Getting GIFfy wit’ it: Ryan Anderson discovers fire
We will get to Anthony Davis being a terrifying force of nature in a bit, but today we decided to start with Ryan Anderson. Because, well the headline for the next section should make it clear.
Ryan Anderson is Really Good.
Those last few points were pretty high on the fluff scale, but they counted. In fact, all 32 of Anderson’s points counted, because that’s the way scorekeeping works. At one point, he had 18 points in about eight minutes. That is a lot. Ryan Anderson was as hot in the first half as Tyreke was cold in the second.
There is only one way I can think to demonstrate this:
Fire and Ice (3)
And now, Anthony Davis
“Hmmmm,” Bob wondered stupidly, “I wonder if Anthony Davis is actually maybe bad?” Being dumb and awful was Bob’s favorite thing, and he did it always.
Outside in the grass through the window that Bob was looking at a deer (with a body built of mammal parts) fell in a hole. It was in the rain too. This deer scene was actually a metaphor for Bob, who was both the hole and the collapsed deer pile equally and simultaneously in life which made that metaphor even better than the reader first thought.
The clock struck midnight, The Hour of Burden. A bird wept.
-from MontaWorldPeace’s eventual novel
Foolish Bob Let’s Everyone Down; Especially Himself
The fact is that not every game can have an Anthony Davis super highlight spectacular menagerie explosion. Sometimes we just get a couple gerbils of amazement and a bit of other stuff. Let’s look at some other stuff:
Some Other Stuff
Hustle.
Length.
Turkey.
As far as one-off plays absent of a greater theme go, these are the moments that stood out. Davis ran a bit and reached a lot, and Omer Asik had a nifty dunk. Bob may be an idiot, but he was right in noticing that Davis was a little subdued. He just had a quiet 27 and 14 like your typical unstoppable monster. But…
…If This Had Gone In…
… some other beautiful part of creation would have had to be destroyed to make room for it. Davis is showing a stronger affinity and ability for the jumper this year, but now the idea that that shot could stretch beyond the arc is in the ether. It’s possible, and, if there is good in the world, it’s going to happen. For a second and a half, this shot seemed like the moment. For a second and a half, everyone watching held their breath.
I’m overselling it. The point is that it was a better shot than this:
Recommended Listening: “I Believe I Can Fly” by R Kelly
This miss is meaningless, but it’s fun. That’s enough reason to put it here. It also gives us a nice segue into…
Men lie women lie BUCKETS DNP
I swear this isn’t a Cleveland piece, but certain things need to be discussed. Dion Waiters didn’t play last night. Considering Dion Waiters is
- The Best
- The Greatest
- My Favorite
I was upset by this. When the Pelicans face off with the Cavs in the finals, I’m expecting a whole quarter where the rest of their teams fall to the side so that Dion and Eric Gordon can decide the game one-on-one.
Get well, Dion.
What’s worse than not playing? Let’s take a look at what Eric Gordon did last night.
Oops, that was from a game ago. Oops, it’s still awful. The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Highlight Verdict: Go away.
Tyreke Evans Taking Shots at the Rim With All the Elegance of Chucking Rolled Up Socks at a Sleeping Dog
We truly didn’t need Gordon’s help to get our share of bad plays. I mean, look at some of these.
To be fair to Evans, I have said mean things in these pieces about his runs into the paint rarely resulting in plays for other players, and that changed against Cleveland. He had some great drives that ended in assists. But the drives that didn’t end in assists? You can’t spell “there were no assists” without a certain three letter word that I am not allowed to put here. They won’t let you.
That doesn’t even really make sense, but the intention to insult was there. Does this make it right? No. But could it? No.
And that’s it. We’re done here. But if there are any plays that stood out to you that you would like reproduced in GIF form, leave a comment below. Alternatively, you can contact us on twitter @PelicanDebrief or me personally at @MontaWorldPeace if you really want attention. I respond well to bribes, sandwiches, and clever reinterpretations of Our Lady Peace lyrics.