Great game. The contrast between Rubio and Lebron/Wade is so stark to me. Lebron/Wade are great players. Can't deny that. There's just something about them I can't stomach. I suppose it's the lack of respect for other ballers. Rubio, on the other hand.....all class. At least to me.
Rick lost the ending Ellington is really bad defensive player and Rick settled him to guard Wade. Everyone knew that it would be a play for Wade to get off the screen, but when the guy is stucked by one face on face screen - it's terrible. Rubio switched but it was too late to recover
Min needs a finisher to close a game. Otherwise, they will always lose when a game is close, just like the Miami and OKC games.
Thats why they need a decent swingman who can create his own shot, or a Zac Randolph like post scorer. Love and Rubio are excellent players, but their game isn't about closing. Give Love and Rubio a lethal scorer like Dwade or KD and they're an top 4 team in the west.
That's true. The winning is going to come soon enough. Real soon. Didn't watch the whole game but the stretch run was very interesting. Rubio/Ellington/Williams/Tolliver/Love....no Beasley, no Darko, no Wes That's probably their closers along with JJ when he gets healthy. I would think that Martell Webster could get some burn if he was healthy at SG with his ability to spot up and fire. And all of a sudden here comes Anthony Randolph. Look out. I suspect Beasley's minutes will steadily decline. He's an idiot. He's either going to the bench or he's gotta learn to let Rubio have the ball and play team ball off Rubio. Don't think it will happen. He's got a screw loose. On his way out I'm afraid.
Honestly, the officials screwed Minny on this one. Lebron ran over Tolliver and they whistled Tolliver. They were letting Miami hack away in the paint defensively. I can't stand superstar officiating.
Nice game against the biggest superstars in the game. Too bad Barea and Webster weren't playing. Wes Johnson aint gonna cut it for them, he cant provide offense or defense.
rubio looked great out there, but I have to wonder how much of this is teams not game-planning correctly for the kid. He's got a weak shot, not very explosive to the rim, and needs the ball in his hands to be good. Why wasn't Miami just using Wade/Battier/Lebron and blitzing him off every pick and forcing him to give it up to somebody else? And why weren't they abusing him on the block? You got Wade, Lebron, and Battier as your three backcourt guys in the clutch, and all three have at least 30 pounds and good post games on Rubio. They were just letting him run free with the ball. He's got great court vision and it showed. Yet, there were so many things Miami, and any teams in general, can do to really disrupt his rhythm.
i have not seen rick that frustrated with the officiating since game 6 of the kings/lakers 06' series. i couldn't care less about either of these teams, but the league is too biased to this superstar call BS. wade flopped like a fish late in the game, and lebron lowered his shoulder and ran over tolliver and it was called a blocking foul.
The guy needs to start showing a pulse. Playing on a sorry lottery team in a back market with low expectations & pressure should make it easy for him to show what he can do.
yeah but they are the most exciting 0-3 team in the league. They've played, by many's standards, the top 2 teams in the league. Yeah, they lost to the bucks, but that was a road game. they are going to win games, and right now ricky rubio is the best passing pg in the league already. There is not anybody close to his level.
i agree. when anthony tolliver only shoots one more free throw than lebron james and minnesota only shoots 20 to miami's 14, you know that an epic screw job against the timberwolves has been perpetrated. i wouldn't be surprised if the heat formally apologize for this gift and ask that the win be given to the wolves.
