Will Hill step "One Toke Over the Line" again?
I’m guessing the odds for Seattle pulling an upset tonight rank somewhat lower than the odds of Rocky Balboa losing to Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV.” The Pistons, already established as the NBA’s premier team, are fresh off a dud in Denver where they played lousy basketball. And you know what that means, right? Yes, Detroit is ready to show that that game was an aberration, for if there is one thing great teams do, it’s snip losing streaks in the bud.
With that in mind, there’s really no point in breaking down the matchup. However, here’s how the other important games on the schedule tonight look:
Denver: 4 point underdogs at Houston
Lakers: 2 point favorites at Golden State
Kings: 3 point favorites at Atlanta
Jazz: 5 point underdogs vs Clippers
The way I see it, Denver, Utah, and the Lakers will probably lose tonight, while the Kings might win in Atlanta, and even that’s a toss-up. Still, it’s too bad the Sonics have to play Detroit, since they have a good opportunity to close within a half-dozen games of the playoffs. As it is, it’ll be a night of treading water in the Western Conference.
well, all of those you mentioned played pretty well.
ReplyDeletedayum, we had that game!
Who do I blame for this--Ray Allen for not even knowing where Rip was until he was winding up for the shot? The coaching staff for not knowing the Pistons might run that play?
ReplyDeleteReally though, the Sonics shoulda got whupped on, and they hung with the Near Champs for 47:59.8. They should feel pretty good about that.
Tough loss, but the Sonics can't hang their heads about losing on a last-second jumper against the best team in the league.
ReplyDeleteHow 'bout that Chris Wilcox, though? Wilcox, Petro and Swift combined for 27 boards, or 3 more than Wallace, Wallace, and McDyess.
Look at it this way, guys, let's say Rip misses the jumper and the game goes to OT; how much money are you putting on the Sonics to win the OT period?
Anyway, huge game this Sunday against the stinking Jazz. Hill's got to put this loss out of the team's collective mind and get them focussed on the next game.
I felt like I should have been more pissed about the Detroit loss, especially given Ray's lapse in the closing seconds and the botched airball call before that, but really, I was just psyched to see such a great game. Aside from that terrible call by the refs and Ray's defensive brain fart, it was probably the most entertaining game I've watched this year. Allen looked more like a superstar than I've seen in a long time, Ridnour seemed to react to the pressure of Watson's presence as ideally as we could have hoped (I swear I saw him playing tenacious defense in the fourth quarter, at least), Wilcox looked light-years beyond Radmanovich in regard to what this team needs, and even Swift no longer looks like the sure bust that I thought he would be when he was drafted. This was the first game this season that approached last season's excitement. I don't think they have a chance to make the playoffs, but at least I feel like they might be fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteWhat I can't get a handle on is the coach. Is Hill the man, or not?