I made this point (or a similar one) to Mr. Filo a few months back - That the NBA had become a pick-and-roll league with little else. Let's see what you NBA-heads think when it comes from one of your own, namely Page 2's Bill Simmons...
"Today's games should be easier to call because they're more predictable. Teams run the same play five or six straight times down the stretch. For Cleveland, it's the high screen with Ilguaskas and James. For Boston, it's the high post play with Pierce. For the Lakers, it's the "Let's run the triangle for 42 minutes, then we'll just clear out for Kobe for the last six" offense. For Denver, it's either a high screen for Chauncey or a clear-out for Carmelo. Only the Magic (God bless them) seem interested in playing a style that doesn't revolve around the same guy hoisting3s or barrelling toward the basket again and again."
In response, my resident NBA expert Dan-O said:
The NBA plays a lot of pick and roll. But it’s not the same exact pick and roll. It’s multiple variations of the pick and roll.
It doesn’t make it any less watchable for me. You?
To which I replied...
It makes it predictable and leads me to wonder how teams seem to play like they don't know what's coming. And it's also a likely result of players coming from various places, whether that's straight from high school, only one year of college or Europe.
It seems unless you have a core of a team together for a couple of years, the coaches can't teach these players an offense that doesn't eventually become pick and roll. Was it like this in the 80s? Early to mid 90s with Riley's Knicks and Rudy's Rockets?
Maybe that's in part because NBA coaches are at the whim of the players paid millions by the owners. In college, the coach is king and therefore can institute different offenses sets.
I'll always watch the playoffs because I'm a sports fan, but it's gonna take something really special for me to pay attention to the regular season.
As for the Mets, someone please tell Brian Schinder to stay in Buffalo or accept his outright release. Omir Santos is my catcher, plain and simple.
That's exactly what Mr. David Wright needs to do, keep things plain and simple. AND MAKE CONTACT WITH THE BASES LOADED AND ONLY ONE OUT.
Maybe he's nervous, realizing the full magnitude of the NYC pressure. Almost like he was getting a pass early on and now, it's showed up full force. I mean, I can't knock the guy really cuz he's batting over .300 with RISP. But it's the increased strikeouts and coming up young in the big, clutch situations.
If I really wanted to research, I could check out his numbers this year in Late and Close at-bats but I don't have a connect at the Elias Sports Bureau.
Yet.
Maybe after Tim Redding outduels somebody this afternoon, coming off the heels of Pelfrey going 7.1 strong tonight, someone will give me the link inside.
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