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Post by runrondo on Dec 12, 2018 19:51:34 GMT -5
It's fun seeing Williams get to swat a bunch of shots out there. Quick jump for sure. Smart's looking real good out there in general (his stats somehow never look great). Down 3 in the 2nd - shooting 25% from 3 with 0 FT attempts. I think if we start attacking and hitting our 3's we'll pull away.
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Post by runrondo on Dec 12, 2018 21:10:52 GMT -5
Close game in the 4th. Down 1. Still shooting only 26% from 3 and we're losing the FT battle (but we've hit all 14 of 14). Looks like we're going to have to grind this one out.
Once again, Smart making plays that cause turnovers, but doesn't get a steal added to his stats.
Williams was getting targeted on D switching onto Wall on consecutive plays, but he also got some offensive boards and some easy buckets.
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Post by runrondo on Dec 12, 2018 21:28:41 GMT -5
Going to OT. We definitely blew that. Chose to foul instead of defend the 3 and then we give up the rebound on the missed FT. Can't execute any worse than that. No issue in questioning the tactic, but you gotta get it done. Not to mention that Kyrie looked like he was trying to help us lose more than helping us. Just a little too loose with the handles and quick with the missed 3's for my taste. Morris was a beast in the 4th, though. Would be disappointing if we lose this game after it looked like we had control at the very end.
In terms of the Wizards, John Wall is always interesting and always seems to get his stats. His athleticism is unreal and I swear he had 5 or 6 consecutive plays where got a layup even when we knew it was coming. Makes you question those possessions where he hogs the ball for a mid-range jumper and why his teams never fully make the jump to contenders. Even when we beat them with Isaiah, seems like they were missing that mental edge/maturity. They'll probably win this game just as karma for me saying that previous sentence, but they've had a pretty rough season so far
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Post by runrondo on Dec 12, 2018 21:41:55 GMT -5
Well I gotta eat my words. I swear Kyrie was having a pretty bad game even with his points/stats and then he hits two massive 3s to win the game in OT. Still a little disappointed with how badly Kyrie/everyone got burned by Wall time and time again for easy layups, but that 3 was ridiculous at the end. A win is a win! Let's keep that streak going.
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Post by jmost on Dec 12, 2018 22:03:31 GMT -5
Gutty win. Sometimes you have to win ugly.
I thought Kyrie had a mediocre game too until those two killer 3's at the end. I don't understand why good offense means moving the ball most of the time but at the end of games it means Kyrie doing it by himself. When it works it's great, but when it doesn't it's ugly. I wish we didn't play that way.
Marcus Morris was huge, but I have to give this win to Marcus Smart who just was all over the place on both ends. Steals, deflections, taking charges, offensive rebounds, loose balls. He must have been responsible for 10 extra possessions. It's rare that I change my mind about a guy who's been in the league for four years, and who I've watched so much, but Smart is changing my mind about him. He still drives me crazy at times with his shot selection, but it's mostly been pretty good lately, and there's no denying he is the emotional leader of the team. Horford is the vet; Kyrie is trying to step up as the leader. But Smart seems to be the spiritual leader of this group.
Robert Williams was solid again. 6 rebs, 6 pts and 2 blocks in 12 minutes.
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 13, 2018 19:07:23 GMT -5
Runrondo, thanks for getting the game thread up.
Great win. WAS is a better team than their record. If you want to know why they lose a lot, just watch the final 5 seconds of OT; 2 consecutive deep 3-point attempts by Wall and Beal which had no shot to go in.
Does anyone think Wall attempted to match Kyrie on the final (or really second to final) shot of OT? Like, Kyrie took a Curry like 3 which went in, then Wall trots down the court and attempts a similar shot.
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Post by jmost on Dec 13, 2018 21:01:14 GMT -5
I don't know, but I have another question: How did Wall get to the rim over and over again in the 4th and OT? Was it bad D or is he just that good?
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Post by runrondo on Dec 14, 2018 8:14:24 GMT -5
Earlier in the 4th they got Williams to switch onto Wall and even though he gave it his best effort I say he was at fault for poor positioning and getting too close to a speedy Wall. Rather see Wall shoot a long 2 or 3 by sagging way off of him than get a layup. Otherwise, it did seem like he beat Kyrie and Terry off the dribble way too easily. He's fast and good, but after a couple in a row you'd think we could do a better job. Not too mention the theme of us getting torched by these guards this season can't be a coincidence. It's not as shocking when it's someone like John Wall, but we've had lesser players look like all-stars against us even with our top defense.
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Post by Roadrunner on Dec 14, 2018 18:37:19 GMT -5
Because Coach had Smart on Beal. Now, Stevens could have switched Smart on Wall, however Beal would have had wide open 3s.
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