To someone who doesn't watch him play every night, KG's offensive play can be infuriating. When he makes an effort to score in the paint, it seems like those baby hooks fall for him 75-90% of the time (just a guess). Yet, most of the time, he doesn't go inside. But as we on CelticsBlog know, this is who KG is, and who he'll always be.
I'll admit that KG's offensive play sometimes makes me momentarily mad. You know, when he's a foot away from the hoop and he looks as if he could easily slam the ball home, and then he misses a layup off the back board. Or, when he's guarded by a much smaller man and he looks as if he could easily back him down into the paint for a jump hook, but instead he shoots a fade away. Then, as I'm sure all of you have, I've reminded myself that I can't get mad at KG for these plays, because they're not going to go away.
The one thing I don't get, though, is what KG's defense has to do with shooting jumpers. People often use his effort on defense as an excuse for why he plays the way he does on offense. Does backing a guy down and shooting a jump hook take that much more energy than a shimmy shake and a fade away?
That all being said, I'm fine with the way KG plays, as it clearly works.
On a separate note, I say lay off of Van Gundy. He may be wrong on this particular point, however he definitely isn't a Celitc hater or a KG hater. Last year in the finals him and Jackson were ALL OVER the Lakers, and very pro-Celtics. They were constantly pointing out the big difference between the two teams: Effort and Defense. Van Gundy and Jackson are a refreshing contrast to the local broadcast team. After watching them throughout last year's playoff and into this season, I don't think that JVG says things just to say them. He's funny, but that doesn't mean he has no substance.
