Originally Posted by
greybeard
Duke looked great in the first half, the exterior players were smashing.
However, how often did Mason or Miles touch the ball early in the clock? Did you see anything that remotely looked like a play to have one of them catch it on the move--for example, the ball is on the right side near the sideline, corner or foul line extended, Miles or Mason comes up the lane on the left side to the left top corner of the lane, sets a backscreen for the guard, the big defender shades, Miles or Mason comes across towards the ball, towards space in the middle, with the guys on the exterior being committed, as in under orders, to get the cutter the ball, to get it to them with appropriate timing and touch, or sit?
When the going gets tough, or is expected to be tough, Duke goes to an exterior oriented game in which the Plumlees' principal roles are to set high screens, mostly for Rivers, but also for Dre and Curry, and to offensive rebound. I saw one guy look to get it to one of the Plumlees early and that produced a dunk That's the list.
Getting it later in the clock close to the baseline with a guy on your back IS NOT A SCORING POSITION or did no one listen to the General the night K broke his record--he kept on saying that Mich. State's boigs were getting it too low, and that their ability to scare anyone from that position was minimal if that. Well, somehow Duke could not figure out a way to get either Plumlee the ball either inside the lane or midway up the side of the lane, and certainly not on the move or to make an athletic catch that would create even a milli moment of separation, or heaven forbid, an edge towards the basket.
I think that Duke plays a wonderfully entertaining style and it is every bit as effective as one would expect given its wealth of talent. You want a championship callibar team, you get the Plumlees involved, and I mean as in integral to the offense. You don't, I don't like Duke's ability to make meaningful noise. Maybe they don't have it--I mean, UNC looks awfully, awfully good, and there are a host of teams that can really, really play, whose bigs will tear you up. Maybe Duke is just berift of the gifted Big that it needs.
PS Neither of the Plumlees is named Brian or Lance and they will not make the type of contribution those guys did, in particular Brian, playing blocking back. It ain't happening. Asking them to try, to me, would be a shame. Sadly, unless K makes it otherwise, it seems to me that that is where this team might be headed.