Props to the "other guys"

[jsingh1699]

we need to give credit to our other guys tonight who really stepped and filled in well (of course they did show signs of rust, but who didnt).

our big 4 came out and did exactly what was expected out of them so no need to go into detail about them. but for the other guys:

shaq - he will be a big player for us this season/playoffs. doc limited his minutes and he nearly got a double double (he probably would have had double digits in points but missed some easy ones). his presence is HUGE for us in the paint. either the heat missed/turned the ball over around him, or he hit them hard. he did a good job boxing out and making a difference on the boards.

big baby - it doesnt matter how many great bigs we put on this time, baby will find time on the court and just takeover when he has the chance. he hustles really well on both ends of the floor and made some great plays. he'll be a nice filler this year and will actually see a lot of time on the court because doc and the team trust him enough to limit the other bigs minutes.

quisy - WOW. he definitely tooled dwade on 2 consecutive plays in the second quarter. hes a great post player/cutter. he looked sharp. hopefully it wasnt a fluke.

nate - its funny that his strength tonight was his passing. he missed a bunch of shots, but when hes on, he'll be lights out. doc seems to trust him on the court, and he made some great passes. as long as he stays in control, he'll be a great guy off the bench.

jo - we spent the most money on him among the new guys, and he had the least production. but having said that, he was hurt all through training camp and preseason so i expected he wouldnt be too effective. he did have a nice block and i think a couple of boards. once/if he gets healthy, he'll be a great defensive guy to bring in off the bench and can make the jumpshot.


once dwest gets back, we'll have another weapon off the bench that will definitely help limit ray and rondo's minutes. hopefully last night is a taste of whats to come.

[kozlodoev]

2 blocks in about 12 minutes by JO is nothing to sneeze at. I'll take that, especially given that the guy missed half of the preseason.

[the_Bird]

One aspect of Shaq's being on the court that I don't think gets enough credit - how many fouls he draws.  They were getting him the ball down low and HAMMERING him.  Free throws were, of course, a 50/50 proposition for him, but there are going to be a lot of nights where we're in the bonus with still a lot of time left in the quarter, just because of how many fouls he's drawn.

[mmbaby]

Yeah, but it doesn't help with Shaq drawinging fouls when he's no good at free throw shooting, so it's kind of a wash.

Nice piece, OP, Tommy point!

[the_Bird]

Yeah, but it doesn't help with Shaq drawinging fouls when he's no good at free throw shooting, so it's kind of a wash.

Nice piece, OP, Tommy point!

That's not the point.  When the team's in the bonus with five or six minutes to play in the quarter, it's going to lead to more free throw opportunities for the rest of the team at the end of the quarter.  Non-shooting fouls at the end of the quarter suddenly being two free throws for Pierce or Ray or KG, that's a very good thing.

[mmbaby]

Good point, but I think the reason Doc didn't put Shaq in the game most of the 4th qtr. was because he didn't want him drawing fouls and missing free throws.

[Drucci]

One aspect of Shaq's being on the court that I don't think gets enough credit - how many fouls he draws.  They were getting him the ball down low and HAMMERING him.  Free throws were, of course, a 50/50 proposition for him, but there are going to be a lot of nights where we're in the bonus with still a lot of time left in the quarter, just because of how many fouls he's drawn.

Yep, I loved seeing that too (and I consider made free throws from Shaq a bonus, nothing more, nothing less). Doc talked about it this summer and it will really be helpful to get the other team in the penalty early because then Ray, Paul and KG all get easy points on free throws.

I loved Marquis' impact last night, I'm glad to see he is confident and doing his job in the shadow. He always cuts perfectly to the basket, at the right time. Him being healthy makes a big difference.

[celticinorlando]

if this team can stay healthy..look at the bench: nate, bradley, Q, Baby, JO, Shaq, Erden, Delonte....3 7 footers off the bench....