G4 without the spin

[cranrab]

BGOL doesn't really want to talk basketball, they want to whine about officiating and repeat whatever they heard on talk radio or read on espn.com.

there are some key points of G4 that nobody seems to be mentioning.

1) people are pointing to the outstanding job the celtics bench did in Q4, but why isn't anyone talking about what transpired in Q3? where the fakers lead was first erased?

2) pundits have been piling on lamar odom night and day. presumably for some lack of effort that they imagined, since they don't know basketball. why aren't they asking instead why the fakers O was unable to exploit nate robinson's size on D EVEN ONCE?

nate robinson played more than 9 minutes in Q4 and didn't get exposed once?



3) pau gasol went 3-6 FGAs in Q1. 0 FGAs in Q2. why? especially when he was putting a hurt on the celtics with PFs. pau gasol had 7 FTMs in the 1st half and the fakers were winning.

4) pau gasol was 1-3 FGAs in Q3. pau gasol went 2-4 FGAs in Q4 (1 of which was a 3 point hot potato situation). pau gasol didn't have an FGA in the last 4 minutes. why not?

if you want read superficial regurgitated mess, look on BGOL. you'll find genuine basketball questions (and answers) here.

 

[RunawaySlave]

Once again, I didn't see the game, but I do have a question: How many attempts did Bynum get? Asking because in the little bit of action I did see, Bynum looked like he could get his shot off anytime he wanted in the low post.

 

[cranrab]

How many attempts did Bynum get?

andrew bynum played only 12 minutes in G4, as his knee had him struggling.

during that span, andrew bynum attempted 2 FGAs, making 1.

 

[cranrab]

here is a quote from coach jackson during the G4 post-game:

Q. You've seen this team in a lot of different situations in different places through the years. Where is their composure level now heading towards the next game? And is it strange to see this team as the grounded team of the two?

PHIL JACKSON: Our team, yeah. They're pretty emotional. They had their backs against the wall tonight, and they played desperate, and they got away with it. We let that happen, but I thought overdribbling the ball, not moving the ball, not playing at the same level with the composure that we have to play with.

lamar odom echoed the same thing:

Q: What happened down the stretch when the Celtics seemed to turn it up?

Odom: We just have to run our offense and have movement especially with Andrew [Bynum] out of the game. We have to move the ball and be quicker. We just can’t stand around and watch. With him [Andrew Bynum] out of the game that’s not our strength. We have to move the ball to be able to get ourselves in offensive rebounding position, get guys open looks, make plays for others.

very astute, lamar odom.

when 1 player is holding the ball and blankly staring at the D because he doesn't have the basketball IQ to read it, it bogs down your offense and ball movement.

 

[cranrab]

here is how an idiot starts the scapegoating of a teammate:

Q. Can you describe how Bynum's absence changed the dynamic of the game for you guys?

KOBE BRYANT: Well, we didn't have that big presence in the middle, and Big Baby took full advantage of it, took full advantage of it, and he played extremely, extremely well for them, as did Nate.

it's unfortunate that tobe takes a back-handed swipe at teammate lamar odom like this, in light of the fact that he is completely incorrect.

in Q1, WITH andrew bynum in the game, glen davis was still making his contributions.

additionally, andrew bynum's absence had little to do with glen davis' contributions in the 1st half. the celtics ran screen roll with artest as the target. lamar odom (assigned to glen davis) was REQUIRED to rotate on D to stop the resultant paul pierce penetration. OF COURSE this left glen davis open for O rebounds and drop-off assists.

who then, was it, that did NOT make the proper D rotation as the 2nd rotator?

some "student of the game"



funny how lamar odom and paul pierce could see it, but a "student of the game" could not:

Q: How effective was Boston’s bench tonight?

Odom: Very effective especially Glen Davis. He found open spots. He doesn’t just do it half court, he beats you off the ball, second effort, off the pick-and-roll, they do a great job of finding him.

Q. Paul, how important was it for you to get yourself going there in the first quarter? And what did you do in the fourth quarter to get the lead and maintain it?

PAUL PIERCE: Well, for one, you know, it really ain't about me. I just wanted to be aggressive. I mean, that wasn't the most important thing for us on the list to get Paul Pierce going coming into the game. But Doc just told me to be aggressive at the start of the game, put me in a couple pick‑and‑rolls early, try to get to the lane, be aggressive, and that's about it. I knew once I got in the pick‑and‑roll with their big men, I got an advantage and just tried to take advantage of it, that's all.

Q. I know you said you tried to be aggressive tonight but I'm going to go out on a limb and think you probably want to be aggressive every game. You had two very subpar offensive games the last two games. What was the difference tonight in you getting going offensively aside from being aggressive?

PAUL PIERCE: I think just Coach giving me a few calls here and there. A lot of times, you know, in this series we ran a lot of plays through Kevin and Rondo, high pick‑and‑roll. Haven't run a lot of pick‑and‑rolls with me in it but Coach said today he was going to do more with me pick‑and‑roll and slashing to the basket.

Q. At the end of the game when you did come back in for the starters, you had two big hoops and the three‑point play. Those were huge coming at the time they came.

PAUL PIERCE: Yeah. When I came in the game Rondo said he was going to give me the pick‑and‑roll. Coach said also, let's get a pick‑and‑roll with Kevin and myself.

 

[cranrab]

pau gasol had an interesting quote which refutes some of the stupid claims ignorant tobe stans were making in the 2008 finals: specifically that tobe was constantly being doubled and/or trapped.

when a dunce is stupid and dribbles INTO help, that's not a double or a trap.

Q. You've seen a lot of interesting defenses on Kobe this season, but how would you assess the way the Celtics are defending him so far?

PAU GASOL: They're being aggressive, and they're on him. They force him into drives and into crowds a lot of times.

 

[cranrab]

here's a quote from lamar odom that sports "journalists" (the term is used loosely) should have explored, but did not. i think it's because their basketball knowledge was too remedial to understand what he was referring to. instead, one yahoo columnist took it as an admission of laziness:

Q: Did you have to do anything different in your style of play during the second half without Andrew Bynum?

Odom: Move the ball. I’m not going to put it on my shoulders to win or lose the game. We have to move the ball and become a team, become a tighter team. We have to protect the paint. We have to defensive rebound as a unit especially with him out of the game we have to make up for his size and shot blocking ability and the way he protects the rim at seven feet, his physical presence. We have to realize as a team what he gives us and what Lamar gives us. If we don’t do that, than we are in trouble especially on the defensive boards.

so what was lamar odom referring to? was he shrinking away from personal responsiblity, as the yahoo columnist suggested?

no. lamar odom was referring to the bizarre matchup that coach jackson assigned him, but ABSOLUTELY ZERO PEOPLE noticed because they are incapable of watching the game.

what matchup was that? lamar odom - kendrick perkins.

so you have a SF already playing out of position at PF (much like robert horry had to do when he played for the fakers), and now you're asking him to matchup with kendrick perkins.

 

[RunawaySlave]

It will fall on deaf ears...

also, I have to admit I was wrong about Odom. Always thought he relied too much on talent, but he's proven to have more knowledge of the game than more than a few...(although that's not saying much today)