Reggie Williams from the Sioux Falls Skyforce came up and was looking over my shoulder at the final box score. I told him he'd played a good game and really tore it up in the fourth quarter. He just shook his head.
"I can't believe I fouled out," Williams said. "I think that's the first time I've ever fouled out of a game."
Williams had to look hard to find a blemish on his performance on Sunday afternoon after he and Raymond Sykes carried the Skyforce in the fourth quarter on their way to a 113-106 win. It was a big win for Sioux Falls, who came into the game 1-10 on the road and losers of their last seven away from South Dakota, and there were two big reasons for their win.
1. The run. With Tulsa holding a one-point lead late in the third quarter, Sioux Falls put together a 15-3 run to seize control. Tulsa would never get back within three points the rest of the way, thanks in large part to Sykes and Williams. Tulsa couldn't keep Sykes off the boards as he had 12 points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter. Williams, meanwhile, did what he always does ... score. He finished with a game-high 25 points, including 11 in the final period. Put Williams and Sykes together and they combined to hit 23 of the Skyforce's 35 points in the fourth quarter.
2. Free throws. Looking for a stat that jumps out? How about Sioux Falls shooting 44 free throws (making 34) and Tulsa shooting just 24 (making 18)? That's a 16-point difference at the charity stripe.
"They were aggressive throughout the game and they were rewarded for it," Tulsa head coach Nate Tibbetts said.
Sioux Falls was also aggressive on the boards, outrebounding Tulsa 45-37. How about the Skyforce's Greg Stiemsma's line on the night? Eight points, 10 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists ... a nice set of stats for the big man.
Now it's off to the road for the 66ers, starting with a pair of games against the Utah Flash. Tulsa is 2-1 against Utah this year.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Looking back at Iowa and ahead to Sioux Falls
While talking to Tulsa head coach Nate Tibbetts earlier today, I asked him if Tulsa's 111-87 win over Iowa on Friday night was a measuring stick type of win for him and his team. When you beat the best team in the league (only the sixth time all year they had been beaten) and hand them their worst loss of the season, it's an appopriate time to see exactly where your team is, correct?
"From a player's standpoint, I think it showed once again that we can play with anyone in the league, including the premier teams," Tibbetts told me. "We have to come out, compete, and give ourselves a chance to win. When we do that, our team is moving in the right direction."
Tulsa will try to keep moving in the right direction against a Sioux Falls team that they have beaten three out of four meetings this season, including a 2-0 mark at the Tulsa Convention Center. Those two road losses to open 2010 are just part of a 1-10 road record amassed by the Skyforce this season.
Keeping Sioux Falls struggling on the road will mean that the 66ers will have to try to contain forward Reggie Williams, who comes to Tulsa as the D-League's fifth-leading scorer at 25.8 points per game. Williams has been tough on Tulsa this season, scoring 31 points in each of the two games in Tulsa and exploding for 43 points in an overtime loss to Tulsa at Sioux Falls.
DeVon Hardin is back in the lineup for the 66ers after an injury and will make a difference down low against Williams and D-League shot blocking sensation Greg Stiemsma.
"We have to bring DeVon along slowly," Tibbetts said. "His presence in the paint is huge for us."
Speaking of the paint, Latavious Williams is becoming more and more of a force on the glass. His 18-point, 18-rebound effort in Thursday night's loss had the league buzzing, and he added nine more boards in Friday night's win.
"He's worked hard in practice all year, but he has really ramped it up lately," Tibbetts told me. "It's good to see him have that success because he's worked hard for it. It's all about learning how to be a pro basketball player, and Tay is learning more and more every day."
One more note about Sunday's game ... it is Tulsa's last one at home for a while and marks the beginning of a stretch when the 66ers will only play twice in Tulsa in February (single games against Maine and Springfield). Home court has to be an advantage for Tulsa on Sunday, even if the ice and snow keep the majority of fans from making the game.
"From a player's standpoint, I think it showed once again that we can play with anyone in the league, including the premier teams," Tibbetts told me. "We have to come out, compete, and give ourselves a chance to win. When we do that, our team is moving in the right direction."
Tulsa will try to keep moving in the right direction against a Sioux Falls team that they have beaten three out of four meetings this season, including a 2-0 mark at the Tulsa Convention Center. Those two road losses to open 2010 are just part of a 1-10 road record amassed by the Skyforce this season.
Keeping Sioux Falls struggling on the road will mean that the 66ers will have to try to contain forward Reggie Williams, who comes to Tulsa as the D-League's fifth-leading scorer at 25.8 points per game. Williams has been tough on Tulsa this season, scoring 31 points in each of the two games in Tulsa and exploding for 43 points in an overtime loss to Tulsa at Sioux Falls.
DeVon Hardin is back in the lineup for the 66ers after an injury and will make a difference down low against Williams and D-League shot blocking sensation Greg Stiemsma.
"We have to bring DeVon along slowly," Tibbetts said. "His presence in the paint is huge for us."
Speaking of the paint, Latavious Williams is becoming more and more of a force on the glass. His 18-point, 18-rebound effort in Thursday night's loss had the league buzzing, and he added nine more boards in Friday night's win.
"He's worked hard in practice all year, but he has really ramped it up lately," Tibbetts told me. "It's good to see him have that success because he's worked hard for it. It's all about learning how to be a pro basketball player, and Tay is learning more and more every day."
One more note about Sunday's game ... it is Tulsa's last one at home for a while and marks the beginning of a stretch when the 66ers will only play twice in Tulsa in February (single games against Maine and Springfield). Home court has to be an advantage for Tulsa on Sunday, even if the ice and snow keep the majority of fans from making the game.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Things to watch tonight in Sioux Falls
As the Tulsa 66ers look to move to 4-0 on the season against Sioux Falls tonight in South Dakota, here are three keys to the game.
1. The inside play. Chris Richard looked better last night, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds for Tulsa. However, there were some troubling signs. Sioux Falls outscored Tulsa 66-48 in the paint and outdid Tulsa in blocked shots 7-4 (with Greg Stiemsma having five blocks for the Skyforce). Tulsa and Sioux Falls were even in terms of rebounds last night, and it was Richard grabbing the inside boards and Mustafa Shakur harnessing the long rebounds (he had eight) that paced the 66ers.
Make no mistake that Sioux Falls will look to pound the ball inside to Stiemsma and Keith Brumbaugh tonight.
2. Shakur's play. Tulsa's point guard carried his team when they needed it most last night, including scoring eight of his season-high 32 points in overtime. Will Shakur be able to keep up the pace or will his shoulders be tired tonight? If he can drive and score, then dish off when covered, Tulsa will find success. He is the catalyst of this team and is currently Tulsa's best shot to be a D-League All-Star.
3. Quality minutes. With only eight players going last night for the 66ers, there can be no weak links. Everyone stepped up last night, contributing at different times and in different ways. It's going to take that kind of mentality to pull off another win tonight in Sioux Falls. The old saying, "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" is very appropriate for Tulsa right now.
1. The inside play. Chris Richard looked better last night, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds for Tulsa. However, there were some troubling signs. Sioux Falls outscored Tulsa 66-48 in the paint and outdid Tulsa in blocked shots 7-4 (with Greg Stiemsma having five blocks for the Skyforce). Tulsa and Sioux Falls were even in terms of rebounds last night, and it was Richard grabbing the inside boards and Mustafa Shakur harnessing the long rebounds (he had eight) that paced the 66ers.
Make no mistake that Sioux Falls will look to pound the ball inside to Stiemsma and Keith Brumbaugh tonight.
2. Shakur's play. Tulsa's point guard carried his team when they needed it most last night, including scoring eight of his season-high 32 points in overtime. Will Shakur be able to keep up the pace or will his shoulders be tired tonight? If he can drive and score, then dish off when covered, Tulsa will find success. He is the catalyst of this team and is currently Tulsa's best shot to be a D-League All-Star.
3. Quality minutes. With only eight players going last night for the 66ers, there can be no weak links. Everyone stepped up last night, contributing at different times and in different ways. It's going to take that kind of mentality to pull off another win tonight in Sioux Falls. The old saying, "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" is very appropriate for Tulsa right now.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Inclement weather makes a change in the schedule
After Tulsa's big overtime win on Friday night, the 66ers didn't expect the Skyforce to have another shot at them so soon ... but Mother Nature had other plans.
Due to inclement weather in the Dakotas, the Tulsa 66ers will remain in Sioux Falls and play the Skyforce tomorrow night at 7 p.m., rather than travel to Bismarck and face the Dakota Wizards. The Los Angeles D-Fenders will remain in Bismarck this weekend and will play the Dakota Wizards on Sunday at noon.
More thoughts on this later, but if folks who observe the D-League don't know how valuable Mustafa Shakur is to the 66ers, they need to take up another sport. Shakur carried a team (with only nine players) who desperately needed a win tonight on his back. Nice job Mustafa.
D-League All-Star voters ... put him in the All-Star game!
Due to inclement weather in the Dakotas, the Tulsa 66ers will remain in Sioux Falls and play the Skyforce tomorrow night at 7 p.m., rather than travel to Bismarck and face the Dakota Wizards. The Los Angeles D-Fenders will remain in Bismarck this weekend and will play the Dakota Wizards on Sunday at noon.
More thoughts on this later, but if folks who observe the D-League don't know how valuable Mustafa Shakur is to the 66ers, they need to take up another sport. Shakur carried a team (with only nine players) who desperately needed a win tonight on his back. Nice job Mustafa.
D-League All-Star voters ... put him in the All-Star game!
Thoughts heading into Sioux Falls tonight
Head coach Nate Tibbetts returns to South Dakota tonight as the 66ers begin an important two-game swing through the Dakotas. Tibbetts spend the last four seasons with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, including two as their head coach, so there will be plenty of familiar faces tonight when the 66ers match up with Sioux Falls. However nice the homecoming might be, I'm sure Tibbetts is much more concerned about seeing his Tulsa team get back on track than shaking a few hands and talking about the good old days.
Sioux Falls has a bit of revenge in mind as Tulsa won two games at the Convention Center to start the year, but this is a different 66ers team than the Skyforce saw when they came to Oklahoma ... and Sioux Falls has a missing piece back in its puzzle as well. Greg Stiemsma was injured and did not play in either game for Sioux Falls, and Tulsa heads north without D.J. White in the middle. In addition, Tulsa is only traveling nine to the Dakotas with Zabian Dowdell no longer on the Tulsa roster. Nothing official has come from the 66ers yet, but plenty of social media sites are reporting that Dowdell has left the 66ers to join Unicaja in Spain, part of an exodus of D-Leaguers heading overseas in the last couple of weeks.
Can Tulsa win on the road with nine players this weekend against what should be a stronger Sioux Falls team? Absolutely, but it's going to take the 66ers rediscovering their chemistry (see my previous post) and Chris Richard returning to his old form in the middle.
Stay tuned...
Sioux Falls has a bit of revenge in mind as Tulsa won two games at the Convention Center to start the year, but this is a different 66ers team than the Skyforce saw when they came to Oklahoma ... and Sioux Falls has a missing piece back in its puzzle as well. Greg Stiemsma was injured and did not play in either game for Sioux Falls, and Tulsa heads north without D.J. White in the middle. In addition, Tulsa is only traveling nine to the Dakotas with Zabian Dowdell no longer on the Tulsa roster. Nothing official has come from the 66ers yet, but plenty of social media sites are reporting that Dowdell has left the 66ers to join Unicaja in Spain, part of an exodus of D-Leaguers heading overseas in the last couple of weeks.
Can Tulsa win on the road with nine players this weekend against what should be a stronger Sioux Falls team? Absolutely, but it's going to take the 66ers rediscovering their chemistry (see my previous post) and Chris Richard returning to his old form in the middle.
Stay tuned...
Monday, January 18, 2010
Five things Tulsa has to work on this week before heading to the Dakotas
Tulsa 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts told me after Sunday afternoon’s loss to Erie that his team needed to return to the gym this week and find their chemistry. The 66ers did look to be in a bit of a funk this weekend, which certainly didn’t help as a tough Erie team came to town for a double-header. Erie left town with two wins in two games and Tulsa was left scratching its collective head to figure out exactly what happened.
In my opinion, five things contributed to the two losses this weekend … and they are things that Tulsa will need to correct before heading to the Dakotas for a pair of games this weekend.
1. Chemistry. Coach Tibbetts is right … the team just didn’t seem like the team that won six games in eight outings heading into the Erie series. The home games against Austin and Erie were the first time all season that Tulsa had played without an Oklahoma City Thunder assignee, and it certainly appeared that the team missed the presence of D.J. White (and/or Byron Mullens) this weekend. Chris Richard was signed on Thursday and thrust into action, but he has some more work to do to become the Chris Richard who was an All-Star game selection for Tulsa last season before his injury. Whether it’s learning the Thunder offense or blending in with almost completely different players from last year, Richard needs to be more of a force this weekend in the Dakotas. A Tulsa team with a strong inside presence is a better Tulsa team.
2. Injuries. Tulsa played Sunday afternoon’s game against Erie with just seven players. With big men DeVon Hardin and Steven Hill unavailable (actually Hill is not currently on the roster, but you sense he could be brought back any time), Erie certainly seemed to have its way on the boards at critical moments. Also, Cecil Brown’s groin injury on Saturday night was huge. Brown is one of Tulsa’s best clutch shooters, and he and his 13.5 points per game average was certainly missed. Zabian Dowdell was dressed and sat the bench on Sunday for unspecified reasons, taking away another 66ers playmaker.
3. Shooting. There will be times that shots just won’t fall, and that’s what happened this weekend. Credit a strong Erie defense for an all-around solid game on both days, but Tulsa had its chances both days to come away with a victory. The shots just wouldn’t drop in the end, even though Mustafa Shakur and Larry Owens both had good looks at the basket for game-tying 3-pointers on Sunday.
4. The killer instinct. Both games this weekend, Tulsa took a fourth-quarter lead and had a chance to deliver a knockout punch, but couldn’t hit the shot, get the rebound, or make the pass when it had to do it. It’s the first time this season that Tulsa had been out of synch when it had the opportunity to take the game away from the opposition. The 66ers have to rediscover how to make the critical plays in critical situations this weekend. Some of it comes from confidence, and a frustrated Tulsa team seemed to have its confidence shaken at times this weekend.
5. Individual defense. The 66ers and the parent Thunder are emphatic about defense, and there were times that it just wasn’t there this weekend. Tulsa needs to rediscover its defensive intensity and play the solid man defense that has been lacking at times in the last four games dating back to the Utah win at the D-League Showcase in Boise. I have a feeling Coach Tibbetts will remind his players of that this week in practice.
In my opinion, five things contributed to the two losses this weekend … and they are things that Tulsa will need to correct before heading to the Dakotas for a pair of games this weekend.
1. Chemistry. Coach Tibbetts is right … the team just didn’t seem like the team that won six games in eight outings heading into the Erie series. The home games against Austin and Erie were the first time all season that Tulsa had played without an Oklahoma City Thunder assignee, and it certainly appeared that the team missed the presence of D.J. White (and/or Byron Mullens) this weekend. Chris Richard was signed on Thursday and thrust into action, but he has some more work to do to become the Chris Richard who was an All-Star game selection for Tulsa last season before his injury. Whether it’s learning the Thunder offense or blending in with almost completely different players from last year, Richard needs to be more of a force this weekend in the Dakotas. A Tulsa team with a strong inside presence is a better Tulsa team.
2. Injuries. Tulsa played Sunday afternoon’s game against Erie with just seven players. With big men DeVon Hardin and Steven Hill unavailable (actually Hill is not currently on the roster, but you sense he could be brought back any time), Erie certainly seemed to have its way on the boards at critical moments. Also, Cecil Brown’s groin injury on Saturday night was huge. Brown is one of Tulsa’s best clutch shooters, and he and his 13.5 points per game average was certainly missed. Zabian Dowdell was dressed and sat the bench on Sunday for unspecified reasons, taking away another 66ers playmaker.
3. Shooting. There will be times that shots just won’t fall, and that’s what happened this weekend. Credit a strong Erie defense for an all-around solid game on both days, but Tulsa had its chances both days to come away with a victory. The shots just wouldn’t drop in the end, even though Mustafa Shakur and Larry Owens both had good looks at the basket for game-tying 3-pointers on Sunday.
4. The killer instinct. Both games this weekend, Tulsa took a fourth-quarter lead and had a chance to deliver a knockout punch, but couldn’t hit the shot, get the rebound, or make the pass when it had to do it. It’s the first time this season that Tulsa had been out of synch when it had the opportunity to take the game away from the opposition. The 66ers have to rediscover how to make the critical plays in critical situations this weekend. Some of it comes from confidence, and a frustrated Tulsa team seemed to have its confidence shaken at times this weekend.
5. Individual defense. The 66ers and the parent Thunder are emphatic about defense, and there were times that it just wasn’t there this weekend. Tulsa needs to rediscover its defensive intensity and play the solid man defense that has been lacking at times in the last four games dating back to the Utah win at the D-League Showcase in Boise. I have a feeling Coach Tibbetts will remind his players of that this week in practice.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A pretty simple formula equals a Tulsa loss
When the ball doesn't go in the hole, you're not going to win a lot of games. For Tulsa, Saturday night was the first time in eight games that the 66ers hadn't hit 50 percent or better from the field. It was an uphill battle from the start as Tulsa missed 16 of its first 22 shots. The end result? A 97-91 victory by visiting Erie.
Tulsa finished hitting just 40.8 percent from the field ... but that's a marked improvement in the second half from the 30 percent the 66ers were shooting at intermission.
Let's face it ... teams have games when they're going to shoot poorly, and this was one of those for the 66ers. It happens. It's a fact of basketball that it will happen. However, don't overlook the early injury to Cecil Brown as a big factor in Tulsa's shooting woes. Brown, who Tulsa head coach Nate Tibbetts says always hits a big shot in every game, appeared to pull his groin less than four minutes into the game and never returned. He didn't score in the contest, and his 13.5 points per contest were sorely missed by Tulsa on Saturday night.
Despite the cold shooting night, Tulsa battled back from a 14-point deficit to take an 87-86 lead on Deron Washington’s follow dunk with 3:35 to play. Erie, however, would finish the game on an 11-4 run, including hitting five of six free throws in the game’s final minute, to ice the victory.
"I can't fault our effort, especially in the second half," Tibbetts told me after the game. "We gave ourselves a chance, but we didn’t make the plays that we needed to make if we were going to win the game."
Basketball memories in the D-League are very shortlived with back-to-back scheduling. Tulsa will need to erase Saturday night quickly if they're going to earn a split with a streaking Erie team that has won five of their last six games.
Tulsa finished hitting just 40.8 percent from the field ... but that's a marked improvement in the second half from the 30 percent the 66ers were shooting at intermission.
Let's face it ... teams have games when they're going to shoot poorly, and this was one of those for the 66ers. It happens. It's a fact of basketball that it will happen. However, don't overlook the early injury to Cecil Brown as a big factor in Tulsa's shooting woes. Brown, who Tulsa head coach Nate Tibbetts says always hits a big shot in every game, appeared to pull his groin less than four minutes into the game and never returned. He didn't score in the contest, and his 13.5 points per contest were sorely missed by Tulsa on Saturday night.
Despite the cold shooting night, Tulsa battled back from a 14-point deficit to take an 87-86 lead on Deron Washington’s follow dunk with 3:35 to play. Erie, however, would finish the game on an 11-4 run, including hitting five of six free throws in the game’s final minute, to ice the victory.
"I can't fault our effort, especially in the second half," Tibbetts told me after the game. "We gave ourselves a chance, but we didn’t make the plays that we needed to make if we were going to win the game."
Basketball memories in the D-League are very shortlived with back-to-back scheduling. Tulsa will need to erase Saturday night quickly if they're going to earn a split with a streaking Erie team that has won five of their last six games.
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