Re: Bucks game

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Jim Meninno wrote:

> Hi Joe.  There was always something about Billups' shot that I liked.  It
> just looked pure and, well, "smooth", even when it wasn't falling.  Herren's
> shot looks nowhere near as sweet, even before he hurt his shoulder, but I
> would guard against reading anything into his shooting numbers until he's
> healed.  He's having to pass up completely wide open jump shots right now
> because of his injury.

YEAH,  I know what you mean about Chauncey. I can grasp completely why Pitino
was seduced by the video of his game, even though he shot .409 from the field I
think in both his college seasons and was neither a big assist guy or
assist/turnover ratio guy at that level. Actually his college and third year pro
stats are pretty much the same.

But Billups really was the chicken hawk of that truly exciting and entertaining
headless chicken outbreak that looked miraculously playoff-bound halfway through
Pitino's first season. Chickenhawk defense, great energy and definite heads-up
crunchtime skills, plus a basically smooth and balanced shot release like you
say. I'm glad to see his outside shot is going down, because it is clear he has
worked hard on it. He might always be a Dee Brown 'tweener because (to my
knowledge) he is devoid of pointguard instincts, but there is no comparing the
post knee-surgery Brown to Billups in terms of the basic tools you'd want in a
great pointguard aside from instincts). Billups has an underrated handle for one
thing, and he has a genuine cross-over dribble and ability to get from the free
throw line to the rack in a split second.

The big win coming off the bench for Dana against the Chicago Bulls was one of
his finest moments. But me, I guess I have positive feeling about any player
that wore a Celtics uniform. I even love Todd and Darren Day(e).  I just want
this team to finally give us a hint they can turn the corner. It is clear now
that Pierce and Walker have to be as good on defense as they are in other areas
for this team to win. Show me a light at the end of the tunnel and I don't care
if it is the distance from here to Pluto, I'll be perking up bigtime for this
great professional basketball team.

Joe

p.s. I was a total scrub highschool basketball player (4ppg in Japan, no less)
because I had zero talent, but like many of you I at least experienced what a
trapping system feels like. I love defense and trying to keep the guy you are
guarding from scoring. But I found that trapping is exhausting as hell, poses a
high-frustration and failure level, and lacks any kind of personal
accountability for a defensive screw-up unless it is the most blatant kind.
Above all, it tires you out to the point where you can't even think straight on
the offensive end. You pick up this frazzled, hurry-up mentality on both ends of
the floor. Intuitively, I would think these frustrations are far more magnified
at the NBA level. The league is filled with weak shooters and weak fundamentals,
yet we hand opponents a .470FG% average against us. That's the base against
which we struggle to compete and win.

Here is how I evaluate defense. If the guy Antoine or Pierce is guarding faces
up and goes one-on-one right past them, then clearly they are playing poor
defense and any rhetoric/excuses they make about the importance of defense is
total crap.

But, on the other hand, if they are constantly rushing late at a defender (a
perfect opportunity to drive on someone) or you see guys draining open jumpshots
over a late defender, then it is also a systemic problem. I didn't see the
Philly debacle, but I've seen enough games to know that it isn't obvious at all
that the problem is due to Boston players not keeping their feet moving or
demonstrating hustle and esprit on defense. But yeah, it is demoralizing to work
hard and gun for the playoffs, to the degree that doing so requires mentally
blocking out the glaring reality that you may be handicapped year-after-year
with one of the three worst and most ridiculed defensive systems in the NBA.

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