Doc was looking for one main thing...defensive rotations. Powe did not make them in game 1 and 2. Davis has been making them in games 2-4.
Hmm, and we lost two of three in games 2-4.
I'm looking for one main thing, too: wins.
So you are saying Powe would have made the rest of the team actually play decently?
I'm saying Powe might have helped, because a lot of the ways he contributes
do help his teammates play better. People have already listed team stats, but here are some of the factors that go into those stats:
- Powe draws more fouls than BBD, which can be crucial. In game 7 against the Cavs, for example, Powe drew two fouls early in the 2nd quarter; as a result, the Cavs were over the limit from about the 6:30 mark of the 2nd quarter, the Celtics started going to the basket rather than settling for jump shots, and in the second half of that quarter they built the lead that they hung on to in the 2nd half to win the game and the series. And of course, a player like McDyess, Maxiel or Rasheed can't hurt us if they're on the bench in foul trouble.
- Powe draws charges -- related to the above, of course, but worth noting separately because of the way it energizes his teammates and demoralizes the opponent, often making them settle for jumpshots more readily.
- Powe gets offensive rebounds and put-backs. Beyond how this impacts the stat-sheet, it means that the opponent's players have to pay more attention to boxing out and are less free to leak out for easy transition baskets. How many times, with Powe not in there, have you seen our guys take jumpshots with nobody under the basket, the Pistons get the rebound uncontested, and go on the fast break?
- Powe commits fewer fouls than BBD. Basically the inverse of the above; BBD seems good for 1-3 silly fouls per game, moving screens and such, that get us over the limit that much faster. And Powe seems to be a better one-on-one defender than BBD, which means when he does rotate, he's able to actually guard the player he rotates to better, without fouling.
- Powe works better within our offense, especially the half-court offense that's typified this series. Powe is probably the best guy on the team at finding open spaces for easy buckets, and at making himself available when players like Pierce or KG get surrounded under the basket -- in the past few games, when those players haven't had that outlet, those plays have resulted in turnovers, which encourages us to settle for jumpshots. The pick and roll with Powe was one of our more reliable plays in the second half of the season; once that is run a few times, teams have to respect Powe rather than doubling our shooters. Also, the play where Powe hands off to Posey who's driving the baseline is a good way to get Posey involved, which is so key with Ray Allen struggling.
- The other guys seem to respond to Powe a bit better. Contrast the energy he brought to the team with his dunk in the Atlanta series against the discord BBD's selfish play brought at the end of the last game.
Look, I'm not blind to Powe's faults. But the truth is, every player is a compromise. With Pierce you get the turnovers, the hero shots, the not rotating to cover outside shooters. With KG you get the fact that he draws few fouls because of his outside play, the next time he steps up to take a charge will be the first, etc. I'm not saying that the upside to playing Powe is as great as these players, either. But I am suggesting that the team-wide benefits his play results in overweigh the 5-6 points that may result from his botched rotations when he's given ~15 minutes of playing time.
Topic: Powe in the late 3rd/early 4th quarter (Read 30326 times)