The Good, Bad and the Ugly: Oct. 29th, 2010

Even Kevin Love is terrified of his rebounding prowess.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly is the Pick and Scroll's way of looking at the previous nights games. We take a look at some (but not all) of the good, the not-so-good, and the downright atrocious for each team.

12 games last night, and there were quite a few good ones, and not ones you would expect either.

Sacramento Kings (1-1)

• The Good:  Francisco Garcia continues his great start to the season, scoring 18 points on 12 shots, and other than Tyreke Evans (1-2), was the only King to hit a three pointer (he hit 4-6).  Garcia contributed around the board as well, with 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block as well in 31 minutes off the bench.  As a team the Kings did a good job on limiting turnovers, with only 12 all game.  
• The Bad: The defense was bad.  Both teams had a similar amount of fouls (32 for Sacramento, 30 for New Jersey), but the Nets were able to get a whole bunch of those as shooting fouls, thanks to the Kings not guarding penetration, and defending with their arms and not feet.  As such, the Nets got to the line 45 times and made 36 of them, a 19 point discrepancy.  There's the ball game.
• The Ugly:  The Kings (other than Garcia) could not buy a bucket from outside all game.  0-5 from three for both Beno Udrih and Omri Casspi, and the Kings as a team were 11-28 (39.3%) from 16-23 feet.

New Jersey Nets (2-0)

• The Good:  Brook Lopez was huge early, getting 19 points in the first half, and then Devin Harris stepped up late in the game with some huge shots and just great playmaking to bring the Nets back from down 8 with 3 minutes to go and win the game.  The Kings really didn't have an answer for Lopez, and Harris repeatedly took advantage of the Kings lackluster defense.
• The Bad: Terrence Williams was bad tonight, especially trying to run the team.  He only played 11 minutes, but still committed 5 turnovers and had 1 assist to show for it.  He also was a team worst -18.
• The Ugly:  The only reason the Kings were in this game and had a chance to win it was because of all the New Jersey turnovers, 26 in total.  Quite a few of them were just careless too, with moving screens galore.

The 22 other teams after the jump.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1)

• The Good:  Antawn Jamison was about the only bright spot for Cleveland this game, with a solid, but not spectacular game off the bench.  13 points, including 3-5 from long range for the veteran.  The Cavs as a team shot pretty well from three, hitting 9-19.
• The Bad:  Cleveland only got to the line for 10 FTs all game.  That's an atrocious rate.  Against a porous defensive team like Toronto, you need to attack the rim and try to get to the line.  You can't win many games if you don't.  The Cavs also got manhandled on the boards too, losing that battle by 13.
• The Ugly:  Ramon Sessions had an awful game.  1-10 from the field and 5 turnovers in only 24 minutes.  Yuck.

Toronto Raptors (1-1)

• The Good:  Andrea Bargnani and Linas Kleiza torched the Cleveland front line for about 20 points each (Kleiza had 19), on very efficient shooting as well.  They were both a combined 4-9 from three as well.  Toronto also dominated the boards, thanks in part to Reggie Evans, who snagged 14 of them.
• The Bad: Jose Calderon (0-5) and Jarrett Jack (1-5) had horrid shooting nights, and its not like the Cavs have plus defenders at the guard either, so its a little upsetting.
• The Ugly:  I still don't get why the team traded for Julian Wright.  Other than that, no ugly for this team, a great job by the Raptors.

Atlanta Hawks (2-0)

• The Good:  Al Horford feasted on the Sixers all night, scoring 20 points on 11 shots, with 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks as well.  Speaking of blocks, Josh Smith had 6.  Joe Johnson threw in 22 on 10 shots, and Jamal Crawford had 19 on 9 shots off the bench.  Just some really efficient scoring from the players you want shooting.
• The Bad:  Jeff Teague needs to stay on the floor if he's going to be Mike Bibby's replacement.  4 fouls in 11 minutes for the sophomore.
• The Ugly:  Too many turnovers (20) for the Hawks.  That kept the Sixers in it.

Philadelphia 76ers (0-2)

• The Good:  Andre Iguodala had a great game, with 27 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.  He also had two steals and a block and only committed one foul.  Elton Brand also had a pretty nice game that actually reminded of the old Elton Brand: 20 points on 8-13, and also 8 boards.  Lou Williams might not have shot well, but he got to the line 13 times in 19 minutes, and only missed one.
• The Bad:  Rebounding was terrible.  Atlanta had 4 guys with 7 or more boards, and the Sixers only had 1.  Spencer Hawes grabbed four, and two of those were on the offensive end.
• The Ugly:  After a solid debut, Turner had a bad follow-up, missing all 5 of his shots, and committing three fouls.  4 assists and no turnovers is good though, but he didn't rebound like he usually does.  I still think he'll end up as a good player, but it might take him awhile to figure out the NBA game and his role.

Indiana Pacers (1-1)

• The Good:  Danny Granger took over this game before he fouled out late, scoring 33 points, including 6-11 from three.  Roy Hibbert didn't have a dominant performance like he did against San Antonio, but 13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks is more than solid enough for Indiana.  The Pacers also did a good job at managing the ball, with 25 assists to only 10 turnovers, a fantastic job considering this Charlotte defense.
• The Bad:  Darren Collison only shot 2-10 from the field tonight.  Not good.
• The Ugly:  The rebounding disparity was pretty bad, with Charlotte beating them by 11 in that department and grabbing 15 offensive boards.  Losing Murphy really hurt the Pacers in defensive rebounding especially, and it'll end up costing them some wins this year too if they don't address it.

Charlotte Bobcats (0-2)

• The Good:  Gerald Wallace still looks like an All-Star, scoring 29 points on only 13 shots, getting to the line 18 times.  It would've and probably should've been more, but he did miss 6 FTs.  The Bobcats as a team did a great job of getting to the line, getting there 45 times to the Pacers 24, thanks to the aformentioned Wallace, and also Tyrus Thomas, who hit all 9 of his FTs.
• The Bad:  Three point defense was pretty bad, allowing the Pacers to hit 12 of 29 from three.  That doesn't sound like much, but when a team shoots 29 threes, its because they're left wide open.  Indiana hit 8 more threes than Charlotte, and it seems fitting that they won by three.
• The Ugly:  17 assists to 17 turnovers for Charlotte.  I don't see a playmaker on this team.  Augustin is more of a shooter.  Diaw is the supposed "point-forward" but he's been incompetent for years now.  This team needs a playmaker.

New York Knicks (1-1)

• The Good:  Amar'e Stoudemire stepped up for this Knicks team when it mattered, almost bringing them back to win this game or at least send it to overtime.  27 points as well as 8 boards and 4 assists, and I think Amar'e is proving people wrong who said he couldn't play without Nash.  The Knicks also had a great night blocking shots, swatting 9 of the Celtics shots.  Wilson Chandler had 4 of those rejections by his lonesome.  I also want to give credit to the Knicks for taking care of the ball against a superb Boston defense, only coughing it up 10 times.
• The Bad:  Danilo Gallinari is lucky I don't put him in the Ugly.  11 minutes, 0-6 shooting, and three fouls.  He's not playing well right now.
• The Ugly:  The rebounding was atrocious, with the Celtics grabbing 54 boards to New Yorks 38.  Landry Fields, for all his heart and effort, should not be your leading rebounder.

Boston Celtics (2-1)

• The Good:  Rajon Rondo is becoming perhaps the best playmaker in the game.  Only 10 points on pretty poor shooting (4-12), but 10 boards and 24(!) assists for the fourth year player.  That gives him a total of 50 assists over 3 games.  Kevin Garnett (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Paul Pierce (25 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists) still look great as well.  Pierce's shooting is seemingly getting better as he ages, knocking down 4-6 from three.  Glen Davis had his third good game in a row off the bench, getting 16 points on 12 shots.
• The Bad:  Ray Allen had another bad shooting night.  Only 1-5 from three.  Fortunately for him, the C's still won, and being one of the best shooters in the game, he's still liable to hit all 5 of those any given night.
• The Ugly:  Nate Robinson continues to chuck, and continues to miss.  1-5 tonight, bringing his 3 game total to 4-18, or 22.2%.  Then there's also the Delonte West-Von Wafer altercation that happened before the game.  

Orlando Magic (1-1)

• The Good:  The only thing good for the Magic was that this game wasn't nationally televised.  Oh what's that? It was? ESPN you say? Well never mind then. Nothing good happened.
• The Bad:  There should be no reason that Dwight Howard fouls out against the Heat. None.  They have no bigs to challenge him, unless he's guarding Bosh.  There also should be no reason that the Heat should beat the Magic on the boards, let alone by 11.
• The Ugly:  Where do I begin?  The Magic shot 30.4% from the field.  Now let's take away Dwight's 8-15 game.  That makes it a 24.1% shooting performance for everyone else.  The Magic only scored 25 points in the entire 2nd half, 10 in the 3rd quarter.  The Magic had 5 assists for the whole game.  Just a putrid performance for the whole team.

Miami Heat (2-1)

• The Good:  Miami looked a lot better at home, and they killed a really good Magic team too.  Wade led the team in scoring, and James and Bosh worked better in secondary roles, with James finally getting used to his teammates and not turning the ball over so much.  The Heat also shot really well from three (9-18), with James Jones and Eddie House stroking it off the bench.  Haslem had a double-double off the bench in only 22 minutes.
• The Bad:  The team still didn't really shoot all that well from the field (40.7%).  Take away the 3-pointers and they only shot 38.1%.  So basically Miami's so good they can have a mediocre offensive game and still beat an elite team like the Magic by 20 or more.  This team will be terrifying when they figure everything out.
• The Ugly:  Joel Anthony probably shouldn't be in the NBA.  0 points, 4 rebounds (3 offensive) and 5 fouls in 23 minutes.  Yet the Heat gave him a pretty big extension this summer for no good reason.  I guess when you haul in Wade, LeBron and Bosh, you really do want to test the theory that you can just throw anyone out there with them and they'll win.

Denver Nuggets (1-1)

• The Good:  Is Shelden Williams finally becoming a decent NBA player?  8 points and 13 rebounds by the Landlord tonight in only 23 minutes.  Carmelo Anthony also still looks as good as ever,with 24 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.  The Nuggets also managed to beat the Hornets on the boards, although only by 2.
• The Bad:  Nene Hilario and Arron Afflalo both need more touches.  They're just so efficient, but inevitably the ball ends up in the hands of Anthony, Billups or J.R. Smith.
• The Ugly:  Nothing too ugly for the Nuggets, but 19 turnovers is bleh.

New Orleans Hornets (2-0)

• The Good:  Chris Paul is back.  With the game on the line, Paul scored 10 of his 18 points in the final quarter to finish off a Hornets comeback and win the game.  CP3 also had 7 boards and 7 assists with no turnovers.  He made David West look good as well, with West scoring 17 points on 13 shots.  
• The Bad: Trevor Ariza, please stop jacking up threes.  Love, Hornets fans.
• The Ugly:  Attendance was only 12,474 for the Hornets in their 2nd game of the season.  Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul aren't a big enough draw for you NOLA?  That's a travesty, especially with the financial troubles the Hornets have had lately.  

Oklahoma City Thunder (2-0)

• The Good:  This Thunder team, between Durant and Westbrook, will get to the line a bunch.  44 times tonight, and it was the difference maker.  23 times just for those two, and 31 if you include Jeff Green too.  Serge Ibaka was great off the bench as well, with 16 points, 10 boards, and 2 blocks in 28 minutes.  Please make him a starter Scotty Brooks. Pleeeeaaaase.
• The Bad:  The Thunder were stymied a bit by Detroit's defense, only shooting 38.8%. The bench outside of Ibaka was especially bad, with Harden, Cook and Maynor combining for 1-10 from the field.
• The Ugly:  1-8 from downtown for Jeff Green.  I understand he's a good player.  Hell, he even had the game winning layup.  I just think the Thunder would be better served with him coming off the bench as a scoring punch and Ibaka starting.  Just my opinion and I'm gonna harp on it a lot this season in all likelihood.

Detroit Pistons (0-2)

• The Good:  This team hung in with a much better team (although not on paper, right Stuckey?) and almost won.  Probably should've won if not for a horrible defensive mishap in the final seconds.  Ben Gordon was huge off the bench, with 32 points on 16 shots, and Rodney Stuckey had a nice game as well, with 24 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds. 
• The Bad:  16 assists to 18 turnovers for the Pistons.  14 of those turnovers were steals for the Thunder.  You have to take better care of the ball, especially against such a pesky defensive team like OKC is.  It wasn't any one guy either, it was pretty much everyone.
• The Ugly:  Austin Daye as starting PF, Day Two.  2-11 from the field, 4 rebounds, and 3 fouls in 25 minutes.  I admit that I've never really liked Daye as a player, thought he got picked too high, but he's out of his element as a PF.  Switching Prince and Daye likely would work better.  Or maybe playing that highly skilled PF you got in the lottery this summer?  This team isn't going anywhere Kuester.  Develop your young guys right.

Milwaukee Bucks (0-2)

• The Good:  Corey Maggette is doing everything the Bucks want him to do.  23 points off the bench in 30 minutes, and he got to the line 8 times, hitting all his FTs.  Jennings did a good job of making plays as well, racking up 7 assists with only 1 turnover.  Bogut still doesn't look like the All-Star he did last year, but he looks good after having missed so much time.
• The Bad:  You mean other than losing to Minnesota?  Well aside from Maggette, the Bucks bench was horrible.  13 points on 6-20 shooting, with 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 turnovers, and 17 fouls.  Just terrible play by the bench.
• The Ugly:  Rebounding.  The Bucks were the 6th best team in rebounding last year, and they have several plus rebounders on the roster.  They're loaded with big men that can hit the glass hard.  But they just got ANNIHILATED by the Timberwolves.  The Wolves got 62 boards to their 39, including 20 on the offensive end.  Darko, Beasley and Love almost had as many rebounds as the entire Bucks team.  That's unacceptable.

Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)

• The Good:  I mentioned the ridiculous rebounding above, so lets move on to some players who performed well.  Michael Beasley put up an efficient 21 points to go with 10 rebounds, and Luke Ridnour had a solid game against his old team with 13 points, 7 assists and 6 boards.  Kevin Love shot the ball horribly, but he got to the line 12 times, and threw in 16 boards in 27 minutes of work.
• The Bad:  Both teams shot poorly, but the Wolves had some terrible individual performances.  Darko, Love and Brewer combined to shoot 6-31.  
• The Ugly:  Only 13 assists to 18 turnovers for the Wolves.  Other than Ridnour, the Wolves had trouble moving the ball, despite having possibly the greatest passing big man of all time in Darko Milicic.

Memphis Grizzlies (1-1)

• The Good:  Marc Gasol came back, which is big news for Grizzlies fans, since he's probably their best, or at least most important player.  He didn't have a high scoring game, only 10 points, but he grabbed 15 boards and had 4 assists.  He also got to the line 8 times, and FTs were a big reason the Grizzlies were able to one.  Perhaps the biggest one though was the fact that the Grizzlies stepped up their defense in the 4th quarter, holding Dallas to only 15 points, and stymieing them repeatedly in the final minute to seal the game.
• The Bad:  The Grizzlies shot the ball poorly, only about 39% from the floor.  Their 3P% was even worse at 26.7%.  Rookie Xavier Henry was a big culprit, chucking up 7 shots in his 12 minutes and only hitting one.  
• The Ugly:  Mike Conley's inconsistency has reared its ugly head again.  After a great start to the season, Conley followed it up with a stinker offensively, shooting 3-11 and committing a team high 4 turnovers.

Dallas Mavericks (1-1)

• The Good:  Dirk Nowitzki just does not stop producing, coming up with a line of 27 points on 15 shots, and snagging 7 boards as well.  He hit a clutch shot to give the Mavs the lead late, but unfortunately they lost anyway.
• The Bad:  The Mavs had 18 turnovers, and 9 in the 4th quarter alone.  Not a recipe for success.  Jason Kidd led the way with 5 miscues.
• The Ugly:  Dirk and Marion were a combined 2-2 from 3.  Everyone else was 4-16 (25%).

LA Lakers (2-0)

• The Good:  The Lakers rode their big men to victory tonight, which isn't a surprise given Phoenix's lack of an interior defense.  Pau Gasol almost had a triple-double with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists, and he had 2 blocks as well.  Lamar Odom had 18 points and 17 rebounds, throwing in 5 assists for good measure.  Together they shot a combined 62.1%.
• The Bad:  The Lakers rarely got to the line this game, only 12 times.  They also probably should've outrebounded the Suns by more than 3, but couldn't keep Robin Lopez off the offensive glass.
• The Ugly:  Ron Artest is starting off the season as a chucker, shooting 14 shots including 8 threes.  He only scored 14 points on those shots.  The less he shoots and the more he concentrates on defense, the better for Los Angeles.

Phoenix Suns (1-2)

• The Good: The Suns did a decent job hanging in with the defending champs, with a lot of credit going to Robin Lopez, who managed to get 18 points on 50% shooting, but more importantly 14 rebounds, which is a huge number for him.  These numbers look even more impressive considering the quality of the frontline he was going up against.  Off the bench, Goran Dragic continues to impress, scoring 15 points on 9 shots and getting 4 assists in only 19 minutes.
• The Bad:  Steve Nash and Jason Richardson had poor shooting nights.  A combined 25 points on 27 shots.  They were better on threes though, shooting 5-12.
• The Ugly:  Haki'm Warrick went back to being Hakim Warrick tonight.  Only 2 points and 4 rebounds in 17 minutes tonight.  On the plus side, Hedo Turkoglu proved once again he can't guard PFs, so Warrick might end up starting and getting more time sooner rather than later.

LA Clippers (0-2)

• The Good:  Blake Griffin didn't excite like he did in his first game, but he still managed 14 points and 10 rebounds on an off-night, a testament to how good he is.  The Clippers did a good job at getting to the line (32 times), almost double the Warriors amount.
• The Bad:  This was a terrible defensive and offensive game for the Clippers. They only shot 38.6%, while allowing the Warriors to get out in transition and shoot 53.1% and a ridiculous 58.3% (14-24) from three. 
• The Ugly:  I don't care if the Warriors now have David Lee.  The Clippers should not be being outrebounded by the Warriors with guys like Kaman, Griffin and Gomes on the frontline.

Golden State Warriors (2-0)

• The Good:  The Warriors are starting the season on a tear, scoring extremely efficiently.  Ellis didn't dominate like he did against Houston, but he still had 12 points and 11 assists on 50% (3-4 from 3).  David Lee chipped in with 15 points and 12 boards, and Dorell Wright had 24 points on 9-13 from the field and 6-8 from 3, as well as 8 boards.  32 assists for the team on 43 FGs is a great total as well.  The Warriors look better than ever on offense.
• The Bad:  The Warriors only made 9-17 FTs.  That's a pet peeve of mine.  Hit your freebies.
• The Ugly:  Stephen Curry, while playing very well (16 points on 7-9 shooting), re-sprained his ankle in the third quarter and had to leave the game.  He did not return and its possible if not probable he misses a couple games because of it.  Hopefully its not too serious, injuries are never fun, especially when they take out players who are so fun to watch.