This will be very short.
The winning formula looks to be established. Play Dwight Howard straight up, rush out on their shooters and force them off the line and then stay in the Magic’s perimeter players bubble at all times. So far the Magic haven’t proved they can score consistently in the mid-range area or finish consistently at the rim when contested. Defensively is all about effort and the Sixers have given more so far in this series.
One thing that hasn’t really been said is this….
The Sixers have been shooting extremely well. My question: is it merely a coincidence the Sixers offense has been much better while the defense has been the best we’ve seen it. Or is the offense a by-product of the strong defense?
I know my answer, what’s yours.
Now is the time for our young Sixers to really take a step up. As well as they have played they haven’t yet reached a level better than last year. They haven’t done anything. This game represents a new level. Let’s put these guys away right now.
I will need your help as I will miss the first hour of the game with a game of my own. Keep the comments flowing during the game and I will join in as soon as I get back.
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That sucks you have to miss the first half. I’ll be right here during the game if anyone else wants to join me in an in-game chat.
I think our offense feeds directly off of our defense. Some people would argue because we have not gotten out on the break as much as normal, that it is just a coincidence. I think not. Just because our defense hasn’t converted directly into fast break points, does not mean it hasn’t effected the game. If you have noticed during the games, they have been played at an extremely fast pace. That is the biggest difference between this year and last year. We went up against the Pistons because we got lucky. We have gone up against the Magic because of our defense.
Laura Green is back, woo-hoo! Laura, I’m so ready to divorce Dei…
guest, what do you think of them going small there? I”m surprised the Magic just doesn’t throw it down to Howard every time, I feel like Howard should be averaging 50 from now on and throw this team on his back. By going small the Sixers are practically daring SVG to go ahead and do that.
Zack, I do not feel comfortable when we go small. It seems like the Magic’s level of confidence goes up as soon as Sammy steps to the bench. You can see it in the way they play. They immediately start taking it to the hole. Right now with Iguodala on the bench, we have to try and get Miller more shots and also get some 3pt. attempts for Marshall. We are turning the ball over too much by isolating and driving the ball in the key without any movement, and too early in the shot clock. We can run, but we don’t have to force anything.
I know he had that 3, but Lou made horrible decision after horrible decision in that stretch. Reggie Evans is playing well off the bench, finally! I thought he’d playing like this the whole series. Maybe we hire Carleisimo as an assistant coach – he’d suddenly become our smartest coach, head or assistant.
Everything seems to be the opposite of the series’ trends. Orlando is scoring in the paint, Philly’s hitting 3’s. The Sixers look very discombobulated on both ends of the floor, but amazingly we’re up 36-34. The most telling stat is the Magic’s offensive boards with 3:41 left in the half: no offensive boards. Zero. And the Magic jumper has no magic right now.
Thaddeus needs to learn to dribble before he can take the next step. On the fast break he looked a little shaky, and also on that carrying violation. If he perfects his dribble, he can use his quickness driving to the hole, much more effectively.
Check that. We’re not totally discombobulated, because we are keeping Howard from getting shots off (though every other Orlando player is making hay in the paint) and we are grabbing defensive boards. We can play better and we have a slight lead. Sixers can win this game.
VERY VERY LUCKY to be tied right now. This is the sloppiest half of basketball i’ve seen played by any of these teams in this series. The officials are not calling anything, the Magic are turning the ball over, and we aren’t getting any good looks at the basket. We are shooting the three ball well which is surprising, but other than that and forcing turnovers, we are playing awful.
Hopefully in the 2nd half, we pick up the slack and hopefully they keep struggling.
I’m not sure how to describe that second quarter. Both teams are giving it all, especially on defense, and neither team looks comfortable on offense. Good coaching by both sides I guess, but it doesn’t make for entertaining basketball. Maybe the loser is the team who lets up first, much like in a tug-of-war? I’d be so proud of the Sixers if they can maintain this intensity for the whole game.
Even the stats don’t tell much. The 6ers have caused more TOs and gotten more O-boards, but the Magic are shooting better. I like the 4 rebounds by Thad, but typical Thad – 3 are offensive.
Ugly first half looks like?
Wow WTF was that from Sam. Designed post up. Let that one be the last please.
That was the sloppiest and oddest half of the series, for both teams and coaches and the refs. The Sixers are missing open shots and generally looking out of sync on offensive, and the Magic more lost than they have all series. How did that team win 59 games during the regular season again? Some of the first-half stats that demonstrate what a weird half it was:
Orlando: 1-8 on 3pt attempts
Orlando offensive rebounds: zero, as in 0. Give the Sixers some credit but the Magic are doing a lot of standing around
Sixers: 34% FG percentage
Sixers FT attempts: 2
Dwight Howard is frighteningly quiet (give Sammy/Reggie some credit)
Both teams playing far below their capabilities, except for one stat: 76ers are hitting three’s.
Second half has started a little better. Both teams are hitting shots.
And that’s why it should have been the last. Take the free money once don’t keep begging.
Shit they are hittin’ to start the half.
Why the hell does Willie keep getting matched up with Lewis. Damn it!
Any one else thinking… DEJA freakin’ VU!!! Game 4, halftime, series has been close up to now, and then…
That was some dumb defense from Thad on that jumper by Rashard.
Yeah he ran away from him like that wasn’t his man. Need to get back on track defensively.
Zack, your right. That’s why we need Thad on him. Willie can’t match up and when they get that mismatch I smell trouble. If only that runner fell from Miller.
That was a quick whistle there on Sam’s 3rd foul.
Sammy has a problem with just throwing people out of the way right before he jumps. Hedo was in no position to take that rebound away from him.
Sam’s 4th foul looked like it was BS, too. Anyone have a different take?
Glad to see Thad make up for his defense with his offense, but I wish we had Celtic-like players who don’t have to make up for their defense with their offense, or vice-versa.
R.I.P., Pistons’ chances for a 7th consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. I wonder what it would take to rip Rip Hamilton away from them.
They just signed Rip to an extension he isn’t going anywhere. Word is Prince is now not off limits.
Sam’s out make sure he is back in for the fourth quarter push.
Terrible shot Miller.
If you want a two for one then fine, take a quick shot. But if you are going to take a bad shot and then still leave them the last shot then you just screwed yourself big time. Bad shot by Andre Miller.
We need Marshall to come in and get the crowd going. Anyone want to see Lou come into the game?
Why do we only have 7 free throw attempts?
Rashard Lewis is getting more comfortable. Maybe he’s figured out Thad’s defensive tendencies? He had much more trouble in the first 3 games, I wonder what the difference is today. Maybe we shift Iguodala over to him.
Dannie, I think Detroit’s gonna have a hard time rebuilding. For the next 10 years, I think the key to building your team is to build it around stopping LeBron James somehow.
See, this is where we need someone like Ben Gordon – we need someone to kick start our offense all by himself when it’s gone cold. Lou Williams, please come thru.
Come on Lou, if you squint really hard, those Magic unis kind of look like Wizards’ unis…
Lou, you don’t do that by driving straight into Dwight Howard, defensive player of the year.
Yes, Andre!!!
Is it me or does Iguodala jump in the air on every pass in the lane?
WE NEED MARSHALL IN THE GAME!!!
I’ve been thinking about Detroit all day – how important is a point guard to a team? I can’t believe how horrible they were with Iverson.
Before I forget – both our big guys off the bench have been great today (Reggie, Ratliff). Ratliff has been especially good in this quarter.
Dileo is giong to wait until we are down by 9 with 3 minutes left to put Marshall in…stupid….
Zack,
It wasn’t just Iverson coming in… It was also:
-Billups leaving of course
-Flip Saunders fired
-Rodney Stuckey’s defense
-Injuries to Prince and Sheed
and also LOU STILL STINKS!!!
Lou Williams SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! Compound one mistake with another. Typical Lou Williams basketball.
OH MY GOODNESS, LOU SUCKS LOU SUCKS LOU SUCKS LOU SUCKS
BRAIN FART LOU, WHAT THE HECK!!!
Dannie, you gotta describe that Lou Williams double-turd in your recap!
Crunch time and we’re down 8. I really wish Ivey were in the game instead of Williams. Or put Green in.
everything is going in for them….
Miller needs to stop shooting 3’s
they nee to contest layups
Iguodala love the 10 assists but dude we need points now. 67 points through 3 and a half quarters.
We need someone to get hot or it’s over.
guest, all good points, but I still can’t believe all that supposed talent [on Detroit] couldn’t work itself out somehow.
Dannie, the worst part about what’s going on is that Orlando truly looks like they’re turning the series momentum their way.
Wow this kid Courtney Lee is the Lou Williams antithesis. He is the exact player we need. That pump, one dribble off the glass shot was beautiful basketball.
Zack – Agree. Big shots by Lou and Dala. LET GO.
IF ONLY LOU’S TOE WASN’T ON THE LINE!
Sammy needs to keep pushing Howard off the block if we are going to win this game. They are going to slow it up and try to go to Howard. Use quickness and fouls to try and limit their points from here on out.
I wanna get all jubilantly positive right now, but I’m terrified of jinxing this… The Sixers are the ultimate giveth-and-taketh away team.
LET’S GO!!!!!
Shit that was a tough ass take by Turk.
Ok give me 2 minutes of lock down defense starting now.
Can’t complain about that Hedo and 1 – that was just a big-time play.
Get Marshall in the game NOW!!!
Big free throws here.
Make these, get a stop, call timeout, get Marshall in. The defense is getting sucked in every possession now. Perfect time for him.
That Miller shot is exactly why Marshall should be in. That should have been a kick to Marshall.
DO IT NOW DILEO!
Good call Dannie. Drive and kick out for the dagger!
No reason for Lou to be in the game right now at all. He isn’t getting the ISO so you should have your best kick out shooter in. Bad coaching.
OMG OMG OMG he got so bailed out by Sam right there. WHY THE FUCK DO YOU JUMP PASS EVERY TIME!!!!
WOW relying on a tough Sammy catch - ugh. I’ll take it.
What a pass! To jump and make an overhead pass over Dwight is very difficult. Usually the worst thing to do as a player is to jump and make a pass, but he pulled it off.
Now we NEED defense! If they go to Howard and he is in a good position then do we foul?
Thad do not leave Lewis in the corner please!
NOOOO!!!
Time for a miracle.
Fuck! Damn it, he finally showed up. Shit. That hurt. They purposely went at Thad right there. Iguodala plays him closer (in the bubble). Thad was out of it. When he let the clock go down so much he should have pressed up and forced a drive at that point.
We still got time.
Our end-game plays are HORRIBLE!!!
Get it to Donyell!
Sigh.
I give it to Donyell no matter what. Even if he is guarded it’s better than Iguodala guarded. This is a tough one to lose. But what a shot by Hedo. It was a great decision to get Thad on him. Thad can’t play in your face defense like Iguodala can.
Tough loss. Lou is so frustrating. He makes a lazy pass, then commits a foul on a layup, 4 point swing. We all knew that they couldn’t, wouldn’t continue to shoot threes the way they did in the first quarter. Willie 8 points in the first quarter what he’d finish with 11. I don’t want to hear another person say they’re not sure if the Sixers will be better with Brand.
All you have to do is watch Orlando double and deny the Andre’s and Thad until Reggie Evans or Dalembert have to take 18 foot jumpers, and know that Brand knocks that down easy. Even if they lose this series, 2010, is going to be exciting.
The Lou Will play as mentioned drove me insane, he sort of made up for it with acouple shots but I hate him. In interviews he doesn’t ever acknowledge any kind of mistake he’s always saying stupid stuff like comparing himself to Derrick Rose.
I can’t hate on Andre Miller but his flop and flip shot with a little over a min down by two was terrible he got lucky and got a foul called the play before but to try it twice in a row there is no way the refs would call that. He made a mistake but we are still in the series.
Lou Williams is a pain in my ass.
I thought Sammy played well tonight he was pushing Howard off the block and contesting. I thought the play called for him was a good one since the Magic wont expect it.
Oh well we are still in this baby
Guys, just got in from the game, that place was rockin. My top key to the game was Orlando!s defense. Dannie, you brought up our lack of free throws,? They did not let us get to the rim and Iggy, when pressured, jumps in the air on every pass but his hangtime bails him out. I thought Sam played real well yet a guy behind me wanted Spieghts in for him. Lee is something and Alston hurt us in the second half, I am horse right now.
We can’t fall into the trap we fell in last year. No more “we are happy to be here” talks. We are in a 3 game series against the 4th best team in the league when they have home court advantage. Seems awfully similar to last year.
It’s going to be a battle. I am going to call game 5 a Must Win Game. Simply because I don’t think we can win a Game 7 in Orlando.
Wow tough way to lose but still was an exciting game. That 4th quarter surge shows me the Sixers are NOT GONNA BACK DOWN !! this is gonna be interesting. all games so far have been close. who knows what will happen. I think Iam finally begin to enjoy this series. Who will we blame this one on? Not our best but give the Magic credit. Yeah Lou Williams suckss so bad!
credit to Turk for returning the favor, once he switched on Young I knew it was trouble. credit to him also, for the ugliest fish-face I ever saw. Meen he made Iguodala’s pouty gesture in Game 1 look like the Mona Lisa.
Take it for what it is worth but Eskin on Sports Final said Deleo is the coach next year.
WOW! I was at the game. It was competitive and despite a bad 3rd quarter, how ANYONE not appreciate the Sixers? Today, three of the four games yesterday were close and competitive.
The Sixers MUST remember the successful matchups. Andre Iguodala MUST be on Hedo Turkoglu and Thaddeus Young MUST be on Rashard Lewis. Remember that and take better care of the ball and the Sixers can still be successful in this series. But this along with Boston-Chicago will be one hell of a series where anybody that can take the series regardless of the venue.
Also, Lou has to stick to his limits and not attempt to play the hero and great to have Kevin Eubanks (From The Tonight Show) perform the national anthem on guitar!
Everything on the box score showed the Sixers played great basketball, except for the low FG% and the fewer FT attempts.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=290426020
GO SIXERS!!! ENTER THE WORLD OF TOMMOROWLAND WITH A WIN!!
Interesting that Turkoglu said the plan was for whoever Young guarded on the Turk/Lewis pick-and-roll would take the shot, even though Young is two inches taller than Iguodala.
Tom, I take that as a compliment to Iggy more than a diss to Thad. And Iggy, being a veteren of sorts, probably can body up tighter without having a foul called.
Since Danny stole my “what’s with the jumping in the air with your passes?” question, I’ll ask another one: why is Iguodala, shooting 30% from the ‘3′ this year (and 39% as a jump-shooter), taking 6 of his 13 shots from behind the arc in a pivotal and relatively close Game 4? Come on!! Almost half your shots are 3s, and you suck from the 3??
Mark my words: this guy will be a nighmare on a team with an all-star (even a former one). He’s got a way-inflated sense of his own game–which impedes his ability to play smart, and which will impede his ability to play with better players.
That’s what Orlando gave him. They didn’t let him penetrate, get in the lane, so he does those desperate in the air passes. But again for the haters, we had Brand this is a 3-1 series or maybe, just maybe a sweep because they have no one to go to in the post. They’re going to live and die with jumpers, especially if we think Willie can do that again.
Suede – Eskin is an idiot. I do have an observation about the coaching situation that I’ve noticed all year that in my opinion should be a big reason why Dileo shouldn’t be the coach but I will leave that as a cliff hanger until the season is done.
Tom – That was a smart play by Van Gundy. I think it has nothing to do with veteran getting calls and more to do with Thad is unproven as a defensive perimeter stopper regardless of height. His defense there was not good and the exact opposite of how Iguodala has been defending him all series.
He was too far off Turk and his weight was clearly on his heels which was why Turks baby jab right backed him up a step and half. To the untrained eye it look like he contested but in my opinion that’s not a real contest. He hand barely got to Turks chin, that’s a sign of being out of position.
“The bubble” is how I know to play defense. You need to be in it at almost all times. In that situation once Turk work the clock down to 5 the right defense would have been to quickly press up, take the shot away and make him drive into the help against the clock. That shot he took was just too much in rhythm and good defense is about making offensive players uncomfortable.
The other smart thing about that last Orlando play is by going pick and roll with similar players you completely eliminate the potential for trap which would have push the play back and disrupted rhythm. I am seeing more and more of this now – wing-wing/point ball screens.
Since the Iguodala commentary is, as typical here, 90/10 negative, let me say a couple words in his defense. About the jump passing, sure coaches tell players that it’s not a good idea to jump in the air to pass, but that is only true if you don’t know what you’re going to do with the ball. Simple physics dictates that jumping will somtimes get you a line of sight that you don’t have when you’re on the ground. The last pass to Dalembert was an example of that — it got past the double team because he jumped. The results of this game speak for themselves. Number of Iguodala turnovers off bad passes: ONE (one more listed as a bad pass turnover came when he was pinned on the baseline and the pass went off someone’s knee). Number of dunks and lay-ups off Iguodala passes, many of them jump passes: FIVE. I’ll take that ratio any day. Further, note to Hobbes: two of Iguodala’s 3-point attempts were from beyond halfcourt at the ends of quarters, one was the must-take attempt at the end of the game. Of the other three, one of them he made when wide open (off a nice pass from Lou) and another was a wide open 3 off a nice pass from Thad, when they were down 4 with 2 minutes to play. So which of those would you rather that he not have attempted? The fact is, Iguodala forced very few shots in this game and took what the Magic gave him (which was mostly passing opportunities). If you want to look at somebody who forced a lot of shots, point the finger squarely at Miller.
Iguodala’s head was in an unwinning place last night, particularly in the 1st half. Howard-forced offensive passivity is a mode of Magic containment, effective jump-passes aside. (By the way, even if jump-passes are pre-planned or have nice intent, there’s a strong element of luck in completing them, given the variable of alert, mobile defenders and the split-second decision-making and skill release required; it’s
fundamentally unsound action.) It’s all well and good that he piled up some assists, but your big money man needs to be more assertive and spearhead the offense in a big spot, even if it involves a few embarrassing alterations or smack-backs. He’s had his moments in the Series, but he chumped out last night.
DD – I really didn’t have a problem with Iguodala’s game for the most part. BUT…your defense of the jump pass to say the least is bad and faulty. This isn’t “simple physics” class it’s basketball.
First off as a player you’re limiting yourself with what you can do with the ball (only option is to get rid of it before you hit the floor) that isn’t smart or winning basketball in any regard.
Jump passes are more times than not the end result of:
The tactical way the game is taught and the right play is to make the closer and simpler pass (without jumping) to a teammate who then makes the assisted pass with a clear “line of sight.” The guy who makes the first pass gets the hockey assist.
Just give it the cringe test. If you see the play developing and you cringe and then feel relief when the expected bad thing luckily doesn’t happens it wasn’t a smart play. When you see the ball being snapped around to the open man with little pressure, that is beautiful basketball to watch. Sadly we rarely see it now.
Where your argument really goes faulty is in focusing on the result. Good basketball coaching focuses on decision-making and process because in the end consistently making the right decisions and smart plays leads to success.
If a player makes the right play and the result doesn’t work out (right read, good pass, missed shot) the feedback to the player is positive to reinforce the good decision. When a player makes the wrong decision or play (jumping in the air with two defenders on him, fading and heaves a tough pass to your worst receiving player [Sam and his bad hands]) the feedback is to teach the player not to do that because in the long-run it leads to unfavorable results. It’s about helping players develop winning habits.
About the play to Sam specifically. I disagree that he knew where he was going to pass the ball. He went up actually looked out top and didn’t find anyone and then turned and went to Sam, and even then the ball was still almost tipped and dropped. Likely that play goes the wrong way which is why you don’t encourage it by focusing on the end result.
I will say this I would LOVE to coach against or play against anyone that thinks the argument you just made about the jump pass is sound.
Folks–This is going to be quite a series! It has the makings of a series going 7. Who will win it remains the mystery?
The Sixers certainly are treading deep waters and are entering Jaws territory, but this team has been riding some crazy waves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvCI-gNK_y4
Warning: The word MUST will be used often.
The Andres MUST show up EARLY!! Give the Magic credit for taking them out of the game early. Miller showed up late in the 4th quarter, plus he only had 4 assists in the game. Iggy had 11 assists, but seems to be taking too many risky plays in this series, hence the many turnovers for him. Iguodala MUST attack Turkoglu every time he is on the court.
Alston offensively will give Miller fits and vice versa.
Also, the Sixers MUST quit trying to get Howard in foul trouble. He is immovable for most part and the team MUST encorporate more of the Hack-A-Howard down the stretch before the 2 minute mark of the 4th.
Howard does get away with a lot of steps, but the Sixers MUST play through the no calls. I would take my chances with him on the free throw line. Simply put, the Sixers MUST leave Howard as the only scoring option for the Magic. When he scores 30+, they lose because their ball movement STICKS which was why they were 29th in assists.
The Sixers MUST win those 3rd quarters. The Magic have outscored them 109-81 in that period (although Game 3 was weird in the 3rd qt)!
The WEIRD thing: The Sixers are hitting threes well in this series, which is a bonus, and are the best three point shooting team in the PLAYOFFS, even better than the teams that shot well in the regular season (Orlando, San Antonio, Boston). GO FIGURE!!
Royal Ivey MUST play more minutes and relieve Lou of some of his. Ivey’s steal was something!
Also, come Game 6, we MUST have our fans come and fill the stadium!!! Game 4’s attendance was a joke!!
GO SIXERS!!! DON’T GIVE UP!!!
Dannie - that’s certainly a spirited defense, but I can’t agree that results are less important than whether the play is “by the book.” Iguodala’s assist-to-bad-pass ratio is well over 4-to-1, which is higher than many point guards, so whatever he does works for him. He’s also a better athlete than 99% of the players you coach or play against. I really don’t have a problem with the last pass to SD, because he knew Howard was the man doubling and had to be looking for Sam. The execution of the pass might have been slightly off, but Sam was definitely the right person to pass to. On another play, Iguodala had beaten his man and jumped as if taking a floater, only he saw Howard doubling and altered his shot into a pass to Sam for the lay-in. It may have been fundamentally unsound, but it was highly effective. In any case, we can probably agree that Iguodala always had his eyes open for the open man, unlike Miller who was focused on getting his own shots. jjg – still waiting for your two paragraphs of indignation on Turkoglu’s “look at me” celebration after his winning shot. I can only imagine what the reaction would have been had Iguodala done that.
DD – His assist-to-bad-pass ratio is 4.4-1, certainly not “well” above 4. Regardless that is irrelevant to the point we are discussing – his jump passing. What really matters, and we don’t have hard data to settle the debate, is his assist-to-bad-pass ratio on the topic at hand – jump passes over the course of this season, career. I wouldn’t be surprised if that number is significantly lower than than 4-1, which to my point would suggest it’s not a high % aka winning play. But like I said we don’t have that level of granular data.
I agree, there are certainly times when a player is in the air and must pass (intent to shoot, then pass). In my opinion that is a somewhat different conversation. For the most part I am talking about jumping with the intent to pass. There’s simply little good reason to do it if you play the game right before you get to that point.
Also, the point about Iguodala being a 99% better athlete than anyone I coach or play against is irrelevant to the conversation as well because that isn’t the case in the context he is making these passes – the NBA. And unless your thought process changes when lesser talent/athletes are involved my opinion still remains I’d welcome playing or coaching against anyone that believes jumping and passing as regularly as Iguodala does, is a good idea.
Dannie – I think we’re probably converging. The better athlete argument is meant to agree with you that for the “average” player, jumping to pass is a bad idea. There are a lot of things that NBA players do that are fundamentally unsound but work because they are exceptional athletes. It’s probably unsound for D-Wade to dribble into traffic, bounce off people, and throw up off-balance bank shots — but it works a lot of the time, so do you tell him not to do it? For Iguodala, the 4.4-1 assist-to-bad-pass ratio tells you either that (a) he doesn’t often jump to pass [your original contention] or (b) he makes it work much more often than not.
… or (c) the larger majority of his bad passes (99 during the season / average 4.3 turnovers per game in this post-season) are of the jumping variety while the majority of his assists are of the fundamentally sound variety. Eliminate the jump passing turnovers and assist-to-turnover ratio goes up, just maybe?
I don’t dispute Dala is a willing and capable passer at all. It’s a very nice part of his game.
And I would absolutely tell D. Wade to cut down on the dribbling through traffic. Big fan of Wade, but he has a hole in his game. Dude is a turnover machine 3.4 per game in the regular season – 2nd worst and a ridiculous 5.3 per game in this post-season and 3.8 for his career. Giving the other team 4 additional possessions is a big weakness. And I am strong believer in Michael Jordan’s development philosophy of turning weaknesses into strengths over time with good training. Hopefully Wade goes on the same track as M.J. did where he was turning the ball over 3+ times per game until the 1991 season and he never was higher than 2.7 again in 9 seasons.
At the end of the day what I am saying is there is plenty of room to be smarter basketball players and no reason for us as fans, players ourselves or coaches to encourage/applaud/defend bad habits.