by Brett Edwards
I know, who gives two shits about the Milwaukee Bucks or the Golden State Warriors, right? After all, neither one is expected to make the playoffs this season, so it may seem pointless to pay attention to their team trends, not to mention write a whole piece about them. But to me, tonight's games show the two ways that a team can handle a crushing defeat: you can mail in the next game, or get pissed off and beat somebody that you're not supposed to.
The Milwaukee Bucks chose the former. After Michael Redd scored 52 points in yesterday's duel with the Bulls, he only managed 15 in Orlando on a woeful 3-16 from the field. Yeah it was a tough overtime loss yesterday, but I didn't know the Bucks were a bunch of chicks that take a week to get over things. They didn't even bother to show up for this game, scoring only 10 points on the first quarter, and missing 8 of their first 10 shots on their way to a 32% first half shooting performance. If you're not going to try, why not just stay home?
The Warriors on the other hand, came to play against the Pistons. They had an absolutely horrible loss in Washington yesterday, getting jobbed by the refs and having their coach's meltdown ultimately cost them the game. But did they dwell on it? No. They rolled into The Palace and beat (arguably) the best team in the East, and did so easily. They were angered by yesterday's loss, and took it out on a Pistons' team that took them too lightly.
I don't know if it's coaching, player personalities, or some combination of the two. But if I'm a fan of a particular team, I want the players to at least care a little bit about what happens to them on the court, and not be a bunch of whiny bitches who fold right after a tough loss. After tonight's games, I may have to trade in my Bucks gear for some Golden State swag.
A few mitigating factors were involved. You're right. The Warriors were mad. But then, they believed that they were genuinely screwed over in the previous game. The Bucks simply lost a shootout. They had nothing to feel bad about (except maybe for their defense on Ben Gordon).
Also, Golden State has an explosive, up-tempo offense. If they aren't hitting their shots, they lose. If they are hitting, they can compete with anybody. And, since their goal is to outscore the other team, they don't play with much defensive intensity.
On the subject of Redd...I would be very interested to know how players typically perform in the second-game of back-to-backs after they score 50 or more in the first game (I have no idea how often that's even happened). Considering how hard he had to work to get that 50 (because the Bulls are one of the better defensive teams in the league), it isn't too surprising he pooped out in that game.
Posted by: basketbawful | March 06, 2007 at 12:33 PM