04/25/24
June 06, 2012
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Aww...we're not making fun of this kid are we?
posted by NoMich at 06:51 AM on June 06, 2012
Aww...we're not making fun of this kid are we?
Absolutely not. He might even get to hand out the participation trophies to the Heat after game 6.
posted by tahoemoj at 10:57 AM on June 06, 2012
Apparently he wasn't commenting on this play.
Guarding a guy who you are twice as quick as, who also is slowed by a bad knee, and you sag and give him space for a 3? I'd say no effort.
But I do enjoy the kid's enthusiasm.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:04 AM on June 06, 2012
What? How is that an effort issue? It was a bad decision, especially in retrospect, but it was well contested and I don't understand how you could call that a poor effort. Unless you just really hate the Heat, then it makes sense.
posted by tron7 at 11:42 AM on June 06, 2012
Is someone going to set up a confidence pool (using that SpoFi-created web tool) for Euro2012? Who has the keys to that website?
(I won't have time to update lineups each game, so I won't be playing the fantasy pool in the locker room. But a one-and-done confidence pool would be more my speed.)
posted by grum@work at 11:46 AM on June 06, 2012
Both of these Confernce Finals have been crazy. It was just a week ago that Miami and San Antonio looked destined to meet in the Finals and now they're both down 3-2.
posted by tron7 at 11:57 AM on June 06, 2012
Sorry for the Red Sox-centric nature of the articles, but I'm fascinated by this year's MLB draft machinations.
posted by yerfatma at 12:07 PM on June 06, 2012
Both of these Confernce Finals have been crazy. It was just a week ago that Miami and San Antonio looked destined to meet in the Finals and now they're both down 3-2.
I don't want to jinx anything, but both conference finals have a chance to produce that most intriguing of playoff series results:
A six game series where team A wins the first two, then team B wins the next four.
As in 1977 Blazers - Sixers; 1996 Yankees - Braves.
Trumped only by the seven game series where team A wins the first three and then loses the next four (2004 Red Sox - Yankees).
posted by beaverboard at 12:14 PM on June 06, 2012
Guarding a guy who you are twice as quick as, who also is slowed by a bad knee, and you sag and give him space for a 3? I'd say no effort.
That was a low percentage, contested, long shot. As a defender, you dream of players taking that one over and over again because it's not likely they'll hit a lot of them. Shane Battier has made a career out of getting people to take those shots.
posted by dfleming at 12:38 PM on June 06, 2012
Not to disagree with the general point, but check Pierce's numbers in bperk's post. Doc said he wanted Paul to drive; I definitely wanted Paul to drive. But he took it and stuck it and he has a habit of doing that, if we believe in "clutch" when it comes to basketball.
posted by yerfatma at 02:04 PM on June 06, 2012
I'd say no effort.
Consider the situation. Boston is ahead by 1, and should Pierce drive and draw the foul, he is a reliable free throw shooter and will probably put Boston ahead by 3, thus forcing Miami into a 3-point attempt to tie the game. If you do not foul him, the layup is almost automatic and results in the same situation. The worst case is to have Pierce drive to the basket, hit the layup, and get fouled in the attempt. James did the correct thing to step back and invite the 3-point shot. Pierce has shot just below 37% on 3-point attempts for his career, and this season had been shooting at 36.6%. I'm sure that LeBron was doing all of the mental math as he considered what to do on defense (yeah, right), but I really think he made the right move. The only problem is that when you give a player such as Paul Pierce the chance to hit a clutch shot, he will far too often do so.
posted by Howard_T at 03:26 PM on June 06, 2012
Pierce and the Celtics dictated the entire play, James allowed him to get exactly the shot he wanted. A shot he likes and usually makes in big situations.
Get out on him. Force him to dribble left towards the sidelines or give up the ball. Force him to do what you want him to do ... you are one of the best defenders in basketball playing against a slower, older, less athletic and injured opponent.
Let's not compare Shane Battier to LeBron James. Battier is a guy who really isn't talented enough to play in the NBA but sticks around because he knows how to be effective with the ability he has - he never takes plays off. Yes, when Battier is on defence his best approach is to get his man to shoot over him, as length might be his best asset. Entirely different scenario with James.
Lack of effort, lack of focus ... a bit of each, I think.
(disclaimer: old guy of limited athletic ability with radical opinions)
posted by cixelsyd at 03:37 PM on June 06, 2012
My well honed sense of New England doom and gloom is forcing me to be pessimistic, but damn I'd love to see the Celtics win this series.
posted by Joey Michaels at 03:56 PM on June 06, 2012
This is the only time in my life, to this point, that I am cheering for a Boston team.
In other words, they're screwed.
posted by dyams at 04:13 PM on June 06, 2012
Pierce and the Celtics dictated the entire play, James allowed him to get exactly the shot he wanted. A shot he likes and usually makes in big situations.
It might have been the shot Pierce wanted, but even his coach disagreed:
"I kind of wanted him to drive, honestly . . . I didn't know if I wanted that shot. Honestly, I thought he was going to drive it, but he made it."
It's the kind of thing that everyone loves when it goes in, but ask yourself this: would you be killing James for sagging off into the lane if Pierce missed? I'm hard-pressed to criticize a guy for the right play when it didn't work out. Also, 37% is "usually makes" now?
posted by yerfatma at 04:14 PM on June 06, 2012
A shot he likes and usually makes in big situations.
Got any stats on that? My hunch is that most people remember the clutch shots you hit and forget the ones you don't.
Pierce is a career .347 3-point shooter in the playoffs; lower than his career average in the regular season and way lower than his .456 range inside the arc in the playoffs. Factor in the fact even including that shot he's shooting an even lower .333 from behind the arc in this year's playoffs and is at the back end of a 42 other minutes of play that night where he shot 5-18 and 1-4 from behind the arc.
I agree with yerfatma; that's a fantastic shot when it goes in (especially as a Celtics fan as I am), but to suggest that LeBron, given 100 opportunities to defend him, should not let him take a contested three given his stats is preposterous. If he missed, people would be screaming at him for taking that kind of shot at that point in the game.
posted by dfleming at 05:00 PM on June 06, 2012
2012 Stanley Cup and awkward local news moments
posted by tommybiden at 09:08 PM on June 06, 2012
I loved how the producer cut away just before the correspondent got spanked- luckily, the NJ Devil gave him a LOT of lead time on that spank!
The Duck vs. Cougar beatdown below that video on that page was hilarious as well.
posted by hincandenza at 12:07 AM on June 07, 2012
That duck is nasty!
posted by cixelsyd at 10:23 AM on June 07, 2012
Good job, good effort