Might as well get the bench thing out of the way...
they somewhat set their own destiny with their poor production in the first half... Cleveland also rode their starters the whole game so there wasn't a disadvantage overplaying the starters... until tomorrow in NY.
I don't think the bench would have done a better job than the starters did taking their PT.... this was a huge step towards HCA.
Great 4th qtr by Sheed (why wait til the end?)... credit where due... he gives us the clear advantage in a playoff series with the Cavs.
How many steals did we have this game.

CB just upped his FA anti with this national TV showing.

We better beat the Cavs at home after three days rest and them coming off a game.

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With politicians the future lies ahead

Good win, but as far as getting us ready for the playoffs, a big step backward. Our bench was so rancid in the first half, it never saw a second in the 2nd half. The only guy that came off the bench in the 2nd half was Sheed, who did not start due to a hand injury, and Flip Saunders wanting to limit his minutes some.

Chauncey Billups was the hero down the stretch, making two jumpers, two clutch free throws, then penetrating and dishing for assists or to get us to the line from there. For the game, CB was pretty darn brilliant. We got way up on Cleveland in the first half with him in as point. Too bad he has no backup on the team.

Webber got a couple of hook shots down early, made an outside jumper. And he continued to work the post. Sheed missed a few three's going for number 100 for the season. They mentioned that it is quite rare for a player to get 100 3's and 100 blocks in the same season. Sheed did it last year, and he still needs one more 3 made to do it this year. Now, in the 4th, Sheed started working the post and did wonders

I think Dyess just made one of his outside shots of several taken. That part of his game, most nights just hurts us. He has to hit a real high percentage of those shots before it actually helps. His outside shots never draw a foul, and never leave him in position for a rebound. He did do some damage inside also.

Rip started out hot and seemed to over the affects of that knock in the head / flu. Good to see him back.

Tay hit some outside shots and went inside some. He was a big factor in the 3rd quarter. And his defense on James was outstanding.

We got nothing at all from the bench. Saunders again paired up Hunter and Murray. This is a disastrous combination. A total of zero ball handling skills in the halfcourt between the two. JMAX got in their for a brief moment or two and did fine. Delfino got zero time in the backcourt for us. Other than bringing the ball up well a couple of times he contributed nothing. They did not even put him on James for a moment although we know from past games he does well defending him. Hey, but James was contained quite well for this game so that does not matter I guess.

Our bench, not counting Dyess nor Sheed, got one point. A sizeable lead did not totatlly disapear with the bench in, but it sure has heck killed all momentum we had by putting this completely inept unit on the floor. Too bad too, cause the national announcers were praising the recent play of the bench. Unlike the national announcers though, yes, I am concerned about what happened today, cause I know Flip is plotting somewhere in the back of his mind on how he can start his vacation quicker. I believe Flip is a loser, and this game just reinforced that notion quite a bit.

Mercury, Hunter, Murray, Delfino, and JMAX-none of them played over 5 minutes. Most of this time saw Murray and Hunter paired in the backcourt, resulting in Murray, lost as to what to do, trying some tough shots against Snow, a solid defender. Given the circumstances, just how could they have produced anything?

Like they did in other games

Its happened in a very small handful of games. Remember, Hunter was injured to start the year. Then, when he came back, he completely displaced Murray in the rotation. Of these few games, there have been a couple of times where the combination managed to do well enough, but never that good except in one instance. Mostly, it has not worked.

I enjoyed this game a lot. I missed the first half so I never saw the bench play but I didn't feel like we needed it. Some games you want that bench in there. I didn't feel like this was one of those games. The team was doing a great job of focusing on Lebron. He got a few open shots but for the most part, they made it hard on him.

Dyess was great with his shooting and being active around the offensive bucket. Sheed scored like 8 straight from the post. The team moved a lot...even CB was cutting. Rip was very aggressive.

The one thing I'd really like to see a LLLLLOOOOOTTTTT more of is Rip and Tay out on the open court running. IMO, that's where Tay excels.

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While these two players combined is not the ideal match-up we have to look at our alternatives... you may choose to make your playoff bed with an untried rookie (Blaylock) I would prefer to go with a guy that has some experience... whether or not the Blaylock shun is legit... it's too late to gamble... this is not a Michael Curry/ Tayshaun situation where everyone knew that Curry was a waste of pine.
Who knows... with a little more time together we might have a Pit bull reincarnation.

Classic Sheed. Sheed has that Ali swagger in his quotes.

McDyess started ahead of Rasheed Wallace, whose playing time Saunders said he wants to limit because of a hyperextended finger on his left (non-shooting) hand.
"I tried to be aggressive and it worked to my advantage," McDyess said.

Wallace scored the first four points of the fourth quarter after being held scoreless and finished with 10 points. "I didn't miss no practice so I don't know what it was for," he said. "Y'all gotta ask Flip. ... I was out there. I'm cooler than a fan."

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"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore. - George Carlin

Who would you go with, you did not say. Hunter? Ancient. No motor left. Yeah, he can still rally for some good stuff, but you better really watch his minutes. A defensive specialist, no more. Or do you like Flip Murray. Flip Murray played the point in highschool. So you want a highschool caliber point guard for the playoffs? Again, please let me know exactly who you want over a 4 year college player from a good program. Rookie or not, Blalock plays good D, can run the offense, can penetrate and dish consistently, and can even shoot if in he gets the in-game practice to get comfortable. By the way, was this your same take on Prince. Prince was another 4 year college player from a good program. Look, a lot of rookies these days do come straight out of highschool and give rookies in general a bad name. But like Prince, Blalock is ready. For a certainty, neither Hunter nor Murray ever will be ready to play point for us.

This really should be in a different thread (ok with me if a mod moves this PG discussion)... I think Hunter is fine for short stints at SG (not PG)... I have not been a supporter of Flip Jr... but he has demonstrated some PG skills recently... actually looking for the open man and less ball hogging... players can improve when they become more comfortable with a system... any open minded poster would also change opinions if the player showed improvement.
I'm not sure where all of this Blaylock pining is coming from... he hasn't shown much of anything... certainly hasn't shown he can hit the open J with any consistency...
If you're the opposing coach and the young kid misses his shots, what will you tell your team?... sag in and clog the lane... this hurts all of your post players game.... let's add the fact that he has zero playoff experience... yeah I'll take Hunter & Flip Jr instead if my playoff hopes depended on it.
Blaylock deserves every chance to win a roster spot next year... by then we may have the next can't miss 2nd rounder. lol

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With politicians the future lies ahead