Duke v. LSU: What Game Did You People Watch?
I watched the games last night and it was March Madness at its best. The thing that drives me crazy about sports is when commentators and fans make drastic statements and draw overreaching conculsions from ONE game.
People today are saying that LSU "wanted it more," "Duke played a soft game," and "Duke looked like it was asleep."
Are you people watching the same game I did?
Duke played its typical game. The game that led them to the ACC Regular Season and TOurnament titles, A Top 4 rating the entire season, and a record of 32-4.
The only difference was J.J. Redick's shots did not fall like they normally do.
Shelden Williams was his normal All-American self in the post. There was nothing "soft" in his numbers. The big fella had 23 points, 13 boards, and 4 blocks (his Averages for the year were 18.8 pts and 10.7 rebs).
The supporting cast played its normal game, except Dockery did not score his average.
- Josh McRoberts had 9 pts and 10 rebs (Season Avg: 8.7 pts; 5.3 rebs)
- Greg Paulus had 7 pts and 4 assists (Season Avg: 6.7 pts; 5.2 asst)
- DeMarcus Nelson had 4 pts and 5 rebs (Season Avg: 7.1 pts; 3.4 rebs)
- Sean Dockery had 0 pts and 4 rebs (Season Avg: 7.1 pts; 3.0 rebs)
J.J. Redick just did not perform last night. His final stat line: 11 pts; 3-18 fg; 3-9 3-pt fg tells the entire story. Its simple: His Jumpshot was not FALLING. It is not a question of heart, desire or coaching. He simply did not hit the shots that he normally does. Redick's season field goal percentage was 47%. Last night, he shot 17%. This season he shot 42% from behind the arc. Last night, he shot 33%. Duke's team was built to rely on Redick's nearly 27 points per game and could not survive on only 11.
It was the same story in Duke's two most recent losses to Florida State and North Carolina. In those two games, Redick shot a combined 15 for 49 (30%) in FGs and 6 for 24 (25%) from 3-pt range.
If Redick does not play well, Duke is not a great basketball team. Unlike the squads from the 1990s, Duke did not have role players that could pick up the scoring in a given game. Duke went as J.J. went, and on this particular night, J.J.'s J failed him.
Trust Me, the next game that John Brady wins by "outcoaching" someone will be the first. LSU did not do anything different. They didn't prevent J.J.'s touches. They didn't shut down the pick and roll or transition looks he got. J.J. simply missed shots. LSU did not play anymore physical than the ACC foes did with J.J. In person, I watched IU hold and bang Redick for 40 minutes this Fall. The difference that night was J.J. hit the shots and Duke won.
People today are saying that LSU "wanted it more," "Duke played a soft game," and "Duke looked like it was asleep."
Are you people watching the same game I did?
Duke played its typical game. The game that led them to the ACC Regular Season and TOurnament titles, A Top 4 rating the entire season, and a record of 32-4.
The only difference was J.J. Redick's shots did not fall like they normally do.
Shelden Williams was his normal All-American self in the post. There was nothing "soft" in his numbers. The big fella had 23 points, 13 boards, and 4 blocks (his Averages for the year were 18.8 pts and 10.7 rebs).
The supporting cast played its normal game, except Dockery did not score his average.
- Josh McRoberts had 9 pts and 10 rebs (Season Avg: 8.7 pts; 5.3 rebs)
- Greg Paulus had 7 pts and 4 assists (Season Avg: 6.7 pts; 5.2 asst)
- DeMarcus Nelson had 4 pts and 5 rebs (Season Avg: 7.1 pts; 3.4 rebs)
- Sean Dockery had 0 pts and 4 rebs (Season Avg: 7.1 pts; 3.0 rebs)
J.J. Redick just did not perform last night. His final stat line: 11 pts; 3-18 fg; 3-9 3-pt fg tells the entire story. Its simple: His Jumpshot was not FALLING. It is not a question of heart, desire or coaching. He simply did not hit the shots that he normally does. Redick's season field goal percentage was 47%. Last night, he shot 17%. This season he shot 42% from behind the arc. Last night, he shot 33%. Duke's team was built to rely on Redick's nearly 27 points per game and could not survive on only 11.
It was the same story in Duke's two most recent losses to Florida State and North Carolina. In those two games, Redick shot a combined 15 for 49 (30%) in FGs and 6 for 24 (25%) from 3-pt range.
If Redick does not play well, Duke is not a great basketball team. Unlike the squads from the 1990s, Duke did not have role players that could pick up the scoring in a given game. Duke went as J.J. went, and on this particular night, J.J.'s J failed him.
Trust Me, the next game that John Brady wins by "outcoaching" someone will be the first. LSU did not do anything different. They didn't prevent J.J.'s touches. They didn't shut down the pick and roll or transition looks he got. J.J. simply missed shots. LSU did not play anymore physical than the ACC foes did with J.J. In person, I watched IU hold and bang Redick for 40 minutes this Fall. The difference that night was J.J. hit the shots and Duke won.
posted by Conrad | 10:55 AM
1 Comments:
Good Point... The foul shot rebounds, both of them, were shocking. There is little excuse for the shooting team rebounding its own missed free throw, and NO excuse for blocking out the shooter.
Wasn't it odd to see a Duke team make those elementary mistakes? I can't remember seeing a Duke team be the one that makes fundamental mistakes at the end of a ballgame.
My point is that the Game would not have been in doubt if Redick knocks down his normal 40% from the field. Granted the shots he has taken all year were mostly "contested" shots, but he made those the majority of the time. I just think he picked a horrible time to have a bad game.
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