Great thread :applause:
Printable View
Great thread :applause:
[QUOTE=Grinder]As long as it keeps the trolls out, I'm fine with it. :oldlol:
Yeah, Korver finding his shot was a huge x-factor and his team defense was excellent. While he doesn't have the ideal physical tools to be a lockdown defender, he's always been a willing defender and the way Budenholzer plays hides his weaknesses. So yes, [B]Kyle Korver[/B] is the winner of the [B]Hawks-Pacers [/B]game although I would give an honorable mention to Jeff Teague who was immense once again.
[B]Loser - Roy Hibbert[/B] - I know it may seem harsh to list a guy who only played 19 minutes but he was so damn awful when he was on the court. Atlanta's style of play obviously takes away from Hibbert's defensive strengths but it shouldn't affect his offense the way it has. He's not rebounding, he's missing easy shots around the rim despite being at least 3 inches taller than his defender and in most cases 6-7 inches taller, and he's not blocking or altering any shots. Roy's stats through 3 games: 6 ppg/5 rpg/.7 apg/[b]0 bpg[/b], 2.3 TO - [b]28 FG%[/b] :facepalm
[b]Grizzlies-Thunder
Winner - Tony Allen[/b] - As usual, it was a team effort for the Grizzlies. Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Beno Udrih all played big roles but I don't see how I can give it to anyone but Tony Allen. I know he had that bad foul at the end of regulation but his energy on the court is contagious and he made even the most routine passes difficult for the Thunder. We've always known that he's an incredible defender but his offensive impact has been a turning point in the last two games for the Grizzlies. He's been getting into the lane and making excellent drop off passes that would make most of the point guards in the league proud. His finishing as always been suspect but it's been on point this series and he's also making great cuts off the ball.
[b]Loser - Scott Brooks[/b] - Both Durant and Westbrook struggled last night but I can't put the blame entirely on them when they were forced to play with two guys that are inept offensively. What was the point of playing guys like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones and Steven Adams in the regularly season if he had no intention of playing them in playoffs? Brooks' total lack of faith in younger players has lead to OKC trotting out lineups with an ancient Derek Fisher, an out of shape Caron Butler, and Kendrick Perkins. The cross matches he went with in the fourth quarter were also baffling and caused OKC to get beaten up the boards. If OKC doesn't make it out of this series, I don't think Brooks will be coaching them next season.
I watched the second half of the [I]Warriors-Clippers[/I] game but after the excitement of Memphis-OKC, it was hard to pay close attention to it. From what I saw, [B]Blake Griffin[/B] was excellent and had some really timely baskets to break the Warriors' momentum. I can't think of any one player that played particularly poorly.
For what it's worth, I thought Steph Curry was fouled multiple times on the last play of the game.
[B]Player of the day - Tony Allen[/B][/QUOTE]
:applause:
Tony Allen:bowdown:
I Missed a lot of games this weekend but the ones I did watch...
[B]4/25 - Houston-Portland
Winner - Dwight Howard[/B] - The big man had his most complete game of the series coming through on both ends of the floor. He altered several shots around the rim, scored efficiently and did a better job boxing out rather than just going up for the rebound himself all the time. This allowed for a stronger team rebounding effort and in turn helped the Rockets get into their offense quicker and push in transition when the opportunity presented itself.
[b]Loser - N/A[/b] - I can't think of one player that played particularly poorly. Harden got his points but was hugely inefficient, Jeremy Lin had some poor moments, and Aldridge had his least effective game of the series...yet almost everyone had their positive moments as well.
[b]4/27 - OKC-Memphis
Winner - Reggie Jackson[/b] - On a night when both of OKC's stars had putrid games, Reggie Jackson came through in the biggest way with his team staring down the barrel of a 1-3 deficit. Jackson put on his best [good] Russell Westbrook impersonation and got into the lane at will, finished with authority, and drained some big shots from the perimeter. He also did a commendable job on the boards and played some solid defense. What a time have a career night.
[b]Loser - Kevin Durant[/b] - It was a tough to choose between Durant and Westbrook. Both had their poorest games that I can think of in recent memory and coughed up the ball far too often. Ultimately I went with Durant because unfairly or not, when you're considered the leading candidate for MVP and a multiple time scoring champion, you're expected to shoulder more of the responsibility. KD missed so many routine shots and it ended up affecting his defense and ball handling. On several occasions, he tried to draw fouls and then didn't get back on defense in favor of complaining about the lack of call and his poor shooting also lead to tentative turnovers which become magnified in games as tight as these. Luckily for KD and Westbrook, Jackson's heroics will relieve some of the criticism that would have been directed at them had they lost this game.
[B]4/28 - Portland - Houston
[/B][b]Winner - Lamarcus Aldridge[/b] - While LMA didn't put up stats as gaudy as his first two games in this series, he was a warrior throughout the course of the game. We all know that he's tremendously gifted offensively but I'm not used to seeing this kind of effort and toughness on the defensive end from him. He's been a solid rebounder for quite some time but I've felt that he's occasionally been soft defensively and has shied away from contact. This wasn't the case last night when he willingly banged with Dwight Howard and contested everything around the rim. With the small lineup that Portland employs, I'm struggling to think of a way to consistently stop this guy without giving up an open 3. With his play in this series, LMA is officially entering superstar territory to the average fan.
[b]Loser - James Harden[/b] - I'd always liked Harden's game before he got to Houston but his ball stopping ways and total lack of defense are really becoming a detriment to the team. He came into this league as a willing and effective passer and a solid perimeter defender but you would never guess it based on his play in this series. He was a sieve defensively against whichever Portland wing he was matched up against, consistently being late on his defensive rotations and not closing out hard enough on shooters while being simultaneously nonchalant in his help defense. Winging it on the defensive end can be acceptable during the regular season but it gets exposed in the playoffs and it's been glaringly obvious with Harden in this series. Get it together James.
I also caught [I]Golden State-Clippers[/I] on the DVR and I felt [B]Steph Curry[/B] (obviously) and [B]Draymond Green [/B]were excellent. Green's numbers won't stand out but his defense was so, so good and he's a great tool to have in keeping the offense flowing. If I had to pick a loser from this game, I'd say[B] DeAndre Jordan[/B] was invisible, which simply can't happen when you're that tall and that athletic.
Good thread. Keep it up!
Finally KD gets his Selection :lol
[B]Hawks-Pacers
Winner - Mike Scott [/B]- While Paul Millsap is the most important player for the Hawks, Scott was the driving force behind Atlanta opening up an ultimately insurmountable 30 point lead. Scott is a great guy to have off the bench to come in and score in bunches and is exactly the kind of player that can swing 1 or 2 playoff games in your favor. That kind of offensive spark off the bench is invaluable to any playoff team and manifested itself in this game when Scott buried 3 after 3 and put an another dent into an already bruised Pacers team.
[B]Loser - Roy Hibbert[/B] - I don't think much needs to be said here.
[B]0 points, 0 rebounds[/B], 1 block, 1 turnover, 4 fouls. :facepalm
[b]Spurs-Mavericks
Winner - Boris Diaw[/b] - I've often criticized Diaw for being too tentative to pull the trigger when he gets good looks and some of the shots he knocked down last night are a big reason why. Boris has always been a player with a feel for the game that few guys his size have but when he looks for his own shot on top of his passing, defense, and rebounding, the Spurs become that much more daunting of an opponent. His late 3 pointer looks to have saved San Antonio from another excruciating playoff disappointment.
[b]Loser - DeJuan Blair[/b] - This might seem like an odd selection since Blair played very well when he was on the floor and was one of the driving forces behind the Mavs' comeback but hear me out. The Mavs had all the momentum on their side up until Blair was ejected. His brainless decision to kick Splitter in the head gifted the Spurs three free points at a crucial juncture of the game and really injected life back into the Spurs just when it looked like they were starting to fade. You simply can't lose your head and give anything away freely in playoffs as evidenced by the tightness of every series in the West.
[b]Thunder-Grizzlies
Winner - Mike Miller[/b] - The Grizzlies are great defensively but they struggle to score consistently in the half court and their 3 point shooting is nothing to write home about. That's why Mike Miller going off like he did last night may ultimately be the turning point in the series. As we've seen in the past few years, Miller has a penchant for having a big game on the big stage. He just did it a little earlier in the playoffs than we've come to expect. Not only was his long range shooting on point but his passing, rebounding, and help defense all were welcome contributions. Some of the younger fans might forget but games like this were the norm Miller in his first stint with the Grizzlies. If this guy can show up for one more game, it'll probably be all she wrote for the Thunder.
[b]Loser - Kevin Durant[/b] - In what's shaping up to be KD's career worst playoff series, the likely MVP once again could not shake off Memphis' rough, smash mouth style of defense. The constant ball denial, shading, and blitzing of Durant has made him the most prolific scorer in the league look pedestrian. 26 points on 24 shots and 3 times as many turnovers as assists just won't get it done against a team as tough defensively as Memphis. Durant's one foul also tells me he wasn't aggressive enough on defense which simply won't do in a series as physical as this one. I was tempted to list Scott Brooks here for his odd lineup decisions and poor play calling at important junctures of the game.