2nd Creighton Game

[GardenCity62]

IMO the most surprising thing about this game was the attendance. Creighton at noon drawing almost 11,000. Unbelievable!
Was anything different done in selling tickets? Is Creighton a draw?

 

[Mean Gene]

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Basketball, as I posted the other day, is all about making your matchups tougher for your opponent than theirs are for you. In hindsight it worked, but you could almost see this Lavin move coming. We replaced out only legitimate big with a 6'4 small forward/guard. Their bigs didn't take us to town, but for a while most of their easy baskets came from their big guys, taking full advantage of the height differential. Take away Jordan's monster 1st half and its a much closer game.

Balamou certainly doesn't hurt you out there and you wonder why he doesn't get at least 6-7 minutes per game. HE jumps through the roof, and has a soft soft within 12 feet.

Something I saw with Balamou today was his hustle on both ends of the floor. He had a nice drive to the hoop today but missed the layup. After Creighton got the rebound, they pushed the ball up to get a transition basket but Balamou sprinted faster than I've seen someone run and stopped the break. Did a perfect job of stopping them after he made a mistake.

Good to see him trying to earn his playing time by playing with a purpose and playing hard. He is also the most athletic/quickest kid I've seen in a long time.

I don't want to throw water on one of the most enjoyable wins of the season...but Balamou is in over his head. 2-10 bricklaying in a game where everyone was lights out doesn't give me confidence. Any more than five minutes for him is another "Lavin is waving the white flag again" move.

I'm as big of a Balamou fan as there is, but I am not impressed with him this year. His confidence is completely destroyed. He is thinking instead of reacting. He gives you hustle, he give you athleticism and we won't dominate the ball, but he has no idea of his role on offense and he doesn't relax until after he makes his first good play. It's not even like he will get pulled if he makes a mistake...he'll go games without leaving the bench.

I'll never understand why Felix and Amar didn't play more earlier in the season.

As Amar has received more and gained more confidence he is playing better and better each game. I expect that Balamou can do the same if Lavin plays him every game and he gets more comfortable. He wasn't awful today. He hustled and played D. He shot 2-10 and missed a few easy ones that I feel he will convert as he gaets more time and his confidence builds like Amar's has. He did hit one medium range jumper and I believe he hit the two foul shots he took.

 

[MarkRedman]

IMO the most surprising thing about this game was the attendance. Creighton at noon drawing almost 11,000. Unbelievable!
Was anything different done in selling tickets? Is Creighton a draw?

Some people must have thought that Doug McDermott still played for Creighton

 

[Knight]

Maybe they thought Obekpa had A UFC bout scheduled.

 

[paultzman]

I

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Basketball, as I posted the other day, is all about making your matchups tougher for your opponent than theirs are for you. In hindsight it worked, but you could almost see this Lavin move coming. We replaced out only legitimate big with a 6'4 small forward/guard. Their bigs didn't take us to town, but for a while most of their easy baskets came from their big guys, taking full advantage of the height differential. Take away Jordan's monster 1st half and its a much closer game.

Balamou certainly doesn't hurt you out there and you wonder why he doesn't get at least 6-7 minutes per game. HE jumps through the roof, and has a soft soft within 12 feet.

Something I saw with Balamou today was his hustle on both ends of the floor. He had a nice drive to the hoop today but missed the layup. After Creighton got the rebound, they pushed the ball up to get a transition basket but Balamou sprinted faster than I've seen someone run and stopped the break. Did a perfect job of stopping them after he made a mistake.

Good to see him trying to earn his playing time by playing with a purpose and playing hard. He is also the most athletic/quickest kid I've seen in a long time.

I don't want to throw water on one of the most enjoyable wins of the season...but Balamou is in over his head. 2-10 bricklaying in a game where everyone was lights out doesn't give me confidence. Any more than five minutes for him is another "Lavin is waving the white flag again" move.

I'm as big of a Balamou fan as there is, but I am not impressed with him this year. His confidence is completely destroyed. He is thinking instead of reacting. He gives you hustle, he give you athleticism and we won't dominate the ball, but he has no idea of his role on offense and he doesn't relax until after he makes his first good play. It's not even like he will get pulled if he makes a mistake...he'll go games without leaving the bench.

I'll never understand why Felix and Amar didn't play more earlier in the season.

Fair point on your last comment.

 

[logen]

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Seriously. Balamou didn't play that great himself, but having him out there added to a squad that simply overwhelmed Creighton athletically. When you have Jordan-Pointer-Balamou on the court at the same time, there isn't a more athletic trio in the nation. Greene is no slouch himself, and Harrison has the hustle and skill to play faster than his physical talent.

Agreed Balamou didn't play great but the team did and isn't that the point?

 

[Knight]

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Seriously. Balamou didn't play that great himself, but having him out there added to a squad that simply overwhelmed Creighton athletically. When you have Jordan-Pointer-Balamou on the court at the same time, there isn't a more athletic trio in the nation. Greene is no slouch himself, and Harrison has the hustle and skill to play faster than his physical talent.

Agreed Balamou didn't play great but the team did and isn't that the point?

Had he not taken any shots, I think his performance would be viewed more favorably.

 

[SJU14]

IMO the most surprising thing about this game was the attendance. Creighton at noon drawing almost 11,000. Unbelievable!
Was anything different done in selling tickets? Is Creighton a draw?

Actually the game today was NYPD/FDNY/EMS appreciation day and they gave out free tickets to them. I actually wasn't going to this game as I didn't have tickets but my buddy called me yesterday saying his dad, an NYPD cop, had someone come in his precinct and tell them that they were giving out free tickets. All we had to do was go to the table in the lobby and tell them what precinct he worked at. Got 6 tickets for free.

 

[logen]

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Seriously. Balamou didn't play that great himself, but having him out there added to a squad that simply overwhelmed Creighton athletically. When you have Jordan-Pointer-Balamou on the court at the same time, there isn't a more athletic trio in the nation. Greene is no slouch himself, and Harrison has the hustle and skill to play faster than his physical talent.

Agreed Balamou didn't play great but the team did and isn't that the point?

Had he not taken any shots, I think his performance would be viewed more favorably.

And if a player doesn't take good shots when they show the whole team gets thrown out of rythym. It is a team game and to pull one stat out of context and make it a big deal is just not the way I look at the game. People want a bench, want Balamou and Amar to get minutes, then they have to play free and with confidence. If he took bad shots I would agree, but he took good shots and he didn't make them. Amar has thrown some bricks up but he hit a jumper and a 3 today; maybe because he is getting comfortable? Balamou is not out there to score; like I posted earlier, everybody can't be a star. I thought he played fine personally and the team played great with him on the floor.

 

[Knight]

I thought his contribution was positive, but he was 2/10 and did not hit a 3.

 

[Knight]

I think with Sheed's fine game DLo getting overlooked today.
FG 5/8, 3pt 2/4, FT 9/9, 21 pts, 10 Rebs., 6 Asst

 

[SJU61982]

I think with Sheed's fine game DLo getting overlooked today.
FG 5/8, 3pt 2/4, FT 9/9, 21 pts, 10 Rebs., 6 Asst

A great sign from him was the first shot of the game, when he made his trademark 12-footer. First time in 3 weeks he made that shot. Getting healthy.

 

[Class of 72]

IMO the most surprising thing about this game was the attendance. Creighton at noon drawing almost 11,000. Unbelievable!
Was anything different done in selling tickets? Is Creighton a draw?

Actually the game today was NYPD/FDNY/EMS appreciation day and they gave out free tickets to them. I actually wasn't going to this game as I didn't have tickets but my buddy called me yesterday saying his dad, an NYPD cop, had someone come in his precinct and tell them that they were giving out free tickets. All we had to do was go to the table in the lobby and tell them what precinct he worked at. Got 6 tickets for free.

No wonder there was a mad rush into the pubs around MSG after the game!

 

[MarkRedman]

I thought his contribution was positive, but he was 2/10 and did not hit a 3.

A "3" is not in Felix's vocabulary

 

[Russ2374]

IMO the most surprising thing about this game was the attendance. Creighton at noon drawing almost 11,000. Unbelievable!
Was anything different done in selling tickets? Is Creighton a draw?

Must have been a ton of no shows because the building seemed empty to me. I thought the Providence crowd was much larger due to all the Friar fans. Didn't see many Creighton fans today.

 

[Russ2374]

[/quote]Had he not taken any shots, I think his performance would be viewed more favorably.[/quote]

I don't have an issue with Felix playing a little in games. He probably should have been getting some mins all year to help give guys rest and stay out of foul trouble. However he generally should not be taking 10 shots and I'm confused as to why he all of a sudden passed Branch in priority. Jamal recently had one of the best games of his career game against Creighton. It's hard to argue with the results but I'd also prefer to start Amar so we have some size on the court with Dom. Four guards is small enough, five is ridiculous. It obviously didn't hurt us today but I hope we don't try it again on Wednesday or against bigger teams.

 

[stjohnnie75]

Who are these guys?

#February

 

[redmen2014champs]

Positives from today
1-Air Jordan 2 lighting it up
2-DLo is back
3- Sir Dom dominant as usual lately
4-Amar and Balamou getting nice minutes
5- PGIV playing better than the haters expect as usual
6-Lavin coaching a pretty good game
7-Oblockpa staying out of foul trouble

Negatives
1- Obekpa getting hurt
2-Branch surprisingly getting limited minutes

 

[beast of the east]

re size of crowd: I'm at halfcourt in a low row in the 100's. It's nice having an empty seat on either side of me. Keep staying home guys. I miss the noise, but it's nice to have such a great view of the court and have plenty of elbow room.

Re: Harrison's injury. Watching him closely, he is still hurt. He barely jumps for rebounds, but it really doesn't affect his outside shot much. He can still take it to the hoop, but not with the same authority. Still hands down better than what would replace him on bench.

Re: Jordan: I've maintained he isn't a horrible outside shooter, as some here have contended. In the first half alone he nailed five threes, and showed as much fire on the court as I've seen, especially coming off the court when one of his bombs necessitated a time out.

Re: Teamwork. This team never ever ever looks to feed the hot hand. In some ways it's good, because in the first half, a few guys were making their shots, and honestly when Jordan wants to shoot the ball passed to him doesn't come back often. But still, when you are unconscious, your teammates have to look for you. Today even with 19 first half points, the didn't.

Re: Balamou. Amar was the obvious starter, especially against taller nonathletic big men. Obviously things worked out, but did we really want 4.5 guards out there most of the time?

Re; Pointer. Ben Wallace must be jealous or smiling.

Felix thing was a reward / punishment thing with him and Obekpa. They won so you will see that for at least one more game depending on Obekpa injury and how we do against Depaul

As anyone who reads this board with regularity knows I will criticize Lavin for just about everything but the weather and I am trying to figure an angle out for that but I fail to see how you can criticize him for starting Balamou with the start we got off to.

Basketball, as I posted the other day, is all about making your matchups tougher for your opponent than theirs are for you. In hindsight it worked, but you could almost see this Lavin move coming. We replaced out only legitimate big with a 6'4 small forward/guard. Their bigs didn't take us to town, but for a while most of their easy baskets came from their big guys, taking full advantage of the height differential. Take away Jordan's monster 1st half and its a much closer game.

Balamou certainly doesn't hurt you out there and you wonder why he doesn't get at least 6-7 minutes per game. HE jumps through the roof, and has a soft soft within 12 feet.

Something I saw with Balamou today was his hustle on both ends of the floor. He had a nice drive to the hoop today but missed the layup. After Creighton got the rebound, they pushed the ball up to get a transition basket but Balamou sprinted faster than I've seen someone run and stopped the break. Did a perfect job of stopping them after he made a mistake.

Good to see him trying to earn his playing time by playing with a purpose and playing hard. He is also the most athletic/quickest kid I've seen in a long time.

I don't want to throw water on one of the most enjoyable wins of the season...but Balamou is in over his head. 2-10 bricklaying in a game where everyone was lights out doesn't give me confidence. Any more than five minutes for him is another "Lavin is waving the white flag again" move.

Balamou may have shot 20%, but he passes up many shots outside of his range, plays good defense, and hits the boards hard. I feel he is by all means capable of competing at this level and is serviceable - probably more so than Christian Jones. Watching at the game, except for a brick that concluding a good decision drive to the basket (we scored on the put back) it really wasn't apparent that he was shooting poorly. In fact overall he played pretty well, sans the 2-10 shooting.

 

[Avon Barksdale]

Very very impressive performance by us.

Jordan/Harrison/pointer absolutely sensational.

Hopefully Harrison is now 100% going forward.

Pointer can play in the NBA.

JORDANS best game at SJU.

Felix has no business being out there.

Hopefully Chris' ankle won't be a lingering issue.

Creighton is horrific.

Must beat depaul because the next two are gonna be very tough.