Reggie Evans on Pau Gasol refering to an exchange of elbows and words during the game this weekend:
"I don't know what's wrong with that girl."
¿Cómo usted ahora tienen gusto de mí, Pau?
Monday, November 15
Smack This
Reggie Evans on Pau Gasol refering to an exchange of elbows and words during the game this weekend:
"I don't know what's wrong with that girl."
¿Cómo usted ahora tienen gusto de mí, Pau?
The True Test, version 8
"It's early."
There should be a way to bet on when it is officially okay to stop saying that.
Each time the Sonics win, everyone has to revise their "True Test" criteria ("The True Test of this team's character will be apparent when they...")
Witness the team's past performance in previous True Tests:
Tomorrow's True Test: Go On The Long-Ass East Coast Road Trip. SURELY this six-games-in-10-days stretch will expose the Sonics as pretenders, eh, doubters? Everyone's got their "I told you so's" in their back pockets, ready to whip out when the Sonics streak ends in Philly or Toronto.
And if by some miracle the Sonics pass this test, we've got these Future True Tests ready to go:
"Seattle SuperSonics: NBA Champs 2004-2005!"
I bet Pistons fans would have been pegged as crazy if they said anything like that about their team this time last year. Just sayin'...
There should be a way to bet on when it is officially okay to stop saying that.
Each time the Sonics win, everyone has to revise their "True Test" criteria ("The True Test of this team's character will be apparent when they...")
Witness the team's past performance in previous True Tests:
- ...Play a team they should beat at home. Pass: Win 106-85 vs. ATL
- ...Play the San Antonio Spurs. Pass: Win 113-94
- ...Play the Sacramento Kings. Pass: Win 108-78
- ...Play on the road. Pass: Win 108-88 @ DEN. Double bonus points for winning in the second of a back-to-back!
- ...Have a close/poor shooting game. Pass: Win 88-87
- ...Get down big/early. Pass: Win 118-113 vs. MEM
Tomorrow's True Test: Go On The Long-Ass East Coast Road Trip. SURELY this six-games-in-10-days stretch will expose the Sonics as pretenders, eh, doubters? Everyone's got their "I told you so's" in their back pockets, ready to whip out when the Sonics streak ends in Philly or Toronto.
And if by some miracle the Sonics pass this test, we've got these Future True Tests ready to go:
- Do the Texas Three-Step
- Hit the January Dog Days
- Lose a star to injury
- Get their team bus bombarded by radioactive meteors
- Are featured on a Sports Illustrated cover (won't happen)
"Seattle SuperSonics: NBA Champs 2004-2005!"
I bet Pistons fans would have been pegged as crazy if they said anything like that about their team this time last year. Just sayin'...
Glory Days
Am I the only one out there who’s wondering what the heck is going on in Seattle? How in the world can a 37-win team have the 2nd-best record in the league? Have they sold their souls?
Let’s look at the numbers.
From last season to this, the Sonics are amazingly consistent in almost all statistical categories. Much has been made about the improved rebounding, but in actual fact the Sonics are only averaging one more board this season than they did last year. Passing? Nope, Seattle’s getting three fewer assists in 04-05. Steals? Blocks? No to both of those. How about fouls, surely the Sonics are being smarter with the refs? Um, no, the Supes are hacking the other team an extra five times a game.
Ah, shooting, that must be it, right? Well, the Sonics are shooting 46.5% this year as opposed to 44.6% last year, which is a significant improvement, but since they’re attempting three fewer shots a game, it’s pretty much a wash. The same goes for treys, where Seattle is averaging .5 fewer threes made per game.
Despite all that, the Sonics are averaging 6 ppg more this season.
Well, jeez, man, what are the Sonics doing better? Believe it or not, only three areas.
Free throws made, opposition rebounds, and opposition FT percentage.
The Sonics are making an extra six FTs every game over last season. There are four main benefactors: Fortson (+4.8 from last season’s 0), Lewis (+1.8), Daniels (+1.5), and Frodo (+1.5). The remainder of the team is only slightly off their results from last year, meaning these four guys have made the difference.
The second area, rebounds, is even more extreme. Last year, Sonic opponents averaged 42 boards a game. This year? 32, a difference of 10 rebounds every game. It means the Sonics are averaging eight more rebounds than their opponents each night.
Thirdly is opposition FT percentage. Last year, opponents shot 77% at the line, making 19.1 per game. This year, it’s at 70%, making 18.4 per game. That’s costing opponents almost two points per game, a significant number.
Can the Sonics keep it up? Well, the FTs are something the Sonics should continue to do well. The rebounds, though, are doubtful. Being that the Pistons, certainly one of the top rebounders in the league, only averaged two more boards than their foes last season, it is unlikely the Supes could keep up a pace of four times that for the rest of the season. And, of course, it is very unlikely that Sonic opponents will continue their Reggie Evans impersonations at the foul line, unless Coach McMillan has telekinetic powers that he has – up till now – decided to keep under wraps.
To paraphrase Robert Plant, “Sonics, your time is gonna come.”
Let’s look at the numbers.
From last season to this, the Sonics are amazingly consistent in almost all statistical categories. Much has been made about the improved rebounding, but in actual fact the Sonics are only averaging one more board this season than they did last year. Passing? Nope, Seattle’s getting three fewer assists in 04-05. Steals? Blocks? No to both of those. How about fouls, surely the Sonics are being smarter with the refs? Um, no, the Supes are hacking the other team an extra five times a game.
Ah, shooting, that must be it, right? Well, the Sonics are shooting 46.5% this year as opposed to 44.6% last year, which is a significant improvement, but since they’re attempting three fewer shots a game, it’s pretty much a wash. The same goes for treys, where Seattle is averaging .5 fewer threes made per game.
Despite all that, the Sonics are averaging 6 ppg more this season.
Well, jeez, man, what are the Sonics doing better? Believe it or not, only three areas.
Free throws made, opposition rebounds, and opposition FT percentage.
The Sonics are making an extra six FTs every game over last season. There are four main benefactors: Fortson (+4.8 from last season’s 0), Lewis (+1.8), Daniels (+1.5), and Frodo (+1.5). The remainder of the team is only slightly off their results from last year, meaning these four guys have made the difference.
The second area, rebounds, is even more extreme. Last year, Sonic opponents averaged 42 boards a game. This year? 32, a difference of 10 rebounds every game. It means the Sonics are averaging eight more rebounds than their opponents each night.
Thirdly is opposition FT percentage. Last year, opponents shot 77% at the line, making 19.1 per game. This year, it’s at 70%, making 18.4 per game. That’s costing opponents almost two points per game, a significant number.
Can the Sonics keep it up? Well, the FTs are something the Sonics should continue to do well. The rebounds, though, are doubtful. Being that the Pistons, certainly one of the top rebounders in the league, only averaged two more boards than their foes last season, it is unlikely the Supes could keep up a pace of four times that for the rest of the season. And, of course, it is very unlikely that Sonic opponents will continue their Reggie Evans impersonations at the foul line, unless Coach McMillan has telekinetic powers that he has – up till now – decided to keep under wraps.
To paraphrase Robert Plant, “Sonics, your time is gonna come.”
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