4th quarter play: why I don't mind missing playoffs

[horatio81 [enjin:7751176]]

If we had squeaked into the post season, we would have been swept 4-0, and none of the games would have been close.

The first three quarters of most regular season nba games are basically a joke. The rare exceptions, the rivalry games or the measuring stick games, stand out precisely because of their intensity and effort level.

The wolves are great in quarters 1-3 but are almost dead last in 4th quarters. Translation: when it matters, when the other team is actually trying to defend and score with focus and purpose, we're garbage.

Imagine what we 'd look like in a playoff game, a game where the other team values all 48 minutes the way they typically only value the last 12 in the regular season. We 'd get blown off the floor before the half.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I disagree. I think if we were healthy, we could go 6-7 games with the Thunder/Blazers/Warriors/Clips. All teams we usually play tough against no matter who's on the floor. Think it's over the top to say we'd get swept by any one of those teams.

Great in quarters 1-3, but struggle in the fourth. Agreed. I think every fan of the NBA knows that about by now. It's a correctable issue in my opinion, though. Several games already have been pissed away by leaving Barea in over Rubio. It hasn't worked even just one time so far. I'd hope that in a playoff setting that Adelman would let Rubio actually manage those situations. Another factor is that by then, Budinger should be close to if not all the way basketball ready. We've seen signs of it this last week or so, but the consistency isn't there yet on his jumper. Like LST, I think it has to do with the lift on his shot. Time should help fix this.

I also don't believe that teams value games significantly different from regular season to playoffs. In any setting, it's about coaching and execution. Opponent's coaching intensifies in the playoffs, no doubt, but to me that's because they face that team multiple times without a different matchup inbetween. It's easier to make matchup/scheme corrections in a playoff setting. Also, I don't think teams play through the third quarter and then all of a sudden start really giving a shit. YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME. All quarters matter equally when the game's all said and done. If you play like shit in the first, and play like champions in the fourth, but lose the game, who cares?

Our issue is that our starters run out of gas towards the end of the game. Lack of stamina, mental toughness, etc. Whatever you'd like to attribute that to is fine by me. I still point the finger at the bench's horrendous production over the season. When the starters have a lead, the bench should keep the lead the same or even increase it. Ours is so bad that we no doubt lose the amount of the lead, but even give it up all together. Now the starters have to play from behind. It has to get exhausting. Bright side is that it's easier to fix a bench than it is to fix a starting unit.

[markkbu [enjin:6588958]]

Hehehe...ya.....our guys just get tired quick...it isn't their fault.