If Durant can ever get healthy and Griffin can stay healthy, the Nyets are a scary prospect. Too bad Dimwiddie got hurt.
Harden playing a different role with Nyets than with Houston. Don' t know if BoD recalls but we had an argument some years ago as to whether Harden was a PG or not. Be that as it may have been, he sure as hell is one now. Some of his passes in transition were breathtaking.
And Kyrie. Enigmatic fellow, personality wise...bailing on pressers on one hand, funding scholarships on the other...thought it was cute watching him chat up Thibs on the sideline and getting some smiles out of the dour one.
On the court? Don't think I have seen anyone this season where I had a sense of them being so utterly unstoppable. There was a play on the baseline where IQ was on him, practically in his shorts, good defensive posture and aggression; Kyrie gave him the okeydoke, fell back awkwardly, creating seperation...SWISH.
And like Kam says, no MORAL VICTORIES, and even with that blown call that rightfully set Julius into a rage, Thibs' charges had no quit in them. GRINDERS. And not just gritty, but SMART. Those defensive stands in the final 30 seconds were epic. The fact that we were even IN THE GAME, with Harden having an Oscar Robertson-scale triple double, and Irving hittins what, like 3/4 of his shots [13-18], let alone in a position to tie it up and force overtime. DAMN.
Hey, even without that blown call, the Nyets won fair and square.
Frank [+5] couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, but he was tough and in their faces defensively, and got whistled on some pretty questionable calls. Bullock [+1] was on fire from the opening bell, even if he cooled late, and his defense was exemplary. Our only pluses on the +/- scale. Well, excuse me, THE CAPTAIN with 33-12-6 and 3 steals.
IQ was only 6-19 with 2 assists, but he had 21 points and no turnovers while getting schooled by Kyrie, but he never backed down. Still see him more as a Lou Williams kind of combo than a pure point, but it is still very early. He COMPETES. Our Puppy.
And while no one was looking, no RJ's shot was erratic, but in lieu of that his downhill game was agressive and seemingly unstoppable, as got to the line time after time, and converted 10-of-10. Roll that around on the tip of your tongue. 21 with 6 boards, 4 assists, a block and a steal. Another day at the office. He COMPETES. Our Puppy.
And Julius, our Julius. Ain't that A MAN?
All of this after getting bitch slapped by Milwaukee.
Other teams have more sheer talent and firepower, but we COMPETE for 48 minutes. This was the kind of game would have been over by the end of the first quarter by and large for the past 20 years.
THIBS!