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Kobe Struggle while Lebron James Shine againts the USA Select Team
There were actually 4 seperate scrimmages with each team winning 2, though they shouldnt be losing at all.
I thought the final period sounded the best so here it is:
The rest of the blog:-
And they started working on their shooting right away. While the Select Team was on the bus about 10 minutes after the scrimmage ended, every single member of the Senior Team stayed on the floor to shoot for more than half an hour. And even though Sunday is an off day, several of the players will go to the gym for more shooting.
Still, Kobe found other ways to contribute. By my calculations, he led the Senior Team in rebounds for the day. LeBron was their best player though.
For the Select Team, Andre Iguodala, Devin Harris and Aaron Brooks were the stars, while Channing Frye, Jeff Green, Al Jefferson and David Lee all did their part on the boards.
And in the end, today's tightly-contested scrimmage will only help the varsity prepare for the FIBA Americas tourney which begins Wednesday.
"That's how we can get better," Kidd said afterwards, "by things being competitive."
"We're getting close to game time," Deron Williams added, "so we gotta sharpen some things up and try to get into game shape."
Select Team coach, P.J. Carlesimo agreed that it's his team's job to provide more resistance than they had in the first couple of days of scrimmaging.
"Clearly, the better we play, the more we can help them," he said. "Today, we helped them."
For Jason Kapono, it was nice to just get win a quarter or two "instead of getting our butts kicked."
-- Edited by John Schuhmann at 08/18/2007 10:26 PM
I do not know why this ISH IDIOTS hate Lebron James, he is definitely one of the best player in their practice and he contribute very well in the teams chemistry. I think Lebron James will definitely play the SF role in the NBA due to the fact that at 6'8 he is not strong enough to dominate the boards and he is more of a wing men scoring from the inside ala Bernard King and Grant Hill.
My Starting 5
C- Dwight Howard
F- Amare Stoudemire
F- Lebron James
G- Kobe Bryant
G- Jason Kidd
2nd 5 off the bench
C- Tyson Chandler
F- Tayshaun Prince
F-Carmelo Anthony
G- Michael Redd
G- Deron Williams
Reliever
G- Chauncey Billups
F- Mike Miller
There were actually 4 seperate scrimmages with each team winning 2, though they shouldnt be losing at all.
I thought the final period sounded the best so here it is:
The final period was easily the most competitive. The Senior Team bench built a 16-6 lead behind eight points from Mike Miller.
points from Mike Miller. The score was 20-12 when Coach K put his first unit back in. The Select Team then went on a 11-4 run to close within a point. With less than a minute to go, LeBron made it a three-point game with a jumper from the elbow.
On the next possession though, Jason Kapono came off a screen and hit a three to tie it. In the final possession for the varsity, Kobe had the ball on the right wing against Redick, but he gave it up to J-Kidd up top. Kidd lost the ball as he tried to penetrate. He got it back, but he tried to pass it to LeBron in the corner and time ran out.
So the score was tied at 26, and the referees were ready to walk off the court, but 'Melo started yelling, "Three minutes!" So, three minutes were put on the clock. After starting the first two quarters with a jump ball, the teams had alternated possession to start the third and fourth. So, the referees were prepared to give the ball to the Select Team to start the overtime, but the Senior Team was having none of that. they jumped it up and Amare Stoudemire won the tip.
He then started the overtime scoring off by tipping in a Kobe miss. The highlight of the OT was another tip-in, this one a 'Melo follow-up dunk off a Kobe free throw. That gave the varsity a 32-30 lead, but the Select Team went ahead 33-32 on the next possession when they got two offensive rebounds on missed free throws and Jefferson, David Lee and Jeff Green converted 3-of-6 from the line.
LeBron gave the Senior Team the lead back by flying down the court for a layup with about 45 seconds to go. But 'Melo fouled Brooks on the perimeter after switching on a screen-and-roll on the next possession. Brooks made both free throws to get the lead back, and then Amare couldn't handle a LeBron pass (that might have been intended for 'Melo) on the other end. J-Kidd was forced to foul Brooks and the rookie made it a three-point game with 18 seconds to go.
At this point, Coach K might have brought in Redd or Miller if it were a real game, but he stuck with his first team and Kobe missed a three. Still, Amare got the offensive board, got fouled and looked like he was going to have a chance at a three-point play ... but 'Melo knocked his layup off the rim when he tried to follow it.
So, Amare went to the line with his team still down three. He made 1-of-2 and Jeff Green did the same after grabbing the rebound. That gave the Senior Team another chance to tie with 7.6 seconds on the clock. 'Melo got a good look from the top of the key off the inbounds, but it hit the back of the rim. Al Jefferson got the board and finished the game off with a free throw on the other end.
Other than LeBron, Miller and a couple of the bigs, the Senior Team did not shoot well. Kobe probably struggled the most from the field, so I asked him about it afterwards.
"It won't happen no more," he told me. "We're gonna spend a lot of time and effort to get in the gym and just shoot the ball. Because a lot of the shots we get here, we're not accustomed to get with our teams, in terms of spot-up shots. A lot of us are rhythm guys. So, we have to get in the gym, we have to work on that, and hopefully make the defense pay when the time is right."
points from Mike Miller. The score was 20-12 when Coach K put his first unit back in. The Select Team then went on a 11-4 run to close within a point. With less than a minute to go, LeBron made it a three-point game with a jumper from the elbow.
On the next possession though, Jason Kapono came off a screen and hit a three to tie it. In the final possession for the varsity, Kobe had the ball on the right wing against Redick, but he gave it up to J-Kidd up top. Kidd lost the ball as he tried to penetrate. He got it back, but he tried to pass it to LeBron in the corner and time ran out.
So the score was tied at 26, and the referees were ready to walk off the court, but 'Melo started yelling, "Three minutes!" So, three minutes were put on the clock. After starting the first two quarters with a jump ball, the teams had alternated possession to start the third and fourth. So, the referees were prepared to give the ball to the Select Team to start the overtime, but the Senior Team was having none of that. they jumped it up and Amare Stoudemire won the tip.
He then started the overtime scoring off by tipping in a Kobe miss. The highlight of the OT was another tip-in, this one a 'Melo follow-up dunk off a Kobe free throw. That gave the varsity a 32-30 lead, but the Select Team went ahead 33-32 on the next possession when they got two offensive rebounds on missed free throws and Jefferson, David Lee and Jeff Green converted 3-of-6 from the line.
LeBron gave the Senior Team the lead back by flying down the court for a layup with about 45 seconds to go. But 'Melo fouled Brooks on the perimeter after switching on a screen-and-roll on the next possession. Brooks made both free throws to get the lead back, and then Amare couldn't handle a LeBron pass (that might have been intended for 'Melo) on the other end. J-Kidd was forced to foul Brooks and the rookie made it a three-point game with 18 seconds to go.
At this point, Coach K might have brought in Redd or Miller if it were a real game, but he stuck with his first team and Kobe missed a three. Still, Amare got the offensive board, got fouled and looked like he was going to have a chance at a three-point play ... but 'Melo knocked his layup off the rim when he tried to follow it.
So, Amare went to the line with his team still down three. He made 1-of-2 and Jeff Green did the same after grabbing the rebound. That gave the Senior Team another chance to tie with 7.6 seconds on the clock. 'Melo got a good look from the top of the key off the inbounds, but it hit the back of the rim. Al Jefferson got the board and finished the game off with a free throw on the other end.
Other than LeBron, Miller and a couple of the bigs, the Senior Team did not shoot well. Kobe probably struggled the most from the field, so I asked him about it afterwards.
"It won't happen no more," he told me. "We're gonna spend a lot of time and effort to get in the gym and just shoot the ball. Because a lot of the shots we get here, we're not accustomed to get with our teams, in terms of spot-up shots. A lot of us are rhythm guys. So, we have to get in the gym, we have to work on that, and hopefully make the defense pay when the time is right."
And they started working on their shooting right away. While the Select Team was on the bus about 10 minutes after the scrimmage ended, every single member of the Senior Team stayed on the floor to shoot for more than half an hour. And even though Sunday is an off day, several of the players will go to the gym for more shooting.
Still, Kobe found other ways to contribute. By my calculations, he led the Senior Team in rebounds for the day. LeBron was their best player though.
For the Select Team, Andre Iguodala, Devin Harris and Aaron Brooks were the stars, while Channing Frye, Jeff Green, Al Jefferson and David Lee all did their part on the boards.
And in the end, today's tightly-contested scrimmage will only help the varsity prepare for the FIBA Americas tourney which begins Wednesday.
"That's how we can get better," Kidd said afterwards, "by things being competitive."
"We're getting close to game time," Deron Williams added, "so we gotta sharpen some things up and try to get into game shape."
Select Team coach, P.J. Carlesimo agreed that it's his team's job to provide more resistance than they had in the first couple of days of scrimmaging.
"Clearly, the better we play, the more we can help them," he said. "Today, we helped them."
For Jason Kapono, it was nice to just get win a quarter or two "instead of getting our butts kicked."
-- Edited by John Schuhmann at 08/18/2007 10:26 PM
I do not know why this ISH IDIOTS hate Lebron James, he is definitely one of the best player in their practice and he contribute very well in the teams chemistry. I think Lebron James will definitely play the SF role in the NBA due to the fact that at 6'8 he is not strong enough to dominate the boards and he is more of a wing men scoring from the inside ala Bernard King and Grant Hill.
My Starting 5
C- Dwight Howard
F- Amare Stoudemire
F- Lebron James
G- Kobe Bryant
G- Jason Kidd
2nd 5 off the bench
C- Tyson Chandler
F- Tayshaun Prince
F-Carmelo Anthony
G- Michael Redd
G- Deron Williams
Reliever
G- Chauncey Billups
F- Mike Miller
