EPTPlus he's calling people ignorant when he's not even aware of the holes in his own argument, which is just sad.
NBA Playoffs (2010-2011) - Page 54
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ilikejokes
United States217 Posts
Plus he's calling people ignorant when he's not even aware of the holes in his own argument, which is just sad. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
On May 09 2011 16:57 cLutZ wrote: Chicago Fan, full disclosure. Rose is never going to be comparable to Lebron, but I think that Wade is actually a very close analogue to him. If Rose had better offensive options on the team (Aka Young Shaq) he would be able to be more efficient. Also note Wade had an extra year in college that Rose did not, which is important for maturity, etc. I don't find it at all implausible that a 4th year, or possibly 3rd year Derrick Rose could have led the 2006 Heat to a title. They are similarly explosive, and both struggle outside shooting. Both are at their best when the refs are on their side. See '06 finals, game 3 of the recent Hawks Series, Game 1 of the Celtics-Heat series. Rose is Wade - 1 inch and a ring. Rose lost his midrange game. Wade in 04-05 and 05-06 had a good midrange game and was better at the rim. Likewise he was already a good defender and was hitting shots at a high clip. Rose wouldn't have been able to lead that Miami team to the chip because he just isn't as offensively gifted as Wade. The difference between them is a lot bigger than you think. It's not like when Shaq left Wade didn't have the same kind of dominance - in fact he became even better. Still had an elite FG% but ended up scoring more points. It's a common misconception but not all scorers are created equal. Rose would have had a very hard time getting to the Finals or even beating Detroit 04-05 with Miami. When you see those monster stat lines from these elite scorers you usually see some insane FG%. It makes a difference vs top tier teams. On May 09 2011 17:04 Stoids wrote: Lebron was drafted to a last place 17-65 team, Rose came into a better situation. Ditto. Lebron didn't have Deng or Noah. Hell he didn't even have a Ben Gordon. On May 09 2011 17:16 ilikejokes wrote: First off, it's Rose's 3rd year. In his 1st year he and a Bulls team crippled by Vinny Del Negro's awful coaching took the defending champion Celtics to 7 games with a record 7 OT periods, a playoffs feat that neither LeBron nor Wade matched in their rookie seasons (the Cavs finished below .500 and didn't even make the playoffs in an anemic Eastern Conference in his rookie season, while Wade was eliminated in 6 games by the Pacers in the semifinals). Because neither Lebron or Wade had help in their rookie years like Rose did. How about you talk about what they did in their second and 3rd years (Wade was the best player in the East and a rib injury stopped Miami from beating Detroit in 7 games, then won a chip in '06) and well we all know how Lebron's first 3 years went. To say Rose is even comparable to them is laughable. Both of them - read this again - BOTH of them were sure fire locks for the Hall of Fame in their second year in the league. If Rose is as good as you make him out to be what happened last year? Since a player's age is way more relevant in terms of assessing his skill level and potential than what # season he's on, let's look at LeBron and Wade when they were Rose's age: Lebron was 21 in his 3rd year (05-06): 31 points on 23 shots/game, 6.6 assists, 7 rebounds. The Cavs this year finished 50-32 (2nd in the Central Division, knocked out of the Conference Semifinals in 7 games by the Pistons. Wade was 22 in his first season (03-04) when he averaged 16 points on 13 shots, grabbed 4 rebounds, and dished 4.5 assists per game. Just for argument's sake though I'll look at Wade's 3rd season (05-06): 27 points on 19 shots, but he also jacked up 75 3's and only connected on 17% of them, and the league was handing free throws out to slashing perimeter players like party favors in this season (so even though Wade was a 75% free throw shooter, he still munched on 629 freebies); 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Yeah he won the title with Miami (thanks, Shaq!) but it was more like it was stolen from the Mavs by the league, what with it being the worst-officiated playoffs series/finals in NBA history. The Heat finished 50-32 in the regular season despite Shaq averaging 20-10 on 60% shooting for the season. Derrick Rose, at 21 years old, averaged 25 points on just under 20 shots, connected on 86% of his freebies and 33% of his treys, dished 7.7 assists and pulled down 4 rebounds for good measure. As pointed out earlier, he's only the 3rd player in the last god-knows-how-long to score 2000 points and dish 600 assists in the regular season--the other two being MJ and LeBron, and he scored or assisted on 45% of the Bulls' points this season. AND (I can't stress this point enough) the Bulls finished with the best record in the league--at 62-20, Rose in his 3rd season was 12 wins better than either Wade or LeBron. And I only even look at it as a fair comparison with regards to LeBron, since Wade had plenty of help on that Miami team. I don't know why you think this holds but it doesn't. Age does not tell the story because guys that come out early vs guys that go to college aren't going to always be put in the same position. Likewise they develop differently and have different responsibilities. But for arguments sake ok, let's play your game by age and by season. Derrick Rose at 22 (3rd year) has a vastly different role than Wade at 22(rookie) and more similar to Lebron at 22. Of course comparing Rose at now to Lebron at 22 doesn't even make sense. Lebron blows him out of the water. As for the second bolded you can call 05-06 vs Dallas what you want. Doesn't matter because even taking out the FTAs Wade was the best player in the playoffs that year. He tore the league apart after the All Star break averaging almost 30 points per game on 55% shooting. As a guard. At 6'4. This was one year removed when they almost upset the Pistons but a rib injury changed the course of history. Derrick Rose scoring 2000 points and dropping 600 dimes really isn't that impressive. Dwight Howard is the only 3 time DPOY. Also one of the only guys to be at the top of the league in blocks, rebounds, FG% and FTA. That looks much more impressive than a 2000/600 season. Really, compared to the elite players in the league Rose hasn't put a dent in any records yet. Your best argument for even comparing Rose to Wade or Lebron is by comparing a 3rd year player to one in his rookie year. After that it just doesn't work. Wade in his second year a long with Lebron just dominate the discussion. Rose has been struggling in these playoffs vs Atlanta and Indiana - 2 teams I assure you Wade(when healthy) and Lebron would have been shooting much better against in their 3rd years in the league. Neither of these teams are defensive juggernauts. I don't even know how to respond to this. Multiple posts have addressed this point already and you just don't seem to read them. What posts? He shot 35% vs Indiana and has had 1 dominant game vs Atlanta. You truly can not think Derrick Rose has been performing well in these playoffs. I'll ask you this: Of all the players in the playoffs in terms of performances does he even crack the top 5? Be honest. Yeah, a 1-seed getting knocked out by an 8-seed isn't under-performing at all. You seem to place a lot of weight on advanced metrics like efficiency and not a lot on really basic things like wins. Wins are a lot more important than any advanced metric. Did Dirk lose the series? I saw it and I can tell you he didn't. He was killing GS but hey - his team wasn't all that. He had what, 26/12 and a (low for him) 47% FG shooting series. Because WINS don't tell you how much a player is worth to his team. It never has and it never will. Matchups, how well you score and how much dominance you bring to the game do. All those elite Hall of Fame players were DOMINANT. They won because they were dominant. Rose isn't. Advanced Metrics may not be your cup of tea but if you've been watching Chicago in these playoffs and think Rose has been playing well then I don't know what games you're watching. Plus, since you have such a huge bonus for advanced metrifcs, chew on this: PER, playoffs and finals (basketball-reference.com) LeBron James (21 years old): 23.2 LeBron James, 3rd season: 24.3 LeBron James, this season: 26.5 Dwyane Wade (22 years old): 17.7 Dwyane Wade, 3rd season: 26.9 (*cough* worst officiated finals ever *cough*) Dwyane Wade, this season: 28.4 Derrick Rose, this season: 26.4 I'm actually one of the people who never quote PER. It's a useless statistic and even when Lebron and Wade had high PERs I said it doesn't tell you enough about what's going on. But all you're showing me is that Rose isn't better than either of them and you have a cold. If you want to be selective about stats tho here's some others though: Both Wade and Lebron have scoring titles, have been to the Finals, have been either the best or second best player in the NBA, among the best defenders at their positions and able to guard all wing positions, have been at the top ranks for FG% among their positions and above average in the NBA and have been among the top play makers in the league for the last 8 years while not being a PG. Derrick Rose has a 26.4 PER though. So he's outperforming James' 1st and 3rd seasons and he's 0.1 rating behind him this year (despite the fact that LeBron is playing alongside two bona fide All-stars and Rose has none), he's outperforming Wade's rookie season (when he was a year older than Rose is now) and is only 0.4 rating behind Dwyane Wade's "phantom foul on every drive" title run (which boosts PER like a MF). Really, the only major disparity here is between Rose and Wade this playoffs, and that's easy to explain: when you have LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and a bunch of glorified 3 point specialists spacing the floor for you (and setting you up, in James' case) it's not exactly impressive to be that efficient. It's pretty much expected. Lebron James in his 3rd year was miles and miles above Derrick Rose right now. Lebron is playing with 2 All-Stars and his stats are down and he's still better than Rose was this year. Better scorer, better passer, better defender, better rebounder - better everything. You act like Derrick Rose doesn't have one of the best benches in the league, that Carlos Boozer died and that Noah isn't one of the best rebounders in the game. But keep using that "Age is more important than years in the league" argument. Someone will believe it - it just won't be me. You keep complaining about 05-06's title runs but ignore Wade's 08-09? What about last year? Was the league giving him phantom calls also? You're making excuses and not rational arguments here. As for the bolded I'm just going to assume you've just started watching the NBA this year.Have you seen his other years in the playoffs? Be honest. Rose is 3rd in PER among players still in the playoffs (Chris Paul is in 1st overall, at 28.8) behind Superfriends Wade and James (and he's only 0.1 rating out of 2nd place despite this). So, yeah, I'd definitely say he's "underperforming." Yes, because PER is definitely the best stat for comparing players even though Chris Paul isn't even playing anymore. Very credible. On May 09 2011 17:53 ilikejokes wrote: I agree that he's not the best player in the league. I don't think anybody is saying that. He's just damn closer than Ace is saying he is. Plus he's calling people ignorant when he's not even aware of the holes in his own argument, which is just sad. I don't have any holes. This argument is refined from hours of showing people the difference between players like Marbury and Chris Paul. But whatever, let's keep this simple. Ignore everything else in this post and just answer this: In what aspect(s) of the game is Derrick Rose better than anyone else in the NBA at? If you can answer this for me, then we can start a fair discussion. I honestly think your NBA knowledge just isn't up to par and I don't mean it as an insult. Seriously - do your research. | ||
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
In a nutshell, Rose is MVP this year but he's not the best player in the league this year as well, He is not yet at the level of say the Top 5 players are but he is closing the gap. Very rarely is the MVP of a particular season universally seen as the "best player in the league." This isn't exclusive to basketball, but all sports. I could make the argument for Rose being a top 5 player in the league. At his age, he's already an elite point guard. You'd be hard pressed to disprove someone claiming him to be a cream of the crop player. Lebron, Dirk, Durant, Wade, Howard, Rose, Carmelo, Kobe.... I have a hard time singling out any of them. Just glad we get to watch a talent rich league. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
On May 09 2011 18:00 Ace wrote: I've got some stuff to say about Durant too but that's for another day. He got treated like crap vs the media this year and he's a perfect reason why I said I didn't want to see Rose get the MVP. I think they are going to dog him out also. I agree, these kids have enough to worry about. ESPN is a detriment to these players. Durant was forced into the role of superstar. Although he naturally would have reached that peak, the media artificially accelerated it. These 21-23 year olds need to focus on playing basketball and winning games, not worrying about how Mark Jackson compares you to the all time greats. Rose's playoff performance is a direct result of this unnecessary and unwarranted over-hype by the fans and media outlets. Right now Rose is FORCING himself to be the MVP, rather than naturally being it. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
On May 09 2011 18:06 Stoids wrote: I agree, these kids have enough to worry about. ESPN is a detriment to these players. Durant was forced into the role of superstar. Although he naturally would have reached that peak, the media artificially accelerated it. These 21-23 year olds need to focus on playing basketball and winning games, not worrying about how Mark Jackson compares you to the all time greats. Rose's playoff performance is a direct result of this unnecessary and unwarranted over-hype by the fans and media outlets. Right now he is FORCING himself to be the MVP, rather than naturally being it. Spot on. Instead of just being who they are, the media is trying to compare them to once in a generation players when we just don't know if they will be yet. They did the same thing to Carmelo and well...he just doesn't look that special anymore and he's been chewed up by the media for a long time now. I would hate to see Rose and Durant go through the same thing. Something tells me if OKC loses to Memphis it will get very ugly for his reputation. | ||
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
On May 09 2011 18:10 Ace wrote: Spot on. Instead of just being who they are, the media is trying to compare them to once in a generation players when we just don't know if they will be yet. They did the same thing to Carmelo and well...he just doesn't look that special anymore and he's been chewed up by the media for a long time now. I would hate to see Rose and Durant go through the same thing. Something tells me if OKC loses to Memphis it will get very ugly for his reputation. I think this article was the perfect example of it http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090311 Nonetheless, compare Paul's first four seasons to the first four seasons of any point guard from the postmerger era, and one conclusion becomes evident really fast: The only player who can even plausibly compare to him is Magic Johnson. I thought it was absurd then, and it still is today. After four seasons they were already comparing him to arguably the greatest point guard of all time. | ||
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ilikejokes
United States217 Posts
It's also obvious that you don't watch the Bulls play. Dwight Howard is an impressive defensive player to be sure but he's not a leader by any means. His jovial locker room presence has been bad for his team (Van Gundy has admitted as much). Furthermore, he hasn't reached his potential, and it doesn't seem like he wants to (not unlike Shaq). Even people who know nothing about basketball look at Howard and think he should be the best player on the court at all times. The man is a specimen. Yet he's not the most valuable player in the league (even though, if he really wanted it, he could be). Just go back to reading box scores, leave the real appreciation of basketball to people who understand the game, and leave the discussion to people who have sufficient comprehension of the English language to synthesize opposing arguments. I never said LeBron James's early seasons weren't better than Rose's statistically. I never said Wade wasn't a great scorer. I pulled those stats by way of comparison. You complain about Rose's lack of efficiency but the numbers don't back this up. When I point out the holes in your argument you resort to posing baseless hypotheticals ("LeBron or Wade of yesteryear would clearly outperform Rose in this situation!"). Rose hasn't performed as well in these playoffs because he has been facing double- and triple-teams every night, something that cannot be said for either of LeBron or Wade. How many 6'2" guards in the history of the league have commanded a double-team the way Rose does? Rose is the MVP and the standing evidence (regular season performance, effect on his team, other "intangibles") supports this fact. Rose hasn't been phenomenal in the playoffs but he also hasn't been "underperforming," except by some pretty absurd expectations (I definitely don't think a reasonable person would expect a 6'2" guard with little to no help every night facing double- and triple-teams to shoot 60% from the floor, which seems to be your requirement). LeBron and Wade are great basketball players. Nobody is disputing this. Derrick Rose is just better than you think he is. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
On May 09 2011 18:13 Stoids wrote: I think this article was the perfect example of it http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090311 I thought it was absurd then, and it still is today. After four seasons they were already comparing him to arguably the greatest point guard of all time. I think he was just saying stats wise. Chris Paul really is that good though, except instead of Magic he should have picked Isaiah Thomas. But Chris Paul's first for years in terms of accomplishments and destruction of the league didn't touch Magic. Partly because of the team he played on and partly because Magic and Isaiah were just icons from the get go. Chris Paul does have the skills to become the greatest PG of all time. It's just a very tough mountain to climb. | ||
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ilikejokes
United States217 Posts
Nobody is going to judge Durant's legacy by a single playoff defeat early in his career. Jordan is inarguably the greatest player of all time and he didn't take the Bulls to a title until his 7th season. I agree that the media hype definitely gets ridiculous at times (comparing Chris Paul to Magic Johnson is laughable; a more relevant comparison would be Paul to Isiah), but the players aren't necessarily plugged into it. I know Rose sets his own goals and expectations for himself--he's not worried about what the media thinks, he just wants to win basketball games. 'Melo built expectations for himself when he carried the Orange to an NCAA title as a Freshman. The fact that his success at the collegiate level hasn't translated to NBA titles isn't necessarily the result of those expectations. | ||
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
Dwight Howard is an impressive defensive player to be sure but he's not a leader by any means. His jovial locker room presence has been bad for his team (Van Gundy has admitted as much). Furthermore, he hasn't reached his potential, and it doesn't seem like he wants to (not unlike Shaq). Even people who know nothing about basketball look at Howard and think he should be the best player on the court at all times. The man is a specimen. Yet he's not the most valuable player in the league (even though, if he really wanted it, he could be). You kind of lost me here bud. Also, if you feel that someone is attacking you, avoid doing the same. I like to have informative and civil discussion, although I realize tensions do rise. I really don't have to say much about Dwight Howard. His stat line from this playoffs (yes, a series loss) says enough. 27 PPG, 15.5 REB, 1.8 BPG, 63% FG Mother...of....god That is a CRAZZZZZY stat line. This IS a once in a generation player we are talking about. Centers of his caliber come around so rarely. People always say "damn, Portland is dumb, why didn't they draft Durant." It comes down to the fact that you will risk pretty much anything for the opportunity to have an elite center. Dwight Howard would make absolutely any team better. His physical presence is overwhelming, and his ability to change the game cannot be overstated. Every year he is getting better. Orlando is not a great situation. I think he will flourish when he moves on. I would trade a testicle for him on the Mavs. | ||
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ilikejokes
United States217 Posts
He is absolutely a once-in-a-generation player. He is the best center since Shaq (for comparison's sake, Shaq averaged a 30-10 with 3 blocks on 61% shooting when he was 25, and during the Lakers' first title run he averaged a 30-15 with 3 blocks, albeit on 55% shooting [thanks, Hack-a-Shaq!]). However, his attitude is also like Shaq's: he doesn't have the same competitive fire driving him that players like Russell and Jordan had, and he doesn't have the same kind of commanding leadership with his teammates that players like Russell had (or that a player like Rose has). As far as drafting Greg Oden over Kevin Durant goes, that was even stupider than Bowie over Jordan. Oden's legs differ in length by 1.5" and even in college he walked hunched over like an old man. He was destined for injuries and although his injuries exceeded expectations by no means was he a sure-thing center. Durant was demonstrably the right choice there and Portland just fouled it up. | ||
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cLutZ
United States19574 Posts
On May 09 2011 17:55 Ace wrote: Rose lost his midrange game. Wade in 04-05 and 05-06 had a good midrange game and was better at the rim. Likewise he was already a good defender and was hitting shots at a high clip. Rose wouldn't have been able to lead that Miami team to the chip because he just isn't as offensively gifted as Wade. The difference between them is a lot bigger than you think. It's not like when Shaq left Wade didn't have the same kind of dominance - in fact he became even better. Still had an elite FG% but ended up scoring more points. It's a common misconception but not all scorers are created equal. Rose would have had a very hard time getting to the Finals or even beating Detroit 04-05 with Miami. When you see those monster stat lines from these elite scorers you usually see some insane FG%. It makes a difference vs top tier teams. The finishing at the rim aspect has a lot to do with him being shorter than Wade (whence the - 1 inch). The rest has to do with the Bulls stumbling into the first place in the East spot. Rose is the only ball handler and shot-getter on the team. Players like Wade, Kobe, or Paul Pierce have better midrange games, part of it is actual skill, but in Rose's case a large part is that he averages ~1 uncontested shot a game. He shoots really well from the free throw line, its not a dead lock for having a good midrange game, but its pretty strongly correlated. I've thought the Bulls need Eric Gordon (or an equivalent player) to be a championship worthy team. I'm not saying they can't stumble into a championship this year, but without a guy like that they really have a glaring hole. | ||
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ilikejokes
United States217 Posts
In what aspect(s) of the game is Derrick Rose better than anyone else in the NBA at? Since he obviously isn't the WORST player in the league, I'm going to assume you meant "everybody else." Two things: 1) finishing at the rim (particularly in/through traffic) 2) convincing his teammates to buy into his coach's spiel If you can answer this for me, then we can start a fair discussion. I honestly think your NBA knowledge just isn't up to par and I don't mean it as an insult. Seriously - do your research. The fact is I've answered that question for you multiple times and you just haven't been reading very carefully. I've done my research (on and off the court, I might add). I honestly think your basketball knowledge just isn't up to par and I don't mean it as an insult. Seriously - go out and really learn the game. | ||
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BloodNinja
United States2791 Posts
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city42
1656 Posts
Oh, and: On May 09 2011 18:47 ilikejokes wrote: I don't see how anyone can say Rose isn't the MVP when the Bulls finish 62-20 starting a shooting guard that wouldn't even make the rotation on most teams. Since he obviously isn't the WORST player in the league, I'm going to assume you meant "everybody else." Two things: 1) finishing at the rim (particularly in/through traffic) 2) convincing his teammates to buy into his coach's spiel You can't be serious about #1. They don't have 2011 stats available yet, but here are 2010 at-the-rim FG%s: Rose: 55.6% James: 71.2% Wade: 63.4% Bryant: 55.2% Parker: 60.1% Durant: 65.1% Iguodala: 64.8% Roy: 62.0% Paul: 58.4% | ||
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bigjenk
United States1543 Posts
On May 09 2011 18:16 ilikejokes wrote: Since you obviously can't read, I said Rose is 3rd in PER among players STILL IN THE PLAYOFFS (which, since CP3 is at 1st OVERALL, puts Rose at 4th among playoff players this season). It's also obvious that you don't watch the Bulls play. Dwight Howard is an impressive defensive player to be sure but he's not a leader by any means. His jovial locker room presence has been bad for his team (Van Gundy has admitted as much). Furthermore, he hasn't reached his potential, and it doesn't seem like he wants to (not unlike Shaq). Even people who know nothing about basketball look at Howard and think he should be the best player on the court at all times. The man is a specimen. Yet he's not the most valuable player in the league (even though, if he really wanted it, he could be). Just go back to reading box scores, leave the real appreciation of basketball to people who understand the game, and leave the discussion to people who have sufficient comprehension of the English language to synthesize opposing arguments. I never said LeBron James's early seasons weren't better than Rose's statistically. I never said Wade wasn't a great scorer. I pulled those stats by way of comparison. You complain about Rose's lack of efficiency but the numbers don't back this up. When I point out the holes in your argument you resort to posing baseless hypotheticals ("LeBron or Wade of yesteryear would clearly outperform Rose in this situation!"). Rose hasn't performed as well in these playoffs because he has been facing double- and triple-teams every night, something that cannot be said for either of LeBron or Wade. How many 6'2" guards in the history of the league have commanded a double-team the way Rose does? Rose is the MVP and the standing evidence (regular season performance, effect on his team, other "intangibles") supports this fact. Rose hasn't been phenomenal in the playoffs but he also hasn't been "underperforming," except by some pretty absurd expectations (I definitely don't think a reasonable person would expect a 6'2" guard with little to no help every night facing double- and triple-teams to shoot 60% from the floor, which seems to be your requirement). LeBron and Wade are great basketball players. Nobody is disputing this. Derrick Rose is just better than you think he is. There are a couple ways to look at it. Replace rose with westbrook, paul, or rondo and the dropoff of the team isn't that much imo. Replace howard with any 1 big man magic don't make the playoffs. Shit replace him with 2 really good post players and im not sure they are as good as with him. He is by far the most valuable to his team and most irreplacable in the league. Yes he is not polished liek hakeem was but he can still go for 40 any night and he may be the best defender the league has seen in modern era. I mean rose wasn't even the best point guard over the summer as westbrook outplayed him hard, and cp3 is arguably as good just smaller. Now find the big man to compare to dwight. You need a time machine for 10 years ago and shaq or duncan. there is literally no one close to him in the league. But mvp often doesn't go to the best player, it goes to a great player with a great story (rose this year) or to a great player because it is hipster not to give it to the best(reason jordan is missing about 5-6 mvps he should have had as well as shaq). I mean there is no real argument that jkidd was better than shaq when he got an mvp, shaq was easily a class above him. Nash wasn't as good as duncan his mvp years but he was a better story. Same with iverson and shaq, or duncan his year. On another note just watched my tivo of the lakers game and wow. Embarassing, they didn't even look like a playoff team at all and i wouldn't be surprised if bynum is gone soon after his tantrum. | ||
XaI)CyRiC
United States4471 Posts
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Holcan
Canada2593 Posts
sorry, had to reply to someone a few pages back, ridiculous that you are such a fanboy you needless inflate your own players while downplaying the success of others. | ||
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Ace
United States16096 Posts
Westbrook is trying to gt Durant the ball but TA is playing great ball denial and making KD work hard. With no consistent second option in the offense Westbrook has to take shots with 4 or less seconds on the clock. When he tries to force the ball into Durant in bad position it's either a Turnover or Durant catching the ball far from the hoop against a defender he has at least 5 inches on. TAs strong defense then makes it hard for KD to get to the rim and he's left taking contested outside jumpers. The result? 5 for 24 or 2 for 11 nights. So while Westbrook isn't playing well, it's not because he's chucking shots. It's because Memphis is strangling their #1 option and he's forced to create and takes all the blame. | ||
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