Nalod wrote:blkexec wrote:fishmike wrote:BigDaddyG wrote:blkexec wrote:fishmike wrote:If RJ has another invisible first qtr Im tempted to give McBride his 2nd qtr minutes. McBride gives you two things RJ doesn that we need: he's plus defender and can handle Garland/DM/Levert and he's an extra ball handler
I will never disagree will using a top 5 on ball nba defender, on a team that just got destroyed by their guards. But I’m curious how this would impact the teams half court offense and RJ confidence.
It's been so long since I've seen him play and I can't remember... But was Fournier that bad on defense? I'm not that desperate but I'm getting there.
I dont think Thibs can play Fournier. He just cant unless someone turns and ankle. McBride has been in the rotation and only lost his minutes to Josh. I think as the 10th man you can give him a little run and see how it goes. 5-8 minutes of good defense on Garland/DM/Levert could really help 2x a game. If RJ is playing well that can go for IQ or Obi as well
Obi got 15mins and scored 7 pts
Deuce got 3mins and scored 0 pts
I think they should be switched. If Deuce got 15 mins, his impact would be greater than Obi's 15 mins because Garland is the head of the snake. He makes everything click. Slow down Garland and we have a chance. Obi's defense was not impactful. So if Thibs adjust, this might be one of the adjustments.
RJ got 33 mins. I can see Thibs trimming those mins down a little. We need ball pressure on the perimeter and RJ is not a perimeter defender like Deuce. It's a no brainer to us. And usually when thats the case, Thibs adjust the very next game, based on the regular season Thibs. Playoff Thibs might be different. We shall see.
What did the on ball coverage on Garland game one account for and how did Clev negate that in game 2?
JHarts ineffectiveness (bad ankle) did matter.
How did Mobley gain advantage from game one into the second game?
Okoro got pulled and Lavert attacked and got his groove. Lets assume Okoro is out again, how do we defend him?
Is it imperative to get Grimes going earlier based on his effectiveness?
Is RJ really that phuch
I thought about that as well, regarding what we did against Garland game one. I think Garland realized all he had to do was be aggressive. I'm sure once he saw the film and RJ was on him, that was an easy adjustment. But the way Garland was all over every network, saying they need to be aggressive and need to punch first. That was a clear sign that Garland would turn up in game 2. Not sure why we didn't see that coming.
Not sure Mobley had much of an impact. He played better than game 1, but was he really a difference maker?
Okoro is the same height (or close) to Brunson. But Lavert is close to 6'6 with more agility and length than Brunson. He scares me the most. Run some Grimes pick and pop to create mis-matches. But if RJ or Mitchy sets picks, a hard double will come and put those guys in bad situations. But if Grimes sets picks, it keeps him involved and leave him open on those jumpers. Thats the only strategy I can think of to reduce the impact of Laverts defense on Brunson. Brunson needs to forget reduce the Iso plays, and seek out the mis-matches. This will get Grimes going as well.
RJ is fine. We need him to limit his outside shooting and focus on downhill plays. Thats his bread and butter. Even if he's only going left, you still have to guard him, and somebody will be open every time they help.
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