SB Nation - Antonio McDyess

Preview: Kings at Spurs

Ziller — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:00:23 -0000

by Darren Abate - AP

THE OPPONENT

The Spurs are far better than .500, despite the record. I could try to explain what's gone wrong, but Timothy Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell can do it from a tighter perspective, much more eloquently.

[T]hrough 18 games, those horses have come up lame. Rather than getting a lift from the supporting cast, Tim Duncan is playing with MVP-efficiency and barely keeping the Spurs at a half-respectable .500. If the Spurs recover from their start of sputter and stall, Tim Duncan ought to be placed at the center of the MVP conversation. He’s threatening a career season, at least in terms of efficiency. And it’s all lost on a 9-9 start.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that no one else is playing well. Matt Bonner is a having a career year; DeJuan Blair is occasionally sensational. Tony Parker is not dominating, but playing competent basketball. I get all that, and I could further qualify. It’s just that the supporting cast taken as a whole is providing more drag than momentum-gathering boost. Tim Duncan is all dragster, and the team is mostly parachute.

Richard Jefferson has certainly been disappointing, and Manu Ginobili has seemingly been on-and-off, hot-and-cold. For the Kings' sake, given that our defense isn't bright and the Spurs' defense continues to be, let's hope Jefferson disappoints and Ginobili is more cold than warm.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Tim Duncan	16	32.3	7.6	13.8	55.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	4.0	5.2	77.1	3.1	7.7	10.8	3.4	2.0	0.5	2.1	1.9	19.1
Tony Parker	14	30.4	6.4	12.8	50.3	0.1	0.4	20.0	4.7	5.9	79.5	0.1	2.6	2.7	5.6	3.3	0.7	0.3	2.1	17.6
Richard Jefferson	18	33.2	4.4	10.1	43.4	0.9	2.8	33.3	3.1	4.6	68.3	0.7	3.6	4.3	2.7	1.6	0.8	0.3	2.1	12.8
Manu Ginobili	13	22.8	3.5	9.6	36.8	1.6	4.4	36.8	4.0	4.8	83.9	0.7	1.8	2.5	3.6	2.0	1.2	0.5	1.9	12.7
George Hill	18	25.3	3.7	9.0	40.7	0.9	2.3	38.1	2.4	3.1	78.6	0.6	1.4	2.0	2.1	0.9	1.0	0.4	3.4	10.7
Matt Bonner	18	21.5	3.3	6.7	49.2	2.0	4.4	45.6	0.7	0.9	81.3	1.6	3.7	5.2	1.4	0.7	0.2	0.2	2.3	9.3
DeJuan Blair	18	14.9	2.8	4.7	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.2	45.5	1.9	3.6	5.4	0.7	1.1	0.2	0.7	2.5	6.2
Antonio McDyess	17	20.9	2.5	5.2	47.7	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.1	1.5	69.2	1.8	3.8	5.6	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.4	2.6	6.0
Roger Mason Jr.	17	18.4	2.3	6.0	38.2	0.9	3.1	30.8	0.4	0.5	77.8	0.1	1.6	1.6	2.2	1.1	0.3	0.2	1.5	5.9
Michael Finley	17	18.2	2.1	4.6	44.3	0.7	1.7	41.4	0.4	0.5	66.7	0.2	1.5	1.7	0.9	0.6	0.3	0.2	0.5	5.2
Keith Bogans	17	17.5	1.4	3.5	40.0	0.5	2.1	25.0	0.6	0.8	76.9	0.2	2.4	2.5	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.1	1.9	3.9
Marcus Haislip	1	3.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	2.0
Theo Ratliff	9	8.8	0.7	1.4	46.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	50.0	0.6	1.2	1.8	0.3	0.7	0.0	1.2	1.4	1.6
Malik Hairston	9	3.8	0.3	0.6	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.7

THE KEY BATTLE

Tony Parker vs. Tyreke Evans. Reke struggled to defend the pick-and-roll against the Spurs last time around, with Parker slicing to the rim at will. Now granted, Parker does this against most teams. But if the Kings want to compete, Parker can't own the driving lines. He's going to have to work.

On the other end, it's a two-fold challenge in attacking San Antonio's defense: win the favorable size mismatches (particularly Evans-Parker) and overachieve in the problem spots (Andres Nocioni against the tough-inside, anti-three team defense, Jason Thompson vs Tim Duncan). Evans is the biggest key here, both in terms of punishing Parker without getting denied by Duncan and friends, and in terms of setting up Thompson, Spencer Hawes and others with easy attempts.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Let's play Inane Arguments, hosted by Grant Napear! His tirades against

a) Paul Westphal for protesting the shot clock violation when the Kings inbounded with 1 second on the clock, and

b) Jason Thompson for protesting his fifth foul, which came when he pulled Darius Songaila's jersey on defense

were inane. Everyone, including Westphal, who, you know, has been around the league a while, knows that there could be less than a second left. Westphal was indicating he thought the New Orleans scorekeeper jobbed the Kings by starting the shot clock just a touch before the ball was touched. This is a pretty classic home court advantage type move. If you read Westphal's lips, he says "Nice timekeeper!" or something like that. He is indicating that he believes the shot clock was started early. Not that the Kings deserve a full second because the clock read 1. You idiot.

Regarding Thompson, Napear kept on about how obvious a foul it was, and how Thompson should have shut up about it and play smarter defense. Of course, Thompson was protesting the fact that he was assaulted repeatedly at the other end, with nary a whistle to help him out. You can see him motion to the refs that he had been beaten about the head by the Hornets defense, and how he deserved to get some calls if the refs insisted on calling Nancy garbarge like the jersey yank. Thompson wasn't saying, "I didn't pull his jersey!" He was saying, "They are beating me about the head and whatnot, how bout a whistle, chum?"

And missing those things isn't terrible. It's the attitude that he, Grant, is the smartest person in the world that grates.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Matt Bonner takes more three-pointers than Spencer Hawes.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Spurs by ... never mind. I am not a jinx.

DETAILS

The tip-off, again, is at 5 o'clock. Game thread then, with the second game thread at 6 and the post-game thread at 7:45. Recap someday.

Spurs vs Kings Preview

Tim C. — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:57:32 -0000

I'm not going to beat around the bush. We really need a win. We also need a game in which we play for 48 minutes. A solid 48 minutes of good, well-executed, hustling basketball. We need to make the Kings uncomfortable and we need to pummel them. Seriously pummel them into the court.

So tune in and grab your sword. We are storming the castle. It's Bastille Day.

You knew it was coming.

Sacramento Kings @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
When: December 9, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time
Watch: NBA TV

How They Stack Up


8-4	Home	8-3
1-5	Road	1-8
100.0	Offense	104.3
97.1	Defense	105.0
46.6	FG%	47.1
36.1	3-pt%	38.9
74.5	FT%	73.8
42.4	Rebounds	42.9
14.2	TOs	16.1
5-5	Last 10	4-6
Lost 3	Streak	Lost 3
3rd, Southwest	Position	4th, Pacific


Country/Time Zone	Game Time
Argentina	11:30 PM
West Coast	5:30 PM
Philippines	9:30 AM
Central Europe	2:30 AM
Palestine/Egypt	3:30 AM
East Coast	8:30 PM
CapHill's Chaisse	6:30 PM
Perth, AUS	9:30 AM
Tokyo, JP	10:30 AM
Sydney, AUS	12:30 pM

Spurs (9-9)	Matchups	Kings (9-11)
Tony Parker Wee Frenchman	Point Guard Tony in a landslide. No, not really. Tyreke is getting better and better and he is big and physical. He could end up abusing us the way Russell Westbrook did. Scary thought there. Advantage: Spurs	Tyreke Evans Big Bad Boy

Manu Ginobili The Sickness	Shooting Guard Donte got the start last night against the Hornets. We'll see a lot of Beno as well here. Either way, I'm going with the Gino. Advantage: Spurs	Donte Greene Not George Hill

Richard Jefferson Shoots Too Little	Small Forward Close. But, I have to go with RJ even if he isn't playing well. Advantage: Spurs	Andres Nocioni Shoots Too Much

Tim Duncan Skilled Vet	Power Forward Tim is still named named Tim. In case you didn't know. Advantage: Spurs	Jason Thompson Semi-skilled Soph

Antonio McDyess Roll Tide	Center Maybe, just maybe, SAM will break out of whatever has him locked up. Advantage: Spurs	Spencer Hawes U of W

Georege Hill Long	Bench & Role Players Kenny Thomas and Ime Udoka are getting a lot of minutes off their bench. Advantage: Spurs	Beno Udrih Gone

Gregg Popovich Mad Pissed	Coach Pop better be mad. I expect an all business from him for 48 minutes. Advantage: Spurs	Paul Westphal Mad Crazy
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
	Intangibles The Kings are scrappy and have been playing pretty well since Kevin Martin went down. The Spurs have not been scrappy. Intangibles favore scrappy. Advantage: Kings
	Mojo We appear to be mojo-less. Advantage: Kings
	Winner We better be one hell of a motivated team. If we don't come out and play the best game of the season, I'll be disappointed. Advantage: Spurs

Keys To The Game

Intensity - We better be right, and by right I mean sharp, from the opening tip.
Jump the Gun Early - Leftover from last game against the Kings, but we need to crush them early. They lost a tough game in New Orleans last night. Step. On. Their. Throat.
Bench - Our bench is way, way better than theirs. We need them to show it and give Tim some rest.

Last Time They Met

Was the third game of the season and we whipped them 113-94. We need to do the same again.
Oh yeah, it was also the night Manu swatted the bat.

Some Other Reading

Kings

Sactown Royalty - The Kings SBN blog. They also have members who actively comment during games. Go visit them and drop a friendly line or two, olf-style

Cowbell Kingdom - This is the TrueHoop network blog for the Sacramento. I hate the sound of cowbells, but these guys do a great job covering the ~~Maloofs~~ Kings.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell: Speaking of THN blogs, we're extremely lucky that the best one is dedicated to the Spurs. Tim and Graydon are really good.
Project Spurs: Good Bloguin blog with lots of good content. Spurs fans are lucky to have so many good blogs out there.

Where to Tune In

(Note: The League Pass free preview is available until Nov. 3 for both broadband and television.)

TV

This game is not on national TV, so for those of you staying at home, you might want to read on below...

Online

As always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. This one should also be on ESPN 360, if your ISP provides access to it.

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM).

Another Masked Man in D-Town

Packey — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:04:35 -0000

Dr. Neuman, you say that everybody wears a mask?

That's correct. We all wear masks, metaphorically speaking.

Charlie Villanueva will wear a mask on Wednesday, and not figuratively.

That's right. Charlie Villanueva is probably going to play on Wednesday and will play with the Bill Laimbeer, Richard Hamilton (and don't forget Antonio McDyess!) special.

Charlie Villanueva plans to play Wednesday night at Chicago, wearing the same type of protective mask popularized by teammate Rip Hamilton.

Here's the video of CV31 getting his face fitted for the rally mask:

Spurs @ Rockets: Examining Antonio McDyess

Fred Silva — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:39:31 -0000

The Spurs have now won four in a row and seem to be evolving into the team that we thought would start the season. It's taken a while, but our defense is on its way to being respectable and the new guys are finding ways to contribute offensively. Specifically, the players just seem much more comfortable on the court together than they did even as recently as last week. I think a big part of this improvement centers around our resident glue guy, Antonio McDyess. He's very reliable, makes few mistakes, and has a high basketball IQ. He makes the game easier for Tim and spreads the floor with his deadly jumper opening lanes for Tony and RJ. After the jump, a game diary focusing on San Antonio McDyess and featuring FARS, (Fred's Arbitrary Rating System.)

1st Quarter

12:00 Our starting lineup consists of Tony, Bogans, RJ, McDyess and Tim. This is a great starting lineup for a very simple reason; they can defend. Last year we started Tony, Mason, Finley, Bonner and Duncan, and we always got off to slow starts. Well, not necessarily slow offensively, but this group could not get stops. The only way this group could get a lead was by out-scoring the opposition. The problem with this is it allowed our opponents to get a rhythm early. And once that happens, it's an uphill battle the rest of the way. Our current starters can flat-out shut teams down with their defense and that is a very good thing.

11:25 McDyess with the defensive rebound. I can already tell this is going to be much more enjoyable for me than watching Bonner. Everything McDyess does on the court is smooth. He plays like a bigger, more physical Ray Allen. +1

11:10 McDyess attempts a fade-away but is denied by Ariza. One thing that has always bothered me is when a big man catches the ball three feet from the basket and shoots a fade-away. Especially if the big man is being defended by a smaller player. It's early though, McDyess probably is not warm yet. -1

10:01 Parker, McDyess pick and roll game. Scola and Brooks double Parker leaving McDyess open but he misses. Clearly, it's a shot he has to take and you know he will not be missing too many open looks like that. -1

8:25 Ariza is very active early with a three and a steal for a dunk, but anyone else think this guy is overrated? I mean, he used to be underrated but now I think he is overrated. He's a great glue guy and can definitely be the Scottie Pippen to a Michael Jordan, but he's no Jordan. -3 for helping the Lakers win last year.

7:36 Parker penetrates drawing a crowd and kicks it out to McDyess for his perfect jumper. I know McDyess does a lot of charity work, but I think he needs to do more. He should teach Bonner how to shoot with a respectable form; Bonner counts as a charity case, right? +1 5-10, Rockets lead early.

7:13 Chuck Hayes finds himself under the basket with the ball. Unfortunately for him, he is surrounded by Duncan and McDyess. Duncan blocks his shot up high, McDyess delivers a nice body shot down low and secures the rebound. +2 for establishing a physical presence early.

6:57 Tim makes a nice move on Scola but misses. As he was posting up, McDyess went to work establishing great offensive rebounding position underneath. He gets the board and misses his put back attempt, but Tim is there to clean it up. +2 because it reminded me of the Spurs' Twin Tower days when Duncan and Robinson made similar plays routinely.

6:32 Scola must have thought Bonner was on him because he tried to post up. McDyess stayed at home while Scola did his best to get him in the air and maneuver past him. McDyess forces Scola into missing one of those funky European up and unders and Tim gets the rebound. +1

6:00 Brooks over-penetrates and throws the ball away leading to a fast break. Bogans races down the floor but misses a contested layup. Not a problem, McDyess is there for the put-back dunk. +1

5:10 Bonner checks in for McDyess and I will now fast forward. 11-12, Rockets lead.

4:13 Bonner runs down the court like a duck in a hurry. -1

2nd Quarter, 18-23, Rockets.

6:15 McDyess replaces Blair, who picked up 3 fouls. 33-33

6:07 McDyess stays active on the offensive boards and draws a pushing foul on some random guy named Andersen, saving a possession for the Spurs. +1

5:50 McDyess gets outstanding offensive rebounding position but is bumped as he attempts to secure the ball and it goes out of bounds. +1 for the effort.

3:53 Landry puts a series of moves on McDyess and gets nowhere. He ends up shooting a fade-away that McDyess gets a piece of and it somehow goes in the basket. +1 for the defense, lucky shot.

2:05 Scola attempts to post up McDyess. McDyess again plays textbook defense and forces Scola to miss, Tim rebounds. +1 38-39, Rockets.

1:50 Tony, McDyess pick and roll game. Tony draws the defense and kicks it to McDyess for a pure jump shot. +1

1:01 Ariza, Scola pick and roll game with Bogans and McDyess defending. Ariza penetrates and is met at the height of his runner by McDyess, who gets a piece of it and then secures the rebound. Maybe it's a bad idea to attack two of the best defenders on the floor. +1

:05 McDyess is forced to take the shot with the clock expiring and misses just long. -1, but can I really assign a shot that pretty a negative number?

3rd Quarter 44-46, Rockets

10:01 McDyess with a nice box out and defensive board. The guy is just a solid contributor. +1

8:24 McDyess is really going to work on the defensive end. He got a rebound last possession and this possession he played excellent help defense forcing the miss and allowing Tim to secure the rebound. +2

8:03 McDyess is surprised to find himself so open in the corner and just misses off of the back of the rim. A shot that nice should never miss. This is a travesty. -1

7:49 More excellent defense from McDyess against Scola. He forces Scola into an awkward layup attempt and gets the board. +1

7:36 RJ drives in and misses the layup and Scola grabs the rebound. McDyess does not give up on the play and knocks it loose, saving another possession that results in two points from TIm. +1 52-46, Spurs

6:24 McDyess offers excellent help defense on an Ariza drive and forces him to shoot an air ball. +1

6:09 McDyess establishes excellent rebounding position and secures the board. +1

5:38 McDyess gets his hand on an Ariza pass and Bogans ties up Brooks for the jump ball, which he loses but the Rockets end up throwing the ball out of bounds. +1

5:08 McDyess goes to work on the offensive glass and gets a foul called on Landry in the process, saving yet another possession. +1 58-46, Spurs.

3:25 McDyess gets his hand on an offensive rebound and taps it out to Parker to save the possession. +1

1:57 McDyess with another defensive rebound. +1

1:50 The officials are making every call possible right now and McDyess draws a cheap one and goes to the line where he makes one of two. +1

:51 Bonner replaces McDyess with the score 68-55, Spurs.

4th Quarter

7:15 McDyess checks back in with the Spurs leading 77-71.

6:43 McDyess attempts to find Bogans underneath but the pass sails on him and goes out of bounds. He should have just taken the shot. -1

6:17 McDyess challenges Ariza at the rim and forces a miss. The Spurs rebound and head the other direction. +1

5:40 McDyess cuts off the baseline and forces Lowry to step on the line for a turnover. +1 77-71, still.

5:01 Excellent defense by McDyess, better offense by Landry. -.5

4:26 Tim posts up and has the ball poked away. Parker comes up with it and finds a cutting McDyess for a strong layup. +1 79-73, Spurs.

3:37 Andersen hits a three, the Spurs miss, and Budinger misses a three that would have tied the game. McDyess blocks out and snatches the rebound with authority as a foul is called on Landry. +1

2:43 Anderson attempts another three but McDyess is there to challenge and force a miss. +1

1:45 With the Spurs only leading by 6, Tony finds McDyess in the short corner for a jumper that hits only net. How sweet it is. +1 84-76, Spurs.

1:38 The very next possession Brooks penetrates and is regected by McDyess who also grabs the rebound and is fouled. He makes both free throws to extend the lead to 10. +1

1:00 The officials make a terrible call on Tim giving Brooks a basket and a foul. Tony turns the ball over and Ariza pulls up for the three in transition to cut the lead to four in the blink of an eye.

:40 Tony turns the ball over again and on the other end, Landry follows his own miss for the put-back. Spurs lead by two, 86-84.

:33 McDyess makes a difficult pass along the sideline to RJ. RJ blows past Ariza and is fouled as he attempts a reverse layup. RJ calmly sinks both clutch free throws to give the Spurs a four point advantage. +1

:28 McDyess contests Brooks' jumper which misses. George Hill skies for the rebound and is hit hard. He converts both free throws.

:18 Brooks misses a layup, Bogans rebounds and is sent to the line where he makes both.

Summary

Antonio McDyess finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block and 28.5 FARS points. It's a high score! I was surprised at how involved McDyess was with the Spurs' run in the third quarter. He had a positive impact on nearly every play and was the main reason that the Rockets struggled to score. This took a lot longer than I had anticipated. I probably could have written twice as much. He is involved in nearly every play. I was also impressed with the fluidity of his movements. The game clearly comes easy to McDyess and he uses his basketball IQ to improve his teammates. His jump shot is as close to perfect as it gets. Watch it in slow motion if you get the chance. There are absolutely no flaws. It's something to behold. Well, the Spurs host the 76ers tomorrow night. Hopefully, the Spurs do not take them lightly and put them away early so we can all have a fun night celebrating the great David Robinson.

Game 13 Preview: Pistons vs. Blazers

Dave — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:27:54 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

Some of this would help tonight.

Browse more photos »

Home at last! And we get an interesting opponent to begin this stretch of 7 home dates in the next 9 games. The Bad Boy Detroit Pistons are coming to town. Except they're not quite as bad and they're struggling to get better...having spent every single day of the season so far within one game of .500.

When talking about the Pistons you have to start with the roster makeover from last year to this. Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Allen Iverson, Antonio McDyess...gone. Right now you also have to mention injuries, as Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are both out for extended periods. Combined those two factors have left Detroit with only one of their top six rotation players from 2008-09, that being Rodney Stuckey. It's like somebody hit CTRL-ALT-DEL and only Stuckey was in the boot menu. On the bright side, the roster is now relatively virus and spam free.

Replacing the departed stars are a couple of offensive-minded B-listers: Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Since the injuries to his teammates have left him free to score like a movie producer in a reality-show hot tub, Gordon has gotten off to a marvelous start. He's scoring over 22 a game in 38-39 minutes. Villanueva is also enjoying the green light, shooting 50% and adding almost 17 of his own. Stuckey is not shooting that well (41%) but who's going to tell him not to score? He's just over 17 ppg with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Stuckey's understudy, Will "Don't Call Me Andrew" Bynum has posted double-figures in each of the last four games including 27 against the Mavericks on Sunday. He's a heavy part of the rotation now. After that, though, the Pistons' scoring drops off a cliff faster than Thelma and Louise on a bender. Detroit peppers the roster with familiar names--Ben Wallace, Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell (love this guy), Chris Wilcox, Chucky Atkins--but half of those guys aren't playing and that half is scoring just about as much as the other. The Pistons still want to muscle up against you with their deeper ranks. Wallace carries the threat still but they undercut most of his cred by fielding Kwame Brown, a rookie from Gonzaga, and a Swedish dude. You could throw Brock Lesnar, Brian Urlacher, and a rabid wildebeest into that list and people would still laugh.

In general the Pistons want to keep the score low, the game ugly, and just let their scorers do their thing. They don't move the ball effectively. Their main guys all have the scoring mentality and they're not comfortable enough with each other yet to have developed a good rhythm. They're 29^th in the league in points in the paint per game and 25^th in fast-break points so they're basically working hard to get jumpers. They're dead last in the league in possessions per game, so you know they're grinding. They shoot an average percentage and depend greatly on stifling the opponent's shooting to stay ahead. If it seems to you like I'm also describing the Blazers here, you're pretty much right. The two teams have a ton of similarities as far as playing style. Detroit allows far fewer points in the paint than the Blazers do. The Blazers are far better rebounders. Other than that they're so similar that you might as well be looking at a picture of Tyson Chandler holding a great big tool. It makes for a fascinating matchup.

Pivotal Points of the Game

1. As we just mentioned, rebounding is going to be huge for the Blazers (as always). Detroit is a darn good offensive rebounding team. Their effort is spearheaded by Ben Wallace. Whichever Blazer has Wallace crawling over his back had better keep him there. The Pistons also allow a lot of offensive rebounds though. In every grinding game possession is key.

2. What are you going to do about Ben Gordon? He's small for a shooting guard so you can defend him with any number of people. But he's likely to score on all of them. The Blazers have done a decent job of taking away the opponent's #1 option this year. Doing it tonight would make a victory near certain. Charlie, Will, and Rodney probably aren't going to beat you. (Do watch out for Stuckey, though. He'll be your biggest problem if Gordon does get loose and you have to devote your attention to containing him. Stuckey could go for 30 on the Blazers.) One of the strategies the Blazers might use is making Gordon defend somebody in return. That's not a huge problem if Blake is out there for big minutes. But if you give Gordon a choice between guarding Miller or Rudy or Roy (either playing together or in pairs) he's not going to like any of the options. Whoever he's on, you run that guy around and get the ball to him.

3. The Pistons have played six games this year in which the opponent has topped 90. They've won one of those. Just score, baby.

4. Oden vs. Wallace will be an intriguing matchup. The Blazers turn Big Ben loose on defense if they are forced to run Przybilla against him. You know Wallace will want to bruise Greg. Greg needs to stand up, score, rebound, and generally play tough. Watch to see where Oden sets up in the post tonight. If he's two feet farther out than normal you know things are not going well. Two fouls in four minutes is also a pretty good sign...

Final Thoughts and Links

The Blazers gave fantastic effort in the Atlanta game. They need to beware complacency when coming home off of that trip. You won't win because you're home. You'll win because you play hard and wrest this game away from the opponent. Effort is everything tonight. Portland can overcome bad shooting, lack of fastbreak points, even Oden troubles but if the team effort isn't there Detroit will happily take the win.

Read more about the Pistons at MotownStringMusic

Here is the Jersey Contest Form for tonight's game.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game 9 Preview: Oklahoma City at San Antonio

Zorgon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:33:05 -0000

by Eric Gay - AP

Get away from our basket!

View full size photo »

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The American Telephone & Telegraph Center, San Antonio, Texas

TV: Fox Sports Net Oklahoma, KMYS My Network TV 35

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Pounding the Rock, 48 Minutes of Hell, Project Spurs

Backstory: The Spurs are like the old, forgotten team. They won a championship not so long ago and they continually make moves to stay competitive, but injuries just keep getting in the way of true success. This year, that description has held true to what the Spurs are. They made some off-season buzz by obtaining Richard Jefferson to fill a hole at Small Forward, but not near the amount of news the Magic made by grabbing Vince Carter, the Cavaliers made by grabbing Shaq, or the Lakers made by grabbing Ron Artest. And this season has started out with injury after injury, firstly to Tony Parker and secondly to Tim Duncan. One of them is probably going to play tonight, but we are unsure of who. Thus, I am very unsure of whom is going to win this game.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have been the epitome of average. At times, they look like they're on top of the world, able to compete with teams like the Lakers and blow out the short handed Magic, but at other times, they look pretty bad, barely beating the Clippers and playing extremely ugly games against the Trail Blazers and Kings. One never knows what we'll do against a slow, monotonous team like the Spurs, but considering we split the series last year, we have a fair shot at beating them.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups: (Please Note that the Spurs lineup wavers from game to game, so I'll just follow the lineup Pounding the Rock says that the Spurs will have.)

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Matt Bonner

Wow, a matchup of two outside shooting Centers! To be honest, I haven't seen much of Matt Bonner, but I'm pretty sure he's not much of an inside guy. I'd say that Bonner has the advantage outside, whereas Krstic has the advantage inside.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Tim Duncan (Possibly Jefferson or Blair)

Well, this is a mismatch if I've ever seen one. To be honest, if Green can get his outside shot going, this could turn very nasty. And, if Green doesn't get his outside shot going, this could also be very nasty. I could see either side dominating the matchup, but in the end, I think it will be a wash, with Green having less rebounds than usual. If Jefferson starts, I see him winning the matchup, as he's a more versatile scorer than Green.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Richard Jefferson (Possibly Michael Finley)

Durant wins this matchup either way, but if old man Finley gets the start here, I could see a Durant bonanza starting to form. If the Spurs are smart, he won't start here. Either way, I don't see Durants defense getting in the way of Jefferson or Finley, so I think they'll have good games as well.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Keith Bogans (Possibly Michael Finley)

That's right, Manu Ginobili isn't starting. He'll often be the top performer for the Spurs, but he does it off the bench for some reason. Well, whatever floats the Spurs' boat is fine with me. I think that Sefolosha will win the matchup, just because of his recent performance in the intangible categories, something which really isn't seen in the Box Scores of Bogans. If Finley plays, I think Sefolosha can do a fair job of keeping him down. In his day, he was one of the NBAs best scorers, but these days, he's just alright.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. George Hill (Possibly Tony Parker)

George Hill is a really nice scoring point guard to have, but he's not nearly the distributor Tony Parker is. With the way Westbrook has been playing, he's about equal to George Hill, but if Tony Parker plays, he'll find himself out of his league.

Battle of the Benches:

Well, by having Manu Ginobili on their bench, the Spurs get an automatic win here. Oh yeah, can they've got Antonio McDyess, Dejuan Blair, Roger Mason Jr., and Theo Ratliff as well. Talk about us getting outclassed.

Coaching and Intangibles:

Gregg Popovich is an excellent coach from way back, the Spurs are at home, and they've won their last two games without Duncan or Parker. I think even the dullest bowls of soup can determine who has the advantage here.

Bottom Line:

The odds are stacked against the Thunder, and if either Duncan or Parker play, we'll be up against even greater odds. But if the Thunder can focus on ball movement, Kevin Durant can luck into good matchups, and, if Duncan or Parker play, the Thunder can neutralize their threat, then we'll have a chance. But, in the Spurs house....I think we're going to fall back below .500.

Prediction: Spurs 85, Thunder 73

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I might be here during the game to drop my thoughts as well. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

25 votes

The San Antonio Spurs

15 votes

40 votes | Poll has closed

Coach of the Year? You're Fired!

Zorgon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:16:06 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

Me? Fired?

Browse more photos »

As all of you know, Byron Scott has recently been fired by the New Orleans Hornets. This should come as no surprise if you've followed the Hornets in the past. George Shinn is a guy who can assemble winning teams, but in all cases, profit comes before winning. In this case, he's gotten rid of a successful coach, so he can hire Tim Floyd to ghost coach as an assistant, while Jeff Bower serves as a puppet so Tim Floyd doesn't get as much money.

But, that's not the point of this article. The point of this article is to point out the drastically bad luck recent coaches of the year have had when it comes to keeping their jobs. Lets just go on down the list, shall we?

2003-2004: Hubie Brown, Memphis Grizzlies

He got this win after providing a 22 win turnaround to propel the Grizzlies to a 50 win season and the playoffs. They got swept out of the first round by San Antonio, but it was probably the best season in Grizzlies history up to that point. The next season, he started 5-7, had some, "Health Issues" and walked out the door. The team went on to make the playoffs again under Mike Fratello. Granted, this isn't a matter of bad coaching or anything, but all curses have to start somewhere, right?

The obligatory totally awesome Mike D'Antoni picture.

2004-2005: Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns

Mike D'Antoni and his fast break offense had done endless positives for the Suns, especially after their trying to find an identity Post-Jason Kidd. He took a roster of aging players like Anfernee Hardaway, Stephon Marbury, Tom Gugliotta, Howard Eisley, and Antonio McDyess and made success with a completely new roster, featuring players like Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, and Amare Stoudemire. It was quite the accomplishment. But after two seasons of Semi-Finals losses, a Conference Finals loss, and a loss in the first round after Shaq was brought to town against D'Antoni's wishes, the Suns kicked him out the door. Now, how many times does that happen? Now he coaches the tanking New York Knicks. Talk about bad luck, and the start of a trend.

Things Avery Johnson don't lack are energy, tenacity, or a big mouth.

2005-2006: Avery Johnson, Dallas Mavericks

Avery Johnson won this award after inheriting an under achieving Don Nelson team. He forced them to play regular basketball, and as a result, they became one of the best teams in the NBA. But, after an embarrassing loss in the Finals after being up 2-0 on the Heat, an embarrassing (albeit totally awesome) loss to his predecessor's Golden State Warriors in the first round, and an understandable loss in the first round to the Hornets after a bad move for Jason Kidd, he was out on the street, and hasn't found another coaching job since. That's even worse luck.

2006-2007: Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors

The Raptors weren't extremely impressive under him, but getting the Raptors to the playoffs is, in itself, an accomplishment. The even bigger accomplishment was taking a international roster with many players who spoke entirely different languages, and making them work as one, cohesive unit. The future looked bright for him next season, but he lost Morris Peterson, an integral part of the teams success. He finished 6 wins lower at 41-41, and was booted out of the first round. Next season, it got even worse. He got an injury-prone Jermaine O'Neal, and lost a lot of his international talent, leading to a lack of team unity. After a 8-9 start, he was out of a job. His successor, Jay Triano, processed to poop the team into oblivion with a 25-40 record. This year, they look to be pretty good with the additions of players like Hedo Turkoglu, Demar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack, and Amir Johnson. Sam Mitchell hasn't found a job since, and has to be licking his chops at what he could have had. Bad luck strikes again.

2007-2008: Byron Scott, New Orleans Hornets

Byron Scott is the latest victim of this curse. He won the award after battling through two injury-laden seasons in Oklahoma City to finally become a playoff contender in New Orleans. He was gifted with Chris Paul, Peja Stojakovic, and Morris Peterson, while lucking into surprise stars in David West and Tyson Chandler. Unfortunately, his luck would turn sour as Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, and Tyson Chandler suffered long injuries. As a result, the team finished 7 wins below last season at 49. They were promptly kicked out of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. Yet, I didn't feel that his job was on the line. But after a 3-6 start with Emeka Okafor in place of Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic starting to show his age, Byron Scott was given the good 'ol pink slip. I'd hire him as my team's coach any day, but for right now, he's probably stuck as jobless until next year.

The Future:

Could Mike Brown be on the street, selling his stylish glasses for food?

2008-2009: Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers

Will the curse continue? I say yes. Shaq promised to retire after this season, LeBron James is going to be a free agent, and without those two, the Cavaliers couldn't possibly be worth more than a low playoff seed at best. Which could lead to Mike Brown bringing the unluckiness streak to 6, and having people around the league start to believe that the award really is cursed.

One could point out that the award is given to coaches that are just the hot commodity at the time and not to stable, long term coaches, but that would ruin the fun! Plus, guys like Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Larry Brown, and Phil Jackson have all won the award. So quiet, doubters! The new Madden Curse is upon us! I pity the man who receives the next Coach of the Year Award!

Lets hope that Scott Brooks never gets it.

Poll

Do you see Mike Brown following the curse any time soon?

Definitely, especially after next off-seasons departure of Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James.

72 votes

Possibly, it could happen.

37 votes

Not likely. LeBron will stay in Cleveland, and as long as he's there, Mike Brown can do no wrong.

23 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

Mavericks Vs Spurs:Game 8 Preview

Phillip Baggett — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:39 -0000

The Match-ups:

Point Guard

Jason Kidd: Everyone continues to make claims that Kidd simply cannot stand up against the young, quick point guards in the league, yet he continues to prove the naysayers wrong. Last night against the Rockets was no different. The Rockets Aaron Brooks was on fire in the first quarter, making acrobatic shot after acrobatic shot, but Kidd stayed steady and in the end it was the leadership and experience of Kidd that won out in the end.

vs.

~~Tony Parker~~ George Hill: The Spurs 2008 first round draft choice should get his second consecutive start due to the ankle injury suffered by Tony Parker. Hill is a good shooting point guard, as he is shooting 46% from the field and 57% from beyond the arc. Make no mistake though he is not Tony Parker.

Edge:Mavericks

Shooting Guard

Josh Howard: Josh in his second game back had another solid scoring night, dropping in 14 points. Josh's ankle is still very tender and bothersome at times, this was very visible last night in the third quarter. Josh had to move very gingerly on it, and it is the ankle that is causing him difficulty getting the proper lift that he needs on his jump shot. Josh is going to be fine, the more he plays the better that tender ankle will get, and so will his jump shot.

vs.

Michael Finley: The first look at "Sir Bricks-A-Lot" of the year for the Mavs. Fin is going to make a few dazzling shots, but you can also count on several hideously ugly shots as well, and at least once he will dribble the ball off his feet. Finley's job these days is to simply stand behind the arc and then not to screw up when he gets the ball.

Edge: Mavericks. This match up is not even close, even with Howards bum ankle.

Forward

Shawn Marion: While Shawn did not have an extremely significant impact on the offensive end last night against the Rockets (10 points) it was his defense on Trevor Ariza that allowed the Mavericks to pull away from the Rockets. Once again though, his lack of trips to the free throw line is a major area of concern.

vs.

Richard Jefferson: Scoring wise Jefferson is off to his worst start since his sophomore season in the league. With the Spurs missing Duncan and Parker the bulk of the Spurs scoring will be left upon the shoulders of Jefferson and Ginobili tonight. Look for the Spurs to try to get Jefferson involved early and often.

Edge: Even. As good as Jefferson can be offensively the defensive prowess of Marion is that good as well.

Power Forward

Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk continues to struggle from the field, but he well makes up for it by getting to the line, and it is his energy that is keeping him and the team in games. Dirk has been somewhat quiet since his 29 point 4^th quarter explosion, tonight could be the night that he flips the switch again.

vs.

~~Tim Duncan~~ Antonio McDyess: While I have McDyess listed as the starter replacing Duncan do not be surprised if the rookie DeJuan Blair gets the nod. It is all going to depend on how Pop decides he wants to attack the Mavs. If he decides (and I think he will) to slow the pace down and turn the game into a half court beat and bang affair, the rookie will see a lot of action.

Edge: Mavericks. There are not many times the edge will not go to the Mavs as long as Dirk is here.

Center

Erick Dampier: It is amazing what a contract year will do for a player's ability. Suddenly Dampier is playing like he did in his final year in Golden State.

vs.

Matt Bonner: This guy is just not good, never has been and never will be. How is it possible for a center in the NBA over a six year career to average only 3 rebounds a game?

Edge: Mavericks. Not even close (did I just say, that the Mavs had the edge at center and it is not even close? I got to stop drinking so much)

Injuries/Suspensions

San Antonio Spurs

OUT - Tony Parker- Sprained ankle Tim Duncan- Sprained ankle

Dallas Mavericks

OUT - Tim Thomas- Recovering from knee surgery

Prediction: No Tim Duncan + No Tony Parker = No chance for the Spurs

Mavericks- 104

Spurs- 89

Mavericks vs Spurs coverage

PtR QuickCap: Manu is back, Spurs Slash Raptors 131-124, Pop Suffers Brain Aneurysm

Tim C. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:07:35 -0000

Yeah, that's right: 131-124. Not the way we're used to the Spurs winning games, and not exactly Pop's favorite way to win. But it was inevitable, and a W is a W. And that was fun, wasn't it?

About an hour before the game, the Spurs sent out word that Tim Duncan would not be playing. At that moment, the fate of tonight's boxscore was sealed. Without Tim Duncan, the Spurs had no chance of guarding Toronto's frontcourt tandem of Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani. Luckily, the Raptors play some of the worst defense in the NBA.

So the Spurs had to be extremely aggressive to win this game, and they came out of the gate looking to attack the rim. George Hill got things started in the first half, with some help from Richard Jefferson and Matt Bonner. Yes, Matt Bonner - in case you didn't know, he's wicked awesome. He even embarrassed the Raps by getting to the rim. Repeatedly. One such time, he even ate Toronto's Hoagie:

I'm waiting for a comet to hit after this. Or maybe a Red Rocket.

We also were hitting the boards like crazy. Or at least, some of the Spurs were. Antonio McDyess had his best game as a Spur, with 10 rebounds and 3 assists to go with his 7 points, and he made Chris Bosh's life a lot less easy on the defensive end. RJ had 8 boards, Cubits had 5, and the prime deity of PtR got 8 rebounds, but we'll get to him in a minute. Dejuan Blair had 7 rebounds in a decidely human performance. He'd better be saving the beastliness for the Mavs game on Wednesday. By the end of the game, the Spurs had a 41-29 rebounding advantage, and at half it was 21-13. (We must have been getting outrebounded in prior games because of that selfish bastard Tim Duncan. Who does that guy think he is?)

Anyway, the game went into the half tied at 63, despite the Raptors shooting 63% to our 42%. Yeah, it helps when you rebound the basketball, doesn't it? Only turning the ball over 3 times in each half is also helpful to your cause.

When the second half started, we were just trading baskets with the Raptors, but it soon became obvious that Manu Ginobili was back for this game. Manu was the spark driving the offense, and his 4 blocks made him a force on the defensive end as well. Even though we were down by 2 after the 3rd quarter, there was an unmistakable feeling that with Manu, everything was going to turn out right in the end. The man was possessed, driving past, around, and between defenders, attacking from all angles, and making all the right passes. Oh, and the 3-point shooting was deadly. It was vintage Manu, using every weapon in his arsenal to declaw the Raptors.

Here's your boxscore, courtesy of Hipuks:

Your 3 Stars

Antonio McDyess - No, he didn't fill up the box score like others did. But he was the only thing resembling interior defense. He forced turnovers, rebounded like a madman, and generally made it harder for Bosh to keep his rhythm after a hot start. (Honorable mention to George Hill, who did a hell of a job filling in for Tony tonight.)

Richard Jefferson - 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. This is precisely why the Spurs traded for RJ: another creator on offense when one or more of the Big 3 are out. Somebody on SpursTalk said RJ was a one-dimensional scorer - I think they might want to reconsider that statement.

Manu Ginobili - Did you expect anyone else? 36 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks. There's nothing Manu can't do. I think all the attention being paid to Blair got to Manu, and he had to remind us all who the most unstoppable bench player in the league really is. I think all of PtR is glad to have the Manu Ginobili back.

Damn, that was fun. Now let's put up even more points on Dallas. Or, just winning would be nice.

3 In the Key - Toronto Raptors Game-Day Preview vs. San Antonio

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:00:39 -0000

by Sam Forencich - NBAE/Getty Images

The Raptors catch a break not having to face Tony Parker tonight - now they've gotta take advantage.

View full size photo »

It's been a tale of two cities so far on this road trip for the Toronto Raptors. First they thumped the New Orleans Hornets, then got wacked themselves by the Dallas Mavericks' high-octane offense. Tonight the Dinos take on the Spurs looking to finish off their mini road-swing with a W...

I guess you could say fans have seen the highs and lows on this road trip so far.

The highs, starting with Chris Bosh and ending with Toronto's deadly long-range offense when clicking, the lows, perimeter defense, rebounding and decision-making.

The question on many a fan's mind right now therefore is "which team is going to show up each night?"

The one that drops 14 triples on the opponent, running them out of the gym?

Or the one that can't seem to get stops, and despite all the scoring it does, loses in an "OK Corral Shoot-out" type game.

It's a good question, and one that Jay Triano and his staff are going to have to work on answering each and every game, preferably by having the club show some balance between the two scenarios. With such a lack of interior scoring (it's essentially Bosh and...the occasional Hedo or Jose lay-up) the defence needs to be able to keep the opponent in check at times when the jump shots just aren't falling.

Tonight Toronto will get to test both ends of the spectrum against the mighty San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs, while looking like a pre-season favourite to head back to the Western Conference Finals, haven't looked all that impressive to start the season. They come in with a sub .500 record and have lost two straight. I've seen them play a few times already this season, and while they're still trying to acclimatize some new players, the club just doesn't look as deadly as other Western powers like Los Angeles and Dallas. For the Raptors then, there may not be a better time to catch the Spurs on the schedule, especially since it sounds like Tony Parker is going to be sitting this one out with a sore ankle.

It's a-propos then that we kick off our "3 Keys" with a look at the point guard position...

1) Battle at the 1.

It was great to see the Jose Calderon that we all know and love back in effect the past two games. Even with another ball-handler on the court in Hedo Turkoglu, and a competent back-up this season in Jarrett Jack, the team still depends on Jose's sharp-shooting to make opponents pay on screen-and-roll situations, a key element to TO's offence.

Defensively Jose has still had his struggles but tonight at least he won't have to chase around the uber-quick Tony Parker. George Hill will likely get the start and while a better defender than Parker, he likely won't wreak the same sort of havoc in the paint as Parker.

That's why I'm looking squarely at Jose to lead the charge tonight. He should be able to keep his man in front of him on D, and on O, find open looks by running Hill through various screen-and-roll scenarios. If Jose gets up into the double digit assist range, hits his open looks and keeps Hill from being a scoring option, that bodes extremely well for a Raptors' win.

2) 3-Point Shooting.

It's no secret that this will probably be a reoccurring key all season for Toronto. This is the team's forte and when they are on and get open looks, it's trouble for the opposing team.

The interesting thing is that the San Antonio Spurs give up the second least 3-point attempts in the league, barely falling behind the LA Clippers of all teams, in this category. And in addition, the Spurs on offense, have thrown up almost as many as the Raps so far this season, although they haven't had the same success in making them.

That's why I feel that this key could really be a decider this evening.

Here we have a Raptors' team that tends to live and die by the 3-ball, and a San Antonio team that excels in preventing opponents from tossing them up. Toronto is in fact averaging almost nine made 3's a game, whereas San Antonio is giving up only four on average.

Something's going to have to give, and we'll see tonight if it's SA's D or Toronto's long-range shooting.

3) Andrea Bargnani.

Aaah the nightly X Factor. When he's on offensively and working hard to defend and grab rebounds, he can take Toronto to another level of play. He did some nice work against Dallas but just isn't on the same level as his doppelganger, Dirk Nowitzki. Tonight however he'll be able to take advantage of his range and quickness as he'll likely be matched up against players that like to reside more in the paint such as Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess.

If he can get going early and mix it up inside, then the Raptors become much-less one-dimensional offensively, posing a tougher task for the veteran Spurs.

Tonight's game tips off at 8:30 PM on Raptors TV for those with access, and of course we'll be live blogging and posting a link to a feed as well.

I expect a close, hard-fought match, and hopefully Toronto can squeeze out the win.