Sonics 107 Wolves 102 in Ovetime
Big win !!!!!
Great win for the Sups.
Ray Allen is very special. He willed his team to a win,
Great defense all night on KG. He worked and worked and worked to get his 23 points.
Bob Weiss did a great job with the different defenses on KG. They doubled all night and then start switching when they doubled and when they singled him.
I love the defensive philosophy. They are denying the middle. They are denying the post and forcing teams to shoot from the outside. This is vintage Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan defensive basketball.
Points in the Paint – Sonics 50 Wolves 32
Sonics win while shooting 4 of 25 from 3 and shooting only 41% from the field.
That is how this team won games last year. They don't have to just shoot.
Mateen Cleaves was huge off the bench and keeping the team together.
Danny Fortson gets a huge part of this win.
Collison was terrific in his post defense and his energy and effort inside.
Sonics 88 Wolves 82 with 5:52 left in the game
Casey has put Kevin Garnett back on Rashard Lewis
Wolves are running great stuff – a two man game with KG in the post and Wally outside the arc forcing the Sonics to give up a 3 to Wally. He missed. How many times will he miss.
This is when Seattle has to find some offensive flow. Rashard is not going to be available with KG guarding him. They are doubling Allen.
Weiss is still running the Collison and Fortson combo.
Sonics 81 Wolves 78 with 8:31 left in the game.
The amount of wasted possessions by Seattle today is sickening.
Minnesota is doubling any pick and roll involving Ray Allen and forcing the ball out of his hands.
Danny Fortson has cost the Sonics two possessions with his foolishness.
Seattle is visibly frustrated and pressing as we enter the 4th Quarter.
Then he re-gained a possession with a flop. Weiss needs to be careful he is entering into the land of diminishing return with Danny.
He has definitely added energy to the building.
Weiss went right at Wally S to get his 5th foul when he returned.
Sonics open the 4th Q with a 8-0 run with Cleaves, Allen, Wilkins, Fortson and Collison.
Wol
ves 71 Sonics 70 with 2:31 left in 3rd Quarter
Sonics have gone to Vitaly on KG and they are no longer doubling.
Offense has taken over -- Wolves have scored on 8 of last 9 possessions and the Sonics have scored on 7 of 8 and 8 of 10.
Damien Wilkins took it to KG for a great lay-up
Wow – Weiss just subbed Damien Wilkins for Ray Allen. Does this mean Flip Murray is out of the rotation in the second half? Will Cleaves come in for Luke?
Wolves 63 Sonics 60 with 5:48 left in the 3rd Quarter
The Sonics defense is very good. It will be better and better as the season goes on. Guys are making outside shots right now that they will not make as the season goes on and their legs get tired. The Sonics are eliminating the inside game from the Wolves.
The Sonics must value the basketball.
The Sonics are in the penalty at 7:20.
Will Ray have any gas left in the 4th quarter – he is going hard right now
Casey has made some nice adjustments to get baskets on the weak side of Seattle’s double team.
Sonics 47 Wolves 47 at the half
For Seattle to be in this game with the absurd amount of turnovers and no three pointers is amazing. The free throw line has been the key.
The Sonics offensive rebounding is very good tonight as well. They have 43% of the available offensive rebounds tonight.
Adjustments are going to be key to this second half.
Vitaly Potapenko played well in the later portion of the 2nd half.
Sonics defensive philosophy of no middle has been very good today.
Points in the paint is Seattle 28 and the Wolves 16.
Wolves 38 Sonics 35 with 5:54 left in the 2nd Quarter
No shots from the offense are in rhythm. Therefore the Sonics are missing shots they would usually make. However, if the shots doesn’t come in rhythm then it is not an easy shot.
Defensively the Sonics are playing great. This is keeping them in the game.
It is a major concern that the Sonics have no flow in the half court. At some point in this game the Sonics will have to score in the halfcourt.
Flip was -19 in the opener. I believe he is -7 tonight.
Sonics are 0 for 11 from 3 and within 3. That is a good sign.
Wolves 30 Sonics 25 with 8:48 left in the 2nd Quarter.
The Sonics turn the ball over on 4 straight possessions. 3 of those are on Flip Murray.
The Sonics are forcing the fastbreak and not getting the dividends. Instead they are turning it over.
Turnovers are death in the NBA. They are the base on balls of baseball
Wolves 24 Sonics 22 end of 1 quarter
Sonics defensive philosophy is no middle and the Sonics are holding to that fairly well.
The Sonics offense looks totally uncomfortable. It is unclear how much of it is what Duane Casey is doing to the offense.
Petro played the first 10 minutes. It seemed like he had diminishing returns after the first span.
Vlady has missed two threes that were good looks and would force the defense to alter their approach.
Danny Forston makes two nice plays to close the quarter.
Sub difference from the 1st game – Weiss went to Vlady for Reggie. Then he brought Flip in for Ray but Ray returned for Luke.
Wolves 16 Sonics 15 with 3:38 left in 1st Quarter
Wolves are switching on the pick and roll
KG is guarding Rashard Lewis
Marko Jaric has great hands. He has at least 4 deflections early
Last season the Sonics were 22nd in the forcing turnovers at 13.8%. On opening night the Sonics forced 19% of the Clippers possessions into turns.
Minnesota has had a hard time scoring at times. Keep an eye on that tonight.
Reggie Evans takes 5 of the first 13 shots.
Flip comes in for Ray instead of Luke tonight.
Vlady was the first sub for Reggie.
PRE-GAME REPORT
In every locker-room thier is a scouting report board. The Wolves was on the board when we went into the locker-room tonight. This is a great way of knowing what Casey thinks of the Sonics and where the teams attack the Sonics. Here is a selection of what he had on his scouting board.
Sonics offense
Kevin Garnett on Rashard Lewis with Wally on Reggie Evans
Make them drivers
Stay on shooters in transition
under all pick and roll other than Ray Allen
Sonics defense
Make them defend 1 on 1
Attack their feet
attack the middle. Go to the rim no shot blockers
Seattle needs 9 3's to win
Storylines: Casey know Seattle's talent
Weiss finding his rotation
Flip Murray filling the role of AD
Finding a 3rd scorer on the Sonics
Keys to the Game: 1) Luke needs 10 assists
2) keep turnovers down
3) Rashard handle being guarded by KG
4) Keep Minnesota off the free throw line
Inactives: Sonics -- Rick Brunson (foot injury), Mikki Moore and Robert Swift
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10 comments:
Too many turnovers. Missing makable shots.
we could really use a ballhandler and Luke isnt' getting it done right now.
I think Reggie Evans is underrated on defense. He hussles his ass off at both ends of the floor and that will go a long way to tire out an opponent. In addition, he seems to get under everyone's skin (Duncan, Garnett to some extent) and that must tell you something.
Brunson has a foot injury, or at least that's what locke sights at the beginning of the simulblog
I'd like to think that Nate would have come up with a play a bit better than a dribble drive at the basket. i think the offense as a whole suffers from a lack of motion at times.
boy I sure am glad he's (Allen) on our side
You have to love the way Ray played through his slow start to essentially will his team to victory, as Locke stated.
Is anyone else concerned by the way Rashard disappeared on the offensive end down the stretch and in the overtime?
Fortson continues to be a huge mixed bag. While he provides a unique inside presence, toughness, and source of energy from the bench, some of the mistakes he continues to make have me tearing out hair. The same goes for Evans.
This game might be the most impressed I've ever been with Cleaves in a Sonics uniform (as his playing time actually *mattered* in this instance). This team can truly go 12-deep.
Sloppy play, but we found a way to win, and that's what matters at the end of the day . . .
A few comments.
1. Danny Fortson showed why he can be so good. He is a very important part of the team, it's too bad he's so un-reliable. One of the craziest stats I've ever seen: Fortson leads the league in getting fouled per touch. 1.9. Incredible, essentially whenever he touches the ball he's going to the line.
2. Ray Allen looked a little off tonight, he showed why he's one of the best players in the game though in the fourth quarter.
3. Weiss needs to shorten the rotation. Quickly.
4. Wilkins and Radman need to be out on the floor much more than 24 minutes combined.
5. Collison showed why he is one of the best low post defenders in the NBA. Garnett was tired, but Collison made him work.
6. The free throw shooting was unreal. Almost as unreal as how bad the three point shooting was.
7. The team played with more intensity, which concerned me after the opener.
8. Evans needs to stop shooting. Period. If he can sneak by and get a lay up now and again that's fine. And I love his hustle, but he shouldn't be out there more than 20 minutes.
9. Ridnour played poor, no other way to put it. I liked how he attacked the basket, but he needs to take some notes from Tony Parker, that guy knows how to finish over big men. I'm confident in him, but I'm not sure if he's going to take a huge step forward this year, like I hoped.
10. I really don't think this team is ready to be as consistent as last year. Huge test coming up.
Boy, if Reggie or Fortson could knock down a 15 ft J, we would be so much better.
It's weird how Danny can have such a nice FT stroke, yet never attempt anything outside 2 feet.
There were some good defensive moments but thru two games the Sonics have exactly the same 109 points allowed per 100 possession according to 82games.com http://www.82games.com/0506/0506SEA3.HTM, not anything close to a Spurs last year level of 91 that was mentioned on radio (I dont think the first game by itself supports that figure either.)
The defense has averaged 93 possessions, the figure in the next column over to the left and perhaps that was read as pts per possession by mistake? If so I understand, it has happened to me before too. Just trying to help correct.
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