Miami at Portland

[htown11]

Good D by Bosh on Aldridge, then comes back and drills a jump shot.

[Newman]

When you don't kill a good team off, they always come back and bite you.

[Flash]

LeBron coming up big down the stretch. Gotta keep up the defense here.

[Nestle Snipes]

What an entertaining game.

[AboveLegit]

LBJ just dominated, gameover

[CaliCurbStomppa]

So 3 more wins and they will break the record for most consecutive wins on the road?

[YugoRocketsFan]

Miami big 3 score 96 pts wow!!

[htown11]

LeBron James beast mode tonight, love it.

[Flash]

I love this team. What an amazing effort from the big 3. Let's keep it going against the Clippers!

[Nitro]

LMAO is anyone watching the Portland broadcast? After LeBron hit that dagger 3 and taunted the crowd, the announcer goes, "No wonder why people like him so much!"

 

LeBron was a killer in the last few minutes of the 4th and OT. For one of the first times all season, he looked like the absolutely dominant LeBron we've seen the last 2 years. He was unbelievable (as was Wade).

 

On the Blazers side, Aldridge was terrific. He's been on fire the last few weeks, and he continued it tonight by playing some tough basketball. He was scrapping for rebounds, killing Bosh in the post, and making some great passes out of double teams. Mills was really, really good in the 4th, and Batum was solid all night. Overall, a very noble effort by the Blazers, and if they had a healthy Roy they would have probably won this game.

 

Oh, and one more thing...

 

Dear Spo and Poe,

 

TONIGHT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY JOEL ANTHONY IS A SITUATIONAL PLAYER AND NOTHING MORE!!!! I get it...he hustles his [expletive] off and does a few good things on defense. But, he's a MIDGET WHO CAN'T REBOUND!!! Tonight the Heat were getting crushed on the offensive boards, and instead of giving the team's best rebounder, Erick Dampier, EVEN A SECOND OF PLAYING TIME, Spo gave Joel by far the most minutes of any Heat Center. That is unacceptable. Joel is fine against teams like the Knicks, Suns and Warriors, but against teams with BIG MEN that can REBOUND, anything postive he offers with his sharp rotations is completely negated by how badly he gets absued around the rim.

 

GIVE DAMPIER MINUTES.

 

Sincerely,

Nitro

[Clutch]

bron and wade....RIDONKULOUS!!!!!!

[Nitro]

bron and wade....RIDONKULOUS!!!!!!

 

I knew they were killing it when I was watching the game, but I just looked at the box score and it's jaw-dropping...

 

Wade & James: 78pts, 21reb, 11ast, 32-48 FG

 

[Nitro]

Oh, and the equally spectacular Joel Anthony statline:

 

28min, 0pts, 0reb, 0ast, 0stl, 0blk, 1to

 

That's seriously as bad as it gets. WOW!

[Dr. Feelgood]

Didn't get a chance to watch the entire game, only caught the first quarter and the first 5 minutes of the 2nd before I went to play ball. Tough tough loss to Miami without Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Elliot Williams, and SEAN MARKS. Joel Przybilla should have played more I think. But damn, I knew LA was going to rip Miami. 31 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block on 12-23 from the field. Patty Mills has really stepped up his game, I had no idea he had this in him. I guess sitting on the bench all the time and waiting patiently really paid off. I think I like him more than Armon Johnson.

[Real Deal]

Oh, and the equally spectacular Joel Anthony statline:

 

28min, 0pts, 0reb, 0ast, 0stl, 0blk, 1to

 

That's seriously as bad as it gets. WOW!

LMAO, I have no idea how you can stay out on the court for 28 minutes and produce just one turnover, and nothing else AT ALL.

 

I'm seriously going to consider downloading this game in a few days, just to see Joel Anthony. I'm not even kidding.

[Poe]

Dear Spo and Poe,

 

TONIGHT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHY JOEL ANTHONY IS A SITUATIONAL PLAYER AND NOTHING MORE!!!! I get it...he hustles his [expletive] off and does a few good things on defense. But, he's a MIDGET WHO CAN'T REBOUND!!! Tonight the Heat were getting crushed on the offensive boards, and instead of giving the team's best rebounder, Erick Dampier, EVEN A SECOND OF PLAYING TIME, Spo gave Joel by far the most minutes of any Heat Center. That is unacceptable. Joel is fine against teams like the Knicks, Suns and Warriors, but against teams with BIG MEN that can REBOUND, anything postive he offers with his sharp rotations is completely negated by how badly he gets absued around the rim.

 

GIVE DAMPIER MINUTES.

 

Sincerely,

Nitro

 

If by situational you are talking matchups, Joel didn't play a single minute against Milwaukee, which was the game before Portland. If you look at Joel's game log, his minutes do vary depending on the size and muscle of the opponent's frontcourt.

 

 

I didn't get to watch this game unfortunately. So regarding his rather impressively empty statline, I have no comments.. except perhaps a reminder that his greatest strengths as a player do not show up on the stat sheet. Like his quick screen-setting, quick and precise rotations, excellent man defense, excellent help defense, and altering shots (though the blocks are counted). His greatest weakness is his piss-poor hands, which is why he is last on the team in turnover percentage, which also appeared to have successfully made it's mark in the stat-sheet against Portland. His bad hands most likely affect his rebounding as well.

 

 

What I would like to know about Joel against Portland are the things that should be added on statsheets, like how many screens he set for a player who either scored or dished an assist, how many deflections he got, how many bad passes he forced that led to turnovers (or perhaps the percentage of passes he contests that become turnovers), what percentage of shots that he contests are missed, how many "50/50 balls" (where neither team currently possesses the ball) he grabbed, and drawn charges as well (edit* oh yea, and screen defense.. how often does his man set a screen that leads to a score). Perhaps if we can get a record of those things, his statsheet wouldn't be so empty after all.

Edited January 10, 2011 by Poe

[Nitro]

If by situational you are talking matchups, Joel didn't play a single minute against Milwaukee, which was the game before Portland. If you look at Joel's game log, his minutes do vary depending on the size and muscle of the opponent's frontcourt.

 

Then why the hell is he playing 28min against the Blazers when the Heat were getting crushed on the boards? The Heat shot something like 15% better from the field for the game than the Blazers...it was offensive rebounding that, JUST LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WHEN JOEL WAS STARTING, killed the Heat.

 

I didn't get to watch this game unfortunately. So regarding his rather impressively empty statline, I have no comments.. except perhaps a reminder that his greatest strengths as a player do not show up on the stat sheet. Like his quick screen-setting, quick and precise rotations, excellent man defense, excellent help defense, and altering shots (though the blocks are counted). His greatest weakness is his piss-poor hands, which is why he is last on the team in turnover percentage, which also appeared to have successfully made it's mark in the stat-sheet against Portland. His bad hands most likely affect his rebounding as well.

 

What I would like to know about Joel against Portland are the things that should be added on statsheets, like how many screens he set for a player who either scored or dished an assist, how many deflections he got, how many bad passes he forced that led to turnovers (or perhaps the percentage of passes he contests that become turnovers), what percentage of shots that he contests are missed, how many "50/50 balls" (where neither team currently possesses the ball) he grabbed, and drawn charges as well (edit* oh yea, and screen defense.. how often does his man set a screen that leads to a score). Perhaps if we can get a record of those things, his statsheet wouldn't be so empty after all.

 

Give me a break. Dampier is the best screen-setter on the Heat, has better hands than Joel, has the size to actually alter a big man's shot around the rim, and can REBOUND!!! And even though he's not as fast as Joel and can't make as fast rotations, he still does a very adequate job and doesn't get burned like Z does.

 

There is a reason that Joel has by far the worst advanced stats of any Center on the team. On/Off court stats (where he is an amazing -2.4, while Z and Dampier are over +3), Drtg (Z and Dampier are below 100, Anthony is at 101), TRB% (over 4% worse than Dampier and Z), Win % while on the court (Z and Dampier both spank Anthony), team net points (offense/defense) per 48min.....

 

Basically, pretty much every advanced stat, both those that include box score production and how the team plays with each Center on the floor, shows Z and Dampier are the best Centers on the team. It all comes down to something very simple...Joel is too short, too thin, can't rebound, can't defend bigger players around the rim (I'm not talking about weakside blocks), and provides little to no offense. Out of your Center, you need size. It's nice to give him situational minutes, but if Spo continues to make the same STUPID mistake that he made last night and in the Heat's last loss (against Dallas, where Joel played major minutes and Dampier once again got a DNP), then the Heat are not going to win against a team like Boston. Wade and James can bail you out a lot of times, but against the truly elite teams that's playing with fire...making a simple decision to cut Anthony's minutes in half and giving Dampier more burn can help eliminate that situation entirely.

Edited January 10, 2011 by Nitro

[Poe]

Then why the hell is he playing 28min against the Blazers when the Heat were getting crushed on the boards?

 

I told you, I don't have answers. Perhaps there were some non-statistical things Joel was doing that made Spoestra feel it was important to keep him in the game, like I spoke of in nearly my entire other post. Something Spo may have felt exceeded the rebounding needs. But that's just one possible answer.

 

 

There is a reason that Joel has by far the worst advanced stats of any Center on the team. On/Off court stats (where he is an amazing -2.4, while Z and Dampier are over +3), Drtg (Z and Dampier are below 100, Anthony is at 101), TRB% (over 4% worse than Dampier and Z), Win % while on the court (Z and Dampier both spank Anthony), team net points (offense/defense) per 48min.....

 

Basically, pretty much every advanced stat, both those that include box score production and how the team plays with each Center on the floor, shows Z and Dampier are the best Centers on the team. It all comes down to something very simple...Joel is too short, too thin, can't rebound, can't defend bigger players around the rim (I'm not talking about weakside blocks), and provides little to no offense. Out of your Center, you need size. It's nice to give him situational minutes, but if Spo continues to make the same STUPID mistake that he made last night and in the Heat's last loss (against Dallas, where Joel played major minutes and Dampier once again got a DNP), then the Heat are not going to win against a team like Boston. Wade and James can bail you out a lot of times, but against the truly elite teams that's playing with fire...making a simple decision to cut Anthony's minutes in half and giving Dampier more burn can help eliminate that situation entirely.

 

Funny... I was talking about what doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Then you give me advanced stats. I never said anything about advanced stats.

[Nitro]

I told you, I don't have answers. Perhaps there were some non-statistical things Joel was doing that made Spoestra feel it was important to keep him in the game, like I spoke of in nearly my entire other post. Something Spo may have felt exceeded the rebounding needs. But that's just one possible answer.

 

Or maybe it was the same stubborn love-affair with Anthony that cost the Heat earlier in the season...maybe? I don't care if he was making KG-like defensive rotations, locking down Marcus Camby and setting unbelievable screens (none happened BTW); if your C can't grab a single rebound in 28min while your team is getting crushed on the offensive glass, then he needs to be benched. As I said, the Heat shot 15% better than the Blazers, and the only thing that was keeping the Blazers so close was their advantages on the glass. Dampier is the team's best rebounder at the C position (literally the only one who consistently boxes out his man), the best defensive C, and he sets the best screens...yet he got a DNP. That was a horrible decision on Spo's part, just like it was in the last game the Heat lost.

 

Funny... I was talking about what doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Then you give me advanced stats. I never said anything about advanced stats.

 

And half those advanced stats show HOW THE TEAM PEFORMS WITH EACH CENTER ON THE FLOOR! With Anthony on the floor the team has actually performed worse, while the opposite is true for Dampier and Z.

 

That's just tangible evidence. I've seen every single Heat game since the middle of their 12-game win streak, and I saw the majority of their games earlier this season, so I'm not just talking out of my [expletive]. I was saying it early in the season when the team was struggling, I was saying it in the middle of their recent resurgence, and I'm saying it now....Anthony is a situational player, the worst C of the three, and against teams with any kind of size the Heat will have huge problems with Anthony seeing any more than 5-10 minutes. Portland qualifies as a team with size, as does Dallas. Both times Anthony got major minutes, was exposed, and all the while Dampier didn't see a second of action.

[Poe]

Or maybe it was the same stubborn love-affair with Anthony that cost the Heat earlier in the season...maybe? I don't care if he was making KG-like defensive rotations, locking down Marcus Camby and setting unbelievable screens (none happened BTW); if your C can't grab a single rebound in 28min while your team is getting crushed on the offensive glass, then he needs to be benched. As I said, the Heat shot 15% better than the Blazers, and the only thing that was keeping the Blazers so close was their advantages on the glass. Dampier is the team's best rebounder at the C position (literally the only one who consistently boxes out his man), the best defensive C, and he sets the best screens...yet he got a DNP. That was a horrible decision on Spo's part, just like it was in the last game the Heat lost.

 

You are repeating yourself, and I understood what you said the first time. My response wouldn't be any different now than before.

 

 

And half those advanced stats show HOW THE TEAM PEFORMS WITH EACH CENTER ON THE FLOOR! With Anthony on the floor the team has actually performed worse, while the opposite is true for Dampier and Z.

 

And James Jones and Joel Anthony have the first and second best offensive rating (yep, above LeBron, Wade, and Bosh). Sure helps your advanced stat argument a ton there, doesn't it?

 

I suggest that you be less self-absorbed into your own argument, and to open your mind and comprehend what I'm saying. Again, I'm not talking stats. I'm talking intangibles. Spoelstra has proven himself to be a top quality coach, and before we criticize his in-game decision-making over raw stats you must try to see things from his perspective. What elements was Joel bringing that Spoelstra valued in him and believed would be a reason to help the Heat win?

 

 

That's just tangible evidence. I've seen every single Heat game since the middle of their 12-game win streak, and I saw the majority of their games earlier this season, so I'm not just talking out of my [expletive]. I was saying it early in the season when the team was struggling, I was saying it in the middle of their recent resurgence, and I'm saying it now....Anthony is a situational player, the worst C of the three, and against teams with any kind of size the Heat will have huge problems with Anthony seeing any more than 5-10 minutes. Portland qualifies as a team with size, as does Dallas. Both times Anthony got major minutes, was exposed, and all the while Dampier didn't see a second of action.

 

The Heat were the best rated (SRS) team in the league with Anthony starting (actually, second best behind the red-hot Hornets), and they are the best rated team now. The explanation for the early losses was that the Heat had a tougher schedule early on, and then lost Haslem to his injury. Their rating dropped as they went through an adjustment period without him, but it didn't take more than a couple weeks to go back up.

[Nitro]

And James Jones and Joel Anthony have the first and second best offensive rating (yep, above LeBron, Wade, and Bosh). Sure helps your advanced stat argument a ton there, doesn't it?

 

I suggest that you be less self-absorbed into your own argument, and to open your mind and comprehend what I'm saying. Again, I'm not talking stats. I'm talking intangibles. Spoelstra has proven himself to be a top quality coach, and before we criticize his in-game decision-making over raw stats you must try to see things from his perspective. What elements was Joel bringing that Spoelstra valued in him and believed would be a reason to help the Heat win?

 

I'm not just takin' about raw box score stats. The 82games stats I posted clearly show how the team performs with each C on the floor. With Anthony on the foor, the team performs WORSE (by -2), while with Z and Dampier the team plays better (by over +3) . That takes into account intangibles and empirical stats. The win % of Dampier and Z are over +6 better than Anthony. Now, you can argue Dampier's stats don't mean too much because of a smaller sample size, but Z and Anthony have taken up almost exactly the same amount of minutes at the C position (37% and 35% respectively), both have had starting time, and generally speaking it's pretty much even. Therefor, these stats DO have meaning that takes into account tangibles and intangibles in regards to how it helps the team win.

 

And as I said, I've watched almost every damn game for the Heat this season, including every game since the middle of the win-streak. I know exactly why Spo overplays Anthony...he hustles his [expletive] off, makes quick rotations, and does a few little things that help. It's the same reason he decided to overuse Haslem in the beginning of the year when he played the Haslem/Bosh frontcourt for major minutes. Both are/were stupid decisions. Intangibles are nice, but for a C you need SOME tangibles. Anthony is undersized so he gets killed under the basket by bigger C's (which was the Haslem/Bosh frontcourt's issue), and he's a poor rebounder.

 

The Heat were the best rated (SRS) team in the league with Anthony starting (actually, second best behind the red-hot Hornets), and they are the best rated team now. The explanation for the early losses was that the Heat had a tougher schedule early on, and then lost Haslem to his injury. Their rating dropped as they went through an adjustment period without him, but it didn't take more than a couple weeks to go back up.

 

The Heat were 5-4 with Anthony starting, and it is the reason he got benched.

 

The explanation of the early losses was simple...they were consistently getting beaten on the boards, the PG position was a mess, and the team was playing too slow. They started Z and brought in Dampier to help on the boards, Chalmers started to get some PT, and they picked up the tempo.

[Erick Blasco]

The Heat were 5-4 with Anthony starting, and it is the reason he got benched.

The explanation of the early losses was simple...they were consistently getting beaten on the boards, the PG position was a mess, and the team was playing too slow. They started Z and brought in Dampier to help on the boards, Chalmers started to get some PT, and they picked up the tempo.

 

Not trying to belittle your point---I agree with most of what you're saying about Anthony---but let's also not forget how shockingly awful Dwyane Wade played to begin the season. As he's rebounded into superstar form, the Heat have ascended into an elite team. I think as much as anything, Wade's play has been the biggest factor for Miami's turnaround. I actually like playing Z against those midget teams you mentioned above because they have no answer for him on the offensive glass. He basically won Miami's second game against the Knicks with his offensive board work.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Erick Blasco