My cousin sent me an article the other day that covered a kid in Florida, Thomas Ozuna, who has taken 82 charges in 26 games. Why do I mention this? Because, there was once a time, when yours truly, also lead his team and league in charges averaging 2 charges per game my junior year and senior year. Ozuna and I had similar numbers in averaging 3.6 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game during the season, which makes out act of taking a charge a definite must for justifying our playing time.
I was the Rudy of our basketball team- five feet nothing, a hundred and nothing, without a spec of athletic ability- more mascot than player. However, I was able to play, much like I suspect the same for Ozuna, in large part to anticipating plays and being able to read the offensive flow. I was not quick, my feet are more like stones than anything, but I was able to see the play develop or what an opponent wanted to do in order to be in position to take a charge. My teammates loved it. Opponents hated it. I was compared to Vlade Divac on more than one occasion. I didn’t care though, I was on the court playing and making a difference on the defensive end, which was a great sense of pride for me during those days.
So, when my cousin sent me that article it made me chuckle. It made me relive the old days when I took charges on a regular basis, whether it was game, practice, or a pick game; I took charges (I even took a charge on cement during a three on three tournament. I got the call). It also made me think of what a charge means and what it signifies during the course of a basketball game. Individually, it shows that you are a team player that will stand in there and take a hit. A charge shows that you are not scared of contact and that you have positioned your body to be put in harms way. It’s the ultimate self-sacrificing move in sports that equals or is greater than the shortstop or second basemen staying composed to turn a double play as a runner bears down upon you or the blitz pick up by a running back on a hard charging linebacker. The player about to take the punishment is basically sitting there in a kill zone awaiting their doom. But when the play is over, the elation and joy makes it all worth it. The team loves it and the crowd is even more appreciative of your efforts.
All of this brings us to this edition of the Sunday Hangover and Rivalry Week. With a month left till Selection Sunday I wanted to break down what teams, and players, looked at a runaway freight train coming at them and stayed to take the hit, and others who saw that same train and moved aside in an ole type fashion. Without further adieu, here is the week in review.
The Baylor Sinking Ship
I would like to throw out a Jeopardy like question to you, the audience. I was a projected lottery pick, but when the stage is brightest I seem to turtle up and shrink, much like my team. If you answered- Who is Perry Jones III, well you would be correct. How can I consider Jones a top NBA prospect when he has put up nine points in his last two games, while putting together horrendous shooting performances? I can’t and his play coincides with Baylor’s struggles against the upper echelon teams of the country.
Baylor is not a good defensive team. They are not even mediocre, so when the other team hits 14 three’s and the game begins to slip away then it is curtains for Baylor and their zone defense; a defense that has so many holes it can double as a sinking ship. Baylor outrebounded Mizzou, by a large margin in this game, a key of emphasis from the last meeting, especially on the offensive glass, but the Bears were not able to convert those second chance points. Once again, Phil Pressey and the Tiger guards carved up Baylor combing for 63 of the 72 points Mizzou scored. Ouch and Wow.
Baylor needs to remember that the tournament is a guard’s game and if they are getting torched like this in the regular season, then it will be a short stay for them heading into March. Missouri, on the other hand, is a team I thought was to small, but they have proven their toughness and quickness can combat the length and height of other teams. My cousin told me Missouri would be a Final Four team in November and I laughed, but as I keep watching I am slowly starting to believe. If they can continue to hit their three’s then the Tigers will be a tough out come March.
Missouri came hard charging at Baylor and Baylor blinked and moved out of the way.
The Mountain West Conference
As a west coast guy, I was sad at the beginning of the season with the prospects of west coast basketball. I saw California was top ranked team, though I knew differently, fall down the rankings. I saw Arizona fall out of the rankings with inconsistent play. The Pac 12 was going to be rough to watch and that is supposed to be a power conference. Uhh, not so much. Gonzaga, the west coast constant, even fell victim, slightly, to their usual standards of success, as they tried to bring along a young team. I could just see the east coast fans turning their noses up at us west coast viewers.
Then came UNLV and San Diego State charging up the charts and bringing the MWC with them. UNLV had an early season victory, against then #1 North Carolina in Las Vegas, and has ridden that success to a tie for first in conference play and a heads up to March Madness hopefuls that they are for real. This UNLV squad defends, they run and they are athletic. Led by forward Mike Moser who averages a double-double, this Rebels team is very capable of making a deep run into the tournament.
The Rebels counterpart on Saturday, San Diego State, is team that was expected to take a step back this season after their Sweet Sixteen run a year ago. With the departure of Kawhi Leonard to the NBA and the loss of senior guard DJ Gay, it looked like the Aztecs, losing their top four scorers from a year ago would be in for a struggle. Not on Steve Fisher’s watch. Fisher, in his thirteenth year as the Aztec coach, has built this program into a perennial tournament invitee. Losing 4 starters would make the following year a little rough with the growing pains of freshman and new starters adjusting to their roles. However, Fisher has created an environment where his program is flourishing, especially Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley, who have filled in better than expected to provide a nice duo down in Southern California. Franklin has to be the biggest surprise coming off a season in which he averaged 3 points a game to now scoring sixteen points a game. Now that is jump.
I will just say as I watched this game I became so excited that I actually looked at when the MWC tournament was so I could drive down to Vegas to do my own personal Fear and Loathing type trip. These two teams played fast and loose like a reckless gambler on his tenth Vodka Redbull splitting aces because he is bored. This game is was a gunner’s dream, with both teams throwing wild haymaker like three’s in the opening stages. It wasn’t good basketball, but it looked a lot more fun than watching the sluggish Big Ten play football type basketball.
Ironically, UNLV almost succumbed to my gambler analogy for how teams lose games when they don’t stick to their game plan. Having took a ten point lead for nearly the entire second half, the final 3 minutes of the game saw UNLV begin to turn the ball over and shoot errant shots. Mike Moser was the Rebels go to guy all game and in the final minutes, whether the Aztecs were keying in on him more or not, you have to get him touches in the offense. Instead, the Rebels offensive attack broke down into one on one and bad shot selection. The Aztecs used drives and kicks to get back into the game, attacking the basket successfully, as they tied the game in the final minute.
The final possessions saw UNLV turn up the pressure on the Aztecs, especially Jamaal Franklin, creating a couple of steals that led to the winning basket and on the final possession the Rebels got another steal that sealed the victory.
Both teams are very well coached and have key pieces to make some heavy noise in the tournament. Both Mosier and Franklin have superstar ability to lead their teams into the tournament and they are flanked by teammates that can step up and help carry the load when called upon. These teams will not be afraid of any team they come across in March because of their matchups against each other that have the feel and look of a tournament game.
If you have not watched either team then stay tune next month for their third showdown, this is me apologizing if I jinxed the matchup, in the finals of the MWC tournament. In this game both teams ran each other over in a Rocky/ Apollo type matchup; with us the fans watching winning the most.
Vandy did more than just put a scare into Kentucky
Kentucky almost lost. Then they remembered they were Kentucky and Anthony Davis remembered he was the best player in all of the land. So, why not turn this close game into a huge Wildcat, Ashley Judd is in the stands cheering and the camera needs to cut to her more, win. And they did just that.
However, I think Vandy, Indiana as well, provided a blueprint into how to beat the Wildcats. The Cats’ are a high-octane team that loves to pressure on defense and kick and drive on offense. How can a team counteract that talent and size to topple Big Blue? You say screw their height and you stay at home on defense.
Vanderbilt surprised Kentucky by continuously going inside on Davis and the interior of Kentucky’s defense. A week ago, Kentucky was able to scare the Florida Gators into settling for long shots and not even entertaining the idea of driving in on the bigs of Kentucky and Florida lost badly. Vanderbilt said screw it and kept pounding the ball inside, eventually making Kentucky players help down that left shooters open on the perimeter. Vandy, also, used a lot of high picks to get open shots, either for the ball handler or for an open shooter after ball rotation. It was in Vandy’s ability to mix up their play calls and attack the strength of Kentucky inside that helped throw the Cat’s off defensively for the better part of the 2nd half when Vandy made their run. Kentucky, to their credit, stifled the Vanderbilt upset bid by locking down the shooters and forcing awful shots down the stretch. Kentucky displayed a defensive intensity that I have not seen from Kentucky since they ran through the tourney with Pitino’s semi-pro team back in 95. It’s the Cat’s defensive prowess that makes this team ultra scary and a lock to make the Final Four.
On the offensive end the Cat’s are able to use their speed and athleticism to get to their spots on the court. When Kentucky players drive, help must come from the wing or the post and when they turn to help, Kentucky players swoop into the basket for easy buckets. Kentucky is the best in the nation at causing teams to help and making them pay when cutters go to the basket. Kentucky’s offense is based on guards driving to the basket to kick out or find a cutter. Knowing that then, teams must adjust and stay at home and off dribble drivers. Teams need to stay under the three-point line and make Kentucky hit outside shots to win. Kentucky has only shot 184 three pointers on the season and are making 37% of those shots. Only Doron Lamb has more than forty three-point attempts, making him their primary outside threat. Last night Kentucky was 3-14 from behind the arc, with Lamb having two of them on seven shots from distance. Take away what Kentucky likes to do with their offense by bogging down the inside, which will create a slower, much more grind it out game. I like a Michigan St. type team to beat Kentucky in a neutral site because I feel Izzo would see this and exploit what Kentucky does not do well.
Vanderbilt stood in for the charge, but their feet caught the restricted line nullifying their upset big.
Speaking of Michigan St. and Tom Izzo
I rag on Big Ten Basketball as more of a football, bulldozer type conference for basketball than the up and down tempo games of the ACC and the top teams of the Big East. I do, however, like Michigan St and Tom Izzo. Yes, the other day the Spartans scored 41 points- THE ENTIRE GAME. Yuck. That is what North Carolina will score and give up in a half. Still, Izzo and the Spartans have shown over the years that the Big Ten is a grind and that when it comes to tournament time they will be ready. Izzo is the best at preparing his team and coming up with strategic game plans to enact that will bring the team success. That was more than evident by what Michigan St. did to Ohio State yesterday in Columbus.
Izzo treated this game like a tournament dress rehearsal. Izzo hounded and harassed OSU players into bad shots, Buckeyes shot 26 percent for the game, and then collected the rebounds to limit the Buckeye’s chances. The Spartans made the Buckeyes become individual players, rather than sharing the ball and making the extra pass. It was classic Spartans defense harassing and physical. The one Big Ten team that I would actually bet on to make a run.
As for Ohio State, well I am just not a believer in Jared Sullinger. He is a great player, but he is not athletic enough nor does he protect the rim enough to deter other teams from getting to the cup. Sullinger will come up against a taller, more athletic big guy in the tourney who will be able to defend and make Sullinger take difficult shots, all of which will coincide with an OSU loss.
Michigan State will always be prepared to take the charge, where OSU cannot move their feet quick enough to get to the spot.
Lets Finish Off with a some Quick Thoughts
How is Florida ranked number 7? Is college basketball that down that Florida is number 7? Ever since their back-to-back championships I feel Florida has taken leaps backwards. Had it not been for some fortuitous, I call it lucky, tournament scheduling last year I think they would have been bounced earlier rather than making an Elite 8 run. I think their inconsistent play will play a major part in an early round exit.
UNC bounced back yesterday against Virginia. I was worried about my Tar Heels and how they would react after losing to Duke in humiliating fashion. When the half concluded and it was tied I worried even more. That is until UNC woke up and began to be the offensive juggernaut that a defensive-minded Virginia team cannot, at this time, bottle up. It was a good bounce back win for a squad that can be a Tale of Two Teams at any given stretch. People say they are the best in the ACC and I won’t believe that until they can put together some complete games and close out the end of games in convincing fashion.
Next Saturday is the 2012 Bracket Buster games that will have the marquee matchup between Murray St. and St. Mary’s. I, like many others, have not paid attention to Murray St, waving them off as a nice story, but no chance at winning the Big Dance. I am glad to be able to watch them play against my freshman year college of St. Mary’s at their place for two reasons. It provides an early tournament test for St. Mary’s to go on the road in a hostile environment, especially after losing to Gonzaga in Spokane last week. This could help in the Gaels seeding and give them a boost heading into the conference tournament. Secondly, it gives Murray State a chance to show America who they are and provides them their toughest challenge, sorry Ohio Valley Conference, since beating a ranked Memphis team. Really, that was your best game? I say St. Mary’s wins a close won over in Kentucky.
Why Stars Matter
As of now, these teams would make the playoffs if the season ended right now: Philadelphia, Indiana, San Antonio, Houston, Denver, and Portland. These teams all of have something in common- They are actual teams in the sense that they share the ball, have no real pecking order, and they all play for the name on the front of the jersey and not the back, kind of like college. However, these same teams also will not be holding up the Larry O’Brien Trophy come seasons end.
Why? They don’t have that top-notch superstar on their team. Each team has good pieces in place, they play hard, and for the most part they are young teams (Sorry San Antonio), with good coaches (Sorry, Houston). This type of team chemistry, hustle, and cohesiveness can have regular season success, but does not equate to championship seasons. Look at the past of the NBA and you will see only one team, the 2004 Pistons, as a team that didn’t have a true superstar, though they had five all-star players and a great head coach in Larry Brown, to lead them to a title. The teams on this list cannot boast the same type of resume.
These teams are winning regular season games against teams that are playing compacted, tiring schedules that some teams will mail in from time to time to save themselves. Not these teams. These teams are going for I right now, playing hard and playing good defense for the most part. Their coaches are sending them out there to win games and they have provided the results. But, have we forgotten that the regular season does not matter. All that matters is making the tournament and catching fire then. The last few NBA finalists were not the top seed from their conference, rather they made it into the playoffs and caught fire, upset a team, and carried that momentum to a championship behind their superstar(s). The Mavs did it last year behind Dirk, the guy they would give the ball to in crunch time and when they absolutely needed a basket. The Lakers did the same thing with Kobe, the ultimate superstar, in winning their titles. The Celtics did it before them, the Spurs did it better than anyone, and so on and so forth.
The point being is that when I see Philadelphia try to say that their crunch time scorer is Lou Williams it makes me cringes. Really, the Heat won’ have Wade or LeBron on him to block or contest a final shot. Who does Indiana or Houston have? Danny Granger or Kevin Martin? Might as well start walking out of the gym now, fellas. Even the Spurs, now that Tim Duncan’s legs have given up on him, do not have that go to guy at the end of the games that they were accustomed to. Yes, Pop will draw up a great play, but I would have more faith in Tony Parker going into the stands to hit on a teammates wife than I would him or Ginobili, if healthy and he won’t be, making the final shot. The other teams fall into the same category of failing to have that one true, ice water in the veins, known alpha dog to feed the ball to in crunch time.
So, while these small market teams are playing team ball by sharing the ball, rebounding, and playing defense (exclude Denver, a team allergic to stops) it is a regular season illusion for you to buy into. Come May, when there is sufficient rest between games and each possession is crucial you will see these teams folding because of a lack of star power to step up and hit the final shot.
Believe me, I know what I am talking about- I am a Warriors fan.
My Pick Up Game With Jeremy Lin
Its been about five years ago since I coached Jeremy Lin’s little brother, Joseph, in AAU basketball. At the end of some of the practices we had at Palo Alto high school, Jeremy would come down to workout and play some pick up games. Walking into the gym, Jeremy would not make you stop what you were doing to watch him because he wasn’t a physical specimen, flashy, or very talkative. He was more reserved and quiet, smiling slightly at his brother and his goofy friends when they talked to him. Nothing ever made you think that this guy went to Harvard or was the California Player of the Year. He just was unassuming.
Then while we were finishing up our practice, I would catch Jeremy putting himself through his own practice of shooting and ball handling. To watch him practice was to watch him play now- efficient, effective, focused, and no wasted time or movement. Everything he did had a purpose and that purpose was to get better and have his skills more refined and polished than the next guy. There is a certain intelligence and moxie in his skills when he practiced; he made it all look very easy, only because he worked at it constantly. The repetitiousness of his workout is the product that you see out there today.
Luckily, I was put on Jeremy’s team, where I did not have to guard him or play help defense, instead I was able to watch him play and noticed that his game mirrored his practice and his practice habits; that being quick, efficient, no wasted time or movement. He didn’t just go out there to get in a run and show off his skills, as many people coming back would do for the younger kids or their friends to show how good they are. No, Jeremy went and played the pick up games as if they were a test of what he practiced beforehand. A lot of guys will work on moves and never put them into play, but not Jeremy. He wanted to use the variety of moves and dribbles that he had practiced to the test by working out the kinks in the games. So, when I watched a few of his Harvard games, what did I see? The moves he had worked on in the gym and in the summer perfected at Harvard.
Am I surprised by Jeremy Lin’s success? No, because it wasn’t too long ago that a Canadien named Steve Nash played locally at Santa Clara and was deemed to small and not athletic enough to play in the NBA. Nash, like Jeremy, persevered and has made the most of their time in the Mike D’Antoni offense that stresses patience, vision, and an intelligence coming off the screen to succeed. Lin and Nash have huge basketball IQ’s and are both clever with their ball handling and bursts of quickness to create baskets, either for their teammates or themselves. Sometimes you need to have vision and patience in waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Jeremy may have found it in New York. That is, until Carmelo and Amare come back.
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