Since this game wasn't broadcast nationally I am going fromthe boxscore. Judge accordingly.
Overall this looked like a game of ups and downs. To wit:
--Drawing 40 foul shots is EXCELLENT. Making only 27 of them (67.5%) not so much. However it will be very hard for us to lose any game in which we shoot that many. As one would expect theshot chartfrom such a game was tighter packed than most.
--Our 45% shooting clip was decent. Over 44% from three-point land ain't bad either. It really looks like the offense is clicking so far.
--On the other hand allowing the Sonics to shoot 51% no doubt kept them close. This was playing our main guys heavy minutes too. We weren't guarding them with scrubs. We only allowed them 21 foul shots but you have to wonder if that was because we just weren't guarding them well.
--We creamed them in offensive rebounds (18-7) which probably led to us getting 86 total shots up. That's a pretty high pace for us. On the other hand our defensive rebounding needed a little work (26 total on 41 missed Sonics shots). Of course better defense would have led to more D-rebounding opportunities...
--16 assists on 39 made buckets is a little lower than we've been used to in the pre-season so far.
--We only turned the ball over 15 times. That's great for us. This is another factor which will allow us to stay in and maybe win many games. Realistically I don't know if we can fix the rebounding deal and our offense isn't likely to get much better than it is now. (It's good now though.) But if we can get free throws and limit turnovers we're going to have a chance.
--The Seattle wing scorers seemed to do most of the damage. Our exterior defense will apparently be a continuing concern this year. Come quickly, O Odenizer.
Individual Notes:
--Did Lamarcus tear them a new one tonight or what? It must have been a joy to see him play. (Thanks Turner networks. Pfffftphphfttttt!) 31 points, 13 rebounds, 7 of 9 from the charity stripe is a stat line we'll take every day. And get this...hidden in there it says 3 assists and only 1 turnover. If he starts making decisive passes that lead to scores on top of all of this (and not turning the ball over too), look out. Let's say he gets maybe 75% of the offensive versatility of Dirk Nowitzki but plays 3-4 times better on defense. Zoinks!
--Martell, Martell, Martell! What's gotten into you boy? 7-12 from the floor, 3-5 from distance, 19 points and 3 steals? We are not freakin' worthy.
--Brandon Roy had an old-school stat line: 8-18 shooting, 6-12 from the line (little low on the makes there but you can't have everything), 22 points, 5 assists, no turnovers. I am guessing he was driving hard when he had the ball. That's exactly how you take advantage of a relatively weak Seattle defense.
Jarrett的——这是一个混合的夜晚。他只拍摄3-10 (which is an increasingly common sight) and had 2 assists but he drew 7 foul shots, grabbed 5 rebounds, and stole the ball 3 times. This is pretty typical Jarrett. You want to pan his game but he does enough things to rescue himself. You know what? If this becomes the bottom level of his production I am more than willing to live with it. You know he'll score near 20 again soon. He's still young enough to be allowed his ups and downs as long as he contributes overall through them.
--I can't see Joel's defense through the boxscore but I'm guessing with Seattle at 51% he didn't turn the tide or anything. Unless it was sterling this didn't seem like his best night. He got 6 rebounds in 24 minutes but had no blocks and only 1 point. Maybe he set great picks to get people free?
--The boxscore reads like a disaster for Steve Blake. 1-5 shooting, 5 points, 1 assist, and 4 turnovers in 20 minutes. You can't have that from the supposedly steady guy. It looks like one of Sergio's off nights.
--Speaking of, it looks like Sergio did some business in his 12 minutes. 2-4 shooting for 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, no turnovers. If he keeps that up and Taurean continues to struggle that coveted #3 spot will be his again.
--Taurean Green had almost no stats in 6 minutes of play. Again I couldn't see his defense though.
——它的s a safe bet that despite 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 17 minutes Channing Frye isn't making high marks with 1-4 shooting, 2 points, and 4 personal fouls. Probably a little slow of foot on defense I'm guessing, and reaching with his arms?
--Raef Lafrentz had 3 rebounds in 8 minutes (good) but also 2 turnovers (bad).
--It was a nice all-around showing from Travis. 5-9 shooting, 13 points, 5 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks.
Does anyone notice when Travis and Martell have good games at the same time we seem to do well?
Anyone who actually saw the game feel free to fill in details or make corrections.
Only one more pre-season contest left! Woohoo!
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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