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NBA Daily Dose: Getting Even

Bruce Bowen has a penchant for pissing people off.

Bruce Bowen, right, was up to his old tricks Wednesday. (AP Images)

Bruce Bowen was up to his old tricks Wednesday night, i.e., pissing off opponents. Well, his elbow to the ribs of Amare Stoudemire only succeeded in firing up Stat, who came up big to lead the Suns to an immense 96-79 win over the Spurs. In today’s Daily Dose, we explore the situation.

Rafer Alston made an immediate impact upon his return; Chris Bosh was lights out; Charlie Villanueva had the finest night of his season; usual durable Shane Battier got hurt; Manu Ginobili is just one of many ice cold Spurs; and Tim Duncan is a double-double machine.

Do try to drag yourself away from Dooce long enough to read up on the latest fantasy basketball tidbits. We’ve got you covered in today’s Dose.

April 10th, 2008
Categories: Courtside, Dear RotoRob, Fantasy Notes, On Campus, Rumours, Uncategorized . Author: RotoRob . Comments: 1 Comment

On Campus: Butler-Purdue

One of the biggest surprises in men’s college basketball kept rolling yesterday as Butler recovered from its only loss of the season to down Purdue 68-65 in the opener of the annual Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Bulldogs, ranked 18th in the nation, continued their dream season with yet another victory over an Indiana state rival school. While Butler lost last weekend to Indiana State, it has already beaten Notre Dame and Indiana. Adding a win over the Boilermakers — who with six straight wins were bubbling under just below the Top 25 and had beaten Butler 12 of the past 13 times heading in — is yet another cherry on the sundae for the Bulldogs. This marks the first time since 1948-49 that the ‘Dogs managed to sweep the big three Indiana schools.

This is a team that was picked in the preseason to finish sixth in the Horizon League, yet at 11-1 now, it could move into the Top 15 this week.

You knew something special was going on with Butler when they won the NIT Season Tip-Off Championship. What I’m loving about this squad is how they are amazingly calm under pressure. Each time Purdue made a run and either cut the deficit or, on several occasions, took a slim lead, Butler would come up with a huge play to regain the advantage. It looked like the game would slip away late after back-to-back turnovers, but the Bulldogs managed to grab the lead in the final minute and they clamped down for the win.

Game observations:

Butler’s backcourt is the envy of almost every team in the country. A.J. Graves and Mike Green form an exciting combo, each player capable of taking over a game. Green, a junior, is on a serious roll, having scored at least 16 points in seven straight games. His two free throws in the final 30 seconds helped seal the deal. Green had to sit out last season after transferring from Towson, but his addition this year has made a huge difference to this team. Graves, MVP of the NIT Season Tip-Off, is a simply phenomenal talent. He was held to 14 points last week after getting poked in the eye and suffering some blurred vision, but he more than made up for it Saturday. Graves, often compared to Steve Nash (and the similarities are striking, at least physcially), poured in 25 (on 8-for-14 shooting) and was especially dominant in the second half. The junior is now averaging a team-best 17.9 PPG. A three-year starter, Graves is virtually automatic from the line, a 98 per cent shooter coming in. He drained all five yesterday, yet failed to lift his average. How sick is that? This dude has nailed 60-of-61 from the charity stripe. The 6′1″ guard has definitely become the leader of this dog pack. For good measure, Graves also dropped in four from downtown. Butler Senior Brandon Crone was huge last weekend, scoring 15 points, but he struggled badly for most of the game yesterday, managing just 2-of-13 from the field and eight points overall. He missed his first nine shots, but when it was crunch time, he came through with a big layup and free throw to put Butler up 66-64 with less than a minute to play. Butler didn’t shoot as well yesterday (38.5 per cent) as it did last week, but was better from long distance, sinking 8-of-22. Carl Landry, an absolute beast for the Boilermakers in last week’s win over Missouri with 23 points and 12 rebounds, was held in check most of the day as Purdue struggled to establish an inside presence. Held to five games with knee problems last season, Landry has been a stud this year, but I only saw glimpses of it yesterday. Where was this guy who’s been the Big Ten Player of the Week three weeks running? He was held to 12, and two-thirds of those points came on free throws. Landry was also sloppy, turning it over five times. Purdue guard Tarrance Crump scored nine points, but he missed a three pointer that could have tied the game with seconds remaining. He also coughed the ball up four times. Purdue has now slipped to 8-2 and will need to rebound if it hopes to crack the Top 25. Butler, known for its defensive tenacity, had eight steals — three of them by Graves. Purdue was the home team, but considering Butler is located just five miles from Conseco, it wasn’t exactly hostile territory. The Bulldogs have now won all three games they’ve played in the Fieldhouse this year. The Bulldogs aren’t a big team — just one starter as tall as 6′7″ and no bench players taller than that either, so gang rebounding is a key. They weren’t very strong yesterday (-15 on the boards), but managed to eke out a win anyways. Come tournament time, however, this is going to be Butler’s Achilles’ heel. Turnovers were a big part of the story here as Butler had six less than Purdue. And while the Bulldogs were sloppier than normal, their turnovers didn’t seem to come back to haunt them the way Purdue’s did (19 Purdue turnovers turning into 23 points for Butler). This is no big surprise, as the Bulldogs came in second in the country with just over nine turnovers per game. In spending all their time trying to contain Landry, the Bulldogs forgot all about sophomore forward Gordon Watt. The defensive specialist enjoyed the finest offensive game of his career with 20 points. In beating his old mark of 14, Watt piled up 12 in the first half including eight of the Boilermakers’ first 11 points as they took an early six-point lead. Graves, an Indiana legend, is the third of four boys in his family to play at Butler. This guy could run for governer of the state. Graves was nailed with two early fouls, but Coach Lickliter stuck with him and the risk paid off. Graves shows tremendously ability to drive to the hoop, but is also deadly from outside. Speaking of Lickliter, he’s managed to win 65.4 per cent of his games since taking over Butler, the second highest winning percentage for any coach in school history. He’s very calm and cool — a demeanor that’s reflected in the team’s ability to play under pressure. Freshman Chris Kramer looks like a player for Purdue, bringing a lot of energy to the floor. With 12 points yesterday, he could develop into the main man off the Boilermaker bench. Free throw shooting is another big time strength for this Bulldog team. They were 20-of-25 yesterday and are the top free throw shooting team in the nation. Freshman swingman Willie Veasley enjoyed his finest game, scoring seven points, including sinking the bucket that gave Butler its first lead as part of an 11-0 run. Purdue showed plenty of perseverance, battling back from an 11-point deficit to regain a one-point first half lead heading into the under four minute timeout. In this stretch, Butler was falling into the one and out syndrome as Purdue was dominating the glass under its basket. Landry committed a foul out of frustration early in the second half. He got a bit too aggressive trying to create space for himself, and was nailed with his third, forcing the fifth-year senior (he redshirted last year) to the bench with under 16 minutes to go in the game. In the final minute, with a chance to tie the game, the Boilermakers again weren’t able to feed Landry down low.

December 17th, 2006
Categories: BASKETBALL, On Campus, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments

On Campus: UNC-UK Report

[image] The Tar Heels apparently have their mojo back when it comes to beating the Wildcats.’

The two winningest programs in college basketball history met in Chapel Hill yesterday with North Carolina emerging victorious 75-63, for a third straight victory over Kentucky.

UNC was 16-6 all-time against UK when the two storied schools turned their series into an annual affair back in 2000-01, but when the Wildcats were victorious in the first four games, it didn’t seem like such a brilliant idea anymore.

However, the Heels have pushed back since, tacking on yesterday’s win to last year’s 83-79 triumph in Lexington to make it three straight for the boys in powder blue. UNC’s 19-10 overall record against Kentucky makes it one of just two schools to have played the Wildcats at least 10 times and have a winning record against them. The other? St. Louis.

Yesterday’s win should help the sixth-ranked Tar Heels move into the Top Five, coming on the heels of the Heels’ huge 98-89 win over top-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday.

The unranked Wildcats, meanwhile, heading in hot after beating Charleston 77-61 on Tuesday, have now dropped all three games against ranked opponents this season.

Game observations:

UNC’s freshmen class is simply mind-blowing, and the kids did their thing again yesterday with Wayne Ellington scoring 17 and Brandan Wright potting 16. Ellington excels at shooting off the dribble. The athletic Wright’s career is off to an amazing start with double-digit scoring in all seven games. Senior Reyshawn Terry, one of four returning starters, has stuggled so far this year, heading in averaging just over eight points per game. But he put on a clinic from downtown, nailing four treys as part of a 16-point effort yesterday. His back-to-back long bombs highlighted a game-changing run for Carolina. Terry, who poured in a career-high 25 against the Wildcats last year, pitched in yesterday with nine boards and three assists. By establishing that outside game (the Heels were 9-for-21 from beyond the arc), UNC was able to break down the Wildcat zone on the inside. That was a big key to this victory. This UNC team is now deep enough that coach Williams can sit down the entire five-man starting outfit at once, replacing it with the second unit, a tactic he employed at one point yesterday. Tyler Hansbrough came up big against OSU with 21 points (8-for-16 shooting) and a career-best 14 rebounds, but he was frustrated all afternoon by the Wildcats, managing just seven points and three boards on 2-of-10 shooting. A first-team All-American last year, Hansbrough’s strength allows him to carve out position for himself in the low post. He came in averaging almost 21 PPG, so we’ll cut him some slack for yesterday’s lacklustre showing, which featured just three points with a minute and a half to go in the first half. UK Junior Randolph Morris, coming off a nice 17 point-performance on Tuesday, showed a tremendous touch (10-of-11 for 21 points) and great hustle. He had his way in the post yesterday. This kid is going places. By returning to school this year, Morris will likely improve his draft placing, and could go in the top 25 if he enters the 2007 NBA draft. Freshmen have accounted for half of the Heels’ scoring with under four minutes to go in the first half. They wind up with 44 of 75 points on the day. How does this school manage to rebuild and stay competitive at the same time? It’s all about the recruiting. Everyone on this very deep team is playing and scoring. There are nine players averaging over 11 MPG and 10 who are scoring over 3.5 PPG. Turnovers are a big part of the problem for the Wildcats; they’ve committed 11 with under two minutes to play in the first half. UNC does a much better job of protecting the rock, coughing up just nine all day. UK started the second half strong, draining its first three shots to pull within 36-33. But after a timeout, the Heels responded with an 11-2 run to put the game out of reach. Coach Williams was unimpressed with how his team started the second half, especially on one particular loose ball: “The basketball was rolling on the floor and we’re tiptoeing through the freaking tulips reaching over to get the ball.” Ah yes, nothing like tiptoeing through some freaking tulips on a Saturday afternoon. I think I’ll head down to the local nursery after I finish writing this article. After that big run early in the second half, the closest UK got was nine points. Seth Davis thinks Hansbrough is on his way to National Player of the Year honours. Joe Crawford drained 16 for Kentucky and Bobby Perry came through with 12. Perry’s performance was nice to see. The Wildcats are counting on the senior forward to be a more consistent scorer this season, but so far, he’s been anything but. Crawford, a junior guard with good size at 6′5″, also did a great job on the glass with eight boards, helping the Wildcats win the battle of the boards 42-36. It wasn’t enough, however, to stop UK from dipping to 4-3. Besides the turnover problem, poor outside shooting (UK sunk just one of its first 12 and finished 3-for-15) proved to be the Cats’ undoing. Kentucky is usually a very fine 3-point shooting team, averaging 36 per cent from beyond the arc heading in. But an 0-for-9 first-half showing killed UK. In fact, take away Morris’ 5-for-5 first half and the rest of the team shot 6-for-23 before halftime. Sophomore Bobby Fraser was the Heels’ starting PG last season (one of just three PGs to start their entire freshman season in the school’s history), but this year he’s coming off the bench in favour of the far more explosive Ty Lawson. Lawson was a USA Today first-team All-American last year after leading Oak Hill Academy to a 42-1 mark. Yes, Lawson still has a learning curve, but he’s fast and strong and makes a huge difference to the UNC attack. The tide has turned in this series, but one thing Kentucky excels at is stopping super soph Hansbrough. The Wildcats worked hard to crowd the middle, keep the ball out of his hands and seal him off when he did get a touch, and the strategy worked. Just three times in his career has he failed to get double-digit points, and two of those games are against Kentucky. The seven Hansbrough scored yesterday were a season low and last year he managed just six against the Wildcats. What’s up with that? UNC never trailed in this game, continuing its fine non-conference play with the win. The club is now 6-1 overall, including 3-0 at the Dean Smith Center. Kentucky is stalled at 1,930 wins in its history, while the Heels continue to get closer year by year, now up to 1,889.

December 3rd, 2006
Categories: BASKETBALL, On Campus, RotoRob . Author: RotoRob . Comments: No Comments