Post by Belgrade on Nov 15, 2015 16:43:26 GMT
Belgrade -- The season started off with the future looking very bright. Off to a 6-2 start, KK Partizan put the league on notice: we are for real. Unfortunately, those early season wins proved to be nothing more than a tease. With an injury to Brent Barry - which caused Kenny Fields to be inserted into the starting lineup - the team would go on to lose 8 straight before putting a stop to the bleeding. However, even in the worst of times, there were positive signs in the works.
By November 20th, the team upped the minutes of all its starters in an effort to squeak out wins until Brent Barry was reinserted into the lineup. The after-effect of this decision proved to be an astronomically wise decision - it allowed the budding twin towers of Marc Gasol and Andrew Bynum to show the league what they are capable of.
A team meeting was held after KK Partizan dropped their 4th straight to hit 6-6. The GM came into the locker room and asked if the coach needed to be hired. Both big men were quick to defend the coach and acknowledged the responsibility lies on the team as a whole. "We all just want to win" they stated. This, however, was not enough to prevent them from dropping another four in a row before breaking the 8-game losing streak with two successive victories over .500ish teams.
On this day, Bynum went off for 23 points and 17 rebounds. In the next 16 games, he'd put up 12 double doubles including some flat out dirty ones. His averages during this stretch: 19.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.5 BPG. His game log included back-to-back stat lines of 25 points and 12 rebounds plus 26 points and 12 rebounds in consecutive losses to Rio de Janeiro, 29 points and 12 rebounds versus Newcastle where Bynum outscored, outrebounded and outblocked Hakeem Olajuwon, and 33 points plus 14 rebounds against Los Angeles in a duel against Bill Russell.
On November 22nd, Gasol recovered from two horrible performances to put up 18 points and 8 rebounds. He'd go on to net 9 double doubles in 15 games. During this period, he averaged 17.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.2 BPG. Some of Gasol's finest games included 21 points and 16 rebounds plus 4 blocks against Rio de Janeiro, 25 points and 12 rebounds and 3 blocks against Toronto, and 27 points and 9 rebounds plus 5 blocks against Buenos Aires, and 16 points, 15 rebounds (8 offensive) and 6 blocks against Mikawa's outstanding front line.
In sum, this two headed monster has developed into one of the most formidable front lines in the league by combining for almost 37 PPG, 22 RPG, 4 APG and almost 4 BPG. They've staved off a potential spiral downward into oblivion and contention for a top pick by putting the team on their shoulders and just fighting and clawing for every win. With Brent Barry back in the lineup and Kenny Fields nowhere near the court, it's not hard to envision the team going back to playing .600+ ball.
By November 20th, the team upped the minutes of all its starters in an effort to squeak out wins until Brent Barry was reinserted into the lineup. The after-effect of this decision proved to be an astronomically wise decision - it allowed the budding twin towers of Marc Gasol and Andrew Bynum to show the league what they are capable of.
A team meeting was held after KK Partizan dropped their 4th straight to hit 6-6. The GM came into the locker room and asked if the coach needed to be hired. Both big men were quick to defend the coach and acknowledged the responsibility lies on the team as a whole. "We all just want to win" they stated. This, however, was not enough to prevent them from dropping another four in a row before breaking the 8-game losing streak with two successive victories over .500ish teams.
On this day, Bynum went off for 23 points and 17 rebounds. In the next 16 games, he'd put up 12 double doubles including some flat out dirty ones. His averages during this stretch: 19.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 1.5 BPG. His game log included back-to-back stat lines of 25 points and 12 rebounds plus 26 points and 12 rebounds in consecutive losses to Rio de Janeiro, 29 points and 12 rebounds versus Newcastle where Bynum outscored, outrebounded and outblocked Hakeem Olajuwon, and 33 points plus 14 rebounds against Los Angeles in a duel against Bill Russell.
On November 22nd, Gasol recovered from two horrible performances to put up 18 points and 8 rebounds. He'd go on to net 9 double doubles in 15 games. During this period, he averaged 17.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, and 2.2 BPG. Some of Gasol's finest games included 21 points and 16 rebounds plus 4 blocks against Rio de Janeiro, 25 points and 12 rebounds and 3 blocks against Toronto, and 27 points and 9 rebounds plus 5 blocks against Buenos Aires, and 16 points, 15 rebounds (8 offensive) and 6 blocks against Mikawa's outstanding front line.
In sum, this two headed monster has developed into one of the most formidable front lines in the league by combining for almost 37 PPG, 22 RPG, 4 APG and almost 4 BPG. They've staved off a potential spiral downward into oblivion and contention for a top pick by putting the team on their shoulders and just fighting and clawing for every win. With Brent Barry back in the lineup and Kenny Fields nowhere near the court, it's not hard to envision the team going back to playing .600+ ball.
