Game TWENTY FIVE: Thunder @ Raptors, Wednesday, December 8th 2021, 7:30 PM EST, SN1

[saints91]

That should’ve been a win. They played down to their opponents, slacked on D until the 4th

thank you Freddie for bringing us back into the game but you shouldn’t be taking the final shot. You need someone who can get his shot off at any level of the floor. Pascal or even Gary should’ve had the ball

[saints91]

I think Scottie can get to the rim anytime he wants. He’s deferring to other guys too much.

[Bendit]

It was an entertaining watch .... Give Scottie another 2 months and he will doing more than a SGA.

[The Great One]

He's right.

[slaw]

That should’ve been a win. They played down to their opponents, slacked on D until the 4th

thank you Freddie for bringing us back into the game but you shouldn’t be taking the final shot. You need someone who can get his shot off at any level of the floor. Pascal or even Gary should’ve had the ball

First half was fine. To me it was the execution as mush as effort. The offense had some nice moments but they made a lot of tough shots in the first half and when those didn’t fall the wheels came off in the third. The way they played SGA left a lot to be desired - felt like they were always in no man’s land.

[Kagemusha]

For how long are we going to just send help too much and leave open 3's? I know when it works, its great but we keep getting broken down by it over and over and over and over. It's madness!!

Maybe for as long as Nurse is the coach?

[Dr Hannibal Lecter]

He's right.

This team has lost all of the Gump..bunch of millennials p$%^#..I miss Kyle Lowry, when is the last time this team took a charge, Freddy thinks he can replace Kyle Lowry, u got a lot 2 learn little midget, u all right, but not all star, I wasn't gonna say nothing, but this team has no heart, 2 lose to these clowns..plz...hey masai..it's been 3 years, honeymoon is over, get a F&$$^ Center. What a F^$$ Joke. Lose to these guys and at home, omg...embarrassing.

[A.I]

Maybe for as long as Nurse is the coach?

You mean the coach that had great defensive teams for most of his head coaching career? Personnel matters, a bunch of young guys making mistakes. It won't get fixed overnight. Sure Nurse's system leaves corner 3s open pretty often, but bad positioning or overhelping to the point where its stupid to leave a shooter open isn't the scheme, its the personnel.

[slaw]

You mean the coach that had great defensive teams for most of his head coaching career? Personnel matters, a bunch of young guys making mistakes. It won't get fixed overnight. Sure Nurse's system leaves corner 3s open pretty often, but bad positioning or overhelping to the point where its stupid to leave a shooter open isn't the scheme, its the personnel.

The weird thing is that the guys “helping” are mostly just drifting aimlessly to the paint and don’t do much actual “helping”, plus they lose their man in the process. It happens a lot on the weak side where they slowly are drawn into the key without any idea what to do while the weak side opponents move to wide open positions. But it even happens strong side where the help makes sense but is tentative so it doesn’t affect the ball handler and allows easy kick outs. It looks completely discombobulated at times.

[A.I]

The weird thing is that the guys “helping” are mostly just drifting aimlessly to the paint and don’t do much actual “helping”, plus they lose their man in the process. It happens a lot on the weak side where they slowly are drawn into the key without any idea what to do while the weak side opponents move to wide open positions. But it even happens strong side where the help makes sense but is tentative so it doesn’t affect the ball handler and allows easy kick outs. It looks completely discombobulated at times.

Thats what I mean by its not the scheme but the players. Sometimes they don't fully commit to the help or staying on their guy, they hesitate, try to do both and get burned. Weak side defenders sometimes stand there watching the ball handler only for the ball to get passed to the guy they're supposed to be defending and can't contest in time.

[Kagemusha]

You mean the coach that had great defensive teams for most of his head coaching career? Personnel matters, a bunch of young guys making mistakes. It won't get fixed overnight. Sure Nurse's system leaves corner 3s open pretty often, but bad positioning or overhelping to the point where its stupid to leave a shooter open isn't the scheme, its the personnel.

Exactly.
NN doesn't have the personnel to carry out that scheme so why not adjust?

[Dvdvideo]

This team has lost all of the Gump..bunch of millennials p$%^#..I miss Kyle Lowry, when is the last time this team took a charge, Freddy thinks he can replace Kyle Lowry, u got a lot 2 learn little midget, u all right, but not all star, I wasn't gonna say nothing, but this team has no heart, 2 lose to these clowns..plz...hey masai..it's been 3 years, honeymoon is over, get a F&$$^ Center. What a F^$$ Joke. Lose to these guys and at home, omg...embarrassing.

The only thing embarrassing is your post. I personally think pointless child like rage posts like this should just be deleted.

[slaw]

Exactly.
NN doesn't have the personnel to carry out that scheme so why not adjust?

Ego.

[inthepaint]

They forgot how to play basketball in the 3rd quarter (on both ends), and that's where they lost the game. That said, they gave themselves a chance to steal it late, but 1 very poor defensive planning/execution, and 1 very poor offensive planning/execution ensured the L:

--if you're up 2 on the dying seconds (especially if you're at home with momentum), you guard the damn 3-ball. Let them earn the 2 and stay in the fight for OT if you have to. But no. I could sense a mile away and actually said out loud: we're gonna overhelp in the paint, and someone will knock an open corner three. Well it wasn't from the corner, but sure enough, a wide open 3.

--You still got 9 seconds for your final shot, and out of all possible plays you choose a Fred forced iso. I mean, It's certainly ok for fred to take the last shot, but there's gotta be something before that, a ball screen, an off-ball screen, a switch, a relocation, something. Something to get him an open shot. Fred just barreling to the paint on the last second vs a set defence is a very LOW % shot. Not only it was the wrong play, it took way too long to get into to it, denying ourselves a second chance to put it back (something we had been getting pretty often in the game already). Alvin actually said it before the inbound: get the shot up early so you allow yourself a putback chance. Nope.

I wouldn't include this year's pick on possible trades. It might end up being pretty high, especially if OG is out long.

[Kagemusha]

Ego.

Let's not forget Nurse had Gasol, Ibaka, freaking Kawhi and Lowry back then. Norm was also good defensively, and of course Pascal.
Two DPOYs, and all defensive teamers.