Bricklayer
Don't Make Me Use The Bat
Bibby Strikes Back.
Ron Artest ( B+ ) : 38min 23pts (8-14 FG, 1-2 3pt, 6-11 FT) 7rebs 4ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
After apparently bitching out Reggie again in the locker room, came to our rescue early in this one after the Hawks were threatening to become the 3rd crap team in a row to blow us out. Was a real problem for the Hawks, who had nobody to guard him for much of the night. Josh Smith seems like he might cause some problems ala Gerald Wallace, but the Hawks are usually too busy smallballing their way back to the lottery to play him at SF anymore. Some misadventures at the foul line hurt us in the end -- Ron got there repeatedly, but was only 6-11 from the stripe. Heavily harassed Joe Johnson in patches, but whereas in past years Ron really owned Johnson and could almost entirely shut him down, this time out Ron harassed, but Johnson still found ways to pop open and score. Those sorts of defenseive factors (and the mssed FTs) are going to factor into th grades this time out, because everybody's offensive numbers look all nice and pretty, yet it is all irrielevant if you don't stop anybody. You can average 25pts/gm and still be a piece of poo as a player if your opponent scores 30 every night. Or a team which scores 117 and still plays a losing game if you let your opponent notch 123.
Mikki Moore ( B- ) -- 33min 10pts (3-5 FG, 0-0 3pt, 4-6 FT) 7rebs 0ast 1stl 0blk 1TO
Hmmm...accidentally wrote over my game notes for Mikki, Brad, and Kevin, so will have to work purely off of memory and keep this general and brief. This was a solid Mikki Moore effort, on the Mikki Moore scale of solidity. Scored on mostly follows and dunks courtesy of his teammates. Was barely adequate on the boards, threw in a couple of long jumpers we don't need him taking. Best of all did not get badly outplayed by Josh Smith, a mcuh differnt style of player (and much smaller obviously). Mikki did not particularly bother him, but neither was he much of an obstacle to Mikki just sort of playing his game. Missed a pair of FTs we coul have used, but again, that excuse is a little shallow when you score 117. Yes if we'd been perfect offesnveily we still win this. But then again if you play a shred of defense then you don't need to be perfect in the first place.
Brad Miller ( A- ) -- 40min 25pts (9-16 FG, 3-5 3pt, 4-6 FT) 13rebs 6ast 2stl 1blk 2TO
As with Mikki and Kevin, I accidentally covered up my Brad notes. Unlike those too, those notes actually had some substantive stuff to them. Another big numbers game, and Brad had a major size advantage inside again tonight -- some East team really should have taken him off our hands for just that reason. This year he's doing a much better job of using that size edge. Began to get his offensive game going in the 2nd quarter, although a lot of it seemd to be in the face of none other than Mike Bibby, who might have been the only Hawk playing defense in the 2nd quarter as often as he seemed to be switched off on Brad. Mike even blocked one of Brad;s shots, although Brad immediately got the ball back and finished. As usual the interior defense left a lot to be desired, and Horford was scoring back the other way with relative ease. But Brad has used his extra moibility this year to be part of some effective traps up top, and that did not change tonight with Reggie somewhat dubiously trying to sick him on quick doubles on Mike as he crossed the halfcourt line. Not Brad's fault, but against a veteran guard playing in peak form that strategy got us carved up more times than not. In the mid 4th we were about to expire after the Hawks had suddenly pushed the lead out ot 14 on us, but Brad stepped up to lead us on a mini-comeback to make a game of it down the stretch. Hit a three, then another a couple of possessions later, then completed the Brian Cook transformation by gunning up another one for a brick. Of course guess I cnan't diss Brian Cook anymore -- he beat us this week too. Was not as enamored by this game as the numbers say I should be, and will never be enamored of 7 foot centers chucking up 5 threes in a game, but obviously one of the three Kings who kept us in this one until the end.
Kevin Martin ( F ) -- 22min 6pts (2-9 FG, 0-3 3pt, 2-2 FT) 1reb 2ast 2stl 1blk 2TO
Yikes. Can I just end this commentary here? Well, Kevin finally got off that good game/bad game yoyo. Unfortunately he hopped off on the wrong side of the line wiht back to back clunkers. And this is one of those where something was just...wrong. There are bad games, but some of this turkeys he has been putting up it looks like he is barely trying. Obviously clobbered badly by Joe Johnson, although that was normally Ron's man on defense. And lost a lot of minutes to Cisco, who was erratic but at least showed signs of life. Kevin had a couple of nice drives where he just did not get the finish, and then just kind of disappeared and never found any other way to contribute. Reggie tried him one last time in the 4th but there was no change other than hopping into somebody to draw a single foul, and you actually found Kevin Martin, of all the starters, being benched for incompetence for the final 6 mintes of this one in favor of Cisco (until Cisco fouled out in the last minute). Nor was Kevin terribly happy about it and he and Reggie had some words as he headed to the bench.
Ron Artest ( B+ ) : 38min 23pts (8-14 FG, 1-2 3pt, 6-11 FT) 7rebs 4ast 1stl 0blk 2TO
After apparently bitching out Reggie again in the locker room, came to our rescue early in this one after the Hawks were threatening to become the 3rd crap team in a row to blow us out. Was a real problem for the Hawks, who had nobody to guard him for much of the night. Josh Smith seems like he might cause some problems ala Gerald Wallace, but the Hawks are usually too busy smallballing their way back to the lottery to play him at SF anymore. Some misadventures at the foul line hurt us in the end -- Ron got there repeatedly, but was only 6-11 from the stripe. Heavily harassed Joe Johnson in patches, but whereas in past years Ron really owned Johnson and could almost entirely shut him down, this time out Ron harassed, but Johnson still found ways to pop open and score. Those sorts of defenseive factors (and the mssed FTs) are going to factor into th grades this time out, because everybody's offensive numbers look all nice and pretty, yet it is all irrielevant if you don't stop anybody. You can average 25pts/gm and still be a piece of poo as a player if your opponent scores 30 every night. Or a team which scores 117 and still plays a losing game if you let your opponent notch 123.
Mikki Moore ( B- ) -- 33min 10pts (3-5 FG, 0-0 3pt, 4-6 FT) 7rebs 0ast 1stl 0blk 1TO
Hmmm...accidentally wrote over my game notes for Mikki, Brad, and Kevin, so will have to work purely off of memory and keep this general and brief. This was a solid Mikki Moore effort, on the Mikki Moore scale of solidity. Scored on mostly follows and dunks courtesy of his teammates. Was barely adequate on the boards, threw in a couple of long jumpers we don't need him taking. Best of all did not get badly outplayed by Josh Smith, a mcuh differnt style of player (and much smaller obviously). Mikki did not particularly bother him, but neither was he much of an obstacle to Mikki just sort of playing his game. Missed a pair of FTs we coul have used, but again, that excuse is a little shallow when you score 117. Yes if we'd been perfect offesnveily we still win this. But then again if you play a shred of defense then you don't need to be perfect in the first place.
Brad Miller ( A- ) -- 40min 25pts (9-16 FG, 3-5 3pt, 4-6 FT) 13rebs 6ast 2stl 1blk 2TO
As with Mikki and Kevin, I accidentally covered up my Brad notes. Unlike those too, those notes actually had some substantive stuff to them. Another big numbers game, and Brad had a major size advantage inside again tonight -- some East team really should have taken him off our hands for just that reason. This year he's doing a much better job of using that size edge. Began to get his offensive game going in the 2nd quarter, although a lot of it seemd to be in the face of none other than Mike Bibby, who might have been the only Hawk playing defense in the 2nd quarter as often as he seemed to be switched off on Brad. Mike even blocked one of Brad;s shots, although Brad immediately got the ball back and finished. As usual the interior defense left a lot to be desired, and Horford was scoring back the other way with relative ease. But Brad has used his extra moibility this year to be part of some effective traps up top, and that did not change tonight with Reggie somewhat dubiously trying to sick him on quick doubles on Mike as he crossed the halfcourt line. Not Brad's fault, but against a veteran guard playing in peak form that strategy got us carved up more times than not. In the mid 4th we were about to expire after the Hawks had suddenly pushed the lead out ot 14 on us, but Brad stepped up to lead us on a mini-comeback to make a game of it down the stretch. Hit a three, then another a couple of possessions later, then completed the Brian Cook transformation by gunning up another one for a brick. Of course guess I cnan't diss Brian Cook anymore -- he beat us this week too. Was not as enamored by this game as the numbers say I should be, and will never be enamored of 7 foot centers chucking up 5 threes in a game, but obviously one of the three Kings who kept us in this one until the end.
Kevin Martin ( F ) -- 22min 6pts (2-9 FG, 0-3 3pt, 2-2 FT) 1reb 2ast 2stl 1blk 2TO
Yikes. Can I just end this commentary here? Well, Kevin finally got off that good game/bad game yoyo. Unfortunately he hopped off on the wrong side of the line wiht back to back clunkers. And this is one of those where something was just...wrong. There are bad games, but some of this turkeys he has been putting up it looks like he is barely trying. Obviously clobbered badly by Joe Johnson, although that was normally Ron's man on defense. And lost a lot of minutes to Cisco, who was erratic but at least showed signs of life. Kevin had a couple of nice drives where he just did not get the finish, and then just kind of disappeared and never found any other way to contribute. Reggie tried him one last time in the 4th but there was no change other than hopping into somebody to draw a single foul, and you actually found Kevin Martin, of all the starters, being benched for incompetence for the final 6 mintes of this one in favor of Cisco (until Cisco fouled out in the last minute). Nor was Kevin terribly happy about it and he and Reggie had some words as he headed to the bench.
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