Playoff Recap: Utah 103, Dakota 93
by Jon L on Apr 21, 2009 10:43 AM EDT
in D-League News
8 comments
We have a short recap today, as I had some problems with Futurecast and Scott's currently off in the wilds of North Dakota somewhere.
Blake Ahearn seems to have fixed whatever was wrong in the 4th quarter against Iowa, but apparently passed it on to everyone else on his team. Actually, that's not entirely fair as Richard Hendrix had six rebounds by the end of the first. Given that, it would've been nice to see him finish with more than 11, and even without Kosta Koufos, Utah finished with a 48-34 rebounding advantage. The rest of the team, though, couldn't buy a shot for large stretches of the game. David Monds and Renaldo Major finally got it going in the second half, but it was too late at that point and Ahearn cooled down. Actually, Ahearn shot 1-4 in the fourth quarter with two of his six turnovers. Maybe we should wonder about fatigue with him the same way we do with Marcus Williams.
A passel of turnovers allowed Utah to take an early 14-point lead, and from there the Wizards were just playing catchup. They had the lead briefly, but Utah got it back and didn't look back. Mo Almond was solid early on, but JR Giddens had 12 points in the 3rd quarter, 10 of them coming from either layups, dunks or tip-ins. The Flash also went to the free throw line eight times in that quarter.
Utah showed off its depth a little bit (seriously this time) during the rest of the game, as different guys got hot at different times. Andre Ingram for a stretch spanning the first and second quarters, Ronald Dupree at the end of the second and beginning of the third, and Kevin Kruger and Carlos Wheeler every now and then. (Kruger Wheeler Dupree & Ingram would be an awesome law firm).
Other things:
Rough night for the Utah announcer. I heard everything from "Blank Ahearn" to "Jake Ahearn" to "Blake Hahearn," as well as "Kyle Kruger." He also likes saying "it's jam time" when a Flash player dunks, which must've been confusing during the Bakersfield game. Or as the announcer called them, Bakerville.
I don't know when James Lang decided to grow a Freeway beard, but I love it.
A small-ish announcement after the jump.
Scott's going to take a well-deserved break for a little while, so for now, I'm in charge here. I'm going to try and keep to RU's publishing schedule, but I'm also not as tapped into the league as Scott is, so bear with me. So for now expect a few less mid-90s wrestling reference, a few more early-90s wrestling references, and hopefully some fun.
To be honest, I feel a bit like Andy French when he started work at the ad agency. "I hope you know how."
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As a Celtics Fan, its great to see JR playing well down in the D-league. He seems to have good finishing skills and plays above the rim.
Question to those of you that watch more consistenly, does it seem JRs game will translate to the NBA (That of a big powerful guard, who is good on defense, but not great at creating his own shot on offense, getting most of his offense from threes or dunks), or is he simply overpowering lesser players?
by Jirimania on Apr 21, 2009 10:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
It was hard to tell last night
Both Giddens and Almond made it look so easy at times last night, and without a doubt they both belong in the NBA. Dakota is talented as well, though, so I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re lesser players. However, the Wizards have been struggling offensively in the playoffs, and Utah has the players who could take advantage.
I think Colorado-Utah is going to be a fun series.
Now writing for Ridiculous Upside, where we knew who Mike Taylor was before you did.
by Jon L on Apr 21, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks for the update Jon
I’ll stay tuned, hope Scott enjoys his vacation. Are we still going to try to OSLB the upcoming Championship series?
by Aisander D on Apr 21, 2009 10:54 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Count on it.
I’ll be here.
Now writing for Ridiculous Upside, where we knew who Mike Taylor was before you did.
by Jon L on Apr 21, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hope everything goes well Jon
at least keep us updated on twitter with how things are.
by AllThatJazzBasketball on Apr 21, 2009 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I will try
and that reminds me. You can follow me on twitter @pineoaks if you’re so inclined.
Now writing for Ridiculous Upside, where we knew who Mike Taylor was before you did.
by Jon L on Apr 21, 2009 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good recap, thanks for the good work
If Giddens can improve his outside shooting and be less mistaken prone defensively, he can find a niche in the NBA. I’m impressed by how the Flash are playing right now, even without Koufos (who’s somewhat overrated in this blog, very much like Hendrix btw).
by cordobes on Apr 21, 2009 1:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Somewhat overrated "in" this blog?
First, I’ve talked one time positively about Koufos, and noted that he was playing against Bakersfield, who isn’t very talented inside. The rest either mentions him as one of their NBA players, or his playoff game against Bakersfield, when I noted that he didn’t play well, but had 3 blocks.
Second, I’ve duly noted several times that with heart, Hendrix would be a good player. Without it, he’s not getting a call-up. I’ve watched about 30 games of Hendrix this season, 20ish in person.
Blogging at RidiculousUpside
by Scott Schroeder on Apr 21, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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