Brooks playoffs stats NOT GOOD: .355 FG%, .125 3pt%, .600 FT%. I said Brooks hasnt all of a sudden become Scott Machado, but thats Scott Machado numbers. Though if Brooks makes 2 of those 3 pointers, he'd be shooting a respectable .420 FG% and .375 3pt%. ( 1 more free throw for .800%) He has lent a spark at times, gotten some timely hustle plays like offensive rebounding over Kevin Martin (hehe) couple decent passes and even a block. Probably not quite enough to make up for 4-6 extra points he shoulda had from shot makes, but respectable enough. And I'd say Jeremy Lin can replicate that production kinda easy if he was healthy and semi aggressive. Brooks is lending good continuity but hasnt "stolen" a job I don't think. Just nice to see him out there again for his success and yeah the nostalgia too. This is Brooks 6th professional season. Just he spent 1 last year in China and not the NBA.
Stats don't tell the whole story with AB, especially his first stint, he was clearly out of rhythm that game. He's coming around. What i like is the fouls he's drawn on fisher and his speed scares the **** out of them. He's had some timely plays.A few different bounces here and there and his stats would be pretty good.
AB was grabbing his junk because Ken Mauer was one of the refs. background: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/auDhSzgGKyc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Without Westbrook the Thunder backcourt has no hope of staying in front of Brooks or Beverly. If he actually had to guard Westbrook he'd be in major trouble.
Brooks is doing exactly what he got him for. He's insurance if something happens to Lin or Bev. It's a good thing we have him too. I think he's played pretty well considering that he hasn't really played that much with this team. I hope Lin is able to come back for the next game, we could use the depth. I don't see Brooks being with the team past this season, but I'm glad he's here now.
It was seen as an obscene gesture. He was more grabbing them and either talking to a fan or indirectly to the ref... But now that i'm seeing the picture from last night, he's grabbing himself the same way. Didn't he have problems with the wrap on that thigh last night? So maybe the video and picture show the same thing, he's just adjusting the wrap.
I'm not seeing a lot of support for Brooks after his game 5 performance. Yes, his d is an issue, but not so much with RW out. In game 5 he was 4-11 with 10 pts in 19 mins.....but he was very clearly fouled on one layup attempt and Perkins interfered with his layup later in the game (wasnt called, not sure if anyone has brought it up, 4th qrt 11:10 left, Perkins clearly grabs the net and shakes the rim). He should have had 14 points. Also missed 2 freebies early, which is rare for him, so maybe even 16. That's outstanding in 19 mins. The point is he's getting good shots and getting to the rim, but has had some bad luck on is side. He's been a lot more effective than people give him credit for.
AB is what he is, a chucking, severely undersized shooting guard who plays no D. If he wasn't able to get past Fisher, I would honestly be concerned. Now if his threes finally start dropping, then that is a different story.
I would say half his threes came when nothing else was going on for them. He's been extremely effective going one on one. Yes, maybe it's against fisher, but it's still a big plus for us. He's also finished near the rim against bigger players. A couple times he drew fouls on quickness alone. I'm not sure who made the call, but they came in crucial moments when momentum was shifting and that stopped it. He's not a great defender, but saying he plays no D is completely false. He tries, but you can't get away with a lack of size on defense, like you can on offense.
Again... its Fisher. If it was Westbrook guarding him or vice versa, we are totally boned with that matchup. He still does not have the ability to maintain constant pressure on the D. It is just good luck that Fisher is so old and slow he can blow by him no problem. AB uses his speed to get open for a long ranged shot 9 out of 10 usually. To me, being a defender as ****ty as he is is basically the same as not playing it. With his speed, he should at least be able to constantly stay in front. That said, he is a welcome spark plug off the bench, just nothing more than that.
And shouldn't he get credit for being that spark plug? Not saying he's more than that, but he's not getting enough credit because his stats dont look great, but they are misleading. Brooks would have trouble guarding westbrook, but Westbrook on AB? I don't think it would be a cakewalk for Westbrook defensively.
