We manage a W without Nash, though I would much prefer him being in the team. I'm a bit disappointed that he was playing in the All-Star Game with his injury, then comes out and misses our first game back. Oh well. With no Nash and Amare in foul trouble, normally it would spell disaster, but Barbosa lifted his game and the rest of the team followed, picking up an 17 point win over the hapless Clippers, now losers of 8 straight.
Barbosa has showed in the past and showed last night that he is very capable of playing in this league, he just needs a little more of the savy and knowledge that makes Nash so good. Very happy last night to see LB play well, pass the ball okay, and drive the lane aggresively. Was also happy to see Q let go of the three a lil' and take the ball to the hoop some more. This team is starting to show the qualities that they need to be a contender in the playoffs including playing well without their superstars -whether it's from injury or foul trouble- and productivity from their bench. They still need a lot of work on the defensive boards, though they're getting better on defense overall. What was it?, 11 blocks or something?
