What a game. What a W.
Lauri, Key and Flip overcame a FO tanking effort so monumental, so cynical, so blatant that it had to be seen to be believed. It really sucks that they're being put into this position. It's insulting.
I half expected Hardy to roll out an overtime lineup that included a ball boy and the Jazz Bear. But it was worse – he went with Collier and Cody. Ridiculous. It was a damn miracle that our actual NBA players got anything done with those two out there. Shenanigans.
Make no mistake – we tried HARD to lose this one. But our best players are just too good. Why can't we just accept that already?
Random player thoughts:
- Keyonte scored 37 (fantastic) and gave up about 60 at the other end whjle collecting a -5 for the game (excruciating). It was fitting that the game literally started with a matador defensive possession by him. Probably his softest, laziest performance of the season on that side of the ball. Key trying to guard Flagg was a sad spectacle. He was completely embarrassed. I get that he's smaller, but there's no excuse for him not staying in front of Flagg at the perimeter in straight up 1-on-1 situations.
- Ace vs. Flagg was just brutal. Bailey had one rebound in 24 minutes. That is not going to cut it against a team that wasn't even playing AD. Ace needs to get a lot tougher. He looked like a boy, Flagg looked like a man.
- Cody showed some shocking signs of life for about two minutes and... I don't even know what happened then. It's like he suddenly remembered that he's Cody.
- Lauri was awesome when it mattered. He didn't have his shot all game but simply refused to give in to the tank. 33/14/5/4/1. Anyone who can't enjoy this type of performance in a win is a lost cause. This guy is one of the hardest workers in the league.
- Great game by Flip too. Whenever he plays within himself and doesn't force risky passes, I really like his game.
- Collier and Clayton are not rotation point guards in the NBA. Zero offense, brainfart after brainfart after brainfart. Both of them are in danger of being out of the league after their rookie contracts.
To sum it up: "The young guys" (meaning the ones you play to tank) didn't win this one for us. We tried to lose but Lauri and Keyonte, with important support from Flip, told Nepo & co to **** off.
