WEEVIL's postgame analysis

introducing the first official postgame commentary from last night's deadliest outside shooter, Weevil. I thought I provided thorough analysis, then I read this:


Yesterday MAMBA began anew with new teams. Lightning, Weevil, Eagle, Stallion, and, uh, Tim vs. Workley, B-Flo, Dr. Sessions, Motorbreath, and, um, Neal.

The sides were pretty much the same as the unofficial game from last week, with B-Flo in for Charlie. The discussion before the game was whether I should be traded for Dr. Sessions so as to even out a perceived rebounding advantage. While I believe Dr. Sessions is indeed an effective down low presence and he has just over 2 inches on me, the thought of his rebounding vs. mine being a game deciding factor did not make much sense to me. If that were indeed a game changer, I would think I could focus on putting enough butt on him to correct that. While B-Flo is more of a rebounder than Charlie, Charlie brings some other things to the table that I thought pretty much would keep things even. Since we won the week before (if I remember correctly), I didn't think these sides would be so mismatched.

The end result told a different tale, but I don't think this team is too concerned about this being indicative of our future together.

I will tell the tale of the beginning of the game from my pesonal perspective because it is the only perspective I have. I stepped into the gym feeling a little creaky in the knee. Shooting outside shots hurt - I didn't even feel I had the energy to practice them, so I went to one of the side baskets and shot from like 1 foot away to try to up my inside game for the night. But once the cameras started rolling and we were quickly down 4-0 and I found myself with an open look for 3 from the left side, I felt I had to put it up. It felt like crap, about a foot to the left and too strong, and I screamed out 'off' to give my teammates a heads up, but it shockingly banked in.

I soon found myself open for 3 again, and this time it was a swish. Over the next few minutes I knocked in another triple, a few 18 footers from head on, a baseline J after a fake that was toally out of rhythm, and pretty much everything was swishing. I felt like I was pouring warm caramel into a glass of milk, even though I've never done that. I felt like my wrist was born in the rim and was never asked to leave home. It was pretty much the hottest streak I ever had. I may never shoot a jump shot in warmups again.

As utterly fantastic as I was in the first half, the fact that I was the leading scorer on our team at halftime was indicative of a major problem. While at 40-33 we weren't exactly getting destroyed, Phil and Nick and Tim weren't scoring nearly as much as they should've been. I should be the 4th option on this team, not the first. And I wasn't taking any more shots than usual, they just happened to be going in. I have not been able to put my finger on the exact reason why Phil and Nick weren't scoring. Was it Brian? Perhaps there was no reason. I saw a lot of shots go up that looked wide open and shot well and just didn't go in.

But Tim unfortunately was suffering from a problem our entire team was suffering from the entire game on both ends: Pat. Pat was a freaking beast this evening and just kept beasting us and beasting us. I felt like Neal wasn't scoring as much as he normally does, especially from the perimeter. Kev was killing me down low when he got the ball, but I thought I at least did a decent enough job denying him - he didn't get many touches. Brian was making some nice drives but I didn't feel he was capitalizing. And Dan P I thought had a decent night at the rim and in transition, but wasn't getting the open J looks he usually gets.

None of that mattered, because Pat repeatedly barrelled down the lane like an 18 wheeler covered in long orange hair.

Maybe the numbers are going to show me to be completely wrong, but I feel like Pat had about 40 points on us. He freaking destroyed us.

I'm used to playing on his team, and he usually scores a ton of points off of steals in transition, which is a bit unique considering he's the biggest guy on the court. But what impressed me tonight was that those drives were coming just as easily in the half court set. A few times I found myself faced with him on the switch and I just didn't know what to do. I knew I couldn't reach the ball and I didn't want to resort to violence. But more than that, I was afraid I was going to be flattened to a crisp if he crashed into me. I would try to go for the ball from the side, but it was so futile it left me feeling weak, slow, and stupid.

The game ended very sadly. It was maybe a 9 or 11 point game, but there was enough distance to 80 left that we could've gotten our selves back into it - I wouldn't necessarily have bet on it, but this is basketball - a comeback was well within reason. But then it was announced that we only had 10 minutes left. At the rate both teams were scoring there was no way either team would've hit the required 80, let alone us having to put nearly 30 more points on the board in that time. The second that announcement was made, we completely tanked it. Phil shot 7 threes in a row from 5 feet behind the line. I called him off and told him to go down low so I could give him the ball threr until a second later I saw a running 15 foot hook shot that looked like a better option to me and missed it about 2 feet to the right. The game was over.

While we might have smiled our way into a few extra minutes of play with the security guard, the game only went to 76 because Bobby Beats broke his own face open on an ultraviolent defensive play. Pat was angered that we did not make it to 80, but broken faces are not his concern. Maybe he was about to break 50 or something, I dunno. I was glad to end the misery.

I don't think that anyone thinks this game is indicative of how the rest of the series will go. With similar teams the week before, we cruised to 80 with 15 minutes to spare, and were not easily destroyed by our enemies. While Brain brings a lot of physicality, I don't think that was taking open shots out of the rim for us. Nick had a good second half, and rarely has an off one, so I expect him to continue from there next game. Phil can play a heck of a lot better. All night he was missing shots that he always makes. I don't remember his patented turnaround down low going in once. I thought Rob did a great job bringing up the ball and forcing the issue, but he wasn't hitting at the rate we've recently come to expect, despite getting great looks. Our big task, though, is to find a way to get Tim the good looks he was getting the week before. We tried moving me down low for the second half to try to relieve some of the pressure off him, but I don't think that worked. Personally, I think he might need to face up and try that rainbow jumper some more next time. Maybe that will draw Motorbreath outside more, which could free the lanes up for our All-Italian wing duo.

Sometimes shots fall for some and not for others. Such is the random bounce of the ball. Tonight they fell for me, but not for my teammates. May they someday fall for us all again.