elmocarp
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Things have been kind of slow around here and I have been thinking about this on and off for a while now so I figured it might be an interesting thread topic...
Going into the UNC game, I was very, very pessimistic about OU's chances. I thought they were the toughest draw in the entire field for OU and that they were way too talented to overcome the advantage they had in style of play. Basically, they played a style that would give OU the most trouble and they were also the most talented team in the country. So basically, I didn't hold out too much hope.
Then the game started and I don't know what it was like for anyone else, but it was brutal for me to watch. I just didn't want to see last year's team go out without competing, and that was what it felt like to watch.
Well, after the game I didn't want to talk much about it at all. I didn't want to say anything that sounded negative or anything, and I definitely didn't want to sound like a whiny, excuse-maker (Syracuse fans anyone?). So I basically didn't say anything about it.
Well, recently I had to do some pretty significant rearranging at my office and I decided to watch the game again while I worked. As you might imagine, it wound up sucking me in and I sat there and watched most of the game. So here are some observations...
The thing that really jumped out to me is that Capel really put the guys in a position to win that game. They had a great plan on defense, really holding down Hansbrough and Ellington, and though he certainly had a big impact on the game, they kept Lawson from going crazy. Danny Green absolutely killed them, not just with his productivity, but when the plays came.
Offensively, I loved some of the things Capel did. He did a lot of different things to get Blake the ball in different places and I was thrilled that he tried to use some pick and roll with Blake and Willie (though Willie wasn't quite up to it). As much as I hate to say it (because it really does sound whiny), I really think that OU was prepared and put in a position to win the game but just couldn't hit their shots. Now, to be sure, that's a major part of playing basketball and I think we all worried about what would happen if Crocker and AJ both took a night off. I was just surprised that watching it now, knowing the outcome and not being emotional about it that I came to the conclusion that Capel really had those guys ready and that they had a great plan for beating UNC.
I also decided that last season's team was one of the most snakebitten teams OU has had. They went 30-6 and had the National Player of the Year, but it was like they just were never meant to achieve big things. We all built up the stretch at the end of the year that would start in Austin, then Blake gets that freak concussion that costs us the games at Texas and against Kansas, which in turn leads to us having to suffer the indignity of Kansas getting the regular season Big 12 title after we started out 25-1 (11-0). Then, after Capel goes 5-1 against the pokes in 3 seasons, we have to suffer that sickening 1 point loss in the Big 12 tourney and watch Missou get the conference championship. Thank God for the Syracuse win, because it would have really been a lost year otherwise.
I say all this just to point out that last season's team was a lot better than I think people realize and also more than people will remember. I think most people will think of last season as the year of Blake Griffin. But Capel really did some very nice things last year in how he managed the games, managed distractions (both from success and negative stuff) and he clearly showed that he could bring guys along and get big contributions from them. As much as Blake meant to the team, I think sometimes we only give Jeff love as a recruiter and don't recognize enough his talents as a coach.
Going into the UNC game, I was very, very pessimistic about OU's chances. I thought they were the toughest draw in the entire field for OU and that they were way too talented to overcome the advantage they had in style of play. Basically, they played a style that would give OU the most trouble and they were also the most talented team in the country. So basically, I didn't hold out too much hope.
Then the game started and I don't know what it was like for anyone else, but it was brutal for me to watch. I just didn't want to see last year's team go out without competing, and that was what it felt like to watch.
Well, after the game I didn't want to talk much about it at all. I didn't want to say anything that sounded negative or anything, and I definitely didn't want to sound like a whiny, excuse-maker (Syracuse fans anyone?). So I basically didn't say anything about it.
Well, recently I had to do some pretty significant rearranging at my office and I decided to watch the game again while I worked. As you might imagine, it wound up sucking me in and I sat there and watched most of the game. So here are some observations...
The thing that really jumped out to me is that Capel really put the guys in a position to win that game. They had a great plan on defense, really holding down Hansbrough and Ellington, and though he certainly had a big impact on the game, they kept Lawson from going crazy. Danny Green absolutely killed them, not just with his productivity, but when the plays came.
Offensively, I loved some of the things Capel did. He did a lot of different things to get Blake the ball in different places and I was thrilled that he tried to use some pick and roll with Blake and Willie (though Willie wasn't quite up to it). As much as I hate to say it (because it really does sound whiny), I really think that OU was prepared and put in a position to win the game but just couldn't hit their shots. Now, to be sure, that's a major part of playing basketball and I think we all worried about what would happen if Crocker and AJ both took a night off. I was just surprised that watching it now, knowing the outcome and not being emotional about it that I came to the conclusion that Capel really had those guys ready and that they had a great plan for beating UNC.
I also decided that last season's team was one of the most snakebitten teams OU has had. They went 30-6 and had the National Player of the Year, but it was like they just were never meant to achieve big things. We all built up the stretch at the end of the year that would start in Austin, then Blake gets that freak concussion that costs us the games at Texas and against Kansas, which in turn leads to us having to suffer the indignity of Kansas getting the regular season Big 12 title after we started out 25-1 (11-0). Then, after Capel goes 5-1 against the pokes in 3 seasons, we have to suffer that sickening 1 point loss in the Big 12 tourney and watch Missou get the conference championship. Thank God for the Syracuse win, because it would have really been a lost year otherwise.
I say all this just to point out that last season's team was a lot better than I think people realize and also more than people will remember. I think most people will think of last season as the year of Blake Griffin. But Capel really did some very nice things last year in how he managed the games, managed distractions (both from success and negative stuff) and he clearly showed that he could bring guys along and get big contributions from them. As much as Blake meant to the team, I think sometimes we only give Jeff love as a recruiter and don't recognize enough his talents as a coach.
