Saturday, November 26, 2005

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. HORNETS

FINAL SCORE HORNETS 105 SONICS 99

Hornets 91 Sonics 82 with 4:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Ray Allen has fouled out.
Even when Seattle is playing good defensive possessions they aren’t getting the rebounds. That was the difference in the third quarter. The Sonics rebounded.


Hornets 89 Sonics 80 with 5:43 left in the 4th Quarter
Allen gets his 5th foul with 8:25 left in the 4th Quarter. Score 83-77 Hornets.
Speedy Claxton has 5 fouls with 7:35 left.
Flip just allowed a wide open shot off a pick when he made no effort to defend
Flip has one F******* job and that is too guard Smith and while his 4 teammates were busting theit A** he left him open with 3 on the shot clock for a dagger 3 ************
Profanity is a blog first if that gives any idea how this is going.

Hornets 82 Seattle 77 with 8:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle played a good defensive quarter in the 3rd holding the Hornets efficiency down to 92. They did most of that on the defensive glass where they had allowed the Hornets to get 43% of their offensive rebounds in the first half and just 22% in the third quarter.


Hornets 77 Sonics 70 at the end of 3 quarters.
Defensive breakdowns again and again.
Flip Murray came in when the Sonics were down 2, he was -5 for this stint.
Flip is -10 on the day.
Flip is -87 for the season.

Hornets 69 Sonics 67 with 2:22 left in the 3rd Quarter
For all of you who are Reggie Evans fans you could take the last 3 minutes of video and plead your case against my video from earlier in the game. That is the essence of Reggie.
I have added a new defensive evaluation (XX) it is for excellent. It is when Lewis steps in front of a pass and takes it the other way for a dunk or Reggie gets a charge.
So far this half – XX=2 G=5 OK=2 B=7


Hornets 62 Sonics 57 with 5:51 left in the 3rd Quarter
Lewis should be able to destroy Nachbar.
Ray Allen just got his 4th foul with 6:57 left in the Quarter
Allen talked Weiss into leaving him in the game or Weiss was going to do it any way.
I am charting Good (G) Ok (OK) and Bad (B) defensive possessions. This is subjective but it is the best I can do.
So far this half – G=4 OK=2 B=4
The bads have been penetration and poor rotations.


Hornets 55 Sonics 47 at Half Time.
I mentioned earlier that Paul + Claxton are a tough match-up because the Sonics don’t have guards that can post up. With Allen out with 3 fouls the Sonics have turned to Flip Murray.
Flip has had a terrible +/- this season. Today he is a – 5. Despite scoring 9 points.
The Sonics defensive schemes seemed confused.

Hornets 52 Sonics 43 with 2:26 left in the 2nd Quarter
Points in the paint is 22-10
I have never been a Reggie Evans fan if I needed a video to prove my point I would run the last 4 minutes of basketball.
This is very disturbing.

Hornets 44 Sonics 40 with 5:19 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics took their first free throws of the game at the 7:39 mark of the 2nd Quarter.
Both teams are now in the bonus. See you in an hour when it is finally halftime.
Seattle has gone zone
Reggie Evans has clogged the last two offensive possessions. I wonder if he has an understanding of how he clogs things.
Flip Murray has gone 1 on 1 for two baskets.


This is my image for the day to describe the action. With the Sonics in the bonus at the 10:05 market of the quarter the Hornets are going to the line trip after trip and it is like watching grass grow

Hornets 36 Sonics 32 with 9:37 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Hornets are in the bonus with 10:20 left in the quarter.
I think a great deal of the Sonics defensive problem is that team come in thinking the Sonics can’t defend so then they come in and are super aggressive going to the basket
Flip sighting he is in the game. The Score was 35-32 Hornets when he entered.
Mateen Cleaves has done a nice job containing the ball.

Sonics 29 Hornets 29 at end of the 1st Quarter
Sonics just ran a play where they made one pass to Wilkins. He held the ball for a moment or two and then jacked a 17 footer. I just can’t imagine that anyone thought that was what the play should have been.
Chris Paul is very nifty. He can get wherever he wants to on the floor.
The Hornets are getting to the basket every time they want to. What is disturbing is that it isn’t as though the Sonics aren’t trying.
The Sonics are on the verge of allowing another 60 point half if they don’t buckle down.

Sonics 20 Hornets 19 with 2:55 left in the 1st Quarter
Hornets have Claxton and Paul together this has to be the smallest combo in the league.
This is a tough combo for the Sonics. Allen and Ridnour are poor one on one defenders and neither have a post-game to take advantage of their lack of size.
The Sonics simply don’t protect their basket. The Hornets are getting inside without problem.
The Sonics offense is playing very well. They have Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Vlady and Nick on the floor


Hornets 13 Sonics 10 with 5:46 left in the 1st Quarter
David West meet Reggie Evans. I am not sure what happened but David West just left the game after getting hit in the mouth/face/nose and I can only assume that Reggie was a part of it.
Valdy is trying but his decision making when he puts it on the floor needs to be improved greatly.
Early signs are that Chris Paul is pretty terrific.
I am putting a really close eye on our defense to see what is wrong. The early thoughts are that the Sonics just show very little resistance to anything the other team is doing.
In addition, the path to the basket is wide open.

Storylines
1) Sonics defense against a poor offensive team
2) Reggie Evans in the starting line-up
3) Luke Ridnour needs to step up on Chris Paul
4) #2 offensive rebounding team (Hornets) v. #30 defensive rebounding team

Sonics will change the starting line-up with Reggie Evans starting in place of Johan Petro and moving Collison to the center position.

Sonics Inactives: Rick Brunson, Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko

NO BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Sorry thier was no way to complete beyond the box score in between returning from the high school game and getting ready for today's 12:30 tip-off. My apology.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. LAKERS

KOBES 108 Sonics 96 Final Score

Lakers 99 Sonics 83 with 4:00 left
The rout is on.
Kobe has 29 in the second half.
Seattle had no answer.
It is hard to tell if the Sups defense was that bad. Kobe was just unreal.
However, it is fair to say it wasn’t good. They have played just one good defensive game all year and that was against Chicago. This is not going to get it done


Lakers 89 Sonics 76 with 6:26 in the game
In the first 30 minutes Kobe had 5 pts.
In the next 10 minutes Kobe had 20 pts.
Lakers have been hitting the three all night. So has every opponent of the Sonics.
Sups have scored on just 4 of their last 13 possessions.
Their offense is out of sorts. It is almost exclusively Lewis in the post.
I have seen very little pick and roll.


Kobes 85 Sonics 76 with 8:36 left in the game
Kobe is in that special place.
He has now shot on 11 straight possessions and taken 11 of the last 13 Laker shots.
Ray is trying to asnwer and has missed two straight.
Seattle's last 4 shot attempts are all three's.
Cleaves hit a big one.


Lakers 79 Sonics 71 end of the 3rd Quarter
It is Kobe’s world. Back to back 3’s to close the quarter
Kobe is on a 13-7 run with 2 from Chris Mihm off a Kobe miss
Kobe shot on the final 7 possession of the 3rd Quarter. Scoring 11 points.
Kobe had more three’s in the third quarter then he has had all year coming in to the game.
Kobe took 8 shots in the Quarter – 6 were jumpers, 2 were on drives.
That is what you want defensively but Kobe is in the zone.
Luke shot on 5 straight possessions



Lakers 68 Sonics 67 with 2:06 left in the 3rd Quarter
Kobe is trying to get it going but Seattle is doing a really nice job defending his game.
The Lakers guards are physically pounding the Sups guards.
Luke hit two big shots after struggling most of the night. That shows a ton.


Lakers 58 Seattle 57 with 5:33 left in the 3rd Quarter
Seattle is not valuing the possessions
Kobe is sharing the ball. Now get off the floor and keep reading. Kobe is creating for his teammates and getting wide-open looks for Cook, Parker, etc,
The Sonics are running the game almost entirely through Rashard in the post.
This game has grinded to a halt.
The Sonics need more out of Luke Ridnour then they are getting from him right now.
Petro has been very poor tonight.
Nick Collison has 5 fouls
Lakers go into the bonus at the 6:20 mark of the 3rd Quarter. Look for Kobe to put his head down and go one on one to get to the line.


Sonics 51 Lakers 43 at the Half
The big man combo of Vlady and Reggie which was outstanding for Seattle last year has been successful tonight for Seattle.
Reggie Evans is dominating this game with havoc.
Give Coach Weiss credit for his communication with these guys to have Reggie in the correct mind set to be ready to go tonight.
Evans inability at the free throw shooting is killing his great work. He is 2 of 8 at the line.
Honestly, I am surprised this quarter went the way it did. Seattle was not playing the game in a fashion that looked like they were about to have a burst. Then they got some good defensive rebounding and got out and running and hit a few shots. Then it was Reggie time from there.


Sonics 46 Lakers 39 with 2:44 left in the 2nd Quarter
Reggie Evans has given Seattle a huge boost off the bench. He has been grabbing boards and doing what Reggie does. Then Reggie promptly overplayed his offensive hand and turned it over. Reggie doing what Reggie does.
Too often Seattle takes the first open look. I would prefer a team that had more offensive patience. On the other hand, they have struggled today in the pure half court. Maybe it is just a team playing to its strength.


Sonics 41 Lakers 36 with 5:24 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sups have scored on 8 of their last 10 possessions.
Vlady has hit three threes.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has improved and that is allowing them to get out and run and get some easier looks.
They were able to do this with Ray Allen on the bench. That has rarely happened this year.
Mateen Cleaves has not played particularly well, but he is on the floor as the Sonics make this surge.

Sonics 29 Lakers 28 with 8:41 left in the 2nd Quarter
My favorite line is if you play the game right you will get dividends. On that theory the Lakers are about to run away from the Sonics.
Lakers bench is not very strong. The Sonics are taking advantage.
Valdy has hit two long bombs in the early offense. Remember Vlady hit 8 threes at Staples Center last year against the Lakers.


Lakers 24 Sonics 19 end of the 1st Quarter.
Last year the offense sparkled when the bigs got down the floor and set picks that freed Ray and Lew. It didn’t always lead to baskets but it forced the defense into a scramble that the Sonics eventually took advantage of. This year none of the exists. Instead, it s much more one on one and more flex offense. The Sonics aren’t getting nearly the space on the floor offensively that they need.
On the other hand, they have walked their way up to 10th in the league offensively so this may be off point


Lakers 20 Sonics 13 with 2:26 left in the first Quarter
Seattle had become three dependent. In the last 7 half court possessions they have taken 6 three point shots. They hit just one of them.
With the selfish one on the bench Lamar Odom is getting to play. He has 8 points and 6 rebounds.

Lakers 14 Sonics 9 with 5:25 left in the 1st quarter
Foul trouble is the early story. Kobe left with 2 fouls 5 possessions into the game.
He promptly reminded the official that no one came to watch him and that they all came to see Kobe.
What will the selfish one do to get his 30 shots off.
Nick Collison has 2 fouls also.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been poor. 9 to 5 Laker advantage.




Storylines

1) The selfish one (Kobe). The Lakers are having internal disputes about Kobe. How do they react today
2) Can the Sonics putrid defense coral a bad Lakers offense.
3) Sonics surviving when Ray Allen goes to the bench.

Inactives
Sonics: Danny Fortson, Rick Brunson, Robert Swift
Lakers: Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Slava Medvedemko

SONICS PLAYING PAIRS FOR BIG MEN

82games.com keeps track of playing pairs. In other words how a team does when combinations of two players are on the floor together. I find this very valuable with big men combinations. Here are the Sonics big men combo's so far this season.

Playing Pair Mins +/- for 48 mins
Nick and Vitaly: 21 mins +22.4
Nick and Reggie: 36 min +11
Reggie and Petro: 28 mins +8.3
Vlady and Vitaly: 73 min -2
Nick and Petro: 104 mins -3.7
Nick and Danny: 70 mins -8.8
Vlady and Nick: 94 mins -9.2
Vlady and Reggie: 17 mins -11. 2
Reggie and Danny: 7 mins -12.6
Vlady and Danny: 26 mins -16.6
Reggie and Vitaly 46 mins -18.6
Vlady and Petro: 31 mins -27.3


Conclusion: It is not good to see Vlady and Petro on the bottom because if Petro could rebound that would be a nice line-up to use. Not surprising Nick is on the top of the list. Only surprised it is not with Vlady. Notice it is when he is playing the 4 and either Reggie or Vitaly is handling the 5. Reggie and Vitaly has been the 4th most used combo and it is a bad one on surface and in the numbers.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE - November 22

Cleveland 115 Boston 93 – Cleveland is on fire. This team is the real deal. Early in the year they were just playing the game on the offensive end, but first year Head Coach Mike Brown is out of the Greg Popovich and Rick Carlisle school of coaching so you knew the defense would come ….. The Cavs have won 8 straight …. The Cavs are crushing people at home by more then 20 points a game …. LaBron amazes every time he touches the floor. He had 36 for the second straight game. He had 36 points on 20 shot attempts. Kobe and AI have never done that. …. Larry Hughes has clicked in for the Cavs as well … When Delonte West got hurt and the Celtics turned to Dan Dikau is when the game got out of control.

Denver 108 Washington 105 – I have said it all year. Marcus Camby is the key to the Nuggets. When he goes they go. The issue is if he will go all year. If he does they will win the division with ease … Camby has 9 double doubles in 12 games …. Arenas has 36 but was just 1 of 6 in the 4th Quarter … The Wizards have lost 4 in a row … AD was taking out of the starting line-up and went 0 for 10 off the bench. He is now shooting just 35% and is 1 of 11 from 3. If you recall he slumped in the second half of the season last year. I still bet he doesn’t play over 60 games this season. Surprisingly, AD’s assist to turnover ratio has not been very strong recently …. Kenyon Martin returns for Denver soon, but Denver is 5-0 without him in the line-up …. Carmelo Anthony went to the line 22 times. That is a sign of development in his game. He didn’t have his shot just 5 of 17, but he stayed very aggressive …. Francisco Elson was +11 in 21 minutes for the Nuggets

Portland 95 Memphis 87 --- I have wondered how long Eddie Jones and Damon Stoudamire can hold up. They didn’t last night, they were 5 of 20. …. Portland is winning games because teams are taking them lightly and not getting up for the game and the Blazers are playing very hard … Portland took 33 free throws to Memphis 15 … The Joel Przybilla and Theo Ratliff combo act is playing very well for Portland. Last night they comboed for 41 minutes 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks …. Shane Battier another strong offensive game … Juan Dixon was +16 for the Blazers and Travis Outlaw was +12 …. Mike Miller had a nice box score but the Griz were -17 when he was on the floor.

Dallas 102 Houston 93
– Houston drops to 3-8 …. I thought Dallas was going to struggle a little bit without Finley, but it is clear that Nowitski has reached a level where he is so good that he can carry any load … Jason Terry had 29. I was not a Terry fan when he was in Atlanta. However, he is scoring consistently enough that his shoot first pass second approach is becoming acceptable … Dallas is playing without Van Horn and Stackhouse …Luther Head replaced Derek Anderson is the starting line-up and busted out for 28 points, however, Houston was -18 when he was on the floor, 10 worse then anyone else on the club.

Phoenix 90 Toronto 82 – Shawn Marion almost had a triple double with double-figures in points, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. He had 18 rebounds and 9 on both the offensive and defensive ends … Phoenix went 4 of 25 from 3 and still won. … Phoenix won the rebounding battle 52-43 …. Morris Peterson of Toronto was +15 in the 20 minutes he played and in the 28 minutes he was on the bench the Raptors were -23. However, Sam Mitchell didn’t play Peterson for the final 18 minutes .. Kurt Thomas was -14 in 17 minutes on the floor for Phoenix ….

MARINERS STRIKE OUT ON DELGADO


The Seattle Mariners have missed on their #1 target in the off-season. Carlos Delgado will become a member of the New York Mets. The Mariners have said they want to acquire a left handed power bat and Delgado was the best on the market.

According to my sources, the Mariners were willing to part with a good deal of talent to acquire Delgado. However, the Marlins have decided that the Mets deal of a young first baseman and a AA pitcher was superior to anything the Mariners could offer.

This is a big miss for the Mariners, because the two primary left-hand bats are now off the market in Matsui and Delgado. It is also a sad statement that teams around baseball are not impressed by the Mariners youth.

Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals who is coming off a poor year last year and has a the back of a baseball card that makes you wonder if steroid testing impacting his game is rumored to be the next target for the Mariners.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. JAZZ

UTAH 93 SONICS 87 FINAL SCORE !!!
A great effort late but not enough for Seattle.
The margain of error is so slim when you fall behind like Seattle did when they are playing that slow a game. That was too much to overcome.


Jazz 84 Sonics 79 with 3:30 left in the 4th Quarter
Hold on Seattle on a 10-0 RUN !!!!!
Does Utah know how to close without their scorers
Seattle has scored on 8 straight possessions since Ostertag left the game.

Utah 84 Seattle 74 with 5:05 left in the 4th Quarter
As a fan of basketball there is something to be said about this game. Utah on the back end of a back to back. Playing their 4th game in 5 nights, without 3 starters and their 6th man should never be able to play with the Sonics. However, if you play the game with a focus and a plan and the correct way you can take the athleticism out of the game and make it a different game. Utah played with a precision that Seattle couldn’t match. Talent was displayed in a different fashion then we are used to seeing.


Utah 77 Seattle 64 with 8:23 left in the 4th Quarter.
Everytime you go to the basket against the Jazz you get blasted. It is Sloan basketball.
Fear the Tag – Greg Ostertag is dominating this game with his size.
If you play the game the right way you get dividends and the Jazz are playing it correctly and the Sonics are trying to make it easy.


Utah 73 Seattle 60 at the end of the 3rd Quarter
Nick Collison leaves with 2:03 left in the 3rd Quarter with 4 fouls
VALUE EVERY POSSESSION. Seattle just had three key possessions decided by Potapenko and Cleaves. They seem totally unable to get Ray Allen free.
When Ray is dribbling a lot it is a bad sign. That is not his game.
Seattle broke again. They looked much better and then when they went to the bench the guys that came off weren’t ready to match the intensity and Seattle fell apart again.


Utah 68 Sonics 58 with 2:17 left in the 3rd Quarter.
Reggie Evans enters the game with the Sonics down by 17
Kris Humphries just threw a ridiculous alley-opp and the look on Jerry Sloan’s face was great. He then subbed him out.
Seattle is battling but they have put themselves in such a hole that every mistake pushes them back considerably.
They must value every possession.
Utah is playing so slow and methodical that it is hard to tell much about Deron Williams.
Greg Ostertag is a force with his length inside.


Utah 61 Sonics 44 with 7:48 left in the 3rd quarter
A sign that Seattle is breaking the offense and that Utah is getting the best of them is that we are seeing lots of dribbling.
I said this in the first half but I will mention it again. Utah’s entire system is based on making you go the easy route. Seattle is falling into the trap again. They are never making the extra pass or stressing the defense.


START OF THE SECOND HALF
Sonics offensive game plan was to run via their defense, go at Gordan Giricek and space the floor and exploit the Jazz lack of athleticism. None of those happened.
Utah starts Vlady in the second half in place of Petro. That relates to the above.


Utah 51 Seattle 38 at the half
Seattle wilted down the stretch and broke down defensively. Utah's style does that to you. They mentally try to break you for the entire game and if you blink they jump on it. Tonight Utah is on their game. The only answer is to break them.
Utah is killing Seattle in the half-court.


Utah 44 Seattle 34 with 1:37 left in the 2nd Quarter
The answer to what Utah is doing is to match it. Seattle did for a possession or two and then they fell off again.
Danny Fortson just cost Seattle another point with a “lane violation” on Ray Allen’s free throw.
Fortson has single-handedly put the Jazz into the penalty.
The idea of going to Danny tonight made sense to add some energy, but he doesn’t value a possessions in a game where the first quarter had just 20 trips up and down the floor you can’t afford to have a guy cost you a few possessions or give them easy buckets at the free throw line.
Utah has knocked Seattle out of its game and they are no making dumb plays.


Utah 37 Seattle 27 with 3:58 left in the 2nd Quarter.
Wow this is brutal.
The bad Danny Fortson arrived today. In a slow game like this you can’t afford to lose this many possessions. Fortson just cost the Sonics 3. That will likely be 3 of 21 possessions in the quarter. That is hue.
This game is a grinder. Nobody is running at all. The Jazz lull you to sleep and then bust out a sharp cut for a backdoor lay-up or a good look. Seattle is playing right into their hands.
Utah’s defense is good.
The battle of strengths are both going to Utah.
Seattle is getting frustrated offensively and taking it one on one rather then executing an offense.


Utah 27 Seattle 23 with 7:46 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle needs one offensive burst. Utah won’t be able to counter.
Utah is finding seams to drive. Let me see if I can explain this. The Sonics bigs are dropping back off the big who is setting the pick to allow the guard to get under the pick and get through. However, when the guard gets through the Sonics aren’t tight enough so there is room to drive and the Utah guards are going so fast that Seattle is slow to react


I have decided to have a new feature. A visual to tell the story




Jazz 19 Sonics 14 end of 1st Quarter
Wake me up at halftime.
Weiss is furious about how often the Jazz are going over the Sonics backs for rebounds.
Seattle continues to struggle without Ray Allen on the floor
Utah is relentless on the boards. Seattle is going to have to match that challenge
Seattle is looking for the easy route on offense and that is exactly what Jerry Sloan predicates his entire defensive system on. He believes teams will always go the easy way.
Utah is playing frighteningly slow



Jazz 11 Sonics 9 with 3:37 left in the 1st Quarter

My first impression of Utah is that this is the no shower team.
Utah is playing their 4th game in 5 nights.
It is obvious that if you defend Utah they are going to have a hard time scoring.
The only way Utah is going to score is to out execute you or to have you breakdown entirely on defense.
Okur might have the best pump fake I have seen.
Not much feel yet for this game


Storylines
1) Strengths v. Strengths. The Sonics good offense against the good defense of the Jazz and the poor Sonics defense against the poor offense of the Jazz.
2) Rebounding. The Sonics are 29th in the NBA in defensive rebounding
3) Playing stronger and tougher then the Jazz
4) Bench play against the depleted Jazz.

Inactives
Jazz: Kirlenko, Boozer, Keith McLoed (3 starters) also Matt Harpring is out.
Sonics: Mikki Moore, Robert Swift and Rick Brunson

HAWKS CAN CLINCH SUNDAY

Yes that is true. If the Hawks win and the Rams lose the Hawks will win their second straight NFC West title. Last time I checked I haven't had Thansgiving dinner yet. That is amazing.

Monday, November 21, 2005

DOES PETER GAMMONS KNOW SOMETHING?

In his ESPN.com piece today Gammons wrote the following .... So Carlos Delgado will soon follow Beckett out of Florida -- a West Coast team might be where he winds up -- as will Juan Pierre.

I have been talking about this for weeks. The Mariners and the Marlins have been in heavy talks for these two. The question is what will it cost the Mariners. Word on the street is the deal could be a Gil Meche, Jeremy Reed and Jose Lopez.

I AM OUT OF TOWN

My apology. I am currently out of town for an early Thanksgiving with my family in the Bay Area. I will return on Tuesday for the Sonics and the Jazz.

THE MARLINS DEAL TIES TO THE MARINERS

Does the Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell deal to the Red Sox impact the Mariners? In fact, it might. According to sources, the Mariners have been in constant discussions with the Marlins about both Carlos Delgado and Juan Pierre.

At issue is what direction the Marlins are taking. If the Marlins are in the midst of a major re-build or a major salary dump the Mariners believe they have the players to form a deal. I am not certain on what combination of players would be involved but, logic would dictate some combination of Gil Meche, Jeremy Reed maybe even Jose Lopez and others.

Delgado would give the Mariners the left-handed bat they so desperately desire. Pierre would legitimize centerfield. Both come with significant contracts.

Again the issue is whether or not the move of Beckett and Lowell is a significant salary dump that the Marlins are done or is this first of many salary-dumping deals.