Of late, West's play going south
HOUSTON -- Ordinarily, Delonte West would play his best basketball in March. But in his first professional season, March Madness has taken on a different meaning for West. For those who watched West make what appeared a relatively seamless transition to the NBA, his recent struggles have been a bit maddening.
After going 105 minutes 45 seconds without a turnover, West began a less celebrated streak, one in which he's struggled to score. West had not scored in three straight games before scoring 5 points in eight minutes during last night's victory over the Rockets. Before that, he managed just 2 points in games against Atlanta and Detroit. One reason for the downturn in production is a decrease in playing time, but coach Doc Rivers sees that as the effect of poor play, not the cause. Still, neither West nor Rivers seems particularly concerned.
"I wouldn't say I'm struggling, but the back end of the season, teams are starting to see the light and playing harder," said West before the game. "It's tougher for younger guys to come in and get a groove. We're not playing as much time as we were earlier in the season. We've just got to remain confident, continue to take shots that are available, and get what you can. Whatever time you're playing, you still have to make the best out of it. I'm in a slump right now."
Sucker hunch
The biggest drama of the fourth quarter came with 59.7 seconds remaining when Paul Pierce and Bobby Sura were tossed for jawing at each other. For Pierce, it was all in good fun. For Sura, it was a clear case of frustration.
"Their frustration was kicking in," said Pierce. "I was having a good time. He was just trying to sucker me into doing something. But I can't get caught up into that because it takes away from my team. I can't be selfish. It is what it is and I've just got to move on."
Few perks to job
As far as homecomings go, it wasn't much. Then again, it was the first time Kendrick Perkins returned to his home area (he's from nearby Beaumont) in uniform. But that was no guarantee of playing time, and Perkins recorded his sixth straight DNP-CD. Lately, only his teammates have seen him play. Even with a group of 20 friends and family in attendance at the
"I just go hard in practice, work hard every day, and stay focused," said Perkins. "That's about it. I'm learning a lot [from Antoine Walker], how to have patience on the block, how to swing the ball. He's a great low-post player."
But Perkins remains only foul trouble or an injury away from more minutes.
"[His playing time] depends on the game," said Rivers. "Right now, Al [Jefferson] and Mark [Blount] are in front of him. That doesn't mean on a given night Perk's not going to come in and help us, or if one of those guys is in foul trouble or not playing well. But he's working his butt off. He's doing all the things we're asking him to do. He has shown great attitude."
