Sonics notes: Mobley continues to spar with James

[EmKingsFan4]

Sonics notes: Mobley continues to spar with James



By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, April 29, 2005

This NBA playoff series might not be going back and forth, but the trash talk is.



First it was Kings guard Cuttino Mobley, responding to a rare outburst by Seattle center Jerome James (17 points, 15 rebounds) in the SuperSonics' Game 1 victory by saying, "Uh, if he plays like that again, so be it. I seriously doubt it. Nothing against him. You're not Shaq."

When James did, in fact, do it again, setting his career playoff high for the second successive game (19 points) as the Sonics went up 2-0 Tuesday, James - who, like Mobley, was a second-round draft pick in 1998 - responded to reporters in Seattle.

"I was like, 'Didn't he get drafted in the second round with me?' " James said. "He just got his opportunity before I did.

"Tell him to look for it Friday," James continued. "We got it in back-to-back games. Now tell him it's coming at him again Friday. ... Cuttino shouldn't have said that. That's all I've got to say."

At Kings practice Thursday leading up to tonight's Game 3 at Arco Arena, Mobley had the last say - for now.

"I don't want to say nothing about Jerome," Mobley started. "He jinxed me, had another good game."

And then he said plenty more.

"It takes seven years to get (him) fired up?" Mobley said, questioning James' career scoring average. "Four points (per game), three points? (It's actually 4.9.) I've averaged 18 for my career. Come on, Jerome."

Kings center Greg Ostertag might have had the most accurate statement about James, saying after the opener that, "If he does that every night to us, we don't have a chance."

So as for the real issue of slowing the 7-foot-1 man down, Kings coach Rick Adelman would like to see more defensive help, possibly by way of a double team. He'd take some help from the officials, too.

"I looked at the tape, and he made three moves where he walked five steps," Adelman said of James. "But when you're playing well, they let it go."

But the Sonics have shown they can beat the Kings without a solid James performance. In Seattle's 106-101 victory Feb. 1 at Arco Arena, James went scoreless in 12 minutes.

Double talk - Double-team defense has become the norm for the Kings lately, even if it wasn't during the regular season.

They've often doubled up on Sonics forward Rashard Lewis, keeping his scoring in check while his teammates make up for the lost production.

With James' strong showing, he could be next on the Kings' tag-team list.

But Sonics coach Nate McMillan said implementing new defensive wrinkles this time of year can be tricky.

"They're an offensive team," McMillan said of the Kings. "They're not a team that does a lot of trapping and rotating. They haven't been doing it all season long, and now they're doing it a little bit more. "They're scrambling at times, trying to take out (Lewis). But I don't think it's something they're all that comfortable with."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12807124p-13657447c.html

 

[Bricklayer]

Thanks for firing up their center Cat.


Maybe at the point you get your scoring average above James' this series you can open your yap again. Until then...

 

[KingKong]

I hope Cat is fired up tonight. He should keep his mouth shut but if he's gonna talk the talk, he better bring his "A" game.

 

[vj9999]

"I looked at the tape, and he made three moves where he walked five steps," Adelman said of James. "But when you're playing well, they let it go."

I pointed this out in the game thread. Why have fricking rules if you are not going to enforce them. I was getting annoyed in game 2 with all travel no calls this guy got. Yes he had good games, but it is a little bit easier to put yourself in a better scoring position if you take few extra steps here and there.

 

[Team Dime]

I pointed this out in the game thread. Why have fricking rules if you are not going to enforce them. I was getting annoyed in game 2 with all travel no calls this guy got. Yes he had good games, but it is a little bit easier to put yourself in a better scoring position if you take few extra steps here and there.

The sad thing is that it's always been like that in this league. Whenever a guy is playing well, it's ok to travel, double dribble, and if someone breaths on you it's a foul. In Game 2, Miller just stood there with his hands straight up, then Games moved into Miller and elbowed him in the face; the refs call Miller for his 4th foul.

What an utter crock of @#@#

 

[Superman]

I hope Cat is fired up tonight. He should keep his mouth shut but if he's gonna talk the talk, he better bring his "A" game.

He better bring his "A" game and bring a little bit more to make up for the players that don't. A good game out of Cat won't make me any happier if we lose. Matter of fact, I might be inclined to give him an "F" if we don't win and Jerome has another big game.

Since when do centers and guards talk trash to one another?

 

[Superman]

The sad thing is that it's always been like that in this league. Whenever a guy is playing well, it's ok to travel, double dribble, and if someone breaths on you it's a foul. In Game 2, Miller just stood there with his hands straight up, then Games moved into Miller and elbowed him in the face; the refs call Miller for his 4th foul.

What an utter crock of @#@#

The crock is that we can't stop this guy. This is the same Jerome James that Shaq put a crossover on a few years ago, right? Why do we need to double-team him, again?

 

[quick dog]

Mobley is apparently an idiot. The Kings have had very few guys like that over the years. You almost need to root for James.

Almost.

 

[teamdimechampionship]

Cat is gonna come up HUGE. MARK MY WORDS! 6-9 three pointers with 28 points!

 

[Ryle]

Why worry about Jerome James??? Also, why even talk about a double team?? How about we just play someone who is not 8 inches shorter than him that he can just shoot over?? If we are continually worrying about stopping him then we are in trouble.

 

[Bricklayer]

Why worry about Jerome James??? Also, why even talk about a double team?? How about we just play someone who is not 8 inches shorter than him that he can just shoot over?? If we are continually worrying about stopping him then we are in trouble.

The scary thing last game was the ease with whihc he worked aginst both Brad and Tag as well. That's a little scary. If those guys can't slow him down then we legitimately don't have an answer to Jerome f-ing James. here's hoping that a few more days of rehab and a home crowd will give Brad the boost he needs to be effective defensively tonight.

 

[Rowdyone]

Has James made a shot from further than 5 feet yet? If you let him get that close you've already lost most of the battle. And, oh, does the term "block out" come to anyone's mind? All he wants to do is set up in the low left block, take the pass and pivot left for a close in shot. At the very least we must shade him that way and make him go baseline right. I used to think it was my own ignorance of what we were trying to do defensively that made me unable to understand why we do the things we do but now I just think that sometimes we don't have a clue.

 

[ultraman206]

Seems like the Kings have a tendency to make a nobody into an AllStar. I guess he is all the rage in Seattle right now; Sonics #13 jerseys are selling like hotcakes ... http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/columns/story?columnist=hughes_frank&id=2049761

 

[quick dog]

Tonight will be another Spring try-out for the 2005-2006 Kings.