whitesoxfan99

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Mar 4, 2011 -> 11:40 AM) well you can always go by the eye test and results of this year... LBJ hasn't been exactly getting it done at the end of the game lately, why not try something different? The eye test is stupid. People have selective memories and are just often flat out wrong. If I need a big 3 I absolutely don't go to James because he is inconsistent from 3 and Miami has guys who are much better from 3. Running a play for Bibby or Miller is the right move in that situation. This same thing goes for the people that go on and on about how clutch Kobe is when there has never at any point in his career been any statistical evidence to support that. Or how about how people's perceptions change over time. Kobe quit on his team against the Suns but now that is never brought up because he is winning again (thanks to Jerry West deciding to give his former team a gift in the form of Pau Gasol). Or like how people act like James completely rolled over and gave up last season in the playoffs against the Celtics (he might have quit at the end of game 5 but they lost that game by 32 anyways) yet he put up 29, 19 and 10 in Game 6. You just can't produce those types of numbers by not trying. He didn't play particularly well but saying he quit is ridiculous. Lebron is a douche but peoples' hatred of him clouds reality.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Mar 3, 2011 -> 11:55 PM) Obviously it shouldn't come to this, but the Heat STILL haven't figured out that Dwyane Wade should get the big shots at the end. LeBron James and Chris Bosh are not clutch, end of game shot makers. Let the one guy on your team who has shown in the past that he is have the ball at the end. If you give Bosh or James those shots, they will not go in. It's that simple. Yawn, you definitely don't want James shooting big 3's because he isn't a great 3 pt shooter to begin with but James not being a clutch is a myth. Just like Kobe being clutch or Wade being clutch is a myth. This hasn't been updated in a while (doesn't include last season or this season) but it still is pretty telling http://www.82games.com/gamewinningshots.htm.

QUOTE (WCSox @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 05:56 PM) It doesn't matter if he hits .250 and strikes out a lot when his OBP is .380 and his OPS is .900. If that doesn't make him the "best hitter" on the team, he comes in a very close second. Dunn is basically a younger (and maybe slightly inferior) Jim Thome. I'm not sure that the 3-hole would've been the best place for Thome in his prime, but it's far from unreasonable to bat him there. Dunn is a good player and I am happy he is on the White Sox but he is vastly inferior to Thome in his prime. Dunn's career OPS is .902 and his career high is .956. Thome's career OPS is .963 and between 1995 and 2007 he only twice posted an OPS lower than Dunn's career high of .956 and one of those seasons was his injury plagued 2005.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 11:50 AM) I wasn't around, but I can't even imagine what it would have been like to watch those closing seconds of the miracle on ice live. Agree with this. I wasn't around either but I get goosebumps just watching the last few minutes with Al Michaels call. Watching that live (or on tape delay without knowing the results) had to be surreal.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Mar 2, 2011 -> 08:37 AM) Not a fan of Illinois in the least, but if McCamey come to play in the tournament, they can make a nice run. Should have won that game last night. They were in complete control before McCamey went out in the first half with two fouls. Purdue will always be tough at home because the refs let them rape the opposing team on defense. Which is pretty much the reason they can never make a deep run in March, because that s*** doesn't fly. I will be one happy camper when Moore and Johnson have played their last game and I hope to god that its not in the final four. I have absolutely no confidence in this team sustaining that effort from last night, but IF they can continue to play with that focus and intensity with DMac being back to his old self the last few games they have a chance to make the Sweet 16 depending on their draw. Because it isn't like Illinois needed a great night from 3 to stay in that game. Before DMac picked up his 2nd foul they were executing the offense to perfection and were getting easy shots on every single possession against a great defensive team. They were cutting hard, moving well without the basketball, and were making the right reads based on how Purdue was defending them. Now all that means is that against either IU or their BTT opponent they probably go back to not cutting hard on offense and losing focus on defense, but I guess I can dream.

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 10:08 PM) I think a team that plays such intense and physical man defense is a bad match for Paul (4 TOs tonight) who still doesn't seem that comfortable with ball in his hands. In the big picture for Paul, I think it is good he's being challenged to play point because any chance for him to make the next level is going require better ball skills. I'd agree Richmond should have played more over Cole. Did anyone else get the feeling that McCamey and Richmond don't get along well on the floor together? There were two sequences where Richmond wouldn't give the ball up to McCamey when he asked for it.... Paul had one legitimate turnover tonight. The other 3 were charges, 2 of which (Rock and Badger will also attest to this) were not even close to charges and were clear blocks and the other one was a block but at least was somewhat close.

QUOTE (hitlesswonder @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 09:34 PM) I understand...Davis is prone to spectacularly bad plays like that (or the missed dunks against Iowa). But...if you look at his line of 12-10-3 with one turnover, he really was one of the better Illini on the court tonight. It's just that the things that stick out are the egregiously bad mistakes. I guess I still think the vitriol I see for him from so many fans is undeserved, especially for guy who has managed to stay out of trouble off the court. He is a good kid, as are all the seniors really but my hatred of Davis is completely due to unfulfilled potential. And he has been much more consistent in the last 2 months then at any point in his career. But he has made a career out of making spectacularly bad plays at the worst possible times and unfortunately unless Illinois makes a run in the tourney will be my memories of Mike Davis's career at Illinois. Just like my memories of Tisdale are getting pushed around by 6'3 guys and my memories of DMac are him not being able to guard my 7 year old cousin. I don't include Cole because I have no expectations for him at all.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 09:24 PM) Playing Cole that much is crazy to me as well. I think Richmond needs to have some post plays developed for him. He definitely played too much but part of that was Richardson being banged up and not effective when he was in the game. Richmond should have played a little more for sure and while I would say Paul should have played more, he seems to struggle when he is in the game for too long of stretches. He plays so hard pressuring the ball that his production seems to dramatically drop off after he is in the game for about 4 straight minutes.

Also, I thought Weber coached a very good game tonight but he made one huge mistake that probably cost Illinois the game and that was leaving McCamey on the bench for the rest of the half with 2 fouls. If you are at home I am ok with that, but on the road against a top 10 team you have to take chances, particularly against a team where you can hide McCamey on defense by having guard a guy like Smith who won't put the ball on the floor.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:59 PM) Theyll have Hummel next year, but Id say they are a fringe tourney team at best. Even this year Im not overly impressed with them. I actually think Wisconsin is better than them, just @ Purdue they get away with so many fouls Wisconsin couldnt beat them. And right now Id rather be the 3 seed and face MSU/Indiana, instead of potentially having to face Michigan. Michigan is a team on the way up, MSU is seemingly defeated. Who knows what type of player he will be and the chances of him staying healthy frankly aren't very high when you are coming off of two knee surgeries like that.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:59 PM) Theyll have Hummel next year, but Id say they are a fringe tourney team at best. Even this year Im not overly impressed with them. I actually think Wisconsin is better than them, just @ Purdue they get away with so many fouls Wisconsin couldnt beat them. And right now Id rather be the 3 seed and face MSU/Indiana, instead of potentially having to face Michigan. Michigan is a team on the way up, MSU is seemingly defeated. Illinois was the better team tonight. If the officiating was even they would have won this game. Completely different officiating on both sides of the court and those 3 horrible charge alone cost Illinois at least 4 or 5 points.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:55 PM) Game, dammit. Happy that these fans probably won't see a conference title in the next several years They aren't winning a conference title or even competing for one for a long time. Hell they might not even be a tourney team the next few years. Johnson and Moore are just so freaking good and they make those other players around them decent because you have to give them so much attention.

Also, hitlesswonder it is that type of s*** that makes me hate Davis. Less than a minute left, almost no time on the shot clock and he doesn't even contest a shot by one of the other teams star players.

Purdue is going to be so awful without Johnson and Moore.

Stupid foul by Paul

Tisdale you are garbage.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:44 PM) If Illini barely touches a guy, foul. Purdue can hit a guy, no foul. I really feel like Illinois has been the better team tonight. And what really drives me nuts is that if they had played with this type of focus (except for that one two minute stretch in the first half) all year they would be looking at a top 4 or 5 seed right now but their effort and focus has just been so spotty all year long. B

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:46 PM) Dakich your an idiot. Moore and JuJu were guys Wisconsin wanted bad. They were pretty damn good recruits if Bo Ryan wanted them. Moore was a top 25 player in the greatest HS bball class of all time and Johnson was in the top 50. Those were big time players.

Bill Cole is just awful lately. He was valuable early in the season when he was making 3s but he just has no business being on the court lately.

DMAC!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:33 PM) Watching a Purdue game is impossible, they foul so many times that the refs just cant call it. As for Kenpom, you can hate his numbers, but they are just numbers based on his system. I think that they are pretty good. I knew that would happen coming in so my problem with the refs tonight were the 3 ridiculous (well 2 ridiculous and one that was a pretty clear block) charge calls on Paul and the two questionable moving screens on Illinois that just coincidentally happened when Illinois was making runs.

Huge shot by DMac and the stupid shove by Smith so either Davis is shooting FTs to get Illinois within 2 or Illinois has the ball after the TO.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:30 PM) Well purdue fans, this is your last year of being relevant for a long time, enjoy it I also love Purdue's garbage ass role players talking s***. We will see how much s*** Smith and Barlow talk next year when they don't have Johnson and Moore to draw all the defensive attention and get them wide open looks and then bail them out whenever their role players play like crap which is frankly pretty often.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Mar 1, 2011 -> 08:28 PM) Well there's no way Purdue doesn't win this one with some of this bulls***. Yep, Illinois up 2 with the ball so they call a bulls*** moving screen on Tisdale and then call Tisdale for the same handcheck Purdue does on every possession on the other end. I wish Illinois got anywhere near this many calls at home.

GTFO with that moving screen call. That was so freaking weak.