The 10-man rotation, starring the Clippers’ race to avoid dancing
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: Orange County Register. Dan Woike has the story of how the Los Angeles Clippers’ post-game dance parties — the ones where if you’re the last person in the locker room after a win, you have to dance; the ones that led J.J. Redick to sprint off the floor in the middle of a post-game interview last month — came to pass.
PF: Project Spurs. Not only are the San Antonio Spurs beating the pants off their opposition to a historic degree, but as Paul Garcia notes, they’re doing it while making sure just about everybody gets to take it easy.
SF: Pounding the Rock. A really smart look by Jesus Gomez at the stats that say San Antonio’s playing at a slower pace this year, and what those numbers miss in terms of the dynamism of the Spurs’ offense.
SG: RealGM. Brett Koremenos breaks down the Spurs’ commitment to and talent for doing the little things defensively has helped turn them into a point-prevention juggernaut.
PG: Northeast Ohio Media Group. After John Wall termed it “a joke” that All-Star voting allowed for Kyrie Irving to get more votes than him despite missing the first 24 games of the season due to injury, the Washington Wizards’ game operations crew played a video during Wednesday’s meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers about how Wall deserved the nod more than Irving. Based on the way they played in drumming the Wiz out, it sure didn’t seem like Irving and his teammates appreciated it.
6th: The Washington Post. Coming off his second-straight Best Game Of The Season, Kyrie has the Cavaliers looking absolutely murderous on offense, and he doesn’t think that’s anything out of the ordinary or even all that noteworthy: ” For me, I just see it as progression,” Irving said. “It’s not like I haven’t done it before in my career.”
7th: Sports Illustrated. The latest installment in Rob Mahoney’s terrific “The Craft” series hones in on the work that Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker has put into becoming a legitimate threat to make perimeter jump shots, how that’s opened up the game for him and his teammates, and what comes next as he works to develop into a top-flight scorer and facilitator.
8th: The Cauldron. Jared Dubin goes under the hood of the Washington Wizards, trying to figure out a team that was an injury and a couple of last-second defeats away from the Eastern Conference finals last year has stumbled so much through the first two months.
9th: Posting and Toasting. Seth Rosenthal takes a good look at a simple thing — figuring out how to beat a front in the post — that has absolutely befuddled the New York Knicks for years, but that they have showed recently (including during Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat) that they might have actually figured out. It’s amazing what improving coaching, smart players and more willing passing can accomplish!
10th: ArizonaSports.com. Bryan Gibberman highlights the strong start to the career of 19-year-old Devin Booker, who’s one of very, very few bright spots these days for the imploding Phoenix Suns.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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