My takeaways from the Stanford game are simple: Cal played very hard on defense, really got after it, and our shots were falling. It shows what Cal is capable of. I think if Da Silva was healthy, Cal still wins, but maybe by only 8-10 points.
Cal shot way over their heads, 54% field, 53% on threes, 79% from the stripe. Stanford shot just 38% from the floor, which is similar to what Cal shot in many of our previous losing efforts. The only Stanford player who we did not handle was McConnell.
When I watched the two teams play offense, Stanford looked better, maybe because they pass the ball and don't dribble it to death. When a Stanford player gets the ball, the first thing he does is usually to pass it or hand it off. Most Cal players dribble too much. Most of them dribble every time they get the ball. Cal players play one on one basketball. They receive a pass and then the first thing they do is they dribble, sometimes to drive, sometimes to shoot, sometimes to dribble around with no apparent purpose, but they usually dribble. When they get stopped by a defender or a double team, they will pass the ball to another teammate, and that teammate does the same thing, plays one on one, dribbles, and tries to shoot, or pass to another teammate for some more of the same. Of course, I generalize, and I exaggerate here, but to make a point. You will say, we won the game, so what? The point is we played great defense, and the shots we usually miss, were going in, and that is why we won. Now we have learned how to win a game against a better team. But we will not shoot phenomenal percentages like this in every game. This team now has to learn how to win when the shots are not falling. That is only done by stepping up the defensive pressure, and forcing the opponent to score less often.
If we are to advance in this tournament, we will have to keep up this intensity on defense, at least. It is perhaps too late in this season to begin to play less one on one, move more without the ball, and set up teammates for easier shots. That is something that can be learned over a summer of work and Fall practice, perhaps. We still have personnel deficiencies, and team weaknesses, but we have at least proved that we can play tough defense.
Cal shot way over their heads, 54% field, 53% on threes, 79% from the stripe. Stanford shot just 38% from the floor, which is similar to what Cal shot in many of our previous losing efforts. The only Stanford player who we did not handle was McConnell.
When I watched the two teams play offense, Stanford looked better, maybe because they pass the ball and don't dribble it to death. When a Stanford player gets the ball, the first thing he does is usually to pass it or hand it off. Most Cal players dribble too much. Most of them dribble every time they get the ball. Cal players play one on one basketball. They receive a pass and then the first thing they do is they dribble, sometimes to drive, sometimes to shoot, sometimes to dribble around with no apparent purpose, but they usually dribble. When they get stopped by a defender or a double team, they will pass the ball to another teammate, and that teammate does the same thing, plays one on one, dribbles, and tries to shoot, or pass to another teammate for some more of the same. Of course, I generalize, and I exaggerate here, but to make a point. You will say, we won the game, so what? The point is we played great defense, and the shots we usually miss, were going in, and that is why we won. Now we have learned how to win a game against a better team. But we will not shoot phenomenal percentages like this in every game. This team now has to learn how to win when the shots are not falling. That is only done by stepping up the defensive pressure, and forcing the opponent to score less often.
If we are to advance in this tournament, we will have to keep up this intensity on defense, at least. It is perhaps too late in this season to begin to play less one on one, move more without the ball, and set up teammates for easier shots. That is something that can be learned over a summer of work and Fall practice, perhaps. We still have personnel deficiencies, and team weaknesses, but we have at least proved that we can play tough defense.
SFCityBear
