GAME 49 DIRKIE: Ka-Powell Wins! (40%)

[DanSchwartzgan]

 
BTW, is your starting backcourt combining for 35 points, 26 assists (with only 3 turnovers), and 16 rebounds good? I feel like that's good.

Our backup center (which happened to be a combination of two people) was 20/8 on 100% shooting and was +25 in 25 minutes.  BBall Reference shows per game O and D rating and  Box +/-.  Powell's numbers were 208/101 and 12.9 on the Box +/-.  Chriss was 241/119 and +27.7.  I probably should have voted for Powell.

Tell me if you've heard this story before.  Luka and KP shoot 36% and 44% from the field.  The shooting percentages for the rest of the rotation players were 57, 56, 60, 100, 62, 75, 100 and 50.  Answer: no, you've not heard that story before.  That's how you get 35 assists.  To me, the best version of Luka isn't an MVP candidate because he's scoring in the low 20's instead of nearly 30 but leads the league in assists.  That Luka would need better teammates (or to play the Portland D every night).

I thought it was interesting that Chriss got worked into the lineup tonight.  Kind of random.  If that three keeps falling, he can be something important in a year or so.

I gave my Dirkie to Frank since the award is about raising one's game.  He soaked up 15 of the THJ minutes at +10 and hit two timely 3's.  I thought it was interesting that Frank brought the ball up quite a bit allowing Brunson to play off the ball (in the THJ role) some.  

I just love how hard Powell, Green and Reggie work on D, but Hardaway was so often the weakest link of the bench unit that it didn't always show in the numbers.  Add to that the shot hunting (THJ gonna get his) and I could imagine it being kind of frustrating for that trio to play so hard next to Hardaway.  Adding Frank to that group really raises the defensive intensity.  Shots came in the flow of the game for the most part.  We'll see how that works against better D's.