Learning Curve
February 26, 2008Ahhh Spring!
February 27, 2008A few days ago, I was appreciative of the fact that three of our (then) next four games were against opponents that would allow us to get a feel for our new lineup. And not that I’m making excuses, but I’m sure no one was counting on Zydrunas Ilgauskas missing last night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
By now, you already know the results of the game, and have likely read the stellar breakdown by Rick. The free throws easily made the difference in this one, but I have two questions:
1) With Zydrunas Ilgauskas out, the combination of Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao provided very little offense. But where was the defense? The sole block for the Cavaliers was converted by LeBron James, and the two big men combined for one steal. In fact, Delonte West (8) outrebounded Varejao (6). Not good.
2) Given the 5.9 seconds remaining after LeBron’s layup, who decided to put Wally Szczerbiak on Michael Redd defensively? Not that it would have likely made a difference, but someone with a bit more speed and length would have been my choice in that situation.
But enough of the bad. On to the good…
Damon Jones draining all four three-point attempts for 12 points in 21 minutes is great to see. Sad to see it wasted, honestly. Wally getting 18 shots is nice considering that he also had four assists and a steal. He earned ’em. Joe Smith’s 12 and eight in under 30 minutes is very Drew-ish. Lonestar!!
Next up, Boston.
Looks like there will be no more Sean Salisbury at ESPN. Brian Powell over at Awful Announcing has the goods. I’ll be missing those Salisbury/John Clayton duals. Well, aside from the actual visuals of Clayton himself.
Ilgauskas may have had a cold last night, but the Rockets will be missing Yao Ming for the rest of the season. Tough blow for Houston who will have little-to-no chance of making the playoffs in the crowded West. Good news is that the team will get to see what they have in Luis Scola – and the Cavs will get to see what they missed out on by passing on him this summer. And Ming’s injury history is starting to waive a big red flag…
And finally, the PD thinks that a deal with DA could get done today. I’m not holding my breath…
Have a good day all. I hope the snow isn’t too bad wherever you’re reading this from…
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