From: terry@garfield.Stanford.EDU (Terry Wong)
Subject: Warriors' Week 2
Keywords: Warriors 
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 02:19:58 GMT

-------------------------------
|	Warriors Week         |
|	Week 2:  Nov 13 -20   |
-------------------------------

Dismal, awful, depressing.  All these would be good one word descriptions
of the Warriors week.  The Warriors went 1 and 4 for the week. They
ended their 3 game home stand with a loss to Portland.  Then they
embarked on a 5 game road trip in which they lost to the Lakers, beat
Miami, and lost to Orlando and Charlotte.

The Warriors played well at times in all these games, but had key stretches
in almost every game in which they were dominated by the other team.  
Youth and inexperience and the absence of Marciulionis are obvious
factors.  Also, players on opposition teams had terrific games.
Against Portland, it was Terry Porter; against Orlando,
the Shaq; against Charlotte, it was Mourning.

By the end of the week, they were mired in the basement of the Pacific
with a 3 and 6 record; they were emotionally and physically battered,
with only 7 healthy bodies left; and Nelson was scratching his head
and grasping for straws.

The Warriors were without Victor Alexander for the last 3 games when
Alexander left the team after his brother's murder.  Then they lost
Sprewell, Jennings, and Grayer to injury.  Owens also badly sprained
his ankle in the Orlando game but came back and played against Charlotte.  
With the shortage of bodies, the Warriors signed Ed Nealy.  They were
interested in Tom Tolbert returning, but Tolbert had already been picked
up by Orlando.  Ironically, Phoenix will pick up the bulk of Nealy's
$800,000 per year salary, while G.S. will pick up most of Tolbert's
$600,000 per year salary.

Nelson was grasping at straws, trying to explain his team's poor
performance.  He said that he misses players like Tom Tolbert and Vincent
Askew that can create mismatches on offense. 
(You know he's reaching when he says that he misses Tolbert.)  
He said that the Warriors are now too
conventional a team and other teams can field better conventional lineups.
He also blamed the new low-post rules for their inability to play defense
against bigger teams, especially Orlando and Charlotte.

That the Warriors need help on interior defense is no secret.  They
gambled that their young guys, Hill, Gatling, and Alexander,  would step
forward this season but so far they haven't consistently done so.
The Warriors have also had trouble scoring of
late.  This week in two games, they only scored 102 points; at the end
of regulation against Charlotte, they only scored 100.  This is well
below last year's average of 118 ppg.  This can be attributed to many factors.

1) The tighter called games have a slower tempo.
2) The Warriors are not as good an outside shooting team. Their
   shooting percentage for the year is only 48.6%, down considerably from
   last season's average of 50.7%.  They miss Marciulionis who is 
   their best outside shooter behind Mullin and
   Hardaway.  From last year's squad, they also miss Rod Higgins and Mario Elie.
   Owens is an inconsistent shooter, certainly not the shooter 
   that Richmond was.  Elie's replacement, Grayer is a poor outside shooter.  
   Sprewell and Jennings can be good shooters, but as rookies are too tentative.
3) Hardaway is one of the few Warriors capable of creating his own shot.  
   Grayer can do so but is inconsistent.  Sprewell and Jennings are 
   also capable but not aggressive enough.  Again, they miss Marciulionis.
3) The Warriors are not getting to the line often enough.  So far, this
   season, their opponents have gone to the line 365 times, while the
   Warriors have gone a mere 266 times.   Some of this can be attributed
   to the size of the Warriors' opponents.  For example, they put the
   Shaq and the Magic on the line 51 times.  However, they themselves
   are not driving to the hoop enough.  In the second Lakers game,
   they only went to the line 9 times.  The loss of Marciulionis also
   hurts here. 
4) The Warriors have gone through periods when the other team scores at
   will.  After a made shot, the Warriors have to attack in the
   half-court set.  They are not nearly as effective in the half-court
   game.  Though the Warriors are not known as a good defensive team,
   their defense is what triggers their fast-break offense.
5) Warriors are a poor free throw shooting team.  As a team they are 
   shooting a miserable 68.4%.  This is way down from last season's average
   of 74.6%.  They miss Marciulionis and Elie who are very good FT shooters.
   Grayer is terrible, Sprewell inconsistent.  Owens, Gatling, and
   Alexander were not good last year and have not improved.
6) The Warriors do not have effective big-man scorers.  Thus,
   when they try and match up against bigger teams, they lose a
   lot of their offense. 

============
Game Reviews
============
-------------------------------
Nov. 7th   G.S. 116 Portland 130
Game Summary
-------------------------------
Starters:sf,pf,c,pg,og
GS: Mullin, Owens, Lister, Hardaway, Sprewell
Portland: Kersey, Williams, Duckworth, Porter, Drexler

In one of the most impressive performances ever seen at Oakland, 
Terry Porter dominated the last 10 minutes of the game with his
3 point shooting.  Porter ended up setting a new NBA record, hitting on
7 of 7 3 pointers.  He scored 25 of his 40 points in the 4th, setting
a new Blazers record for the most points per quarter.  It was also
a record for most points scored by one player in a quarter against
the Warriors.  Porter's performance was even more remarkable given the
fact that he was limited to 30 minutes by foul trouble.  
The way Porter was shooting, the Blazers would have 
beaten any team.

Portland got off to a fast start in this game with Duckworth and Kersey
being quite effective early.  They led by as much as 10 in the 1st.
Near the end of the 1st, G.S. got their fast 
break game going and closed to within 7.  They built up
a 10 point+ lead in the 2nd, but the Blazers came back a bit to trail
G.S. 55-51 at the half.  G.S. was driving to the basket aggressively.
As a result, Porter, Duckworth, and Robinson, Kersey, and Willams  were
all in foul trouble by the 2nd.   
Mullin and Sprewell did most of the damage for the Warriors
in the first half.  Mullin finished with 35 points, almost all of which
came in the 1st 3 quarters.

G.S. and the Blazers played to a 78 all tie, before G.S. went on a run
that game them a 90-82 lead at the end of 3.  They extended this
lead to 11 with about 10 minutes left in the game.
At that point, Sprewell missed a pair of free throws
and then the Porter show started.  Though the Warriors contested his shots, he
was shooting 3's like they were layups.  At the same time, the Warriors 
offense went cold.  Porter's shooting seemed to panic them, as they
would run down to the offensive end, attempt an early jump shot before
players were in position for a rebound, and miss.  Hardaway was especially
guilty of this.  Within minutes, the Warriors lead had evaporated and
the Blazers were up by about 20.  The Warriors threw in the towel with
more than 2 minutes to go.

The Blazers badly outrebound the Warriors 49-37.  Mullin had 0 rebounds.

The Trailblazers
----------------
The Blazers looked very very good.  Duckworth looks a lot more active than
last year.  Drexler was not 100%, missing shots that he would normally 
make if he was healthy.  However, he still wound up with 31 points on 13 of
27 shooting and 10 boards.  Kersey had a strong game finishing with 20
points and 6 boards.  Elie returned to the Coliseum for the first time
as a Blazer, and had an unimpressive game (21 minutes, 8 points,
2/6 floor, 2 boards).  The scary thing was that with Drexler still hobbled,
and with almost all their key players in early foul trouble, they still
managed to whip the Warriors.

The Blazers look to be the best team in the West again.

Players of the game:
Warriors:  Mullin
Blazers: Porter

-------------------------------
Nov. 15th   G.S. 102 Lakers 105
Game Summary
-------------------------------
Starters:sf,pf,c,pg,og
GS:  Owens, Hill, Gatling, Hardaway, Mullin
Lakers: Worthy, Perkins, Divac, Threatt, Scott

This was another ugly game between the two teams.  At this rate, they
should outlaw any further contests between these two teams.
The big story of this game was the Warriors' 23 turnovers.  Surprisingly,
the veteran players were the ones most guilty.  Mullin had 7 turnovers,
Hardaway 5, and Owens 4.

Nelson decided to shake up the team and match up with the bigger Lakers
by starting a lineup of Hardaway and Mullin in the backcourt, Owens
at small forward, Hill at power forward, and Chris Gatling at center.
In their first meeting with the Lakers, the Warriors immediately double
teamed the Lakers' forwards in the low post.  The Laker forwards responded
by kicking the ball back to Threatt or Scott, and it was the Lakers
backcourt, not their forwards that did most of the damage.  This time,
the Warriors decided to forego the double teaming and go with bigger
players.

This strategy did help the Warriors outrebound the Lakers 50-36.
However, Sam Perkins took advantage of this strategy and scored at will
against Gatling or Hill, forcing the Warriors to play the bigger
Lister and Alexander.  Perkins scored 11 of his 19 points in the first
quarter, pacing the Lakers to a 30-16 lead.  The Warriors closed to within
36-28 by the end of the 1st.  The Warriors led by Jennings and Jeff Grayer
outplayed the Lakers in the 2nd, and took a 55-53 halftime lead.

The Lakers went on a 12-2 run at the beginning of the 4th that put them
up 89-77 with 7 minutes to go.  The Warriors were able to scratch their
way back and were only down 103-97 with 1:20 to go.  Then Victor Alexander
made a critical mistake when his outlet pass went out of bounds after
he had rebounded the ball.  The Warriors were able to get the ball back
and Hardaway hit a 3 to make it 103-100 with 12.5 seconds left.  On
the inbounds, Tony Smith was fouled, and he made both shots.  Hardaway
then made another layup with 5.6 seconds to go.  Worthy was fouled
and he hit one of two free throws.  With 4.5 seconds to go, and the
Warriors out of timeouts, Owens got the ball on the inbounds, dribbled
it down the court, and missed a difficult 3 pointer with Perkins in his
face.

The Lakers
----------------
An ugly win, but a win is a win.  Perkins had a big game early.
Threatt had another great game, both offensively, scoring 24 points,
and guarding Hardaway.  Byron Scott also had a good game with 19 points.
Peeler sat out with a minor injury.  With the poor play of Divac,
the Lakers are being carried by their backcourt.

Players of the game:
G.S.: Owens
Lakers: Sedale Threatt

-------------------------------
Nov. 17th   G.S. 125 Miami 119
Game Summary
-------------------------------

Starters:sf,pf,c,pg,og
GS:  Mullin, Owens, Hill, Hardaway, Sprewell
Miami: Burton, Salley, Seikaly, Coles, Rice

The small backcourt of Tim Hardaway (6'0") and Keith Jennings (5'7")
sparked the Warriors to their win.  Hardaway scored 26, with 13 coming
in quarter 4.  Jennings had 22 points, with
11 of those points coming in the final quarter.  Hardaway also
had 8 rebounds in the 4th.  Hardaway's main weapon was a penetrating
running hook shot.  This opened up the outside shot for the sharpshooter
Jennings who hit on 3 of 3 three-pointers.  The Miami backcourt of
Bimbo Coles and the 6'8" Glen Rice just could not keep up with their
quicker counterparts.

The Warriors overall had a very strong rebounding game, outrebounding
the Heat 50-44.  The Warriors were especially impressive on the offensive
end with 24 boards.  Hill had his best rebounding game of the season
with 14 boards, 8 offensive.  Hardaway also added 11 boards.

The Warriors started out strong and led by 34-28 at the of 1.  However,
the Heat chipped away at the lead and led 61-57 at the half.  Both
Seikaly and Owens sat out much of the first half due to foul trouble.
Owens had only 4 of his 24 points in the first half.  
Miami built up a 13 point lead in the 3rd mostly on the strong play of Seikaly.
However, the Warriors mounted a run and the game was tied 88 all at the end
of 3.  The 4th was a see-saw battle until with 2 minutes to go, Jennings
hit a 3 pointer to build the Warrior lead to 7.  The game was pretty
much over at that point.

The Heat
------------
The Warriors were probably lucky to play the Heat early in the season,
since they were still missing guards Steve Smith and Brian Shaw, and 
power forward Grant Long had just returned from a contract hold-out.
Rony Seikaly had a big night (27 points and 9 rebounds) despite 
being in early foul trouble and playing only 28 minutes.   Most of these
points came in the 2nd half.  John Salley 
also got into foul trouble and ended up with 15 points, 9 boards in 37
minutes of play.  As a result, Grant Long, despite being rusty,
played 27 minutes and did okay with 7 points and 7 rebounds.
When Long gets back in sync, the Heat will have a strong power rotation
of Seikaly, Salley, and Long.

The Heat guards had an off night. Bimbo Coles also got into foul trouble early
and only played 20 minutes, scoring 13 with 3 assists.  With Shaw
and Smith still out,  Kevin Edwards played 35 minutes, scoring 13 on 
only 4 of 13 floor shooting, with 7 assists.  Glen Rice was never
much of a factor.  He finished with a line of 37 minutes, 7/15 floor,
2/2 line, 7 boards, 3 assists, and 17 points.  However, guarding Hardaway
and Jennings seemed to take a lot out of his game.

Rookie Miner only played 6 minutes in the 2nd, but scored a quick 7 points.
However, he was obviously too much of a defensive liability to keep on
the floor for long.  

Obviously, this is a team with a lot of talent that's going to get better.

Players of the game:
G.S.: Jennings
Heat: Seikaly 

-------------------------------
Nov. 19th   G.S. 102 Orlando 126 
Game Summary
-------------------------------
Starters:sf,pf,c,pg,og
GS: Mullin, Owens, Lister, Hardaway, Sprewell
Orlando: Scott, Turner, O'Neal, Skiles, Anderson

The Warriors hung with the Shaq for the first half and even had a 12
point lead in the 2nd quarter.  However, a big outburst by Shaq, Nick
Anderson, and Donald Royal in the 3rd devastated G.S.  Shaq had 10,
Anderson 9, and Donald Royal 8 in the 3rd.  

The game started well for G.S. and they built up a quick 10-2 lead.  They
led 29-19 after 1. G.S.employed an effective strategy of playing 
their center, Lister, above the 3-point arc and drawing the Shaq away 
from the basket. The Warriors were fouling O'Neal hard at every
opportunity, making him earn his points at the line.
However, the Magic started chiseling at the lead, led by Anderson's 
drives to the hole and Scott's 3 point shooting. (Scott finished 5 for 7
in 3 pointers.) Anderson eventually scored 13 in the 2nd. 
The Warriors clung to a 59-57 lead at halftime.

Then the dam broke.  Suddenly, G.S. shooting disappeared.
This generated fast break opportunities for Anderson and Royal.  O'Neal
also contributed mightily with 7 rebounds and 10 points in this stretch.
Within minutes, the Magic were up 81-71.  In the 3rd,
Orlando outscored G.S. 40-22 to take a commanding 97-71 lead.

Meanwhile, the injury bug hit the Warriors.  The Warriors lost Sprewell
in the 2nd with a sprained knee.  Early in the 4th, Billy Owens
stepped on Scott's foot and sprained his ankle.  He had to be helped
from the floor.  At that point, with about 10 minutes left in the game
and the Magic up 95-75, Nelson threw in the towel and pulled Mullin
and Hardaway.  Things got worst when Jennings twisted his knee
later in the period.

The Magic
----------
The Shaq is all and more than that which was advertised.  
He was simply awesome.  The words dominant and devastating come to mind.
There is no way the Warriors can handle a guy with his physical size
and ability.  The Shaq's attitude is also impressive.  On one play, he
dove to the floor for a ball and slid about 20 feet on his belly.

So much attention is focused on him that the rest of his team mates also
play better.  Also, the other players can shoot with confidence
knowing the Shaq is there to grab the boards.   

Orlando certainly has a lot of other good components.  Nick Anderson was
extremely impressive driving to the hoop.  Dennis Scott was a factor all
night with his outside shooting.  With Skiles and Corchiani, they have
a capable couple of point guards.  When Catledge and Williams return at
power forward, they should even be better.

Players of the game:
G.S.: Can't name anybody
Orlando: Shaquille O'Neal

-------------------------------
Nov. 20th   G.S. 110 Charlotte 117 
Game Summary
-------------------------------

Starters:sf,pf,c,pg,og
GS: Mullin, Owens, Hill, Hardaway, Grayer
Charlotte: Johnson, Lynch, Mourning, Bogues, Gill

The Warriors came into this game really hurting.  Alexander was still
away at his brother's funeral; Sprewell sprained his knee against
Orlando and was placed on IR; Jennings hurt his knee against Orlando;
Owens sprained his ankle against Orlando; and Grayer hurt his leg
against Miami.  Thus, the Warriors were left with 7 healthy bodies on the
bench.  Despite their injuries, Owens and Grayer both suited up.

Despite all of these problems, the Warriors led for most of the way and
had a good chance to win the game in regulation.  However, they ran
out of steam in OT with Grayer being further injured, and Houston, Owens, and
Hill fouling out.  

Dell Curry was the big factor in OT.  He returned from the locker room 
in the late 4th, after suffering a cut to the forehead in the 3rd, inflicted 
by the elbow of his teammate Mourning.  Curry scored 11 points for the Hornets 
in OT, including the first 7 of the period.

Besides the hot shooting of Curry, the Hornets were led back by the strong
inside play of Mourning and Larry Johnson.  Mourning finished with 34
points and 14 rebounds, while Johnson had 24 points and 13 rebounds.  
The Warriors were badly outrebound 59-45.  The Hornets had 20 offensive
rebounds.

The Warriors started the game well and were up by 21 in the 2nd quarter.
The Hornets were really cold early scoring only 14 points in the 1st
quarter on 6 of 22 shooting.  Their poor shooting and an aggressive
Warriors defense led to numerous fast break opportunities.

With the injury problems, Mullin and Hardaway played all the way.
Mullin had a hot shooting game(17/32 floor, 8/10 line, 46
points), and Hardaway also had a good game( 24 points, 13 assists).  
Grayer, despite a gimpy leg, had an impressive game with
18 points on 8/15 shooting, 2/6 line.  

The strong inside play of Mourning and Johnson whittled the Warrior's lead down,
but the Warriors still led by 11 at the end of 3.  Then the Hornets
started out the 4th with a 10-0 run, led by J.R. Reid's 5.
The Warriors and Hornets traded baskets down the stretch with Mullin
doing almost all the scoring for the Warriors and Johnson and Mourning
replying for the Warriors.  Curry came in and immediately shot a 3 pointer
to give the Hornets their first lead of the game 94-92.
After Mourning tied the game at 100 all, hitting 1 of 2 free throws, 
the Warriors had the last shot with 23 seconds left in regulation.  
Hardaway brought the ball down the court, watched the clock run down, 
then tried a 17 foot jumper and missed.

The Hornets
------------
The Hornets are going to be tough for anybody with the combination of
Mourning and Johnson.  Though Mourning was not the imposing physical
presence of the Shaq, he was impressive.  He was able to hit from the
outside, and handle the ball well away from the basket.  The outside
shooting of Curry will also help unclog the middle for them.

The Hornet fans have adopted "Zo" as a nickname for Mourning.  It's
pretty weird listening to 23,000 fans chanting "Zo, Zo, Zo."

The Warriors were lucky that Kendall Gill missed most of the game after he
sprained his ankle in the 2nd.  Also, Johnny Newman was out of the game.

The Hornets at full strength are an impressive ballclub.  Probably the only
thing they need is some help at point guard.  Bogues played 44 minutes and 
had 4 points and 14 assists.  The Hornets would be a lot more
effective if somebody else could help with ball-handling duties.

Players of the game:
G.S.: Mullin
Hornets: Alonzo Mourning

Player Grades
-------------
Billy Owens:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	33	6/13	1/2	3/5	3	5	13
Lakers		42	11/21	2/3	2/9	5	2	24
Miami		32	8/16	8/12	2/7	5	4	24
Orlando		29	7/15	0/3	3/7	0	2	14
Charlotte	37	5/14	1/2	3/7	3	6	11

Owens had a down game against Portland.  He was tentative both from the
outside and going to the basket.  He had his best game of the week
against the Lakers.  He started the Miami game very slowly, scoring only
4 in the first half and sat for most of it with foul trouble.  He rebounded
to have a good second half.  He was not much of a factor in the Orlando 
game, and badly sprained his ankle in the early 4th.  He had to be
helped from the floor and it looked like he would have to miss some games.
However, he was able to come back the next night against Charlotte.
Bothered by the ankle, he did not have a good game.  He also drew a 
tough defensive assignment guarding
Mourning.  Mourning had a monster game against him.

Last Week's Grade: A
This Week's Grade: B

Chris Mullin:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	38	12/18	9/12	0/0	4	3	35
Lakers		46	9/20	1/1	1/8	3	3	19
Miami		40	6/15	8/9	0/4	3	3	20
Orlando		33	6/15	3/4	1/7	2	3	16
Charlotte	53	17/32	8/10	2/6	3	3	46

Mullin had a hot shooting night against Portland and kept them in the game
for 3 quarters.  Nelson criticized him after the game for not rebounding
well, so he picked it up board-wise over the next few games.  He had
a turnover prone week with 3 turnovers against Portland, 7 against the
Lakers, 3 against Miami, 4 against Orlando, and 2 against Charlotte.
Against the Lakers, he had one of his worst games ever.  He was
in a shooting slump against Miami and Orlando.  He sat out the whole 4th
in Orlando when it became apparent the Warriors were going to lose.
He did rebound with his best performance of the season against Charlotte.
He pretty much carried the team against the Hornets.
He was helped by the absence of the Hornet's starting small forward,
Johnny Newman.  Newman's replacements, Kevin Lynch and David Wingate had a
difficult time guarding Mullin.

Last Week's Grade: A
This Week's Grade: B

Tim Hardaway:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	36	7/18	3/4	0/1	 9	5	19
Lakers		38	9/20	0/0	0/2	 6	2 	21
Miami		41	10/25	5/8	3/11	 6	3	26
Orlando		33	4/12	3/4	0/5	13	4	11
Charlotte 	53	10/23	2/2	2/7	13	3	24

Hardaway; had an okay game against Portland, but was overshadowed by
Porter.  Porter's size  gives Hardaway a tough defensive assignment.
He had another bad game against the Lakers.  Like the rest of the team, he
was turnover prone in this game, with 5 turnovers.  The team looked a lot
crisper when Jennings was running the show in the 2nd.  Hardaway, as he
usually does, made some big plays in the 4th to make the Lakers game close.
Hardaway had a terrific game against Miami.  He drove to the basket a
lot more than in other games.  This got him to the line more often, gave
him more chances for rebounds, and opened up the game for his backcourt
partner, Jennings.  With Jennings playing point, Hardaway was able to move
without the ball and be more effective.  Hardaway had another tough
shooting game against Orlando, but sat out the 4th when it became obvious
Orlando would win.  He had a good game against Charlotte.

Overall, Hardaway played a bit better this week, but still tries to do
too much by himself.  Too often, he brings the ball down the court,
and takes a jump shot before the rest of the team is set.  This generates
a fast-break opportunity for the other team.  He needs to be more patient
and needs to drive to the hoop more often.

Last Week's Grade: B-
This Week's Grade: B

Latrell Sprewell:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	26	3/7	8/14	2/7	2	2	14
Lakers		10	1/2	0/0	1/1	3	2	 2
Miami		16	2/6	0/1	1/1	0	3	 4
Orlando		27	7/11	2/5	2/3	3	1	16
Charlotte	 0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	 0

Sprewell had a mixed game  against the Blazers.  He was hot early
but made a lot of mistakes near the end of the game.  He did not get
many minutes against the Lakers as Nellie experimented with his lineup.
He also did not get many minutes against Miami as Nellie went to his
tiny backcourt of Hardaway and Jennings.  He had a good game against
Orlando, shooting well early.  He was knocked out in the 2nd quarter
with an injury to the side of his knee.  He did come back and play
garbage time in the 4th however.  He probably should have stayed out
of the game since later the injury was diagnosed as being more serious
than first thought.  Sprewell could not place any weight on his leg the
day after.  He was placed on IR before the Charlotte game.

Last Week's Grade: A-
This Week's Grade: B

Tyrone Hill:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	27	1/3	1/2	0/6	0	5	 3
Lakers		10	1/2	0/0	2/3	0	2	 2
Miami		18	5/8	1/2	8/14	1	3	11	
Orlando		18	2/6	2/3	0/5	0	5	 6
Charlotte	43	2/6	2/2	2/7	0	6	 6

Hill came off the bench against Portland and did a reasonably good job.
He started at power forward against the Lakers and was eaten alive by 
Sam Perkins.  Because Lister and Alexander played well against the Lakers, 
he did not get many minutes.  Hill had his best game of the year against Miami.
He was a big factor in the Warriors outrebounding Miami.  
Hill was overmatched against the Shaq, and Larry Johnson and Mourning.
He would be a lot more effective if there was a bigger body rebounding
beside him.

Last Week's Grade: C+
This Week's Grade: B-

Chris Gatling: 
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts 
Portland	19	4/5	2/4	2/8	1	4	10
Lakers		14	1/4	3/4	1/2	0	3	 5
Miami		15	3/5	0/2	4/4	0	4	 6
Orlando		13	2/4	2/6	4/4	1	2	 6
Charlotte	 4	0/2	1/2	1/1	1	0	 1

Gatling came off the bench and had his best game of the season against the
Blazers.  Robinson is a good matchup for him.  That earned him his first
start of the season against the Lakers.  He responded by having a miserable
game.  After a missed screen for Mullin, Nellie screamed at him and
sent him to the bench.  Then, starting the 2nd at power forward, he botched
a dunk and threw up an air ball.  He was benched the rest of the game.
Gatling continued his miserable play against Miami and Orlando.  By the
time of the Charlotte game, he was so deep in Nelson's doghouse that
Nelson did not play him until the overtime and everyone else had fouled
out of the game.  This despite the Warriors only having 7 healthy bodies
at the start of the game.
Last Week's Grade: B-
This Week's Grade: D+

Jeff Grayer:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	13	1/2	2/2	0/0	2	4	 4
Lakers		13	3/10	0/0	3/4	1	1	 6
Miami		15	2/10	0/1	4/4	0	4	 4
Orlando 	13	0/3	0/0	0/0	1	3	 0
Charlotte	38	8/15	2/6	2/8	5	4	18

Grayer usually comes into the game in the 2nd quarter, plays a few
minutes, misses a few shot attempts, then sits for the rest of the
game.   On the positive side, he performed well in two segments.
He provided a spark against the Lakers alongside Jennings in the 2nd quarter.
Even though he strained a quadricep muscle against Miami , he started 
the Charlotte game and was one of the main reasons the Warriors led through 
most of the game.  He would often create baskets with his drives across the 
lane when nothing else was open.  He sprained the ankle on his gimpy 
leg near the end of the 4th.
Last Week's Grade: B-
This Week's Grade: B-

Victor Alexander:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	 9	2/3	0/0	0/3	0	2	4
Lakers		27	4/9    	1/1	8/12	2	4	9
Miami		 0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0 
Orlando 	 0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0 
Charlotte 	 0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0
Alexander had his best game of the season against the Lakers, being much
more aggressive on the boards than he had been.  He made a critical error
near the end of the game when he threw an outlet pass out of bounds.
On the night before the Miami game, he learned that his brother was
murdered by his girlfriend.  Nelson granted him an indefinite leave of
absence.
Last Week's Grade: B-
This Week's Grade: B

Keith "Mister" Jennings:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	18	3/5	1/2	0/1	6	0	 8
Lakers		15	3/7	0/0	1/4	1	1	 6
Miami		26	8/9	3/4	0/0	2	4	22
Orlando 	18	4/7	3/3	4/4	2	3	12
Charlotte 	 0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	 0

The team often looks a lot crisper when Jennings instead of Hardaway is
running the show.  He provided a real spark in the 2nd against the Lakers.  
He had the biggest game of his career against Miami.  The combination of
Jennings at point and Hardaway at off guard really had the Heat confused.
Jennings was 3/3 on three-pointers in that game.  Against Orlando,
he hyperextended his knee and sat out the Charlotte game.
Last Week's Grade: B
This Week's Grade: B

Jud Buechler
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	10	0/3	0/0	1/4	1	1	 0
Lakers		 0 	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	 0
Miami		24	4/6	0/0	1/3 	3	4	 8
Orlando		26	5/11	1/1	3/3	1	2	11
Charlotte	13	1/5	0/0	2/3	0	3	 2

When called upon to play, he provides some solid if unspectacular minutes.
Last Week's Grade: B
This Week's Grade: B

Byron Houston:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	 1	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
Lakers		12	1/2	0/0	1/2	0	3	2
Miami 		 1	0/2	0/0	1/2	0	0	0
Orlando 	17	1/3	4/4	0/1	1	6	6
Charlotte	18	1/1	0/0	1/6	0	6	2

Houston was the most effective defender against the Shaq.  He also
did a good job against Mourning and Johnson.  Unfortunately, he gets
whistled for a lot of fouls, a lot of them as he bodies his opponent in
the paint.  He probably would have been a much more effective player
last year when they weren't calling those type of fouls so tightly.
Thus, he can't play that many minutes.  Nelson said that he made
a tactical error by not bringing Houston into the Orlando game in the 3rd
to guard the Shaq.  Instead, he was saving Houston's fouls for the 4th.
However, by the beginning of the 4th, the game was out of reach.

Last Week's Grade: C+
This Week's Grade: B-


Alton Lister:
		mins	fg	ft	r(o/t)	a	pf	pts
Portland	10	3/3	0/0	0/2	1	2	6
Lakers		13	3/5	0/0	1/3	0	3	6
Miami		 0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0
Orlando		13	1/5	2/2	1/4	0	5	4
Charlotte	 6	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	3	0

Lister started against Portland and Orlando.  He did a pretty good job
against Duckworth, and Duckworth got into early foul trouble.
He came off the bench for the first time this year against the Lakers
and played pretty well.  Against Orlando, he was effective against
the Shaq in the first half, but not very effective in the 3rd.
Lister's role in this game was to draw O'Neal away from the defensive
boards.  This often left Lister with the open shot from about 18 feet
away.  Unfortunately, he couldn't hit the shot.
Last Week's Grade: B-
This Week's Grade: C+
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro