...and I had to take a breath before I wrote this one, because there's just no mitigating how bad this sucked.
Gonna start at the end (and please know I would've written this exact same thing if they had missed the last shot):
- Sure there are different philosphies of how to play these last-second situations, but IMO you just CANNOT afford to let a guy take the rock that close to the hoop unmolested. We have seen what happens over and over in history --- Danny Ainge and Ty Edney in the NCAAT, for example --- when you let a guy take the ball coast-to-coast. We were fortunate we got the stop at ND, and this time it bit us. With 7+ seconds a slight redirect ain't enough --- even on an early hand-off, you HAVE to anticipate and make him pick up his dribble with a shadow double and/or force him to the sideline.
OK... other stuff from my notes. Hubert was right at least that it wasn't just one thing thet went wrong today --- it was a bunch:
- This Stanford team is clunky at the handle, resorting to myriad push-offs, illegal screens and "happy feet" when forced to pick up dribbles (lordy at the travels), and wants to play slow. Point is, they were made to scramble against but the only wrinkle we threw in (other than one series of 44) was occasional pre-emptive doubles on their Big. By allowing them to play at their pace, they were able to work enough looks to make enough to keep us from getting out in transition.
- Speaking of transition, the only resistance they could offer was fouling (at least the ones that got called). We actually had 16 Fast Break points (home stat guy strikes again) but that needed to be more today. I did not like slowing to their tempo down the stretch.
- we know Raynaud is a skilled player, but good grief, we did some stupid sh*** to help him, like Wash leaving his feet or getting too close when he was 25 ft from the basket, and geez Lubin --- how the hell are you stuck in the paint when your man is alone at the arc and you know he can shoot?
- And just when this team seemed to be gelling defensively, just yikes at the breakdowns. How many times are ya gonna get punked on simple OB plays? Jackson in particular looked like a Freshman trailing behind #4 on simple actions several times, and even Seth got caught on his heels a time or two. In a lot of ways, those gaffes were self-inflicted difference-makers.
- RJ made a few shots today, and they were needed, but he is still far from back to assassin-mode. And as potent has Ian has been lately, hoo boy... yikes, not today.
- head-scrathing moments (again). Stanford's in Zone and we reverse to an advantage with ball going to Drake on the backside wing. Defense reacts leaving Tyson ALL ALONE in the corner next to him, but Drake ignores him while instead taking a dribble to force a shot. Later RJ ignores Tyson open in the other corner, again just an easy pass away, and turns and passes out. What the actual f***?
- any time Eliot was out any semblance of a half-court offense went away. TBH, he shouldn't have left the damn floor in the second half. That 12, 6 (not 5) and 6 line was much needed, but 25 minutes ain't enough.
- I did like the last play call to Seth, but not so fond of a few leading up to that one
Anyway, damn it! Every time we looked to pull away, one of the aforementioned f***-ups would reel us back in or let back them in. Just can't afford to play with fire. This one hurts and there's no way around it....
Gonna start at the end (and please know I would've written this exact same thing if they had missed the last shot):
- Sure there are different philosphies of how to play these last-second situations, but IMO you just CANNOT afford to let a guy take the rock that close to the hoop unmolested. We have seen what happens over and over in history --- Danny Ainge and Ty Edney in the NCAAT, for example --- when you let a guy take the ball coast-to-coast. We were fortunate we got the stop at ND, and this time it bit us. With 7+ seconds a slight redirect ain't enough --- even on an early hand-off, you HAVE to anticipate and make him pick up his dribble with a shadow double and/or force him to the sideline.
OK... other stuff from my notes. Hubert was right at least that it wasn't just one thing thet went wrong today --- it was a bunch:
- This Stanford team is clunky at the handle, resorting to myriad push-offs, illegal screens and "happy feet" when forced to pick up dribbles (lordy at the travels), and wants to play slow. Point is, they were made to scramble against but the only wrinkle we threw in (other than one series of 44) was occasional pre-emptive doubles on their Big. By allowing them to play at their pace, they were able to work enough looks to make enough to keep us from getting out in transition.
- Speaking of transition, the only resistance they could offer was fouling (at least the ones that got called). We actually had 16 Fast Break points (home stat guy strikes again) but that needed to be more today. I did not like slowing to their tempo down the stretch.
- we know Raynaud is a skilled player, but good grief, we did some stupid sh*** to help him, like Wash leaving his feet or getting too close when he was 25 ft from the basket, and geez Lubin --- how the hell are you stuck in the paint when your man is alone at the arc and you know he can shoot?
- And just when this team seemed to be gelling defensively, just yikes at the breakdowns. How many times are ya gonna get punked on simple OB plays? Jackson in particular looked like a Freshman trailing behind #4 on simple actions several times, and even Seth got caught on his heels a time or two. In a lot of ways, those gaffes were self-inflicted difference-makers.
- RJ made a few shots today, and they were needed, but he is still far from back to assassin-mode. And as potent has Ian has been lately, hoo boy... yikes, not today.
- head-scrathing moments (again). Stanford's in Zone and we reverse to an advantage with ball going to Drake on the backside wing. Defense reacts leaving Tyson ALL ALONE in the corner next to him, but Drake ignores him while instead taking a dribble to force a shot. Later RJ ignores Tyson open in the other corner, again just an easy pass away, and turns and passes out. What the actual f***?
- any time Eliot was out any semblance of a half-court offense went away. TBH, he shouldn't have left the damn floor in the second half. That 12, 6 (not 5) and 6 line was much needed, but 25 minutes ain't enough.
- I did like the last play call to Seth, but not so fond of a few leading up to that one
Anyway, damn it! Every time we looked to pull away, one of the aforementioned f***-ups would reel us back in or let back them in. Just can't afford to play with fire. This one hurts and there's no way around it....
