November 5, 2003. Cameron Indoor
Stadium.
In many respects, this was a
perfect game for this Duke squad. Not because they played perfectly (far
from it), but the EA Sports squad had enough talent to make Duke pay when
they made a mistake on defense or made a sloppy pass. They didn't have the
guns to contend with Duke's amazing depth, but they put enough points on the
board to make Duke work hard, and in the end showed that Duke still has
quite a bit of work to do in order to become a cohesive squad at both ends
of the court.
Coach K emphasized communication
as the key, and this has been lacking at times in practice. When Duke talks
on defense, the help defender is able to rotate and prevent easy shots.
When they talk on offense, it leads to better screens and easier attempts.
Duke was pretty bad in the halfcourt in this game and didn't do a good job
feeding the post. The team attempted too many off-balance runners and did
not pass crisply. When the team was running, they were able to finish quite
well, either by going to the hoop or dishing out to the open shooter.
Defensively, the team was shockingly slow in transition, allowing several
leakout baskets, and also gave up some easy scores on turnovers. The fast
break scoring margin was only 14-10 in favor of Duke, while it was 31-16
Duke in points off turnovers.
On the other hand, Duke dominated
on the boards (48-18, with only 1 fewer offensive rebound (17) than EAS had
total rebounds (18)). While Duke committed 24 turnovers, they forced 21,
including 15 steals. With Sean Dockery leading the way with 5, Duke's
pressure proved to be the big difference-maker. The Devils were also able
to get a lot of open looks from three and knock them down, with the troika
of Chris Duhon, JJ Redick & Dan Ewing going a smokin' 11-15. Some guys who
started slowly, like Duhon and Shavlik Randolph, played a lot better in the
second half.
The early minutes of the game
were the Luol Deng show, wherein the rookie showed off a multitude of
skills. After Duke went over two minutes without scratching, he posted up
and scored on a smooth jump-hook. After a Duhon steal, JJ Redick set him up
perfectly in transition for an alley-oop dunk. Luol then relocated the ball
out to Ewing for three. Ewing was the team's most aggressive player all
night, attacking at both ends. With Duke looking sluggish early on, K
experimented with a variety of different lineups. Ewing came off the bench
first to replace an ineffective Randolph, and later Lee Melchionni & Michael
Thompson came in together. Nick Horvath and Sean Dockery also played a few
minutes in the half.
The game went back and forth
until Deng gave Duke a bit more room. He gave himself some space for a
silky jumper after crossing over his opponent, and then twisted his foes
into pretzels with a shifty up-and-under that gave Duke a 13-9 lead. A
Redick long-range three borke his own scoring drought up to that point, and
he followed that up with a three point fake and pass to Ewing for a 15'
jumper. Suddenly energized by the play of Ewing, Shelden Williams scored on
a fast break cut on a pass from Dan. Shelden then spread the love around
with a relocation pass to Redick for three. With nine minutes to go in the
half, Duke led 25-15 and looked like they were ready to take over.
However, EAS outscored Duke 11-6
over the next three minutes to stay within shouting distance at 31-26.
Johnny Parker and Mark Jones of EAS were killing Duke using proper spacing
and smooth turnaround jumpers. If these guys got a good look at the basket,
the ball was going to go in. Redick scored 4 points to keep Duke ahead, but
it was clear the team was going to need a big defensive push and more
production from its bigs. Duhon got Randolph going with a perfect pass for a
wide-open dunk. Shav then got fouled going after a rebound and nailed both
shots. Dockery turned up the excitement level with a steal and pass to
Ewing for three, and then a sizzling drive to the basket. After an EAS
three, Melchionni pulled up for a three of his own. Ewing grabbed an
offensive rebound and passed to an open Redick for another three, while
Williams capped off a big Duke run with a stickback of a Dockery miss after
Duke came up with another steal. With over two minutes to go in the half,
Duke led 48-31, finally having broken the game open.
Or so everyone thought. The last
two minutes were a disaster, as Duke turned the ball over several times,
fouled after misses to send EAS to the line, and eventually fell victim to
an 8-0 EA Sports run to end the half. Duhon badly mismanaged the last
possession of the half for Duke and it nearly led to a last-second EAS
basket. Duke's lead was cut to 48-39 as they let EAS shoot 50% from the
field. The Devils shot an even hotter 59%, but their 14 turnovers limited
their field goal attempts.
K started Ewing over Randolph in
the second half. In part, this was done to counter EA Sports'
perimeter-dominated lineup. After trading baskets in the early going (with
Ewing scoring on a reverse and Deng on one of his weird drives), Duke put
together an 8-0 run that gave them a 60-43 lead. This time, they built on
that lead instead of slacking off. The run was built on good old-fashioned
spacing and ball movement. First, Deng checked off his options on an
inbounds play under the basket and waited for Duhon to make a cut. Chris
got the ball and scored easily. Then, Ewing hit Duhon in the corner for for
three. Duhon then paid it forward with a dish to Redick for another three.
Duhon has completely changed the way he shoots, looking to spot up just
outside the three point line rather than pull up from long range. The bench
got into the act with Melch scoring on a cut on a pass from Shav and then
dishing to Ewing for a dunk. Ewing was really feeling it, at one point
calling loudly for the ball from Chris, getting it on the wing and
immediately sinking a three.
Duke went up 69-45 with thirteen
minutes to go. Randolph and Dockery both took over for a while, with Shav
powering his way up for a three point play and finishing a Duhon pass in
transition with a double-clutch dunk. Dock dished to Duhon for another
three and finished yet another break started by a Duhon steal. After a 16-4
run, Duke was cruising with an 85-52 lead. The Devils went through a couple
of more droughts, only scoring 20 more points in the last ten minutes of the
game. Shave had a stickback and Dockery a steal and layup to put Duke up by
33 again at 93-60. After EAS went on an 11-5 run, Duke finished strong with
a Thompson stickback, a Williams score and three Melch foul shots.
When Duke played with intensity
and precision, they were impossible to stop. When they were sloppy and
careless, they paid for it. EA Sports had a couple of legitimate players on
their team, with forward Johnny Parker hurting Duke in the paint and from
the three point stripe and Mark Jones killing them with penetration. Foul
trouble really hurt EAS, while Duke was able to absorb its 19 fouls with
relative ease. Duke will play again in a week, so it'll be interesting to
see how quickly the lessons of this game are learned.
** Negatives:
1. Turnovers. Deng and Williams
accounted for 10 of the team's 24 turnovers. Deng was throwing bad passes
and committed two silly offensive fouls. Williams was called for travelling,
charging and also threw some bad passes. I have no idea what Duhon was
going in the first half, but his 4 turnovers in the period were
inexplicable. When Duke cut down on their miscues, their offensive
production blossomed quickly.
2. Fouls. There's nothing Coach K
hates more than putting your opponent on the, especially when it happens
because you were boxed out for a rebound. Players committed fouls because
other players got out of position on defense.
3. Free throws. Again, the
players didn't seem to be concentrating as hard as they should have at the
line.
** Positives:
1. Rebounding. EAS only had 5
offensive rebounds, and 2 of those were team offensive rebounds. Deng,
Randolph and Williams excelled in getting defensive boards. Five players
had at least 6 rebounds.
2. Ball pressure. Ewing, Duhon
and Dockery all aggressively went after the ball-handler and forced a number
of miscues. This proved to be important because Duke's interior defense was
soft for much of the game.
3. Unselfishness. There are a lot
of guys who can score on this team, and one senses that with a year of
experience under everyone's belts, there's a little little less of the
tension that can arise when new players are trying to prove that they
belong. In fact, some of the turnovers came as a result of a little too
much unselfishness.
Player-By-Player:
** Williams: At times, Shelden was
dominant inside. He did a fine job inside, blocking 3 shots and going hard
to the boards. He scored on stickbacks, cuts and a turnaround jumper in the
post. What Shelden didn't do well is handle the ball. He was a bit sloppy
with it and simply needs to make better decisions. Shelden did a good job
of jumping the lanes in the tradition of Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer, a
big man who deflects passes near the top of the key. Most of all, he simply
needs to be more aggressive in calling for the ball when he knows he can
score.
** Randolph: Shav initially looked
like the confused Shav of last year. Once again dealing with a
perimeter-oriented team, he had trouble handling an opponent with a deadly
mid-range game. Later in the half, he adjusted much better after scoring
his first basket. Randolph worked much harder in the second half, hitting 3
of 4 from the field and attacking the rim. His defensive rebounding proved
key during several segments where Duke was making big runs. The biggest
turnaround came when he trusted his dribble enough to drive from the top of
the key to the basket, getting fouled a couple of times. Shav stuck with it
and turned a mediocre performance into a solid showing, with potential for
much more. Shav was one of three players to draw a charge (along with
Williams and Redick).
** Deng: In the first half, Luol
looked like an unstoppable superstar. In the second half, he looked like a
freshman. With 8 first half points on 4-4 shooting, Deng demonstrated his
hook, his leaping ability, his mid-range game and his driving skills. In
the second half, he missed all 3 of his three point attempts and threw the
ball away a couple of times, though he did have a couple of nice drives. He
still doesn't have a bread-and-butter offensive move yet and was caught out
of position on defense more than once, but he does things that no one else
on the team can do. Experience will be his best teacher.
** Redick: JJ let the game come to
him and hit showed. EAS clearly had it drilled into their heads that Redick
is a shooter who must be jumped at all times, and this early tactic worked.
Redick got no open looks and had to instead take some tough leaners and
such. He loosened up a bit after his first three and hit a 10' jumper as
well. More impressive was his passing, especially to his teammate (and
competitor for playing time) Ewing. He set him up perfectly for an open
jumper, taking advantage of the defender's respect for his own range. While
JJ has always been about more than just shooting, he's developing a better
sense of when to shoot and when to pass, and how to set up others with his
pass. His fake and bullet pass to Ewing for a jumper was a perfect example
of this. JJ is also moving his feet much better on the defensive end,
though this is something he'll need to continue to work on. Of note for
Redick were his 4 rebounds. These were tough boards that he ripped down
aggressively and could be another new aspect of his growth.
** Duhon: Chris was flat-out
terrible in the first half, barely looking like he was paying attention.
Then he hunkered down and played like the man who has been performing so
well in this preseason. His passes to open shooters and to runners on the
break absolutely tore EAS apart. His on-ball defense also noticeably picked
up after a lackadaisical first half. Best of all, his shooting stroke
suddenly returned. He shot with a great deal of confidence and took shots
that were within the normal flow of the offense. The team depends on him a
little less this year, and he will have to adjust his game accordingly to
take more advantage of certain opportunities when they arise, while handling
the ball a little less. Both Ewing and Dockery had their turn at bringing
the ball up. Duhon's defense will be crucial this year since Duke will play
so many guard-laden teams, and his heads-up play of calling a timeout in
mid-air after he caught a deflected ball was a big one.
** Ewing: Dan was the player of
the game and attacked EAS from every angle. He was deadly from long range
(4-4 from three). He drove to the basket, hit the medium range jumper and
even passed well. Ewing rebounded well, played superb on-ball defense
(going to the floor more than once for loose balls) and generally proved
that he is indeed a "sixth starter". Other than one or two bad shots, he had
a nearly flawless game. His quickness will be a huge asset.
** Melchionni: An erratic game for
a player whom many suspect will get significant minutes this year. While he
did hit a three and moved well without the ball (as well as anyone, in
fact), Lee was tentative on his shot and weak with the ball. As a result,
he got it poked away. Not a horrible performance, but Lee is capable of
much more. He needs to play with precision in addition to passion, and once
this comes, he will get plenty of minutes.
** Thompson: Big Mike had a
reasonably solid game. His hands are not the greatest, but he didn't get
the ball given to him in situations where he could really take advantage.
Thompson did use his size to power his way into a couple of offensive
stickbacks. Mike did a fine job on the boards, going hard at both ends.
Mike is not going to have a glamourous starring role on this team, but his
contribitions will be very important. That's both in terms of resting the
other big men and doing some of his own damage. He still needs to work on
posting up harder and quicker, while the guards simply have to get him the
ball as soon as he's available.
** Horvath: Nick really only made
a brief appearance thanks to Shav, Shelden and Big Mike's presence. He
missed his only shot, but it was a nice jump-hook.
** Dockery: Sean served notice
that he intends on being a big part of this team. Playing in lieu of and
occasionaly alongside Duhon, Dock stayed under control and did what he does
best: frustrate opposing offenses. His hand speed can barely be detected by
the human eye and he can always finish. It was nice to see him with a 4:1
assist/turnover ratio, proving that he's maturing as a player. Sean also
didn't launch into any misguided adventures in the lane, going with what
worked instead.
** The Walkons: Pat Davidson,
Patrick Johnson and Andy Borman all got some burn. Only Borman got a shot
off and he seemed nervous about taking it.
** Cameron Craziness: It was
Freshman Night in Cameron, and you could feel it from the crowd
disorganization. Still, there were a couple of good "JJ Redick: Dyn-o-mite!"
cheers. Football coach Ted Roof urged everyone to come out for the Senior
Day game this weekend: "Come early, stay late, and get crazy." This crowd
wasn't very crazy, or at least very full. The upper deck was as empty as
I've ever seen a game, and the grad student section was also half-empty
(though I suspect some wandered towards the undergrad section). Larry Bird
was in the house, a night after he visited Raleigh. The students chanted
for him and he acknowledged them. I would have loved to have heard him and
JJ compare shooting notes.
Rob's Archive
|
