Starting lineup HAS TO BE: Lowry (Better floor general than Brooks) Wafer (Compliments both Lowry AND Yao) Battier (Better defender against Roy) Scola (Compliments Yao) Yao (Duh.) Brooks and Artest can come off the bench, along with Landry and Hayes for defense and hustle (and some offense). I know this is a good lineup, but RA's never going to do it.
Agreed totally on Brooks. How many times did he pass up an open jumper to dribble around trying to create something out of nothing last night? Even when he had the defender where he wanted him off the PnR? I'll give the little man credit for at least trying to step up and be a difference maker, but those 20 shot attempts are only going to be digestible if they're actually smart looks. Speaking of "smart looks", what really stings is knowing we lost in a game where Artest actually played controlled and relatively smart. He had a couple bad turnovers, but otherwise did a good job of limiting his trademarked boneheaded shots we're all used to. Maybe Adelman finally broke through to him? One adjustment I would make is not "overadjusting" on Aldridge. Our defense on him has gotten better as the series progresses. He just made some tough shots. It also stinks Scola and Landry kept getting whistled for stupid touch fouls on him. And to build on Steve Smith's observation, that's just another reason why we need to see more Wafer. Even if Roy isn't technically guarding Wafer, we can still draw switches fairly easily. Either way, would definitely like to see Wafer's minutes increased. We all know he definitely has his limitations, but hell....he's probably better at creating his own shot than Artest is, yet Artest has gotten more than his fair share of ISO's. Wafer is also great at attacking the weakside off of a Yao-front. You just gotta have him out there.
The biggest adjustment is between the players ears. This has the biggest effect on physical outcome. Play smarter. Play focused. Play aggressive. Play like leaders. Play smarter: Don't panic on offense. Get more motion and ball movement back into the offense. Adelman's translation: Be patient. Play focused: Be aware of what YOU should be doing. Anticipate rebounds. This also means follow your shot if it looks short of the rim. A lot of players don't make this a part of their nature and the small amount of lead time you get by doing so may get you the ball for a putback or at least another possession. Expect a pass on every drive to the basket by another player. (This, of course, affects the ability to act on "anticipate rebounds", but developing an instinct to move toward the basket once a play is committed will help.) Play aggressive: Pretty self-evident. Don't always stand around waiting to see what is going to happen where the ball is. Scola is very good at anticipating where an open spot (or weak spot) is going to be and getting there. Hesitancy leads to bad shots. There is a fine line between chucking up a shot too early in the shot-clock and taking a shot you really should take. Recognizing these opportunities more quickly is part of a veteran's experience. Unfortunately, this part doesn't come overnight. And above all, if you are going to the basket FINISH STRONG. Do your best to at least come away with a foul -- NOT ON YOU! Play like leaders: A major difference between winning teams and losing teams is confidence. The hesitancy mentioned above happens due to lack of confidence. Confidence comes from successful completion of a task. Mistakes are more prone to happen when confidence is lagging. If every player on the court has a feeling of confidence from his teammates in him, he is more likely to play with confidence. The ideal team plays with confidence as "a unit". A confident player/team WILL NOT BE DENIED.
