Simple-minded analysis of UNC

[Tim]

I was at the UNC game tonight, and my late-night, low-tech, seemingly-uneducated analysis is simple: Carolina is damn good. They play like a team that knows how to forgive each other and just move forward. They defend well, steal well, pass well, shoot well. They're well-coached. Truly a great team.

Tim

[smokymountainrain]

I was at the UNC game tonight, and my late-night, low-tech, seemingly-uneducated analysis is simple: Carolina is damn good. They play like a team that knows how to forgive each other and just move forward. They defend well, steal well, pass well, shoot well. They're well-coached. Truly a great team.

Tim

I'll add some things to the simple minded analysis...

They are also very deep, they have excellent guard play and post play. A great team indeed.

If you want to get picky, about the only thing they are missing is a great shot-blocker in the middle. Although Davis and Thompson are no slouches. For a team that plays very good team defense, I'm not sure how much that even matters.

[jay santos]

I was at the UNC game tonight, and my late-night, low-tech, seemingly-uneducated analysis is simple: Carolina is damn good. They play like a team that knows how to forgive each other and just move forward. They defend well, steal well, pass well, shoot well. They're well-coached. Truly a great team.

Tim

There's a commonly made poor assumption that fast paced teams are poorly coached. Funk suffers from this brain cramp. If you walk it up the floor, use all the shot clock, play a packed in sagging D and win games 60-55 you are a better coached team than if you get after it on D, run the floor, and win 90-70.

I coach an AAU team, and our style is fast paced. We focus our practices at least 2:1 defense to offense, it's our entire mind set. We play aggressive man to man and pick up at half court. Other teams in our league play a zone with 5 guys in the key. When those teams play each other the score is 30-28. When we play we win 45-35. You could look at the scores and assume we don't play D. You could even look at FG% D and assume we don't play defense, as with the fast tempo we give up more. Our philosophy is that we kill teams on the fast break, and the way we create fast break opportunities is off steals and rebounds.

Example, two scenarios

A. North Carolina style: In an 8:00 span, other team has 16 possessions, we force 6 TO's, they shoot 10 medium hard shots, shoot 50% and score 10 points. We score 60% of the time off TO's and missed baskets and 30% of the time off made baskets, we score 14.7 points. We win the game by 20 points allowing 50% shooting and only shooting 30% in our half court sets.

B. Mpfunk style: In an 8:00 span, other team has 12 possessions, we force 2 TO's, they shoot 10 difficult shots and shoot 40% and score 8 points. We walk the ball up the court, work our half court offense efficiently and score 45% of the time on offense. We 10.8 points. We won the FG% game, but the margin of error is low enough that if they hit a few outside shots, we're in a close game. (Not to mention we hit them every time they come in the key, they shoot 70% from the line, so our tough half court D ends up not so efficient after you add up all the free throw shots.)

[The Rambam]

If Psycho-T were at Duke he would be the most hated player in America. He is great. He is white. He plays with passion. He is smart. He will be a marginal pro prospect (drafted but not an all-star). If he was a Duke, he would be treated worse than JJ was.

[smokymountainrain]

If he was a Duke, he would be treated worse than JJ was.

I would agree with this. Hansbrough is the guy who will fall to the late teens, early twenties in the draft because he will never be a star. He will go on to have a long and productive NBA career (sure enough, likely never an all-star), while 10-15 guys drafted ahead of him will be busts, many of them out of the league in five years.

[Surfah]

I would agree with this. Hansbrough is the guy who will fall to the late teens, early twenties in the draft because he will never be a star. He will go on to have a long and productive NBA career (sure enough, likely never an all-star), while 10-15 guys drafted ahead of him will be busts, many of them out of the league in five years.

He's going to be like Christian Laetner.

[il Padrino Ute]

He's going to be like Christian Laetner.

But less hated.

[Surfah]

But less hated.

True.

Why wasn't Grant Hill hated like Chrissy?

[il Padrino Ute]

True.

Why wasn't Grant Hill hated like Chrissy?

Probably because Hill isn't arrogant.

Is Hill about the only Duke guy who wasn't hated? Bozzer has certainly worn out his welcome in SLC.

[Parrot Head]

True.

Why wasn't Grant Hill hated like Chrissy?

Having grown up a Heels fan (and, honestly, still following them more than BYU hoops), I had this conversation with a dookie a couple of years ago and for some reason, it's the white guys from Duke that are hated while there (and beyond). I never cheered for Grant or Thomas Hill or Jason Williams or any of those guys, but Heels fans always respected them. The guys we hate happen to be white. Maybe it's a reverse racism thing, but people never accused Grant of being gay or had the vitriol towards him, and once he was in the NBA, we could say, "Yeah, he was a good guy and you respect his game." Odd thing.

On the Heels, if they don't win it all this year, the tenure of Hansbrough will probably look like a complete bust because they fielded amazing teams each year. But we won't have to worry about that.

[Donuthole]

I would agree with this. Hansbrough is the guy who will fall to the late teens, early twenties in the draft because he will never be a star. He will go on to have a long and productive NBA career (sure enough, likely never an all-star), while 10-15 guys drafted ahead of him will be busts, many of them out of the league in five years.

I would love to have him as Millsap's backup.

[ERCougar]

Having grown up a Heels fan (and, honestly, still following them more than BYU hoops), I had this conversation with a dookie a couple of years ago and for some reason, it's the white guys from Duke that are hated while there (and beyond). I never cheered for Grant or Thomas Hill or Jason Williams or any of those guys, but Heels fans always respected them. The guys we hate happen to be white. Maybe it's a reverse racism thing, but people never accused Grant of being gay or had the vitriol towards him, and once he was in the NBA, we could say, "Yeah, he was a good guy and you respect his game." Odd thing.

On the Heels, if they don't win it all this year, the tenure of Hansbrough will probably look like a complete bust because they fielded amazing teams each year. But we won't have to worry about that.

Was Hurley ever hated? It doesn't seem like he was, but I was never immersed in the rivalry.

I think it has more to do with arrogance. And pretty-boyness.

[ERCougar]

I would agree with this. Hansbrough is the guy who will fall to the late teens, early twenties in the draft because he will never be a star. He will go on to have a long and productive NBA career (sure enough, likely never an all-star), while 10-15 guys drafted ahead of him will be busts, many of them out of the league in five years.

I think Hansbrough would be a perfect Sloan-type guy.

[Surfah]

For the record I never have thought that Grant Hill was gay.

Have you seen his wife? Damn.

[YOUTUBE]ZFDuJo_sy78[/YOUTUBE]

[TripletDaddy]

I think Hansbrough would be a perfect Sloan-type guy.

white