Yeah it is annoying, and it seems like that is the cool thing to do now. I can see complaining about a call if it is real bad but acting like the NBA set the game up is pathetic. Thanks for the rep the other week
The worst thing about the NBA isn't the officiating. It's all the fans that complain about the officiating.
Um...what? The Nugs lost last night. They flat out sucked. The only player who didn't lay a gigantic egg was JR, and that's because he's too damn stupid to realize the pressure of elimination games (God bless him for that). The better team won the series. But games 1 & 3 will haunt me for a while...
Playing 40 mpg and shooting at a high clip doesn't mean much when you're only averaging 12 FGA per game. In the series against Denver alone there have been plenty of times where Gasol was looking to pass out or wait for someone else to make something else happen when he had the ball in his hands. Kobe would have to scream at him to take the ball to the basket; Pau is reluctant to be the man. You don't go 0-12 in the playoffs for no reason. A lot of people give him a free pass because he's a cerebral player, but there's no point being cerebral if you can't make decisions quickly. It's not about demanding the ball because Pau gets plenty of touches, it's about having the will to keep putting pressure on the defense through one way or the other. IE not giving defenses time to respond, Yao is better than Pau in that aspect.
Agreed he needs to be a bit more selfish. Passing out of the post is just part his game, though. He's a very cerebral player that sees the court well and [to go 'Mark Jackson on ya' here] he's a willing passer that doesn't mind getting teammates involved. I agree I would like to see him cut down on that and focus more on just flat out putting the ball in the basket. Hell, if you're shooting 60% or better there's really no reason not to. I still don't think this is a "motor" issue but I think we're on the same page here. P.S. I love the irony in Kobe screaming at one of his teammates to take it to the basket.
Well, one thing about the Magic...if they make the Finals it will be the first time in two series that Gasol has reall had to guard someone (either Howard or Lewis). Scola is iffy and the Nuggets bigs really aren't scorers. I think it makes a big difference when you have to check someone on the other end. I also noticed how Kleiza (spelling?) got a lot of open 3's last series when he was at PF.
