2011 CB Draft Eastern Playoffs: 1st Round

[StartOrien]

Did the Undertaker gong scare KC away?

[StartOrien]

Question for the Knicks:

What do you expect the minute breakdowns to be for Meeks vs. Young?

[indeedproceed]

Indiana: Explain away Z-Bo's underwhelming recent performances against Al Horford, and why Greg Monroe's game against Marc Gasol is not something you worry about.

[StartOrien]

Greg Monroe's game against Marc Gasol is not something you worry about.

The Monroe game doesn't tell us much, and I didn't see it so I can't really comment.

Here's the stats that stick out:

Monroe: 14 (5 for 7) and 11, 2 steals, 1 blocks 6 fouls in 30 minutes.
Gasol: 10 (2 for 5) and 7, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers
Randolph: 34 (10 of 17) and 17, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

I love Greg Monroe as a player. But he has trouble staying out of foul trouble, and its not really new for him. At Georgetown he had a problem with getting a little lost, or losing focus, and it'd often to leave to easy hoops and/or stupid fouls.

It's not going to get any easier for him playing against two elite post players with recently established, well-defined roles.

[KCattheStripe]

Sounds like a team that is destined for a first round loss given their lack of big game experience because for the most part, teams with this type of youth need a transcendent superstar to get them farther into the playoffs and your Celtics team is lacking that.

Or it sounds like last years Grizzlies. 

[indeedproceed]

Greg Monroe's game against Marc Gasol is not something you worry about.

The Monroe game doesn't tell us much, and I didn't see it so I can't really comment.

Here's the stats that stick out:

Monroe: 14 (5 for 7) and 11, 2 steals, 1 blocks 6 fouls in 30 minutes.
Gasol: 10 (2 for 5) and 7, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers
Randolph: 34 (10 of 17) and 17, 2 assists, 2 steals, 3 turnovers

I love Greg Monroe as a player. But he has trouble staying out of foul trouble, and its not really new for him. At Georgetown he had a problem with getting a little lost, or losing focus, and it'd often to leave to easy hoops and/or stupid fouls.

It's not going to get any easier for him playing against two elite post players with recently established, well-defined roles.

The two stats you're missing here are Charlie V and Chris Wilcox (both poor defenders) both playing 20 mins+ a piece at the PF position. I don't think Z-Bo's stats in that game are all that relevant when Al Horford is going to be manning the paint next to Monroe this time.

[StartOrien]

The two stats you're missing here are Charlie V and Chris Wilcox (both poor defenders) both playing 20 mins+ a piece at the PF position. I don't think Z-Bo's stats in that game are all that relevant when Al Horford is going to be manning the paint next to Monroe this time.

ya, that was a lazy response. In my head I meant to make a point of saying that but I forgot.

[indeedproceed]

The two stats you're missing here are Charlie V and Chris Wilcox (both poor defenders) both playing 20 mins+ a piece at the PF position. I don't think Z-Bo's stats in that game are all that relevant when Al Horford is going to be manning the paint next to Monroe this time.

ya, that was a lazy response. In my head I meant to make a point of saying that but I forgot.

Se here is my point then: Monroe as a rookie managed to hold Gasol to 40% shooting, and out-rebound, out-score and shoot 70% against Gasol. He fouled out, but he managed to spread those 6 fouls over 30 mins, all the while being the defensive anchor for Detroit. Also, a 14pt 11 rebound performance was not at all out of the ordinary for Monroe, so I have a hard time just assigning it as a 'one good game, coincidence it was against Marc Gasol' kind of value.

Considering that one of the first improvements a big man makes as a rookie from yr 1 to yr 2 is a decrease in fouls, can you consider Gasol over Monroe to be a win, and why?

[StartOrien]

Indiana: Explain away Z-Bo's underwhelming recent performances against Al Horford... are not something you worry about

Here's the link to the games:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=randoza01&p2=horfoal01

With Memphis they've played 4 times, once they both played under 20 minutes and I'm not sure why.

In those other 3 games:

Randolph: 10 and 10
Horford: 15 and 10

Randolph: 20 and 14
Horford: 15 and 8

Randoph: 19 and 19
Horford: 20 and 6

It's a small sample size, and no Randolph hasn't gone off against the Hawks. But I do wonder how often they were defending each other - I tend to assume that J-Smith would've been guarding Randolph - and even if that's not the case, obviously Smith is a better defensive compliment.

I'd also turn the tables a little on KC, for what his team has, these numbers Horford is giving isn't enough. He's got to get more, particularly with Turkoglu on Gay.

[StartOrien]

The two stats you're missing here are Charlie V and Chris Wilcox (both poor defenders) both playing 20 mins+ a piece at the PF position. I don't think Z-Bo's stats in that game are all that relevant when Al Horford is going to be manning the paint next to Monroe this time.

ya, that was a lazy response. In my head I meant to make a point of saying that but I forgot.

Se here is my point then: Monroe as a rookie managed to hold Gasol to 40% shooting, and out-rebound, out-score and shoot 70% against Gasol. He fouled out, but he managed to spread those 6 fouls over 30 mins, all the while being the defensive anchor for Detroit. Also, a 14pt 11 rebound performance was not at all out of the ordinary for Monroe, so I have a hard time just assigning it as a 'one good game, coincidence it was against Marc Gasol' kind of value.

Considering that one of the first improvements a big man makes as a rookie from yr 1 to yr 2 is a decrease in fouls, can you consider Gasol over Monroe to be a win, and why?

I think it's looking too far into a single game that neither of us watched.

[indeedproceed]

It's a small sample size, and no Randolph hasn't gone off against the Hawks. But I do wonder how often they were defending each other - I tend to assume that J-Smith would've been guarding Randolph - and even if that's not the case, obviously Smith is a better defensive compliment.

I agree with a lot of what you said there. 1) I doubt Horford was defending Smith for the majority. 2) I do however think that it bodes better for you if you could find something stating that Horford was defending Z-Bo, because I tend to think that Z-Bo's strength and wiles as a low post threat would be tough for Smith to handle, but not for Horford, meanwhile I don't know how much of an advantage Z-Bo's quickness gains him here, if any. I highly doubt that Horford could 'shut down' Z-Bo, but I do think that its within debate that he could limit him.

I'd also turn the tables a little on KC, for what his team has, these numbers Horford is giving isn't enough.

Good point.

[indeedproceed]

The two stats you're missing here are Charlie V and Chris Wilcox (both poor defenders) both playing 20 mins+ a piece at the PF position. I don't think Z-Bo's stats in that game are all that relevant when Al Horford is going to be manning the paint next to Monroe this time.

ya, that was a lazy response. In my head I meant to make a point of saying that but I forgot.

Se here is my point then: Monroe as a rookie managed to hold Gasol to 40% shooting, and out-rebound, out-score and shoot 70% against Gasol. He fouled out, but he managed to spread those 6 fouls over 30 mins, all the while being the defensive anchor for Detroit. Also, a 14pt 11 rebound performance was not at all out of the ordinary for Monroe, so I have a hard time just assigning it as a 'one good game, coincidence it was against Marc Gasol' kind of value.

Considering that one of the first improvements a big man makes as a rookie from yr 1 to yr 2 is a decrease in fouls, can you consider Gasol over Monroe to be a win, and why?

I think it's looking too far into a single game that neither of us watched.

I think I'm supposed to be moving today and my new landlord is jerking me around which has me in a wicked mood...so I'm gonna go ahead and call you a chicken for 'ole'-ing that grounder, Roger Dorn style.

[KCattheStripe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz9VzshE0_4

WELCOME TO
 THE PLAYOFFS
 ARE ORIEN

Welcome one and all, I'll be your host for the evening. For those who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself: I'm the god of grammar, the sultan of sentence structure, the ayatolla of blogatolla.

But the people who do know me call me the champ.

KC, I read your INSUFFERABLE post to start things off. And in between the pandering and the catch phrases, I saw what I see in everybody else on this site.

PURE JEALOUSY.

Jealous of what I've done. Jealous what I'm about to do. Jealous that I'm far and away, without a shadow of  a doubt: The best looking man on this site.

I've ridden in limousines you couldn't fathom, flew in private jets, you couldn't draw and been to heights higher than you could ever dream.

And dreams, KC, are dangerous:

Because, KC we know in your heart of hearts, each night before sleeping in your race car, you slip on you replica Marc Gasol swingman jersey and remind pray to the gods of hoop:

"Oh Lord, please bring my Memphis Grizzlies a championship."

And it'll be this dream that'll intercept your pipe dream of EVER winning a Celticsblog championship:

Because of those two monsters on the block: The reformed Randolph getting hot in pistol, and Marc Gasol being, as we both proclaim him to be; the second best center in the league.

Because Rudy Gay's back, and ready to play the role you continuously tout that he can play: The perfect wing compliment to a team that commits it self to the post. The superstar whose ready to sacrifice for the greater team. The guy who'll feed the post when necessary, and light up a weaker, Hedo Turkoglu-like defender when needed.

And because we know the difference between Mike Conley and Tony "Pretty Boy" Parker:  Tony Parker is the Point Guard Mike Conley can dream of. The point guard with championship experience, who shoots exceptionally well from the field and doesn't fold in the playoffs.

And because that bench is a thing of beauty. Probably the best the league has EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVEEERRRRRRRRR seen:

The defense and heart of Chuck Hayes, The complimentary change of pace shooting in Channing Frye, the speed and length of Paul George & Trevor Ariza and the emerging star in Jeff Teague.

So KC, It'll be your dream that'll destroy dream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLDSE7RHvno

You're right SuperMarioKartOrien, KC is jealous. KC is jealous that he could never take enough drugs to convince himself that Jeff Teague is an emerging star anywhere other than the Bennigan's bar that he'll be serving drinks at once Rodney Stuckey is finished serving him. KC is jealous that he has never taken enough peyote to delude himself into thinking that Channing Frye would receive any [dang] compliments on his change of pace except from the other team thanking him for playing so they could win even easier.

Here's the thing you ConanOrien and that rudy poo sidekick of yours Achtung could never..

AND KC MEANS NEVER!

Understand. And that thing is no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you brush up on you impersonation of that sparkly shirt wearin' jabroni Chris Jehricho, no matter how much you mix your Jehricho impersonation in with the Undertakers music like some kind of demented six graders fantasy, no matter how much you dream you will still get destroyed by the most electrifying poster on Celticsblog today.

But KC is generous. See KC understands that your drug addled mind could use some help to achieve your dream, to make you think you can win. So here's what KC's gonna let you do, he's gonna let you call any [dang] dreamer you want to help you. You can bring Beyonce the Dreamgirls. You can bring the old Scottish woman who sang " I dreamed a dream". You can bring Tommy Dreamer dreaming of giving a cleveland steamer. Hell, you can bring Martin Luther King.

IT DOESN"T MATTER WHO YOU BRING!

Because the fact remains, the Papa Doc Pacers have no answer for KC's defensive pressure. The fact remains that the last time Marc Gasol and ZBo faced a frontcourt tandem like ours, they wilted like little daisies. The Fact remains that since Eva kicked his but to the curb the Spurs would be better off playing Candance instead of Tony. And the fact remains that the millions...

AND MILLIONS!

Of KCs fans will be chanting his name in IP's mailbox.

IF YOU SMELLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!

WHAT KC!

IS!


Cookin.

[KCattheStripe]

I'd also turn the tables a little on KC, for what his team has, these numbers Horford is giving isn't enough. He's got to get more, particularly with Turkoglu on Gay.

That's a simple issue, Josh Smith was Horford's running man in the frontcourt. We saw when Duncan played ZBo and Gasol that with your PFs or Centers playing as far from the basket as Bonner does and being as defensively defecient as he is, it's impossible to control the boards against those two. But if you have two very good defenders, like Perk and Ibaka or Horford/Monroe, you can stay with those two. Add in that a Monroe/ Horford combo is far more offensively versatile and Gasol and ZBO are both going to have to work at each end, something they rarely have to do. Also, Horford moving to the 4 and being more involved in P&R will allow him greater offensive numbers.

[StartOrien]

Shall I review the thousand and one ways I can beat KC?