<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The 100th Sonic point was scored with 10 minutes left in the game and almost before the ball cleared the net, Sam Mitchell was up and screaming for a timeout.His Raptors were in the process of playing some of their most deplorable defence of the season, giving up open shot after open shot when they weren't allowing thunderous dunks, and the coach was irate. He yelled a bit and talked a bit but no matter what players he trotted out or what he asked them to do, the Raptors couldn't get it done on a night when the breakdowns were glaring and complete. Allowing the SuperSonics to seemingly score at will, the Raptors were beaten 123-115 at Key Arena here last night, victims of their own defensive ineptitude against a team that was 7-19 coming into the game. With rookie Kevin Durant piling up 27 points and veteran Wally Szczerbiak getting 23 against defenders who apparently forgot he's carved a career as a high-volume outside shooter, the Sonics pulled away with a dominant second half. "We talk to our guys about matchups, about establishing defensive principles early,'' said a frustrated Mitchell after the disappointing loss. "Don't let Durant get going, don't let Wally come in the game and get going. "Our defence the last two games has just been awful,'' he added. "We're just doing things we shouldn't do. We're leaving shooters open and rotating to guys who aren't shooters. Sometimes we rotated to one of their bigs and left Wally in the corner standing wide open.''</div> The Toronto Star
I saw this game, and I was just pissed off at how we couldn't get a defensive stop. Jamario Moon didn't have a block and Durant was having his was with him. On the most part, I'll stick up for Moon, but he man to man defense has been horrible lately. Wally was just shooting at will and hitting his shots. He was being left open from everywhere and I just couldn't understand. I mean, does Moon or Parker not know that while he has been crap the last few years...he can still shoot? Disappointing lose and it won't get any better when we play the Suns today.
I love Mitchell but Im having doubts about him as a coach, he doesnt really have a strategy to stopping an offense just saying get up on Durant and dont let Wally going? How are the players suppose to respond to that??
I think we all know Mitchell's system. He lets the players play the game. He puts it on them to play defense. I guess we all see the difference between a coach with a system (i.e. Gregg Popovich) and a guy like Sam Mitchell who tells his players to play their style and get ball movement and stop your man.
