Kedsy
03-24-2011, 12:33 PM
Apparently nobody else was able to post a Phase VII report, so here I am again. This phase includes the Arizona game and hopefully either UConn or San Diego State.
1) Are we completely healthy and can we remain so? I learned from Jumbo that all phase reports need to start with health. It's the most important and most unpredictable aspect of the game. Coming into the tournament, we heard Seth had a hip pointer, and while he seemed to play reasonably well against Hampton, he went scoreless against Michigan. Was that related to his injury? I have no idea, but nagging injuries are part of the game at this time of year and it's impossible to say what effect they can have. Hopefully the three and a half days between games will heal our cuts and bruises, and no new injuries will arise.
2) When will the light bulb go off over Kyrie's head? Kyrie's back and it can only help. He's another quick, plus perimeter defender, another great ballhandler and free throw shooter, and another player who can help us get an easy score when we need it. But he was by no means dominating in our first two tournament games, as many expected. Were those expectations unrealistically high? Undoubtedly. A player can't come off a three month layoff without being at least a little bit out of synch. But to me it seemed the real issue was Kyrie deferring to others and not being sure of his role, while at the same time the other players appeared a bit hesitant in not knowing how much to defer to Kyrie.
Nolan was asked about this and said they'd need just one practice to iron out the details, and at this point they've had that practice (although not much more than that, maybe two or possibly three). And every day Kyrie gets to practice and/or play with the team both he and the team should improve dramatically. But the key moment for Duke is the moment when we can watch the game and not think about how well (or poorly) Kyrie is re-integrating with his teammates. If that question fades from our minds, meaning Kyrie has become a part of a well-oiled machine (albeit a very important part), all will be well. The question is when will this occur? I'm sure we can all agree, the sooner the better.
3) How will the Big vs. Small debate end up? In our first two tournament games we played two teams who were much smaller than we were. In our first game we only played "small" (i.e., Kyle at the 4) for four minutes, and we crushed a vastly overmatched opponent. In our second game we played Kyle at the 4 for 17 minutes, and played four guards with Kyle or Ryan at the 5 for five more minutes, and we won by two points. Against Arizona we once again have a big height advantage. But which way will we go? Only K knows the answer.
4) Will we see 40 minutes of Deeeeeeefense? Against Michigan, our defense looked outstanding for the first 8 minutes of the game, but after the second media timeout we seemed to lose focus a bit. We again played strong defense for the first 8 or so minutes of the second half, but again lost intensity after that. As the opponents get better and the games get more difficult, we're not going to be able to skate by playing D for half the game. If we bring our "A" defensive game for 80 minutes in Anaheim, I expect we can get to the Final Four. If we manage significantly fewer high-level minutes defensively, I suspect DBR won't be such a fun place to visit.
5) Will we see Dr. Threepoint or Mr. Schneid? This isn't rocket science. Against Hampton we shot 9 for 19 from three and won comfortably. Against Michigan we shot 5 for 20 and barely escaped. Against UNC in Chapel Hill we shot 6 for 27 from long range; in the ACC final we shot 9 for 20. When Duke is shooting the three ball well, we are almost impossible to defend. When we shoot it poorly, the in-game thread is almost impossible to read on a full stomach. And the issue isn't just Kyle, either, who will and should continue to take open, in-rhythm threes.
My suspicion is that the more Kyrie takes control of the game, the better our outside shooting will be. Beyond that, I'll be rooting for Seth and Andre to hit a few early, because both of them shoot way better when they feel more confident.
6) What new "strategery" will Coach K unveil? Our possible opponents all rely heavily on a single star player -- Williams for Arizona, Walker for Connecticut, Leonard for San Diego State (although San Diego State doesn't seem to lean on Leonard quite as much as the other teams rely on their stars). Over the years, Coach K has been very successful countering teams like this, whether by focusing on the opponent's star or by "letting him get his" and shutting down his teammates. I am very much looking forward to seeing how K plans to deal with our opponents' superstars.
7) Who will step up? One of the coolest things about this Duke team is every single player in the 8-man rotation has the ability to step up and take over a game, at least for a stretch. Seth and Andre by their shooting; Mason and Miles by their rebounding, alley-oops, and defensive intimidation; Ryan by his all-around play; and Kyle, Kyrie, and Nolan by simply being the best player on the floor for long stretches at a time. Against Michigan, Nolan went on a tear, scoring ten points in a row. His explanation was he wasn't ready to take off his uniform yet. Who will it be next?
8) Go Duke!
1) Are we completely healthy and can we remain so? I learned from Jumbo that all phase reports need to start with health. It's the most important and most unpredictable aspect of the game. Coming into the tournament, we heard Seth had a hip pointer, and while he seemed to play reasonably well against Hampton, he went scoreless against Michigan. Was that related to his injury? I have no idea, but nagging injuries are part of the game at this time of year and it's impossible to say what effect they can have. Hopefully the three and a half days between games will heal our cuts and bruises, and no new injuries will arise.
2) When will the light bulb go off over Kyrie's head? Kyrie's back and it can only help. He's another quick, plus perimeter defender, another great ballhandler and free throw shooter, and another player who can help us get an easy score when we need it. But he was by no means dominating in our first two tournament games, as many expected. Were those expectations unrealistically high? Undoubtedly. A player can't come off a three month layoff without being at least a little bit out of synch. But to me it seemed the real issue was Kyrie deferring to others and not being sure of his role, while at the same time the other players appeared a bit hesitant in not knowing how much to defer to Kyrie.
Nolan was asked about this and said they'd need just one practice to iron out the details, and at this point they've had that practice (although not much more than that, maybe two or possibly three). And every day Kyrie gets to practice and/or play with the team both he and the team should improve dramatically. But the key moment for Duke is the moment when we can watch the game and not think about how well (or poorly) Kyrie is re-integrating with his teammates. If that question fades from our minds, meaning Kyrie has become a part of a well-oiled machine (albeit a very important part), all will be well. The question is when will this occur? I'm sure we can all agree, the sooner the better.
3) How will the Big vs. Small debate end up? In our first two tournament games we played two teams who were much smaller than we were. In our first game we only played "small" (i.e., Kyle at the 4) for four minutes, and we crushed a vastly overmatched opponent. In our second game we played Kyle at the 4 for 17 minutes, and played four guards with Kyle or Ryan at the 5 for five more minutes, and we won by two points. Against Arizona we once again have a big height advantage. But which way will we go? Only K knows the answer.
4) Will we see 40 minutes of Deeeeeeefense? Against Michigan, our defense looked outstanding for the first 8 minutes of the game, but after the second media timeout we seemed to lose focus a bit. We again played strong defense for the first 8 or so minutes of the second half, but again lost intensity after that. As the opponents get better and the games get more difficult, we're not going to be able to skate by playing D for half the game. If we bring our "A" defensive game for 80 minutes in Anaheim, I expect we can get to the Final Four. If we manage significantly fewer high-level minutes defensively, I suspect DBR won't be such a fun place to visit.
5) Will we see Dr. Threepoint or Mr. Schneid? This isn't rocket science. Against Hampton we shot 9 for 19 from three and won comfortably. Against Michigan we shot 5 for 20 and barely escaped. Against UNC in Chapel Hill we shot 6 for 27 from long range; in the ACC final we shot 9 for 20. When Duke is shooting the three ball well, we are almost impossible to defend. When we shoot it poorly, the in-game thread is almost impossible to read on a full stomach. And the issue isn't just Kyle, either, who will and should continue to take open, in-rhythm threes.
My suspicion is that the more Kyrie takes control of the game, the better our outside shooting will be. Beyond that, I'll be rooting for Seth and Andre to hit a few early, because both of them shoot way better when they feel more confident.
6) What new "strategery" will Coach K unveil? Our possible opponents all rely heavily on a single star player -- Williams for Arizona, Walker for Connecticut, Leonard for San Diego State (although San Diego State doesn't seem to lean on Leonard quite as much as the other teams rely on their stars). Over the years, Coach K has been very successful countering teams like this, whether by focusing on the opponent's star or by "letting him get his" and shutting down his teammates. I am very much looking forward to seeing how K plans to deal with our opponents' superstars.
7) Who will step up? One of the coolest things about this Duke team is every single player in the 8-man rotation has the ability to step up and take over a game, at least for a stretch. Seth and Andre by their shooting; Mason and Miles by their rebounding, alley-oops, and defensive intimidation; Ryan by his all-around play; and Kyle, Kyrie, and Nolan by simply being the best player on the floor for long stretches at a time. Against Michigan, Nolan went on a tear, scoring ten points in a row. His explanation was he wasn't ready to take off his uniform yet. Who will it be next?
8) Go Duke!