First, I would like to thank everyone for their continued support and comments. Very much appreciated by this oldman. Coming off a 1-0 day yesterday winning with Los Angeles. Today, my focus is on Game 4 of the Minnesota/Sacramento series.
So far this has been a very intriguing series and not for the faint of heart as both teams have taken significant leads in each of these games only to relinquish the lead late in the games. Noteworthy that all three games have been won by the underdog, two of them outright. This series has an ebb and flow to it but in watching Game 3, some observations became apparent. Surprisingly, early in the game, the Kings seem to not be as focused and sharp as expected, perhaps due from a letdown from blowing a 10 point lead in Game 2, perhaps not. For sure, they were missing open shots that they would normally bury at home. The Wolves took advantage of this to build a 15 point lead in the third quarter. But to me the key has now become the health of Chris Webber. In watching Chris carefully, it was apparent that having to play a lot of minutes in this series is beginning to take a toll on him physically. He has been injured since returning but in Game 3, his lack of mobility was dramatically more pronounced. He could barely move up the court, had little side to side movement at or near the paint, could not elevate either for his jump shot or for a rebound, and could not defend Garnett or anyone due to his lack of mobility. The incredible thing is that Adelman, if he recognizes it, chooses to leave Webber in, as Divac sat out the entire fourth quarter and the Kings are able to run their offense much better when Divac is in the line-up. With only one day rest, expect Webber's immobility should to worsen. Still, the Kings possess some very dangerous weapons when their shots are falling, witness the end of Game 3. The Wolves, on the other hand, are headed in the other direction with their confidence soaring after wins in Game 2 and 3 and they know they can win at Arco as they have swept all three games played there this year. And keep in mind that they won Game 3 with Cassell sitting on the bench, not in foul trouble, while the bench players built up the large lead. Then when he re-entered the game, he quickly picked up four fouls and had to sit again only to return later in the fourth quarter and pick up his last remaining foul within seconds upon return. Yet, without him, the Wolves overcame the emotional edge the Kings had at sending the game into overtime and won the game without their true point guard. Finally, I would like to make a comment about the line on this game. In previous threads, I have explained how in the playoffs the linesmaker is slow to adjust the line and does so off the team that lost the previous game. As I see it, currently given the physically, mental and emotional state of both teams and the ability of the Wolves to win at Arco, this line, although the reasoning is understood, is way, I repeat, way off base at this point in the series. There is tremendous line value in this game. One in which the Wolves can certainly win outright. I considered making this my first strong 3* unit play of the playoffs, but will remain conservatively selective but very comfortable with this release. Hence,
1* Minnesota +6
Overall Unit Record YTD: (182-147.5)(+34.5) 5*(1-0)(+5.0) 3*(10-6)(+10.2) 1*(147-115-6)(+19.3)
Overall W/L Record YTD: (158-121-6) 56.63%
NBA Regular Season Final Record YTD: (17-12-2)(+5.8)
NBA Playoff Record YTD: (8-7-1)(+0.3)
Plays are rated 1*-5*
Good Luck All.
So far this has been a very intriguing series and not for the faint of heart as both teams have taken significant leads in each of these games only to relinquish the lead late in the games. Noteworthy that all three games have been won by the underdog, two of them outright. This series has an ebb and flow to it but in watching Game 3, some observations became apparent. Surprisingly, early in the game, the Kings seem to not be as focused and sharp as expected, perhaps due from a letdown from blowing a 10 point lead in Game 2, perhaps not. For sure, they were missing open shots that they would normally bury at home. The Wolves took advantage of this to build a 15 point lead in the third quarter. But to me the key has now become the health of Chris Webber. In watching Chris carefully, it was apparent that having to play a lot of minutes in this series is beginning to take a toll on him physically. He has been injured since returning but in Game 3, his lack of mobility was dramatically more pronounced. He could barely move up the court, had little side to side movement at or near the paint, could not elevate either for his jump shot or for a rebound, and could not defend Garnett or anyone due to his lack of mobility. The incredible thing is that Adelman, if he recognizes it, chooses to leave Webber in, as Divac sat out the entire fourth quarter and the Kings are able to run their offense much better when Divac is in the line-up. With only one day rest, expect Webber's immobility should to worsen. Still, the Kings possess some very dangerous weapons when their shots are falling, witness the end of Game 3. The Wolves, on the other hand, are headed in the other direction with their confidence soaring after wins in Game 2 and 3 and they know they can win at Arco as they have swept all three games played there this year. And keep in mind that they won Game 3 with Cassell sitting on the bench, not in foul trouble, while the bench players built up the large lead. Then when he re-entered the game, he quickly picked up four fouls and had to sit again only to return later in the fourth quarter and pick up his last remaining foul within seconds upon return. Yet, without him, the Wolves overcame the emotional edge the Kings had at sending the game into overtime and won the game without their true point guard. Finally, I would like to make a comment about the line on this game. In previous threads, I have explained how in the playoffs the linesmaker is slow to adjust the line and does so off the team that lost the previous game. As I see it, currently given the physically, mental and emotional state of both teams and the ability of the Wolves to win at Arco, this line, although the reasoning is understood, is way, I repeat, way off base at this point in the series. There is tremendous line value in this game. One in which the Wolves can certainly win outright. I considered making this my first strong 3* unit play of the playoffs, but will remain conservatively selective but very comfortable with this release. Hence,
1* Minnesota +6
Overall Unit Record YTD: (182-147.5)(+34.5) 5*(1-0)(+5.0) 3*(10-6)(+10.2) 1*(147-115-6)(+19.3)
Overall W/L Record YTD: (158-121-6) 56.63%
NBA Regular Season Final Record YTD: (17-12-2)(+5.8)
NBA Playoff Record YTD: (8-7-1)(+0.3)
Plays are rated 1*-5*
Good Luck All.
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