Preview <font size="1">by <font color="Green">Sir Desmond </font> and <font color="Teal">Wave</font></font> (14-14) @ (15-16) Tuesday, Dec 30th 5pm TV: None Radio: KJR (950 AM) Previous Game Memphis 86 @ Indiana 94 (streak: 6 losses) Sonics 87 @ Houston 86 (streak: 1 win) Head Coaches Hubie Brown/Nate McMillan Probable Starters Lorenzen Wright/Jerome James Pau Gasol/Vladimir Radmanovic Mike Miller/Rashard Lewis Paul Pierce/James Posey Jason Williams/Brent Barry <u>Injured List</u> Nick Collison F/C: Shoulder surgery: Out for Season Ansu Sesay F: Left right finger sprain: Unknown Theron Smith F: Back spasms: Unknown Dahntay Jones G/F: Left achilles tendon: Unknown Ryan Humphrey F: Concussion: Unknown Stromile Swift C: Stomach Virus: Questionable Lorenzen Wright C/F: Lower right leg: Probable Keys to the Game Make sure Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis have plenty of touches early. Lewis needs touches early to get his confidence up, and will not want Posey to get the early edge on him, as it could mean a difficult night. Ray on the other hand knows how to feed off his confidence; he was superb against Houston last night, and if he gets going early then an already low-on-confidence Memphis side could be in trouble. It is possible that Vladimir Radmanovic will have his hands full with Pau Gasol guarding him, but he will want to hit his first few shots so as to draw Gasol out onto the perimeter and away from the defensive glass. Seattle are a very hard team to defend if their shots are dropping early, but if not they could easily slip behind to a large deficit before halftime, especially away from the Key Arena crowd. Mike Miller is likely to be guarding Rashard Lewis, and Vladimir Radmanovic will be guarded by Pau Gasol which means the Sonics need to continually pound the ball down-low to the two forwards. Pau Gasol, the matador, and Mike Miller are possibly the two weakest defensive players in the league. Gasol has not yet discovered how to use his height to his advantage. He is like a stick-figure in the post. Mike Miller’s defense is just simply sub-par. If the Sonics get Gasol and Miller out of the game early then it should be a successful night for them. Defensively, Radmanovic will need quick help. Gasol is very hard to stop once he gets position down low. Quick double teaming is essential here; not only is Gasol not the best passer under pressure, but if he is subject to contact early then he may be reluctant to keep going back under the basket to absorb more punishment. Lewis will need to crash the boards, and Brent Barry and Allen will have to stay focused on the perimeter as Memphis' main strength is in their swingmen; Shane Battier, Mike Miller, James Posey, and Bonzi Wells. Seattle would dearly love the added security of Calvin Booth and Jerome James protecting the interior, but that hasn't been there of late, and those two won't exactly put fear into the hearts of any Grizzlies who penetrate. The main concern of the Sonic defense should be defending the fast break. With Jason Williams, James Posey, Shane Battier, and Bonzi Wells, the Grizzlies are always forcing turnovers. They’ve gotten their fast-break plays down to a science by now and there aren’t many teams that can defend against this. It’s any easy way for the Sonics to fall behind quickly. Feed it inside. Gasol needs to be quick with his shot; he'll know the double team is coming, and he'll need to adjust accordingly and make sure he gets good, early position on the low block. Jason Williams was red-hot last time against the Sonics and was too quick for Brent Barry, and he will likely look to penetrate this time around too, and he won't hesitate to shoot if Barry steps off of him. Memphis has the scorers here, and they can’t be hesitant to shoot the basketball. Seattle will give up open shots with their style of defense, and Battier, Wells, Miller etc need to have the confidence to shoot the ball, and keep shooting it. There will likely be plenty of open shots as the Sonics will look to double team the likes of Gasol, Swift and Lorenzen Wright, all big bodies capable of scoring inside. It is probable that both Stromile Swift and Lorenzen Wright will be injured. If this is true then Pau Gasol will need to be able to play minutes at Center, assuming Tsakalidas will not be able to handle a whole forty-eight minutes. Pau is like a ragdoll in the post. He is easily pushed around, so he’ll need to rely on his hook-shot as it’s the only unguardible shot in the NBA. Defensively, Memphis needs to organize their perimeter defenders well, as Seattle will pass it around and try and find the open jumper. They put up over 30 three-pointers against Houston, and don't have the tools to take on Memphis' interior guys. Ray will shoot it, Barry will shoot it, Lewis will shoot it and Radmanovic will shoot it. If they get hot then Memphis could be in trouble, as they will be stretched across the floor, but smart perimeter defense coupled with the home crowd should be enough to prevent the Sonics breaking out of the blocks early and setting the tempo. As long as Gasol and Swift protect the basket when Seattle's perimeter players do penetrate, Memphis has the players to stop Seattle's attack. Playing Shane Battier considerable minutes will be key in Memphis’ game plan. Rashard Lewis is one of the best slashers in the NBA and Mike Miller will have many problems defending him. Shane Battier will provide them with a sold defensive presence against Lewis. Key Matchup - James Posey/Ray Allen The key match up is Ray Allen going head to head with defensive swingman James Posey. Ray's confidence is up after going 28/8 against the Rockets, and when his confidence is up he shoots the basketball, and he doesn't hesitate. Posey won't be able to give him every room, as Allen is not adverse to making tough shots over defenders, and his range is limitless. At the other end, Posey needs to stay on the move and drive whenever possible, as to test out Allen's ankle, of which surgery has kept him out until a week ago. Ray Allen is not a great defender at the best of times, and with a not-100% ankle, Posey needs to take advantage of this whenever possible. X-Factor Their guards off the bench. Murray needs to bounce back from a poor couple of games against Minnesota and Houston, to make sure Memphis can't concentrate too much on Allen and Lewis. Seattle was lucky against the Rockets, but it was plain to see how much they struggled against the Wolves with Ray's shot off and no one on the bench capable of picking up the slack. Luke Ridnour is having a respectable rookie year, and he will try to up the tempo when he comes into the game and get Seattle's runners spreading the floor and trying to steal quick baskets in transition, especially Lewis. Antonio Daniels seems to be the odd man out of late, but if Williams gets hot then you may see him into the game before Ridnour and/or Murray. X-Factor Battier is coming off a bad game where he shot one for eight, recorded two points, and only grabbed four rebounds, but it’s very uncharacteristic of him to have back-to-back off nights. As many know, Battier is a player whose accomplishments very seldom show up on the stat sheet. He’s always hustling for the rebound or taking the charge. On many occasions Battier has been the player who stepped up to make the game winning shot or the hustle play that won the game. His defense will be useful against Rashard Lewis, because it’s more than likely that Mike Miller will not be a defensive presence. <font color="green">If you want to talk about this game, only talk about it from the Sonics' perspective in here! Thoughts and comments about the Memphis Grizzlies should go here: http://justbball.hotmel.com/forums/showthr...7851#post147851</font>
Great preview Des and Wave. Two great underdog teams going at it, it should be both entertaining and interesting. I'm thinking that Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis as a matchup will be quite crucial too, they're gonna give each other a hard time if both teams play man to man, hopefully some Zone will come into play, both teams respond well to that. Again, great preview Des and Wave!
Yikes seattle isnt that good on the road. But Memphis loosing streak might be in thier head. Sonics by 6
Nice preview Des. I look foward to see Ray Allen go to work tonight. He should attack the basket a little then hit those sweet jumpers. You had a point there MJ. Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis will be a crucial matchup. I say in the end Lewis will win the battle and contribute hugely in the Sonics win. Sonics by 8.
Awesome preview guys...i like the Sonics in this one...lets say bye 6...BTW I think Mike Miller kind of looks like Steve-O
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting VAs Finest:</div><div class="quote_post">one...lets ...BTW I think Mike Miller kind of looks like Steve-O</div> He does doesn't he
Why is Watson starting after getting a DNP last game?? What happened to williams? This could be a big game considering the two teams records. This might determine a tie breaker for a playoff spot at the end of the year. My prediction: Grizzlies by 5.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting notMuchgame:</div><div class="quote_post">Why is Watson starting after getting a DNP last game?? What happened to williams? This could be a big game considering the two teams records. This might determine a tie breaker for a playoff spot at the end of the year. My prediction: Grizzlies by 5.</div> That's just a predicted starting line-up. Jason Williams started the game, and I'll change it accordingly - thanks for the heads up!
Seattle 105 Memphis 99 As has been said many times before, if Rashard Lewis gets hot early, then he normally goes on with it. Lewis nailed his first 7 shots and scored 19 of his game high 33 points in the first half as the Seattle Sonics recovered from a brief Memphis third quarter run to come up victorious, 105-99. Lewis was a perfect 4-4 in the first for 11 points, as the Sonics took a 5 point lead and stayed with it. His poor third co-incided with a big quarter from Memphis, but 12 points in the last as part of a 33-25 quarter made sure the Sonics celebrated the New Year in style. Ray Allen recovered from a slow start to finish with 22, 6 and 4, including a big last quarter to remind Seattle just how much they have missed his steady play. Brent Barry was his usual self, posting a double double with 10 points and 10 assists, but his real value was shown in his composed play as the Sonics gave themselves breathing space late in the last. Richie Frahm provided a spark in the third, with 10 points, while Reggie Evans led the team with 8 boards for the second time running. For Memphis, Pau Gasol went toe-to-toe with Lewis on the offensive end, and finished with 32 and 11, including several key baskets as the Grizzlies fought hard to keep up with the Sonics. Jason Williams had 12 and 7 dimes, while Shane Battier and Stromile Swift both had 9 points off of the bench, with Swift also blocking 5 shots. Perhaps the biggest problem for the Grizzlies was James Posey's play, being whistled for 4 fouls in only 12 minutes of court time. This in turn meant Memphis were denied their best perimeter defender, and the results were evident in Lewis' and Allen's games, in particular key stretches of the final period. The loss of Bonzi Wells was also a key factor here, as his instant offense off the bench was an ingredient that could have made this one so much sweeter for Memphis. However it wasn't to be, and the Sonics go above .500 heading into January on the back of their victory in Houston on Monday, and their 4th win in their last 5. Seattle nailed 11 treys to Memphis' 4, and held an advantage on the boards too, as Memphis lost their 7th straight to fall to 15-17. The Sonics sit at 15-14. <font size="1">Box Score courtesy of ESPN.</font> Next Game: vs Lakers, Fri Jan 2nd
Big game from Lewis.As mentioned when he gets hot he is basically unstoppable to guard...With Ray Allen back the Sonics are looking good Back to back road wins against two good teams.The real test for Sonics will be friday against the Lakers...Payton returns to Seattle....
Great game played the Sonics. As you all said Lewis got hot and only got hotter. It's good to see Ray play good basketball. The sonics have missed him real bad and now I see why. Great game Sonics.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TimFlem:</div><div class="quote_post">Great game played the Sonics. As you all said Lewis got hot and only got hotter. It's good to see Ray play good basketball. The sonics have missed him real bad and now I see why. Great game Sonics.</div> So true, a well deserved win, the two key defensive and offensive players, Lewis and Allen were key factors and there was cash on delivery, they gave it their all, also consistently worked hard, so did Memphis, it was a great battle between two fighter teams. It seemed to be more of a defensive game in most aspects. Props to Gausol for trying to contain Lewis and vice versa.
Paul Pierce/James Posey you mean James Posey vs. Ray Allen? lol, it's alrite...yeah Rashard Lewis has been doin' well...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting anadagirlballer4strt:</div><div class="quote_post"> Paul Pierce/James Posey you mean James Posey vs. Ray Allen? lol, it's alrite...yeah Rashard Lewis has been doin' well...</div> You is like the 100th person that's pointed that out! I used a template from a Grizz/Celtics game, and for some reason that didn't change (even though it comes up as 'Posey vs Allen' on my screen).
