the floor" because his defender "roams around on defense"; isn't that what the Spurs want and expect? Its always been about double-teaming Duncan or another star and then having the option to dish the ball to an open shooter.

[dbestpro]

Only edit I would make is to remove the disclaimer and remove the bit about what you are and are not going to tell me. Just tell me. The rest is good for a POV piece.

[TJastal]

Mason Jr. can contest shots, in fact a scouting article says as much, but since the rodeo trip his hustle and effort on the defensive end has been as inconsistent as his shot. With Bogans you see consistent hustle and effort defensively, Mason Jr. not so much recently. :depressed

EDIT: Mason Jr's specialty is also against undersized SG's or PG's, however Hill does a much better job against those players so he's kind of redundant. Bogans can match up with bigger guys since he's stronger but still exploitable.

I think Mason defends best against the longer more finesse type SG/SF types like Richard Hamilton and Ray Allen much better than the undersized ones. Bogans struggles against these types (actually he struggles against anybody with a decent jumpshot).

Bogans has one niche: he is good against the physical type guards and forwards who only use their brute strength to open up scoring opportunities, which is a very small niche. I cannot even think of anyone off hand. Guys like Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups can still penetrate and shoot over Bogans easily, since Bogans doesn't contest anything.

Bogans is just basically useless.

[ElNono]

Both have been shooting well under 30% from downtown since the rodeo trip. However unlike Roger, Bogans is still shooting at least 34% from the field whereas Mason is sitting at 28%. At this point, both of 'em don't warrant much defensive attention from the other team but thats what happens when you're cold and have Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Hill, etc.

You can see teams do stay with Mason, at least to start plays, and for the most part try to make him a driver. He rarely gets a wide open shot because teams do stay with him. The problem is that, as a ball handler, he sucks. But that's a different story altogether :lol


I'm not sure how you can claim he's the "antithesis of spreading the floor" because his defender "roams around on defense"; isn't that what the Spurs want and expect? Its always been about double-teaming Duncan or another star and then having the option to dish the ball to an open shooter.

The theory is for shooters to make shots, thus forcing teams not to double and give Tim enough space in the middle to operate. The good old 'pick your poison'. When the shooters get zero respect, it stops working. Lakers have been daring us to beat them from outside for years.
But most teams that do that normally send help after a while. There's at least a minimum of respect to the shooter and an attempt not to give up an easy shot early in the possession. With Bogans there's no such thing. After setting screens inside at the start of the play, he moves to the perimeter and he's flat out alone. Like nobody near him. His guy is either cheating inside or going to double whoever is trying to penetrate. And the fact he can't hit the side of a barn only reinforces that defensive scheme from the other team.

Now, let me make this clear: Mason is no savior. I agree his shooting has been sub par. But the way I see it he still commands some sort of minimal attention that closely resembles what we're trying to accomplish out there.
I would prefer a Raja Bell or even give Hairston some burn.

[Cane]

I see what you're saying but I think the Spurs WANT guys like Bogans to be open from downtown. He's not making opposing teams pay for it as of late, ditto with Mason Jr., but as long as they have daylight; they better shoot. Mason, Bogans, and Bonner - thats the only thing they really have going offensively. Once those shots start falling they'll get defensive attention unless guys like Duncan and Ginobili get red hot. You definitely want the Spurs to beat you from three point land and teams used to face the price; but as of late that hasn't been happening. Probably one of the bigger reasons why Bonner is getting minutes and so many attempts - we need players to step up to what they were like from downtown.

Unfortunately the Spurs as a team has been lacking, we used to have 40% shooters earlier in the season but after December everything from downtown fell by the wayside...who could've predicted that Mason Jr. would shoot under 30% since the Rodeo Trip. We were the third best team %-wise and now around 5th. :depressed

However I also think that they'll eventually find their touch again even if its in a streaky way...they damn well better too since they'll get the looks.

[SenorSpur]

Never thought I would say this, but even Udoka strung together better performances than Bogans has.

[ElNono]

I see what you're saying but I think the Spurs WANT guys like Bogans to be open from downtown. He's not making opposing teams pay for it as of late, ditto with Mason Jr., but as long as they have daylight; they better shoot. Mason, Bogans, and Bonner - thats the only thing they really have going offensively. Once those shots start falling they'll get defensive attention unless guys like Duncan and Ginobili get red hot.

Which takes me to the other problem with Bogans. Take a look at the second half from last night's game. He just won't shoot. He got the ball all alone on the perimeter and instead of shooting, he passed it to Hill who was covered in the corner.

At least Mason and Bonner are not shy when it comes to shooting.
That said, they're all dead weight one way or another. We just need a more consistent player there.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

good for bogans...he know the team has a better chance of scoring so he doesn't shoot and passes the ball up...true team player:tu

[ElNono]

good for bogans...he know the team has a better chance of scoring so he doesn't shoot and passes the ball up...true team player:tu

:lol

[TJastal]

If Bonner is going to get 11+ shot attempts a night from here on out then basically the season's success is going to rest squarely on his shooting %, which is a crapshoot.

I just don't see why you'd take a gamble on Bonner's shooting % when you have a guy like Ian Mahinmi (or Theo if he hadn't been dumped overboard) who will bring some defensive tenacity every single night without fail?

[Brazil]

Tony Parker: After being limited in the 1st half, Tony Parker lit up the Hornets in the 3rd quarter, picking his spots and extending the lead in the 2nd half, enough for the Spurs lead to never really get threatened. Parker did a good job limiting his man, Darren Collison, from going off on him. Parker's minutes have been limited recently, he only played 28 minutes. But he looks fresher and it would be the right move to limit his minutes the way it is until the playoffs.




Just some complementary thoughts about TP because this board has been very harsh with him and nobody is highlithing the goods things.
- Most of us have been complaining a lot regarding his Defense passivity. From January he improved a lot this part of his game, when he is on the rotation he is doing a very good job lately. Nowadays IMO the spurs are better defensively when Tony is playing.
- Then the ballhog selfish stuff came back but in the facts he is one of the guy who is limiting his Offensive contribution to give more opportunities to especially RJ. I don't know the stats but I guess the number of shots taken per 36 mn must be way down compared to last year.
- TP is complaining / whinning etc... but he was complaining for good reasons he has a lot of little injuries and Pop needs to limit his minutes. Pop apparently figured that (better now than never). It shows that TP is thinking first at the team vs. his personnal stats. We don't have to forget that TP will have a new contract to negotiate.

:toast I really hope TP will be back at full strenght for the POs and I hope he will show at all the haters that he is a fucking great asset for the spurs.

BTW I'm also really happy to see Manu proving he is not finished and that he deserves to retire as a spur.

:flag:

[Chomag]

Just some complementary thoughts about TP because this board has been very harsh with him and nobody is highlithing the goods things.
- Most of us have been complaining a lot regarding his Defense passivity. From January he improved a lot this part of his game, when he is on the rotation he is doing a very good job lately. Nowadays IMO the spurs are better defensively when Tony is playing.
- Then the ballhog selfish stuff came back but in the facts he is one of the guy who is limiting his Offensive contribution to give more opportunities to especially RJ. I don't know the stats but I guess the number of shots taken per 36 mn must be way down compared to last year.
- TP is complaining / whinning etc... but he was complaining for good reasons he has a lot of little injuries and Pop needs to limit his minutes. Pop apparently figured that (better now than never). It shows that TP is thinking first at the team vs. his personnal stats. We don't have to forget that TP will have a new contract to negotiate.

:toast I really hope TP will be back at full strenght for the POs and I hope he will show at all the haters that he is a fucking great asset for the spurs.

BTW I'm also really happy to see Manu proving he is not finished and that he deserves to retire as a spur.

:flag:

I have been happy to see TP's outside shooting back in form. It has been so god awfull for the first part of the season.

[Mel_13]

Just some complementary thoughts about TP because this board has been very harsh with him and nobody is highlithing the goods things.
- Most of us have been complaining a lot regarding his Defense passivity. From January he improved a lot this part of his game, when he is on the rotation he is doing a very good job lately. Nowadays IMO the spurs are better defensively when Tony is playing.
- Then the ballhog selfish stuff came back but in the facts he is one of the guy who is limiting his Offensive contribution to give more opportunities to especially RJ. I don't know the stats but I guess the number of shots taken per 36 mn must be way down compared to last year.
- TP is complaining / whinning etc... but he was complaining for good reasons he has a lot of little injuries and Pop needs to limit his minutes. Pop apparently figured that (better now than never). It shows that TP is thinking first at the team vs. his personnal stats. We don't have to forget that TP will have a new contract to negotiate.

:toast I really hope TP will be back at full strenght for the POs and I hope he will show at all the haters that he is a fucking great asset for the spurs.

BTW I'm also really happy to see Manu proving he is not finished and that he deserves to retire as a spur.

:flag:

Good post.

Two questions come to mind:

1. Will a reduced workload (25-28mpg) leave TP able to resume a greater role later in the season and the playoffs or does it represent the maximum minutes he can play effectively for the rest of the season?

2. Will George be able to maintain his current level of play if he continues to rack up 40+mpg?

[NFGIII]

I have been happy to see TP's outside shooting back in form. It has been so god awfull for the first part of the season.


Me too. Without that the D can pack the lane and wait for him to drive. And we all saw what happened earlier in the season when he did that. Granted the PF his is suffering from contributed to that but when he is hitting those outside shots things just open up for him better.

[ElNono]

TP was great last night. I watched Collison destroy whoever Dallas put in front of him, and yesterday he was very quiet. Tony did a great job staying in front of him all game and punishing him at the other end.

[BillMc]

:toast I really hope TP will be back at full strenght for the POs and I hope he will show at all the haters that he is a fucking great asset for the spurs.

BTW I'm also really happy to see Manu proving he is not finished and that he deserves to retire as a spur.


This!:toast

[spurtech09]

also with pop not playing dice.....Ian still didn't get any mins accept at the end cause the game was almost over

[Brazil]

Good post.

Two questions come to mind:

1. Will a reduced workload (25-28mpg) leave TP able to resume a greater role later in the season and the playoffs or does it represent the maximum minutes he can play effectively for the rest of the season?

2. Will George be able to maintain his current level of play if he continues to rack up 40+mpg?

There are two valid questions. - For now I think 25-28 min are ok, when TP is playing too many minutes he is becoming much less efficient. BTW I think it was of Pop main mistakes: he gave a lot minutes in the first half, after the break TP tank was empty or injuries strated to bother him. For the POs, Pop will use TP more, hopefully the limited minutes he has now will enable him to play more in the future. - For Georgie, by the PO TP minutes will increase which should decrease the Georgie load, so it doesn't seem to be an issue. Well I guess this is the plan.

[Chieflion]

It is clearly obvious that unless your username is timvp, you are not going to get many reviews on your game thoughts. /sarcasm

Seriously though, thanks guys.

[SenorSpur]

To support the "Raising the Bar" program on the Spurs forum, I will post game thoughts on the Spurs' road games in the regular season from now on.

Disclaimer: If you disagree with me, feel free to voice your opinion without being a total dickhead. My opinion does not represent the entire Spurstalk opinion and by all means do not agree with everyone.


Final score: (Spurs: 106, Hornets: 92)

TV companion with box score/play-by-play: http://www.nba.com/tvc/index.html?gamecode=20100301/SASNOH&brand=NBA

Starting lineup: Keith Bogans (SF), Tim Duncan (PF), DeJuan Blair (C), George Hill (SG), Tony Parker (PG)

First of all, I have no need to post the statlines of any of the players with the link posted. I am going to tell you what I saw and my opinion of the offense and defense of individual players.

Keith Bogans: His contribution on offense, or lack of, hurts the Spurs. Heck, leaving him wide open on offense is a safe roll of the dice the Hornets were willing to take and Bogans cannot take advantage of it. His defense is nothing to write home about either, although he usually is at the right place at the right time, usually just in time to get his ass burned by the likes of Peja and Marcus Thornton.

Tim Duncan: Mr Fundamental played a decent game, his minutes were regulated enough and he shot well from the field, although his defense and rebounding were pretty poor in the 1st half due to the back-to-back on his old knees. The Hornets were able to keep themselves from doubling Duncan, limiting the effectiveness of the passing from Tim Duncan.

DeJuan Blair: The Beast put up respectable numbers and scored on pick and roll opportunities and had some chances with offensive rebounds. A good development is that he has somewhat improved his defense but he is still quite poor at team defense at that regard.

George Hill: The Naked One played a team high 44:18 of playing time. Coach Pop is definitely not micromanaging his minutes and prefers George Hill to wear himself out on a back-to-back just to develop him. Hill scored a team high 23 points and burned the Hornets early in the 1st quarter, scoring 13 points in the 1st. Hill missed some defensive rotations but Collison wasn't able to make him pay, with a memorable miss from right underneath the basket.

Tony Parker: After being limited in the 1st half, Tony Parker lit up the Hornets in the 3rd quarter, picking his spots and extending the lead in the 2nd half, enough for the Spurs lead to never really get threatened. Parker did a good job limiting his man, Darren Collison, from going off on him. Parker's minutes have been limited recently, he only played 28 minutes. But he looks fresher and it would be the right move to limit his minutes the way it is until the playoffs.


The best artificial bench in the league: Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Matt Bonner, Roger Mason, Malik Hairston, Ian Mahinmi

Manu Ginobili: Manu stole the ball again and again in the 1st quarter, setting the defensive tone with his energy, creating havoc and got the Spurs the lead. His play in the 2nd quarter also helped the Spurs get the lead and push it to 9 to end the half. He gradually disappeared in the 2nd half because of the back-to-back but he had a good time dishing the basketball and getting easy opportunities for his teammates.

Richard Jefferson: Richard got into foul trouble early and was getting flopped on by James Posey. None could take away his aggressiveness these past few games. Pop limiting small ball allowed him to regain his confidence level and he is attacking the basket more often. It is painfully obvious that due to foul trouble, he cannot get into the rhythm he needs to get into a groove, not getting enough minutes. His defense was respectable and he was attacking the boards, snatching them left and right.

Matt Bonner: Pop has an absolute disdain for Ian. He absolutely would not play Ian even if it means playing a guy like Mikki Moore, Kyle Gordon, small ball or whatever. Pop decided to play Matt Bonner, the prince of the +/-, the Hoagie man, the sandwich guru. The awesome Matt Bonner was able to hit 2 buzzer beaters to end the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter. Matt Bonner played decent defense (for him anyway), and did not get fouls called on him. He was allowed to get physical with David West. He also chucked his way to a bench high 11 shots.

Roger Mason: He shot one shot, got only 5 minutes, and did nothing significant to make or break the Spurs. With Finley's departure, Pop is still unwilling to give Roger Mason minutes, despite Richard Jefferson's foul trouble, Keith Bogans' injury and what not, Pop gave Bogans more minutes than he deserved, yet refusing to play Mason.

Malik Hairston: We can see how stubborn Pop is. Malik Hairston just doesn't seem to be able to get minutes over Keith Bogans. Malik did not do anything to impress nor turn people off.

Ian Mahinmi: It is contradicting to see Ian get the ball to try and produce in garbage time in one minute, he missed his only shot but knows where he must be on defense, shading the ball handler to provide help defense. He is definitely laterally quick enough to be servicable.

Summary: Winning a road game against a good home team in the West is a step to the right direction and I hope the team will do well enough in the future.

Good summary Chief.

Thanks for the writeup - especially since I didn't see the 1st half. :lol

[Mel_13]

It is clearly obvious that unless your username is timvp, you are not going to get many reviews on your game thoughts. /sarcasm

Seriously though, thanks guys.

You took the time and made the effort to contribute. Kudos for that.

As for the lack of comments, I can only give the reasons I chose not to comment on your OP.

1. Your disclaimer. I understand your point, but such a comment will tend to discourage dissenting opinions. It struck a combative tone and was, IMO, completely unnecessary.

2. Your OP was, relatively speaking, long on editorial content and short on analysis.

All in all, a positive contribution to the forum and I look forward to the next chapter.