Misc Atlanta Game Thoughts

by Citizen Roy G Biv on Jan 31, 2008 12:34 AM PST

Thanks again for the tickets to the game, Clipper Steve.

At first Barry's Tix had no idea what was going on, but after we stood gawking at the terrible Kobe merch for awhile, the lady gave over a couple of seats in 219. Pretty fine seats, especially as the Clippers were shooting at our basket for the 2nd half.

At the beginning it seemed like it was going to be real bad, but then a game broke out.

So that is what a team without a center looks like.

Has anyone ever noticed that if Tim Thomas applied himself, he would be pretty good?

Al Thorton = good + exciting. Nice to be there for that.

I am not entirely sure, but there may be a replacement for Clipper Darrel. Who was the guy with the floor seats behind the Clippers bench with the wig and terrible shorts? It seemed for a bit like he and Darrel were having a psychic dance off. I think this guy won. He is either loco or selling something. He was doing some kind of dysfunctional robot dance and didn't even seem to notice if there was music playing. The Jumbotron folks seemed to avoid him. (as a side note the wave died before it really began. The fans are learning.)

Do you think Sam's teammates listen to a thing he says? How exhausting must practice be with him and MDsr? I'd hate to see Sam go.

Fun game, with the usual Clipper excitement of potentially new and exciting ways to loose the game. And then they didn't!

So thanks again. It was fun. And my buddy Mike caught a t-shirt and gave it to me. Win/win. I experience most of the games on the radio, so it is a swell change to be there in person, with good seats no less.

Enough rambling? Yes.

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Comments

Yeah about that guy

He's selling something. I won't write what it is.

by John R on Jan 31, 2008 8:37 AM PST reply actions

on c'mon

You gotta spill it.
It is either cars, shoddy real estate, or balloon rides, right?

by Citizen Roy G Biv on Jan 31, 2008 8:50 AM PST up reply actions

Its not that its a secret

But its what he would want me to do. And that guy is a douche of the highest order.

by John R on Jan 31, 2008 8:53 AM PST up reply actions

I agree

He's a problem, and we don't want to mention his product here because it just re-enforces the behavior.

RGB, sorry about the hassle at Barry's. Hope it wasn't too bad. If there are any details I need to be aware of for future contest winners, shoot me an email. They should have been ready for you.

That was a pretty special game from Al. Sometimes players get their points quietly. That was a very loud 33.

by Steve Perrin on Jan 31, 2008 8:59 AM PST up reply actions

Understood

Yeah, that guy seemed like a head-case. The psychic dance-off with Darrel was good though.

Perhaps someone could just give a note to Darrel asking him to update a bit, show him the statistics of the wave:losing ratio.

Oh, I didn't mean to gripe about Barry's. They were very nice and just had to make a phone call (to Barry, I guess). 8 Minutes, we were in and out.
Great seats. Pleasant experience. Big props to Barry's.

There was one point were AT had 10 or 12 points in a row that was spectacular. Very long, very athletic man.

by Citizen Roy G Biv on Jan 31, 2008 10:11 AM PST up reply actions

Fun to Watch

It's always pretty great when you see a JV game and guys play well and they win and you get to see a talented player with a bright future break out a little bit.

Even the collapse at the end kind of played out like a script written just for the snubbed Al Thornton, because that block might have been his best play all night. He got all of it. But he made one play after another--the dunk with Josh Smith flying at the ball was pretty sweet, especially in X-mo, and then there was that crazy baseline move.

After one of his highlights Ralph said something like "the crowd is standing, the owner is standing, the players are standing..." Last night must have confirmed some of DTS' notions about Thornton, whatever those are worth.

Then there's Tim Thomas. For a player I find so deeply troubling, for some reason he's a pretty big asset when the wheels come off. I've made it clear from the beginning that I've disliked him as a PF starter in Brand's absence, that he could have stayed in his best role coming off the bench and playing plenty of minutes. He played a great game coming off the bench after his brief injury layoff (and Thornton grabbed extra minutes and stepped up when he was injured). Then his 3-point shot disappeared and he started playing better because he was going to the basket and hitting short jumpers (Q Ross is apparently doing something similar now, a junior version). Now Kaman gets hurt/sick, and Thomas is rebounding and doing all kinds of good stuff. It should be interesting to see what his game is like when Kaman and then Brand come back.

Lastly, Sam Cassell. It's just unbelievably helpful to the Clippers when Sam Cassell hits some shots and gets into his 15-25 point range. It keeps everything else going on offense and has a major effect. The crazy thing is not that Sam does it, but that he had those 3 games after coming back from his extended injury leave where he didn't make anything. Even though he was coming back from sitting out, those 1-10 and 0-8 games, or whatever it was, were just death, in games the Clips could have won. Then he willed himself into top form somehow and beat Phoenix. Oh well. It's fun to see him do what he does, for as long as it lasts.

And how would you like to be Dan Dickau, unable to get into the JV game with 9 guys even after Brevin Knight gets knocked out, playing behind the old guy?

by zhivclip on Jan 31, 2008 10:33 AM PST reply actions

Dickau

You have to feel for the guy. He's one of two Clippers to be in uniform for every game - but the ONLY ONE on the current roster not to start this season. Even Richie Frahm and Ruben Patterson got starts before they were waived.

What's perhaps most interesting about his situation is that he was arguably better than Knight during Cassell's absence. Obviously he's an entirely different player, but it was nice having that shooter on the floor. He was a major factor in the win in New Jersey, and was +10 to Knight's -15 in the loss at Charlotte. I get it - he duplicates Cassell's all offense, no defense thing. But it would seem to make sense, in some games where you need a scorer, to play him ahead of Knight rather than reflexively bringing in the defender each time.

He may get his chance yet. It depends on who they get back in the inevitable Cassell trade, and how long after that Livingston comes back. He may have another window of 12 or so games where he's the co-starter.

By the way, Atlanta could use Cassell.

by Steve Perrin on Jan 31, 2008 10:51 AM PST up reply actions