Thursday, January 02, 2020

FT Miami 84 Toronto 76

Spo got 'em playing D tonight hoo doggie.

That's like a college basketball score. Tonto shot 31.5% from the field. Thirty-one and a half! That's a college shooting stat.You know what they shot from three? Guess. I don't know like 20%? 14.3.

Thirty-three games in Miami has still not lost two in a row. That's a very good thing. This is not a team of streaks, it is a consistent team.

NBA box scores are so weird. The "Heat" only shot 40.7% (32.4%). That's a below average percentage from range but within a standard deviation or two. For the winning team to shoot only 40.7% (which includes the percentage from range) from the field--that's low. Jimmy only had eight total points. 2/10, didn't attempt a three. So this being the "Heat" you'd assume they won it 'cause Jimmy went like 15/18 from the free throw line, no? No. The entire fucking team went 54.5% from the line! That's a Shaq number right there. Jimmy was 4/7! But Jimmy being Jimmy, add 12 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals and a partridge in a pear tree. I think I know the reason for all of this iron work. Defense takes a lot of effort. It's gotta effect your shooting. You're tired! It seems to me it must be a trade-off for a coach. If you're holding the other guys, especially a team like Toronto (23-11 coming in) to 31.5% you are playing some ferocious defense. You're not gonna wanna drive to the basket after playing glue D. So Jimmy didn't is my guess from the box score. And you're not going to have your legs under you to shoot from the outside. It just makes sense, I don't know for sure if it's true but it makes sense to me.

Bam had a normal Bam game, 15, 14, 2, and 1 block. Did have 4 TO's. Bam was team high with 15. College team high--on the losing team. Weird. Kendrick had a putrid night shooting, 3/14, 1/9. Did have 9 assists! The "Heat" do it so many ways. Game ball goes to two guys...off the bench (They do you so many ways), in fact two of the last three off the bench:  DJonesJr 10, 6, 2 steals and a block and Tyler 13 (5/10, 3/6), 4 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal.