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104 Points or Less: D’Antoni Ball Isn’t Just for Offense Anymore
Chris Paul has unlocked a suddenly elite Houston Rockets defense
![[image loading]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t7jsX6hlPzQcqta3f36GxXssaRo=/0x0:3000x2000/920x613/filters:focal(1715x462:2195x942)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57992629/DantoniRocketsD_Getty_AP_Ringer.0.jpg)
D’Antoni found an ideal avatar in James Harden, who combines all the lessons learned from Steve Nash’s “Seven Seconds or Less” heyday in Phoenix and repackages them in a 6-foot-5 frame to become one of the game’s most reliable scorers.
But it turns out we weren’t thinking big enough. D’Antoni lorded over the Italian league as a hot-headed competitor, a leader, and a disruptive player with quick hands. The latter ability led the greatest point guard in Italy’s history to earn another nickname: Arsenio Lupin. The Gentleman Thief. Sound familiar?
In Chris Paul, D’Antoni found a proxy for the side of the ball he’d abandoned in his quest for total offense. Committing to the defense always seemed paradoxical to D’Antoni’s true ambitions. The ball can’t find energy if there isn’t any left for the offensive end.
But D’Antoni’s longstanding defensive hat quandary has all but evaporated this season. Twenty-six games in, we’ve been offered a glimpse at what an even more perfect D’Antoni collective could look like. It’s a fusion of the forward-facing small-ball revolution he’s shepherded for years, and his sensibilities as a player that had lain dormant all the while. The dual point guard system, as it turns out, wasn’t an attempt at establishing total offense; it was an effort to instill a sort of balance absent in so many of D’Antoni’s previous teams. It’s led to the best record in the league, and, improbably, an elite-caliber defense.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/12/15/16779750/nba-mike-dantoni-chris-paul-houston-rockets-defense
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Is Lonzo Ball’s Shot Broken?
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Through his first 23 NBA games, Lonzo Ball looks more like a bust than a Big Baller. That’s not a total shock. Rookie point guards typically struggle because of the time it takes to develop a feel for the pro game’s speed and physicality. It was clear at UCLA that Ball needed to improve his body and ballhandling skills, and the concerns about his slingshot jumper are not new. If there’s an issue, it’s that the hype generated by LaVar Ball and Magic Johnson set the bar too high.
With that said, Ball is not good right now. The 20-year-old is shooting 36.5 percent from 2, 25 percent from 3, and 50 percent from the free throw line. There’s no doubt Lonzo can pass at a high level; he’d be averaging far more assists than seven if his teammates were better. But for Ball to become a superstar — or “better than Steph Curry” — he needs to be able to score. Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, John Stockton, and Chris Paul all enhanced their playmaking by scoring because it gave them an additional tool for which the defense had to account. If Lonzo doesn’t put up points, it will limit his passing.
https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/12/7/16744356/lonzo-ball-los-angeles-laker-shot
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Embiid is having fun tonight.
however, playing this deep into double overtime its clear he is only at 69%.
the only thing bad about the OKC/6ers game is the double dark uniforms.
i'd say this OKC/6ers game is the best game of the year so far. i love the philly crowd.
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Wtf are you saying, unless you are watching on a black and white tv or you are somewhat colorblind, the contrast is gorgeous! Deep Red vs. Night Blue
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/BfkCpvj.png)
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going to 3OT. Embiid going to be at 48 minutes by the end of this OT
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it is a problem for colour blind people. about 8% of males are colour blind. its precisely why other leagues attempted and then discontinued having both teams in dark colours.
i'll be surprised if the NBA continues with both teams in dark beyond this year. Nike won't want the negative press from ignoring colour blind people.
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now u guys see why i like Patterson. smart defending by PPat.
The Raptors are up by 25+ in the 4th quarter but because everyone on their bench is fighting for minutes their bench players are playing like its game 7 of the eastern conference finals. Poetl, Powell, Wright and Van Vleet played the 4th quarter like their lives depended on it.
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On December 16 2017 12:00 BlackJack wrote:
going to 3OT. Embiid going to be at 48 minutes by the end of this OT
Embiid on mandatory preemptive rest until Feb 2018 then...
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On December 16 2017 12:01 JimmyJRaynor wrote:
it is a problem for colour blind people. about 8% of males are colour blind. its precisely why other leagues attempted and then discontinued having both teams in dark colours.
i'll be surprised if the NBA continues with both teams in dark beyond this year. Nike won't want the negative press from ignoring colour blind people.
Another stat out of your ass?
The NBA is a multibillion dollar company with markieting, pr, r&d, departments that take care of the brand.
They would have not allowed this if this is bad.
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Toronto has played less home games than any team in the NBA.
They will not travel west of the central time zone for the rest the season... so their 19-8 record is well earned.
On December 16 2017 12:29 Twinkle Toes wrote:Show nested quote +On December 16 2017 12:01 JimmyJRaynor wrote:
it is a problem for colour blind people. about 8% of males are colour blind. its precisely why other leagues attempted and then discontinued having both teams in dark colours.
i'll be surprised if the NBA continues with both teams in dark beyond this year. Nike won't want the negative press from ignoring colour blind people. Another stat out of your ass? The NBA is a multibillion dollar company with markieting, pr, r&d, departments that take care of the brand. They would have not allowed this if this is bad.
u serious ?
here is a lesson for the ignorant who don't know much about colour blindness.
which you clearly do not.
https://nei.nih.gov/health/color_blindness/facts_about
see that? 8% ... thought it was common knowledge.. i guess it is not for you.
now you know.
other leagues have tried the double dark uniform thing and ended up abandoning it. the NHL tried it for a while.
![[image loading]](https://content.newsinc.com/jpg/2192/29945391/27708549.jpg?t=1447448760)
The NBA NFL is a multibillion dollar company with markieting, pr, r&d, departments that take care of the brand. And they still let it slip through.
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i wonder who gets the bench minutes between Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gay?
On December 16 2017 11:58 Twinkle Toes wrote:you are somewhat colorblind, the
please note .. the other poster brought up colourblindness. not i.
u don't know anyone who is colourblind? LOL
1 of the gang i watch NFL games with is colourblind.
u don't know anyone who uses the colourblind features of SC2?
none of this matters though. the facts are there. look for the NBA to do what the NFL did.
On December 16 2017 13:02 JimmiC wrote:Show nested quote +On December 16 2017 12:17 JimmyJRaynor wrote:
now u guys see why i like Patterson. smart defending by PPat.
The Raptors are up by 25+ in the 4th quarter but because everyone on their bench is fighting for minutes their bench players are playing like its game 7 of the eastern conference finals. Poetl, Powell, Wright and Van Vleet played the 4th quarter like their lives depended on it. His knees are gone we all know that.
we'll see. he might recover. i just don't like how they've never stated specifically what is wrong with his knees.
my biggest problem with the guy is he was too much of a party animal and he picked fights with Casey on his instagram.
he is a very smart player on the court.
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Read my comment lol, I already included a qualifier on colorblind people, it was one of the first few words.
To which my point is the NBA must have factored that all in.
Scenario: new contrast color based scheme, compared to last years' light vs. dark.
PROs: new refresing look, teams have more flexibility choosing, more dynamics in aesthetics in the court.
CONs: have to account for a few colorblind people.
See now? It is a very easy calculation to make in the part of the NBA (and one I am sure they have thoroughly studied before making the decision), and the con can even be mitigated by adjusting the saturation or gamma in your tv/phone/whereever you watch NBA.
So ONLY completely colorblind people who see only in shades of grey or B/W truly suffer from this. So compared to NBA's internal research that supported this decision and JJs made up opinion straight out of his scout ass, I choose the NBA and say this is a reasonable move forward for the NBA.
Beside, it has created some great on court color contrast this season, and I have posted on this before IIRC. Wait let me search.
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Yes I read that too. It is safe to say NBA had research on this and decided there are ways around this (contrast and saturation control) or that the number is marginally insignificant enough the the pros are overwhelming compared to the cons. See my reply above to JJ.
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outspoken activist for the color blind community.
Yeah lol JJ is the best at unintentional comedy gold!
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I mean, it's a lot bigger part of the population than the other groups we send ourselves into civilizational conniptions over.
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The reason the Bills-Jets game was a problem was they failed to properly account for R-G people (the most common type).
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EPT
