...and these guys just can't make it easy on us, huh?
I'll go ahead and start with a couple of positives:
- We did come out with urgency and effort --- which needs to be the case every game --- and acted like we were gonna blow it open for a while.
- I liked that we started a bigger lineup, and I like that we mixed in 30 and 40 traps at different level (!)
- It was good to see Wash with the early blocks and confidently knocking down a 3, but again, the latter needs to be a regular thing.
- on the other side of things, I was really disappointed in our execution of Zone Offense. Cuse plays their 2-3 so high it's more like a 2-2-1, which means SHORT CORNER is your key! But the guys running pivot were hesitating on what needs to be a touch-pass there --- sheesh --- we missed that over and over. Yeah, we got a couple of floaters from the pivot, but TBH, knocking down 3s bailed us out of some clunky possessions. Fortunately, Hubert adjusted in crunch time letting EC go to work in the pivot to make the looks smoother.
- On the schizoid side, I have a new nickname for our Mr. Withers --- "Harvey Dent". For those who don't get the Batman reference, that's the alter-ego of "Two-Face". I mean, heat-checking from 3 but followed by standing straight up and letting a guy drive right by him, or making uber-athletic finshes but not having a clue in the Zone Offense pivot, or getting a huge late block-and-board, but followed immediately by throwing it away and fouling for an and-1 (when RJ was standing wide open beside him)
- Relieved to see Ian rediscover his offense after hitting that wall, but yikes at his missed interceptor rotations in 32. Come on guys --- if we want Hubert to keep calling scrambles we need to EXECUTE!
- And Eliot, don't go back to falling for those bump-reaction fouls that Cuse's Guard was baiting you with. Yeah, you got him back when it counted (see below), but we need you on the floor, son.
- And come on, guys --- WTF with the missed FTs? I mean, Groover and his clone and their sidekick did us no favors (only the late on-purpose fouls evened up the raw attempt #s), but when you do get to the line, take advantage!
- Finally, we did some nice things to not let this one get away. On that note, Drake worked in some key plays, including a big block and that late transition dime to Harvey. And, when it got too close for comfort up only 2 with 45 seconds left, Eliot's pick-up-your-jock-strap number for that lay-up was the clutch dagger that got if off a 1-possession game for the duration, and then we got it in RJ's hands for the late foul-fest to seal it (and BTW, I noticed RJ had his thumb-wrap off --- hopefully a good sign moving forward).
Anyway, we survived a game in which a 58% and 71% foul shooter together would knock down 18/19 FTs, as well as more than our share of self-inflicted give-backs. When every game is a must-win, we need to take the good and move forward and clean up the bad. And PLEASE Hubert, keep being more multiple! (I mean, we can hope, right?)...
I'll go ahead and start with a couple of positives:
- We did come out with urgency and effort --- which needs to be the case every game --- and acted like we were gonna blow it open for a while.
- I liked that we started a bigger lineup, and I like that we mixed in 30 and 40 traps at different level (!)
- It was good to see Wash with the early blocks and confidently knocking down a 3, but again, the latter needs to be a regular thing.
- on the other side of things, I was really disappointed in our execution of Zone Offense. Cuse plays their 2-3 so high it's more like a 2-2-1, which means SHORT CORNER is your key! But the guys running pivot were hesitating on what needs to be a touch-pass there --- sheesh --- we missed that over and over. Yeah, we got a couple of floaters from the pivot, but TBH, knocking down 3s bailed us out of some clunky possessions. Fortunately, Hubert adjusted in crunch time letting EC go to work in the pivot to make the looks smoother.
- On the schizoid side, I have a new nickname for our Mr. Withers --- "Harvey Dent". For those who don't get the Batman reference, that's the alter-ego of "Two-Face". I mean, heat-checking from 3 but followed by standing straight up and letting a guy drive right by him, or making uber-athletic finshes but not having a clue in the Zone Offense pivot, or getting a huge late block-and-board, but followed immediately by throwing it away and fouling for an and-1 (when RJ was standing wide open beside him)
- Relieved to see Ian rediscover his offense after hitting that wall, but yikes at his missed interceptor rotations in 32. Come on guys --- if we want Hubert to keep calling scrambles we need to EXECUTE!
- And Eliot, don't go back to falling for those bump-reaction fouls that Cuse's Guard was baiting you with. Yeah, you got him back when it counted (see below), but we need you on the floor, son.
- And come on, guys --- WTF with the missed FTs? I mean, Groover and his clone and their sidekick did us no favors (only the late on-purpose fouls evened up the raw attempt #s), but when you do get to the line, take advantage!
- Finally, we did some nice things to not let this one get away. On that note, Drake worked in some key plays, including a big block and that late transition dime to Harvey. And, when it got too close for comfort up only 2 with 45 seconds left, Eliot's pick-up-your-jock-strap number for that lay-up was the clutch dagger that got if off a 1-possession game for the duration, and then we got it in RJ's hands for the late foul-fest to seal it (and BTW, I noticed RJ had his thumb-wrap off --- hopefully a good sign moving forward).
Anyway, we survived a game in which a 58% and 71% foul shooter together would knock down 18/19 FTs, as well as more than our share of self-inflicted give-backs. When every game is a must-win, we need to take the good and move forward and clean up the bad. And PLEASE Hubert, keep being more multiple! (I mean, we can hope, right?)...
