Box Score.
Game Flow.
Post recap.
Times recap.
Indy Cornrows.
Highest plus/minus: Caron Butler (+15)
Lowest plus/minus: Roger Mason (+1)
I'm going to have more tomorrow, but that's how you take care of business. Just an excellent all-around performance, particularly defensively, where allowing just 90 points in an up-tempo game is incredibly impressive.
One of these days, when I have a chance to really follow the game closely, I want to look at a play-by-play of the so called "big lineup." It's taken three and a half years, but Eddie finally figured out that it doesn't make sense for a bad defensive team to keep playing small. Sure, Jamison/Songaila is a defensive liability at the 3, but in Blatche and Haywood, at least you have enforcers in there to which you can funnel penetration. Moving Butler to the 2 also makes sense; his strength is overpowering players, and when he's playing undersized at the 3, he's not doing that. Plus, anything that turns Stevenson into a good role player, but not an important player, is a good thing.
Offensively, Gilbert was good, Caron was great, and everyone else was eh, but it's a winning formula, and that's important.
Again, more tomorrow. But I really do think we're going to turn it around. That move to the big lineup may have saved this season before it even began.