11th February - New Orleans Pelicans vs Portland Trailblazers - 22-31

Dammnit noooo\


Not the 2nd team!

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Damian Lillard in 2 games VS the Pelicans this year:

38 points, 12/37 shooting (32.4%), 0/14 from 3 (0.00%).

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No threes, that's nuts! Awesome on ball and lateral defense by Jrue and help on the drives.

The youngest player in NBA history to post a stat line like Zion did tonight (31/9/5) in under 30 minutes?

Luka Doncic - 20 years, 265 days

So, now it's Zion.https://t.co/xAXMfKCXbo

— Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) February 12, 2020

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Originally Posted by Austin Rivers

No threes, that's nuts! Awesome lateral defense by Jrue and help on the drives.

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Yep, absolutely crazy. Especially when you consider that Damian Lillard has shot 44% on 25+ footers since January 1st. He's been lights out from mega-deep range. Jrue puts an end to that.

Spurs guards have been killing the Thunder tonight.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Damian Lillard in 2 games VS the Pelicans this year:

38 points, 12/37 shooting (32.4%), 0/14 from 3 (0.00%).

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Jrue takes his soul every time they play

BI better get it together. Josh Hart comin fo yo job.

Zion checked out with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists

19-year olds to put up that stat line:

- Kevin Durant
- LeBron James
- Luka Doncic

End of list.

Also, Zion played the fewest minutes of anyone to do it at 19 or younger.

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

Lebron did it twice when he was still 18, which is ridiculous :hihi: although in fairness, Zion did it in fewer minutes than any of those guys, as Lopez says

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Zion checked out with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists

19-year olds to put up that stat line:

- Kevin Durant
- LeBron James
- Luka Doncic

End of list.

Also, Zion played the fewest minutes of anyone to do it at 19 or younger.

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

Lebron did it twice when he was still 18, which is ridiculous :hihi: although in fairness, Zion did it in fewer minutes than any of those guys, as Lopez says

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And Zion did it with a 7 footer guarding him. Difficulty set to max.

Josh Hart with a very efficient 17 points (7/10 FG - 2/5 3PT - 1/1 FT ), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and ZERO turnovers while being a +9.

Only logged on because we get to see NAW-NAW!

From @ESPNStatsInfo: Zion Williamson is the 3rd player over the last 25 seasons with a 30-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist game within his first 10 career games.

He joins Brandon Jennings (55-5-5!) and Allen Iverson (35 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists).

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE_PELICAN

Reverse jinx?

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amiright?

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE_PELICAN

amiright?

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60% of the time the reverse jinx works every time.

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Originally Posted by ragincaucasian

And Zion did it with a 7 footer guarding him. Difficulty set to max.

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Yep. And the minutes different is truly insane; Zion played 27 minutes, 44 seconds; in Lebron's first game putting up that statline, it was an OT game and he played 55 minutes :hihi: Pretty much double the time. Lebron had 33/16/7, and the Cavs lost that game.

Amazing comeback after the 1st.

Just had to get Zion involved. EASY

That was worth the short break between games. Lol

End of Game Statlines
Game won: 138-117

Starters:

Zion: 31 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 stl. 10/17 shooting (58.8%), 11/14 on FTs (78.6%). 2TOs, 1PF, +25 in 27:44
Jrue: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 stls, 2blks. 7/12 shooting (58.3%), 1/4 from 3. 2 turnovers, 1 foul, +16 in 29:04
Lonzo: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 1stl, 1blk. 4/11 shooting (36.4%), 1/4 from 3. 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, +10 in 33:36
Favors: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1stl, 1blk. 3/4 shooting. 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, +13 in 21:27
Hart: 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1stl. 7/10 shooting (70%), 2/5 from 3. 0 turnovers, 1 foul, +9 in 26:05

Bench:
Melli: 10/8/3/1. 40% shooting, 2/8 from 3. 1TO, 4PFs, +10
Frank: 13/2/5, 57.1% shooting, 3/4 from 3. 1TO, 4PFs, +15
Redick: 20/2/2, 5/10 shooting, 4/7 from 3. 1TO, 0PF, +4
Moore: 7pts, 1rbd. 3/7 shooting.
Jax: 9pts, 3rbds, 100% shooting, 11 minutes.
NAW: 1 rebound, 2 minutes played.

Zion said "Lets dance" and tonight he did the tango all over Whiteside

Another great team win tonight

Dame “They Sleep” Lillard went OFF in New Orleans

6-16 from the floor����
0-4 from 3����
-16 plus/minus����
0 minutes played in the 4th quarter����
Led by 16, lost by 21����
4 verses written on the bench ����
His dad, Jrue Holiday, let him stay up til 9 CT ��**����**�� pic.twitter.com/zNCpbq3lX7

— Will Ogburn (@geauxsohard) February 12, 2020

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Dame “They Sleep” Lillard went OFF in New Orleans

6-16 from the floor����
0-4 from 3����
-16 plus/minus����
0 minutes played in the 4th quarter����
Led by 16, lost by 21����
4 verses written on the bench ����
His dad, Jrue Holiday, let him stay up til 9 CT ��**����**�� pic.twitter.com/zNCpbq3lX7

— Will Ogburn (@geauxsohard) February 12, 2020

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:hihi:

Unpredictable team is unpredictable. Just smashes a good Portland team.

Now hopefully Portland has a good flight to Memphis and does us a solid.

What a great win and that 3 quarter.... Man ohhh Man :cool:

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Dame “They Sleep” Lillard went OFF in New Orleans

6-16 from the floor����
0-4 from 3����
-16 plus/minus����
0 minutes played in the 4th quarter����
Led by 16, lost by 21����
4 verses written on the bench ����
His dad, Jrue Holiday, let him stay up til 9 CT ��**����**�� pic.twitter.com/zNCpbq3lX7

— Will Ogburn (@geauxsohard) February 12, 2020

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:hihi: :hihi::hihi:

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Originally Posted by luckyman

Unpredictable team is unpredictable. Just smashes a good Portland team.

Now hopefully Portland has a good flight to Memphis and does us a solid.

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Good... This isn't last year

From @EliasSports:

Fewest Games Needed for First 30-Point Game - No. 1 Picks in Lottery Era

1996-97 - Allen Iverson (1st)
1992-93 - Shaquille O'Neal (3rd)
1995-96 - Joe Smith (4th)
2019-20 - Zion Williamson (9th)

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

Big lol at Iverson debuting with a 30 ball. Forgot about that :hihi:

Advanced Stats for Tonight
Minimum 15 minutes

Best TS%: Josh Hart, 81.4% (Zion had 66.9%)
Worst TS%: Lonzo Ball, 40.9%
Highest REB%: Nicolo Melli, 16.7% (Zion had 15.8%)
Highest AST%: Jrue Holiday, 41.7%

Highest Net Rating: Zion Williamson, +44.9
Lowest Net Rating: E'twaun Moore, +9.8

Most Deflections: Zion and Jrue tie with 3 each
Most Screen Assists: Favors with 3
Most 2pt Contests: Melli with 6, then Zion with 5
Most 3pt Contests: Zion and Jrue tie with 2 each
Most Boxouts: Favors with 5

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

From @EliasSports:

Fewest Games Needed for First 30-Point Game - No. 1 Picks in Lottery Era

1996-97 - Allen Iverson (1st)
1992-93 - Shaquille O'Neal (3rd)
1995-96 - Joe Smith (4th)
2019-20 - Zion Williamson (9th)

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

Big lol at Iverson debuting with a 30 ball. Forgot about that :hihi:

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AI was so damn ridiculous. Imagine being the poor sap assigned to guard this:

Dont know if mentioned but...team had 40 ASSISTS tonight.

Zion now has a total of 189 points, and has reached 0.07 on the Baynes scale.

With career totals of 189 points, 69 rebounds, 21 assists and career efficiencies of 72/125 from the field and 40/63 from the FT line in 9 games, Zion is now averaging:

21 points
7.7 rebounds
2.3 assists
57.6%FG
63.4%FT

This is very good stuff. Essentially 21/8/2 on 58%FG. And he's doing it in 27mpg.

Which means his per 36 numbers are:

27.9 points
10.3 rebounds
3.1 assists

Not bad for a rookie!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Dame “They Sleep” Lillard went OFF in New Orleans

6-16 from the floor����
0-4 from 3����
-16 plus/minus����
0 minutes played in the 4th quarter����
Led by 16, lost by 21����
4 verses written on the bench ����
His dad, Jrue Holiday, let him stay up til 9 CT ��**����**�� pic.twitter.com/zNCpbq3lX7

— Will Ogburn (@geauxsohard) February 12, 2020

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That's fukt up.

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Originally Posted by ragincaucasian

AI was so damn ridiculous. Imagine being the poor sap assigned to guard this:

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Iverson was a dynamo. Dude was listed at 6'0 but pretty much everyone concedes he was probably more like 5'10, 160lbs, but averaged at least 26 for 10 years straight. 4 seasons above 30ppg.

Underrated passer too. Ben Taylor talks about this in his podcast about the best playmakers ever, and he finds that Iverson actually falls in the top 15 by his metrics; tons and tons of shots created.

And for him to see 2 people. But, the big has to contain him & keep him from shooting a 3. At the same time (the big) has to slide his feet so he doesn't get beat. D Fave, Zion did a great job, Nico did a great job tonight...

— Andrew Smith写真家 (@DruProductions) February 12, 2020

This is what this team is capable of and why I get so pissed when we ******** away opportunities.

Zion had more points than minutes for the 2nd time tonight.

From @EliasSports: Since the shot-clock era began in 1954-55, the only other player to do that twice within his first 10 NBA games is Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, among guys to play 15+ minutes in both games. pic.twitter.com/jxVLpzpfWc

— Andrew Lopez (@_Andrew_Lopez) February 12, 2020

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Originally Posted by ragincaucasian

BI better get it together. Josh Hart comin fo yo job.

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Get his act together in what way? What does Hart do so much better that it would warrant him taking Ingram's starting position?????

What I liked about this game is that it felt like Jrue found his slot. He felt like a defensive specialist who concentrates in that and scoring within the flow of the offense. I loved his game tonight even more than against Indiana.

This team hasn't been inconsistent or unpredictable. They're just growing. They've lost some games to good teams but the last time they lost to a team they should have beaten was way back in December.

Did anyone catch what Jax got the technical for in the first qtr?

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Originally Posted by TheBlade

Did anyone catch what Jax got the technical for in the first qtr?

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Defensive tech

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE_PELICAN

Defensive tech

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I appreciate the answer but I kinda knew that. What I'm actually asking is what he did physically and specifically to get it. I ran it back trying to see what happened but couldn't figure out what he did. Its been years since I followed the NBA, so it may be obvious to everyone else but me.

Thanks again. :)

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Zion is 3rd in the league in at-rim gravity already; even if he doesn't try to score, passing it to him in the paint and allowing him to make reads and passes out will improve the looks everyone else gets.

Don't have to do it every time down the court, but it should definitely be one of the two or three top options.

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Who’s your top 5 at rim gravity and top 5 in shooting gravity (ie Steph)?

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Originally Posted by TheBlade

I appreciate the answer but I kinda knew that. What I'm actually asking is what he did physically and specifically to get it. I ran it back trying to see what happened but couldn't figure out what he did. Its been years since I followed the NBA, so it may be obvious to everyone else but me.

Thanks again. :)

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Is when the defending team spends more than three seconds in the free throw lane (also called the key, the 16-foot lane, or "in the paint") while not actively guarding an opponent. To be considered actively guarding, a defender must be within arm's length of an opponent and in a guarding position

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Originally Posted by akhan786

Who’s your top 5 at rim gravity and top 5 in shooting gravity (ie Steph)?

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This is what makes the Bucks so hard to defend.Teams collapse on Giannis and you have wide open 3 point shooters.Zion is a good passer already,the Pels are going to be extremely tough to defend.

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Originally Posted by akhan786

Who’s your top 5 at rim gravity and top 5 in shooting gravity (ie Steph)?

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It's not my personal measurement it's calculated by bb-index, the same site that publishes PIPM and talent grades.

Top 10 in at-rim gravity are (in order), Giannis, Montrezl Harrell, Zion Williamson, Andre Drummond, Russell Westbrook, Clint Capela, LeBron James, Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons and Anthony Davis.

Top 10 in 3pt Gravity (in order): James Harden, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, D'Angelo Russell, Devonte Graham, Buddy Hield, Davis Bertans, KAT, Danilo Gallinari, Trae Young.

Obviously someone like Steph would normally be on the list but he's been out nearly all year.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AUSSIE_PELICAN

Is when the defending team spends more than three seconds in the free throw lane (also called the key, the 16-foot lane, or "in the paint") while not actively guarding an opponent. To be considered actively guarding, a defender must be within arm's length of an opponent and in a guarding position

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Thank you very much.

(Aaaand ... I should have realized that) :thumbup:

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Originally Posted by Wecandothis

This is what makes the Bucks so hard to defend.Teams collapse on Giannis and you have wide open 3 point shooters.Zion is a good passer already,the Pels are going to be extremely tough to defend.

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Precisely. Ergo: "Alvin, play Melli."

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Originally Posted by msusousaphone

This team hasn't been inconsistent or unpredictable. They're just growing. They've lost some games to good teams but the last time they lost to a team they should have beaten was way back in December.

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That's not an either/or. We all know the team has a lot of young players so you expect a growing team to be inconsistent and unpredictable. However, we do not expect that of vets like Jrue.

But at this point, they are being judged as a plus 500 playoff team and rightfully so. So some of these games they've lost at home have been disappointing.

Since late December we have only lost to the Bucks, Rockets, Nuggets, Spurs (Zion's first game back), Clippers, Celtics, Jazz, and Lakers.......none of these games have been disappointing. Maybe the Spurs game but we looked so out of sorts trying to integrate Zion. So possibly one but more likely zero. Zero disappointing games. Very predictable losses. Hoping for some wins but those would have been against the odds (unpredictable).

Jrue isn't a centerpiece. He's a supplement piece. We have two very much growing and learning centerpieces. It's very hard to be the supplemental piece when the centerpieces are so fluid.