James 3 pt shooting finally lost us a game

[downtown85]

Did DJ miss 1/2 of Jerel's free throws?

It's a team game.

If DJ makes some 3's. MU wins

If Jerel hits his free throws. MU wins

If Acker hits that 3. MU wins.

If Hayward makes the tip in. MU wins.


DJ is not the only reason MU lost.

Forget about the shooting. Everyone was cold shooting that night but I don't think any of the other guys you mentioned played (to use a Buzzism) "out of Character".  DJ did.    Look  DJ's stats for the season on assists and turnovers.  Look at his stat line in the USF game.  I think he played pretty good D but I think he lost it on O. 

My point is that is not that he was cold shooting but he shouldn't be shooting.  Had he shot less and passed more, we win.   

That being said, I am a huge DJ fan.  I think if he plays the role of distributor, he makes all his teamates better. He has been a huge (mostly unheralded) reason why we are doing so much better this year, both offensively and defensively.  I just think he got out of character and it cost us the game.  Can't sugar coat it with cliches.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Forget about the shooting. Everyone was cold shooting that night but I don't think any of the other guys you mentioned played (to use a Buzzism) "out of Character".  DJ did.    Look  DJ's stats for the season on assists and turnovers.  Look at his stat line in the USF game.  I think he played pretty good D but I think he lost it on O. 

My point is that is not that he was cold shooting but he shouldn't be shooting.  Had he shot less and passed more, we win.   

That being said, I am a huge DJ fan.  I think if he plays the role of distributor, he makes all his teamates better. He has been a huge (mostly unheralded) reason why we are doing so much better this year, both offensively and defensively.  I just think he got out of character and it cost us the game.  Can't sugar coat it with cliches.

I agree that DJ had a bad game. I'm definitely not giving him a free pass.

However, using your criteria, I would say that the following things are "out of character"

- Wes only shooting 2 free throws the entire game
- Lazar shooting 2-9 and only getting 5 points (the rebounds were great, but need some scoring from the forward position)
- Jerel only shooting 50% from the line (as well as having 0 steals and only 1 assist)

Win as a team.
Lose as a team.

In a close game like this, if any of the 4 guys played "better", MU probably wins.

[downtown85]

I agree that DJ had a bad game. I'm definitely not giving him a free pass.

However, using your criteria, I would say that the following things are "out of character"

- Wes only shooting 2 free throws the entire game
- Lazar shooting 2-9 and only getting 5 points (the rebounds were great, but need some scoring from the forward position)
- Jerel only shooting 50% from the line (as well as having 0 steals and only 1 assist)

Win as a team.
Lose as a team.

In a close game like this, if any of the 4 guys played "better", MU probably wins.

I agree that the whole team had a bad game but you are trying to make character out to be a question of degree (i.e., a lower % shooting)   What I am saying is DJ's poor play was a question of choice.    DJ, who is charged with running the offense, can either choose to pass or shoot.  I think he took more shots and passed less in the USF game than in other games this season.  Now Wes and the others received fewer passes from DJ which might explain why they didn't get to the line as much.  It was DJ's decision-making that was flawed.

That  being said, everyone had a poor shooting night. No player chooses to shoot a lower than average percentage. If poor shooting is out of character, so be it.   If one more shot from any of our players had fallen then we win.  But I have to say I would still be jumping on DJ's case for the way he played because he CHOSE to play out of character.

I look at the position of PG like a QB in football, except in Buzz's offense the PG calls the plays.  He is charged with running the offense, i.e., he can choose what to do on each possession.  If the QB (especially one who calls his own plays) in a football game has a bad game and has 8 interceptions and is 1-24 passing, you don't just say the team had a bad day.  Individual players can make mistakes and can cost games.  That's what I am saying.  On the flipside, DJ should get a lot of the credit for the games we won, which unfortunately he doesn't always get the recognition. 

Like I said, hopefully he doesn't revisit whatever idea that got into his head during that game. 

[rocky_warrior]

That  being said, everyone had a poor shooting night. No player chooses to shoot a lower than average percentage. If poor shooting is out of character, so be it.   If one more shot from any of our players had fallen then we win.  But I have to say I would still be jumping on DJ's case for the way he played because he CHOSE to play out of character.

I agree with downtown here - and I think it's the reason most are disappointed in James' game against USF.  Even if we won, I think you'd see a lot of posts like: "Whew - I'll take the win - but DJ: Stop shooting quick 3s!".

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I agree that the whole team had a bad game but you are trying to make character out to be a question of degree (i.e., a lower % shooting)   What I am saying is DJ's poor play was a question of choice.    DJ, who is charged with running the offense, can either choose to pass or shoot.  I think he took more shots and passed less in the USF game than in other games this season.  Now Wes and the others received fewer passes from DJ which might explain why they didn't get to the line as much.  It was DJ's decision-making that was flawed.

That  being said, everyone had a poor shooting night. No player chooses to shoot a lower than average percentage. If poor shooting is out of character, so be it.   If one more shot from any of our players had fallen then we win.  But I have to say I would still be jumping on DJ's case for the way he played because he CHOSE to play out of character.

I look at the position of PG like a QB in football, except in Buzz's offense the PG calls the plays.  He is charged with running the offense, i.e., he can choose what to do on each possession.  If the QB (especially one who calls his own plays) in a football game has a bad game and has 8 interceptions and is 1-24 passing, you don't just say the team had a bad day.  Individual players can make mistakes and can cost games.  That's what I am saying.  On the flipside, DJ should get a lot of the credit for the games we won, which unfortunately he doesn't always get the recognition. 

Like I said, hopefully he doesn't revisit whatever idea that got into his head during that game. 

Hmm... you bring up a good point about choice. I agree that DJ played poorly due to some poor decision making.

However, if Hayward or Wes make more shots, maybe's DJ's assist numbers don't look so bad and MU wins. That wouldn't mean that James played well, but maybe we'd just say "he was average".

I agree that a PG is a coach on the floor... but I just think that trying to break down a loss to a single player's decision is just too difficult. Too many variables.

Scott Skiles once had 20+ assists in a game. Is that because he's a great decision maker, or because Shaq was dominant? It's probably a mix of both.

MU lost at S. FLA. Is that because James made a lot of poor decisions or because the rest of the team didn't play well either?

Probably a mix of both.