This game was the best game played on opening night. After 3 overtimes the Knicks got the hardfought win backed by a strong performance from Quentin Richardson who scored 31 points at a high percentage.
At Memphis side, we saw a couple of promising talents. For the latter part of the game, the Grizzlies played with two rookies on the field, Kyle Lowry and Rudy Gay.
Lowry, a PG out of Villanova, grabbed 10 rebounds and played good defense against the star backcourt of the New York Knicks. From what I've seen, he can become a solid PG in this league. On the other hand, we have Rudy Gay, the PF out of Connecticut. In this game, he became a go to guy and he responded by scoring 21 points. As a rookie, he will not do this on a consistent level, but he will grow and become a very valuable player for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies team is a mix of young players and veterans. On the one hand, we have the abovementioned rookies. There is also the second year PF Hakim Warrick, a rebounding machine. On the other hand we have the veterans Eddie Jones, Damon Stoudamire and Chucky Atkins who bring the very needed experience.
Besides those players, there are the two stars of the team, Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. Mike Miller, the 6th man of the year and former Rookie of the year, is a pure shooter. If the Grizzlies want get the maximum out of his shooting ability, they have to create a couple of plays especially for him because he is not the guy who will create his own shot. And then we have Pau Gasol, the backbone of the team. This Spanish PF can do it all and is one of the top stars of the game. Unfortunately, he injured himself during the semi final of the World Championships where his spanish team got the title. He will probably return within the next weeks.
If the Grizzlies find the right balance they can reach the playoffs.
The Knicks team didn't change during the summer. It still is a team filled with superstars that are too expensive and too selfish. Isiah Thomas managed to ruin the team during his days as GM and now he will ruin the team as coach.
They will win more games than last year but according to me, they will not reach the playoffs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment