Why do people insist that benching Alston was wrong?

How is it a non-issue? The guy scored 2 points in 26 minutes and allowed who knows how many key Laker points on the other end. The team is not in sync with him since he's been out for 4 months. How is that a non-issue?

 

because if they hit one freakin free throw, they win. we do know that, we don't know what rafer would have done, they played better in the fourth quarter with nelson

 

these plus minus stats that rafer fans usually like to point out, what do they say? people act like rafer was having a great game, he started out great

 

look at the minutes

Rafer was critical to the Magic's success in playoffs this year...when Rafer plays 30+ minutes Magic usually win..I rest my case

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rafer...game_stats.html

 

That logic is just awful. Why not just bench Howard, Lewis, and Turkoglu for the entire game and then say "well if they would have made every shot they put up, they would have won; we do know that, but we don't know how those other three guys would have helped"?

 

I don't think it was a mistake to leave Nelson in during the 4th because he was making a difference and their offense was stagnant with Rafer in the 3rd. However, it was a mistake not to have your best defensive lineup in the game when you are up 3, so Nelson should have been on the pine then.

 

do you agree that they would have won the game if they hit just one of those free throws?

and i really don't understand what you are trying to say, but i don't see how any of that has to do with jameer. jameer was in the game, they should have won if they hit one free throw. arguing about alston is silly when you can pin the loss right there

 

in other words, they didn't lose the game because of point guard play if that makes it easier for you to understand

 

If Howard hits one or both free throw they still could lose...Jameer Nelson was giving Fisher wide open 3's ..the defensive play by the pg Jameer Neslosn was a disaster...Fisher hit 2 none guarded 3's...Lakers still win..you gotta play defense. Yea, Howard choked..but so did Nelson for letting fisher get the 3 off...

 

Fisher is having his best series of the playoffs.

 

I did not watch the game during that time, could they just foul someone to let the player to make two free throws, it was 10 s on the clock.

As for Rafer's play time, the team could be down three instead of up three, who knew what would be. SVG knows his players better than some of them and me, that is why his team is in this position.

 

Nelson was right there in front of Fisher for the tie. He just didn't play great D, in part because he had to try to stop the ball when it was passed to Ariza. At that point it was looking like it was going to be a 4 on 3. They went to trap Kobe, and completely left Ariza who was free to bring the ball up uncontested, but he passed it when Nelson went to guard him, leaving Fisher to get all the way to the three point line uncontested. Hard to guard 2 players.

 

Of course. So? Obviously my point is that maybe it wouldn't have come to that had they been able to get some kind of production, offensively or defensively, from that position. Why are you boiling everything down to one free throw at one particular point in time and discarding everything else that happened in the entire game? That makes no sense. So every other possession is irrelevant? The only way the outcome would have been any different is if a free throw would have been made? There was nothing else that could have impacted the result in some way?

 

so what pocessions do you think he would have done better on, given that jameer actually had a positive +/- and rafer had a -9

 

I don't remember Nelson doing much offensively other than that good dish to Dwight for the dunk late in the game. Regardless, I believe Rafer's defense would make up for Nelson's offensive production. Turkoglu was handling the ball towards the end of the 4th anyway.

 

it doesn't make any sense. If you wanna play jameer then fine. But not making the commonsensical move and substituting rafer, for defensive purposes on the fisher, is really unforgivable.

 

SITUATIONAL basketball.

The situation required DEFENSE, and coaching strategy required the team FOULING. Howard and Turkoglu choked the game away at the line, sure. But there's still things to do to preserve the lead. Jameer Nelson's offense was a good boost, but how was that relevent to the situation?

That there was no strategy to foul, then the ensuing made shot by Fisher just plain deserves criticism

 

every point guard the magic played in the playoffs up to this series has played better in the playoffs than in the regular season. what are you guys talking about with rafer and defense?

 

Well let's see; I can think of one in particular where Fisher was given a wide open 3 to tie the game.

List specific possessions, are you kidding? Alston actually had as good of a +/- as any starter other than Turkoglu. The only guys that were in the + range were Nelson, Gortat, and Battie. You want to go with those 3 all game based on their +/-? Do I really have to go into how dumb that stat is?

 

Nelson had time to step forward and make fisher either pass or drive for the 2 point shot. And a 4 on 3 is fine if you only give up 2 points. It beats letting a clutch 3 point shooter step into a 3 point shot. The announcers and Fisher agreed about that as well