Hello? Hello? Anybody out there? I am predicting echoes on these threads pretty soon. 7-21 now, but competed and still not a bad enough outing to particularly justify a theme. But who knows, maybe I will do one anyway: Christmas Around The League. See? Not about pretty girls at all. Nope. Not a bit. Very er, spiritual and stuff.
As an aside, record required from this point to win 48 and maybe snag that #8 seed? 41-13. Whadya think?
Garcia ( B- ) -- was scoring from the outside in the early going as the Hornets wings kept leaving him open for whatever reason, racked up a lot of foouls in the third, inclusind stupidly picking up his 5th trying to block a Paul shot in the 3rd quarter. Note to Kenny Natt: there are some cerebral players you can leave out there with 5 fouls in the third confident that they won't get a 5th unless somebody basicaly cheats and flops into them. Cisco ain't one of them. Never did much beyond shoot this time and yet still easily outperformed the Hornets wings across from him, largely because they were completely miserable and did everything possible to lose the game for the Hornets -- Butler and Brown started and combined for 48 minutes, 6pts on 1-13 shooting (including 0-8 on open three pointers). Note: this soccer player grimace and flop and fake an injury once a quarter thing has to stop. Every single game it seems the announcers are going to have to say 2 or 3 times oh, and Cisco looks hurt, hope he's ok, etc. etc., and I am sitting there watching and saying to the TV, shut up. Of course he's ok. Its like watching Horry back in his prime. Boy who cried wolf syndrome.
How they celebrate the holiday in Atlanta
Hawes ( C ) -- this was an interesting one. Got off to fast start in full attack mode and it was really the Spencer you want to see int he future -- popped in ajumpoer, then bang bang down inside just taking it right at Chandler, made a good pass -- dominated play for about the first 6 minutes. But then something went wrong, and I cna almost trace it to a play where Spencer had the ball up on the angle near the 3pt line, got doubled, and yet rather blatantly looked off and ignored Salmons standing wide open in the corner (John had zero points at the time). John was not happy, you could read it in the body language immediately, and he said something to Spencer at the next time out as they were walking off. Always hard to tell with Spencer because he's still got that tough guy strut you always think is so cool when you are 18 and are embarrassed about later, but it did not look like he wanted to hear it. In fqact in general; it looked like Specner was trying to prove hmself, then got a little full of himself and things started getting ragfged with him holding the ball too long and trying to do too much. It was very interesting to watch. And that was about that -- do not know whether Spencer lost his edge, whether the coach went away from him, whether the vets froze him out or what, but Spenver rarely even saw the ball for the rest of the game and didn't do much else either. Had a little microburst at the end of the third quarter, but that was it on his way to a measely 8pt 6reb outing. That start was dynamic though and looked like he had it all figured out. What went wrong therafter was as I said interesting.
In Cleveland Santa is a lucky dog. Literally.
Miller ( B ) -- was careful not to exert himself before half other than a couple of standstill jumpers, but came back with a solid second half in which he considerably outplayed David West (his man). The "struggling" Hornets now have the second best record in the West, but part of the reason they aren't scaring anybody is because Westhas been soft this season, and Brad kind of exposed it, not only wining the board battle (West hasn't rebounded all year), but even finally finding a player he could disrupt defensively. Brad did spend an inordinate amount of time falling down in the second half, as maybe somebody on the sidelines finally said something to him about the excessive whining to the refs, and he just thought he'd flop instead to get the sympathy. Only cost us once that I can recall where he could not get back on defense, but unless he's got a balance disorder it still looked silly.
See, because the hats make it like Christmas and stuff in Houston. (actually wanted to find one of thier candystriped leggings from a few nights back against us, but no suh luck).
Salmons ( A- ) -- finished with a pretty big night given how slow a start he got off to. It was a scoreless first quarter, and he was maybe not happy about it. The ball was going through others and the Hornets were paying early attention with some quick doubles. Took him a long long time to do anything at all, but when he did it was with an explosive pop that singlehandedly turned the game around. Down 10 in the final minutes of the first half, John suddenly pops up with one three, then another, then a drive and dish to Cisco for the open three, and then finishes the run with a layup. A quick points for him, and 11 of a 14-0 streak by us directly attributable to him. Was involved throughout the second half a our only answer to Paul (and when you have John Salmons an they have Chris Paul it will explian the loss right there). Was even seting a lot of people up on the night. The Hornets largely quit the doubling, but John was getting a lot of the points tonight right in the faces of his defenders, including good ones. He squared up Posey and canned a three right over him to close the third (to be fair Posey was on a bum ankle). Given how he's abused their swingmen this year, still think we should trade him to the Hornets and hold their sensitive parts to the fire on the price.
The Automotion Elves in Detroit
As an aside, record required from this point to win 48 and maybe snag that #8 seed? 41-13. Whadya think?
Garcia ( B- ) -- was scoring from the outside in the early going as the Hornets wings kept leaving him open for whatever reason, racked up a lot of foouls in the third, inclusind stupidly picking up his 5th trying to block a Paul shot in the 3rd quarter. Note to Kenny Natt: there are some cerebral players you can leave out there with 5 fouls in the third confident that they won't get a 5th unless somebody basicaly cheats and flops into them. Cisco ain't one of them. Never did much beyond shoot this time and yet still easily outperformed the Hornets wings across from him, largely because they were completely miserable and did everything possible to lose the game for the Hornets -- Butler and Brown started and combined for 48 minutes, 6pts on 1-13 shooting (including 0-8 on open three pointers). Note: this soccer player grimace and flop and fake an injury once a quarter thing has to stop. Every single game it seems the announcers are going to have to say 2 or 3 times oh, and Cisco looks hurt, hope he's ok, etc. etc., and I am sitting there watching and saying to the TV, shut up. Of course he's ok. Its like watching Horry back in his prime. Boy who cried wolf syndrome.
How they celebrate the holiday in Atlanta
Hawes ( C ) -- this was an interesting one. Got off to fast start in full attack mode and it was really the Spencer you want to see int he future -- popped in ajumpoer, then bang bang down inside just taking it right at Chandler, made a good pass -- dominated play for about the first 6 minutes. But then something went wrong, and I cna almost trace it to a play where Spencer had the ball up on the angle near the 3pt line, got doubled, and yet rather blatantly looked off and ignored Salmons standing wide open in the corner (John had zero points at the time). John was not happy, you could read it in the body language immediately, and he said something to Spencer at the next time out as they were walking off. Always hard to tell with Spencer because he's still got that tough guy strut you always think is so cool when you are 18 and are embarrassed about later, but it did not look like he wanted to hear it. In fqact in general; it looked like Specner was trying to prove hmself, then got a little full of himself and things started getting ragfged with him holding the ball too long and trying to do too much. It was very interesting to watch. And that was about that -- do not know whether Spencer lost his edge, whether the coach went away from him, whether the vets froze him out or what, but Spenver rarely even saw the ball for the rest of the game and didn't do much else either. Had a little microburst at the end of the third quarter, but that was it on his way to a measely 8pt 6reb outing. That start was dynamic though and looked like he had it all figured out. What went wrong therafter was as I said interesting.
In Cleveland Santa is a lucky dog. Literally.
Miller ( B ) -- was careful not to exert himself before half other than a couple of standstill jumpers, but came back with a solid second half in which he considerably outplayed David West (his man). The "struggling" Hornets now have the second best record in the West, but part of the reason they aren't scaring anybody is because Westhas been soft this season, and Brad kind of exposed it, not only wining the board battle (West hasn't rebounded all year), but even finally finding a player he could disrupt defensively. Brad did spend an inordinate amount of time falling down in the second half, as maybe somebody on the sidelines finally said something to him about the excessive whining to the refs, and he just thought he'd flop instead to get the sympathy. Only cost us once that I can recall where he could not get back on defense, but unless he's got a balance disorder it still looked silly.
See, because the hats make it like Christmas and stuff in Houston. (actually wanted to find one of thier candystriped leggings from a few nights back against us, but no suh luck).
Salmons ( A- ) -- finished with a pretty big night given how slow a start he got off to. It was a scoreless first quarter, and he was maybe not happy about it. The ball was going through others and the Hornets were paying early attention with some quick doubles. Took him a long long time to do anything at all, but when he did it was with an explosive pop that singlehandedly turned the game around. Down 10 in the final minutes of the first half, John suddenly pops up with one three, then another, then a drive and dish to Cisco for the open three, and then finishes the run with a layup. A quick points for him, and 11 of a 14-0 streak by us directly attributable to him. Was involved throughout the second half a our only answer to Paul (and when you have John Salmons an they have Chris Paul it will explian the loss right there). Was even seting a lot of people up on the night. The Hornets largely quit the doubling, but John was getting a lot of the points tonight right in the faces of his defenders, including good ones. He squared up Posey and canned a three right over him to close the third (to be fair Posey was on a bum ankle). Given how he's abused their swingmen this year, still think we should trade him to the Hornets and hold their sensitive parts to the fire on the price.
The Automotion Elves in Detroit
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