JeffB, I agree with you. However if you miss the shot and someone else is wide open it is not only a bad shot but a HORRIBLE shot and it kills teamplay. Now as for the bounce pass we are discussing, the reason I think it is a good pass is that Yao can handle it. Yao has proven that he can handle the low ball, but he has consistently had issues with the Lob pass this year. Once he gets that down...fronting him will be a joke. DD
The next game you see try to count how many times SF walks up the ball, how many times he moves the ball up court via the pass and how many times he fastbreaks, even if the ball is pulled back out. That is the area of the game Rudy/SF need to address immediately. I cannot think of an easier way to start getting our fg% and assists up.
I haven't seen any consistent issues with the lob pass. Yao never gets it, so who knows, but he seems to have just as soft hands there as he does elsewhere. While it was a successful fast break, the pass should have been one higher up for two reasons: First, and most obviously, the bounce pass on that play is very very risky. A 7'6 bigman running the court is much much less likely to be able to catch the bounce pass, meaning said pass has to be much more exact than a lob, which has more room for error. Fortunately, the pass was perfect and didn't slide as bounce pass on the run can occasionally do, and Yao does have soft hands. Second, and more importantly, the guys pass to Yao so sporadically and randomly that it's hard for him to get in rythm. I remember in the Detroit game, with all those Mobley ISO's, Yao would flash across the lane occasionally. The one time Moblye passes it is when Yao is barely open on the flash and Mobley throws a freakin bullet - result, turnover. Aside from the post entry pass, these guys have to, HAVE to, start making the smart, basic passes. On the break in question, that is the lob pass (ask any coach and they'll tell you that). In the end, though it worked nonetheless. But I wouldn't be too excited about a 5 assist night from Steve. The most important number of his last night was the one turnover (5 to 1 assist:turnover ratio). When Steve has a low number of turnovers, he is playing under control and letting the game come to him more than forcing the action. Yao played great. Is there any doubt that the ball should go to him at the end of quarters/half's/games? He can pretty much get any shot he wants, get a foul, or force a double team.
That's what I want to say. Forget passing skills, court vision, shooting etc. PG class No. 1: Controlling the tempo of the game. And Steve still hasn't mastered it. Sigh...
yes, the turnovers are crucial. although i'd like to state that steve commits a couple of "turnovers" every game that don't go down as turnovers. and what i'm referring to is every ill-advised shot he likes to take when in the lane and 4 defenders are on him. it just boggles my mind that he doesn't have the sense to pass to one of the 3 open teammates instead of jacking up a brick.
The reason why he keeps jacking those shots up is because occasionally he can make them due to his awesome athleticism. That's a prime example that his athleticism gets better of his smarts. Sometimes I just wish he had less athleticism then he would be forced to use more his brain to play ball. Nash or Stockton would pass the ball out to their teammates for easy shots every time because they never had the athleticism to occasionally make them in the first place.
