# Pistons at Memphis, 1/19/09 @5:30PM



## Ruff Draft

*@*









*Starting Line-Ups*
Rodney Stuckey - Kyle Lowry
Allen iverson - O.J. Mayo
Rip Hamilton - Rudy Gay
Tayshaun Prince - Darrell Arthur
Rasheed Wallace - Marc Gasol

*Injuries*

Darko Milicic - Hand

*Match-Up of the Night*








*VS.*













​


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## Ruff Draft

Stuckey shoukd bounce back against a guy like Lowry. 

Mayo sure can physically defend A.I., but is he smart enough to?

Tayshaun should have a huge game against Arthur.

Gasol is the kind of guy that can give our team trouble. I hope Rasheed can keep him in check, and Amir can come in and keep it up.


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## bball2223

Mayo and Gay should get their's. Other than those two they don't really have much to sneeze at. We need to win this game. You think Mayo would guard AI? I would figure Lowry would guard AI and Mayo would guard Stuckey. Stuckey should have a chance to have a great game with Lowry on him. Lowry is a pest of a defender though.


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## Ruff Draft

Lowry will give the ballhandler plenty of grief, but I don't think his foot speed is really there to catch up with our penetrating guards.

I'm not sure about who they'll assign to us, but I think Mayo guarding Iverson gives them a much bigger advantage than on Stuckey.


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## ChrisWoj

AI should tear up Mayo. He's tenacious and a future all-defense team player. But, he's also young and makes mistakes. I really hope they put him on AI. If they put him on Stuckey, Stuckey could be flustered by his tenacity (I doubt it, but we saw what happened in Portland).


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## Chan Ho Nam

would be a shame if we lost this one, already 5 losses in a row, not since Jan 2003


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## Ruff Draft

http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/DETMEM_090119_gameday.html



> *SCOUTING REPORT:* Memphis takes the same five-game losing streak into the Martin Luther King Jr. matinee that the Pistons hold, the Grizzlies having lost nine of their last 10 to sit at 11-28 overall. The bright point of Memphis’ season has been the immediate emergence of O.J. Mayo as a foundation piece and potential future star. Mayo has averaged 19.4 points in 38 minutes a night and is a 3-point threat at .379 from the arc. Together with third-year small forward Rudy Gay (18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds), they give Memphis a dynamic 1-2 scoring punch. Memphis has also been encouraged by the play of rookie Marc Gasol (11.3, 7.1) , Pau’s brother whose rights Memphis acquired when they traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers last February. Gasol is the only true big man in Memphis’ rotation with Darko Milicic out injured. Rookie Darrell Arthur has moved into the starting lineup but still played only five minutes in Memphis’ most recent game, a Friday night loss at home to Utah. Point guard is job shared by third-year pro Kyle Lowry and second-year lottery pick Mike Conley, who went 11 spots higher in the 2007 draft than Rodney Stuckey. They combine to average 15.6 points and 7.0 assists. Hakim Warrick gives Memphis 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds a game off the bench, which is augmented by vets Marko Jaric, Greg Buckner and, recently, Darius Miles. The Grizzlies, who are 3-17 against winning teams, have come by their record honestly. They rank last in the league in field-goal percentage defense, rebounding and assists and are 29th in 3-point shooting percentage.





> *PISTONS PERSPECTIVE:* Tayshaun Prince aggravated a groin strain first incurred Friday night at Oklahoma City in Saturday’s loss to New Orleans and might be subpar and Rip Hamilton had an ice bag on his hyperextended right elbow after the Hornets game. Michael Curry hinted before Saturday’s game that the New Orleans and Memphis games would be something of a proving ground for the small lineup or other changes could be in order. Memphis isn’t likely to punish the Pistons for going small, given its lack of big men and weak rebounding status. This is likely one of those games where Curry will be forced to cross match in the backcourt, putting Allen Iverson on either Lowry or Conley and letting Stuckey guard Mayo. It also could be a game where Will Bynum re-enters the rotation, given his ability to penetrate and Memphis’ lack of interior defenders to thwart his penetration – especially if Hamilton or Prince are limited and force Curry to dig deeper into his perimeter rotation. Jason Maxiell, coming off a strong 18-minute effort against New Orleans after not playing in the previous two games, almost certainly earned himself a more prominent role going forward. The Pistons have sunk to 27th in points and free-throw shooting, though their defensive rankings have risen dramatically – fourth in points per game and sixth in field-goal percentage defense.


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## Ruff Draft

Meeting tomorrow in the D about what guard will lead the second unit.


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## bball2223

Ruff Draft said:


> Meeting tomorrow in the D about what guard will lead the second unit.


:clap:


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## Ruff Draft

I think A.I. works better with Stuck, and he would work better at the point off the pine. All the other guys have to do off the bench is defend, rebound, and hit open shots. A.I. can be A.I. again.


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## bball2223

Damn somebody needs to box out Gasol. That guy at least acts like he has some testicular fortitude (nh) unlike his brother. He has like 5 offensive boards so far.


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## Ruff Draft

Conley is better off traded. They don't need a passing, ball-handling point guard. O.J. Mayo will be their guard, Lowry does fine next to a guy like that.


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## Ruff Draft

bball2223 said:


> Damn somebody needs to box out Gasol. That guy at least acts like he has some testicular fortitude (nh) unlike his brother. He has like 5 offensive boards so far.


Marc is what every center should be.


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## bball2223

What I don't like is he will get an offensive board and look to kick it out. Go up and try to score, if they double down kick it out. 

Iverson finished that quarter strong. He is scoring the ball very well so far.


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## Ruff Draft

I'd like Warrick in detroit.


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## jvanbusk

Wow, sounds like Rip is being a bad apple in that halftime interview. :sarcasm:


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## bball2223

:lol: At David Aldridge. Was that necessary in the middle of the game? Nothing the media does ever suprises me anymore however.


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## Sliccat

The contrast between the first and second quarters highlights the problem. Between Stuckey, Hamilton and Iverson, only one of them can be really comfortable at the same time.


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## jvanbusk

At least I'm not the only one that is completely off my rocker...

Kenny Smith just brought up the Tayshaun idea as well. It's an idea that I don't prefer, but it did cross my mind.


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## bball2223

Damn Chris Webber. And :lol: at Kenny Smith. Take Prince out the starting lineup? FOH


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## bball2223

jvanbusk said:


> At least I'm not the only one that is completely off my rocker...
> 
> Kenny Smith just brought up the Tayshaun idea as well. It's an idea that I don't prefer, but it did cross my mind.


I will admit I thought about it for a second as well. I just think it's an awful idea.


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## ChrisWoj

C'mon Pistons! 177 total points, get me some money! It looks like 2/3 of my parley is going to work out (had GS > Wash by 4.5, Pistons over Memphis same).


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## ChrisWoj

And to add to the conversation... I have never once thought about taking Prince out of the starting lineup. And I am glad that I missed that segment because I don't want to hear it brought up. Yikes, talk about horrendous ideas!


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> And to add to the conversation... I have never once thought about taking Prince out of the starting lineup. And I am glad that I missed that segment because I don't want to hear it brought up. Yikes, talk about horrendous ideas!


I think Tayshaun playing 30-35 minutes off the bench is a better idea than playing 40+ and starting at the 4. Tayshaun Prince playing the 4 is such a bad, bad joke.

I have no idea how this guy is going to have anything left at the end of the year, with the amount of time he has logged.


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## ChrisWoj

Our guards are torching them. Like I said before: Mayo isn't someone I'm worried about, he's tenacious and will be an all defensive team guy but he's not there yet and smarter veteran guards can really work him.


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## jvanbusk

You know somethings got to be done when Marc Gasol is destroying you.

I feel like I'm watching my Wolverines right now.


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## ChrisWoj

jvanbusk said:


> I think Tayshaun playing 30-35 minutes off the bench is a better idea than playing 40+ and starting at the 4. Tayshaun Prince playing the 4 is such a bad, bad joke.
> 
> I have no idea how this guy is going to have anything left at the end of the year, with the amount of time he has logged.


Okay, yes benching him might be better than playing him at the 4. But I'm considering the options as either him being benched or one of the guards being benched. I'd much rather see one of the guards benched and Prince put back at the 3. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of him continuing to be stuck playing the 4.


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## Chan Ho Nam

the Pistons ought to feed Tayshaun some carbs

Gasol is the man


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## ChrisWoj

jvanbusk said:


> You know somethings got to be done when Marc Gasol is destroying you.
> 
> I feel like I'm watching my Wolverines right now.


He isn't really destroying us. He's a 13/8 guy over the past month of games. He's got 8 points, and 8 rebounds right now. He's on pace for his usual scoring output and having a very good night on the glass. Hardly destroying us.


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## ChrisWoj

The hell is up with the Gasol brothers and looking like they're homeless?


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## ChrisWoj

Ugh. Darrel Arthur with some great energy for them, but its kinda annoying for me to watch as a Pistons fan.


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## ChrisWoj

I've noticed that Stuckey really comes alive when he's playing against other young guards. He lit Derrick Rose the hell up, and now he's playing very solid against OJ Mayo tonight.


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> Okay, yes benching him might be better than playing him at the 4. But I'm considering the options as either him being benched or one of the guards being benched. I'd much rather see one of the guards benched and Prince put back at the 3. I wasn't thinking of it in terms of him continuing to be stuck playing the 4.


Like I indicated in the other thread, I really think I'd prefer to see Tayshaun to the bench before Rip to the bench. I really like the pro's of putting him there, main one being you limit his minutes to 30-35 a game.

Start him off there, and bring him in after 6 minutes for any one of the three guards. He goes on to play most of the rest of the night. 

The biggest problem with this lineup to me, is the lack of size and not Rip Hamilton's deficiencies. If you put another big body in there to guard the paint I think it would be a huge help.

That said, I still think the best thing for this team would be bringing Iverson off the bench. I can just picture the type of success he could have in that role.


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## ChrisWoj

Good foul by Sheed. I tell y'all what Marc could wind up better than Pau in the long run. He's a more conventional player than Pau, in that he plays down low more but in that way he could wind up a more efficient player and a better rebounder.


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> He isn't really destroying us. He's a 13/8 guy over the past month of games. He's got 8 points, and 8 rebounds right now. He's on pace for his usual scoring output and having a very good night on the glass. Hardly destroying us.


He's got like 7 offensive rebounds. I consider that "destroying us".


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## ChrisWoj

jvanbusk said:


> Like I indicated in the other thread, I really think I'd prefer to see Tayshaun to the bench before Rip to the bench. I really like the pro's of putting him there, main one being you limit his minutes to 30-35 a game.
> 
> Start him off there, and bring him in after 6 minutes for any one of the three guards. He goes on to play most of the rest of the night.
> 
> The biggest problem with this lineup to me, is the lack of size and not Rip Hamilton's deficiencies. If you put another big body in there to guard the paint I think it would be a huge help.
> 
> That said, I still think the best thing for this team would be bringing Iverson off the bench. I can just picture the type of success he could have in that role.


Do you really want Rip starting against guys like LeBron James and Paul Pierce? He'd get lit-the-****-up.


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## ChrisWoj

jvanbusk said:


> He's got like 7 offensive rebounds. I consider that "destroying us".


Meh. Someone that's destroying you is putting those offensive rebounds directly back into the hoop. He's not doing that. And one of those 6 ORebs is a free throw that caromed back to his hands, little luck involved.


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## Chan Ho Nam

we dont have a backup 3 do we?

Tay needs rest before postseason


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## ChrisWoj

Thought they'd need a timeout there, things started moving FAST... but Stuckey seems to be learning and slowed down the team on his own. Good! Considering what a horrible job he did slowing things down against Portland I'm happy to see that.

Not quite so happy to see this techie on Max, what the hell happened? What'd I miss?


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> Do you really want Rip starting against guys like LeBron James and Paul Pierce? He'd get lit-the-****-up.


No, I don't. 

But it's not like those types are just going to be completely shut down by Tayshaun.


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## Ruff Draft

I'm all for letting Tayshaun rest, but now benching him.


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> Thought they'd need a timeout there, things started moving FAST... but Stuckey seems to be learning and slowed down the team on his own. Good! Considering what a horrible job he did slowing things down against Portland I'm happy to see that.
> 
> Not quite so happy to see this techie on Max, what the hell happened? What'd I miss?


Speaking of Max, I found it interesting that nobody has brought up the comments he made recently to the media....


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## Ruff Draft

jvanbusk said:


> Speaking of Max, I found it interesting that nobody has brought up the comments he made recently made to the media....


I haven't read a damn thing.


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## ChrisWoj

GREAT EFFORT. FANTASTIC! The extra passes from Rip to AI and then the pass to Max! Great ball movement despite the shot clock running down to get Max to the line. He may not have converted them both but oh well, great ball movement despite the harried nature of the possession.


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## ChrisWoj

jvanbusk said:


> Speaking of Max, I found it interesting that nobody has brought up the comments he made recently made to the media....


Plz elaborate, kthx.


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## Chan Ho Nam

impressive move by Lowry


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## ChrisWoj

On the one hand I am very glad it was a high scoring quarter, keeps my bet on the over (177 total points) alive, but the fact that Memphis is winning puts my bet on the Pistons by 4.5 in danger.


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## jvanbusk

http://www.freep.com/article/20090117/SPORTS03/901170368/1051/SPORTS03/A.I.++Chemistry+is+not+there



> STUCK ON THE BENCH: Backup power forward Jason Maxiell appears to be in Curry's doghouse as he received his second consecutive DNP-coach's decision against the Thunder.
> 
> And that's saying something since everybody else played in the game that was in garbage time in the closing minutes of the Thunder's 10-point victory.
> 
> Maxiell, who is in his fourth season and signed a contract extension before the season, admitted to frustration before the game, but is trying to stay positive.
> 
> "It's coming to a point in my career where it's getting old to me," Maxiell said. "I'm coming up on my fourth year already.
> 
> "It's getting to the point where I would like some consistency and see where it leads."



I don't blame him, just like I don't blame Rip Hamilton for the comments he made in a conversation he had with McCoskey.


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## ChrisWoj

Jeff Lewis, the Guild, & various commercials









Marc Iavaroni, Memphis Grizzlies Coach.


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## ChrisWoj

I love it. They're really hitting the extra pass with no urgency as the shot clock runs down. Very nice.


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## Chan Ho Nam

i haven't seen the Pistons play defense in a long time, maybe they can this quarter for a change, we got a big lineup

i like that we're using Maxiell more but give Amir some burn


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## ChrisWoj

Bah, Mayo can fill it up. Dammit. Now if only we could convert on these extra chances off the offensive glass. Foul on Gasol. That put them in the penalty?


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## ChrisWoj

Yep! Free throws. Awright lets get some points Dice.


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## jvanbusk

Antonio has been huge tonight.


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## ChrisWoj

C'mon all I needed was 41 combined points this quarter to get the over! Damn slow quarter. Oh well, as long as the Pistons win.


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## Chan Ho Nam

wth is the G commercial for? cologne?


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## jvanbusk

Holy smokes, is Dice going to grab 20 boards tonight???


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## ChrisWoj

Both teams are actually shooting an okay percentage... Its amazing what a high percentage of the boards are going to Dice and Gasol.


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## Ruff Draft

chairman5 said:


> wth is the G commercial for? cologne?


Gatorade.


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## ChrisWoj

chairman5 said:


> wth is the G commercial for? cologne?


Rebranding of Gatorade.


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## Chan Ho Nam

nice Ongbak move by Rip


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## ChrisWoj

28 of 79 boards have gone to Gasol or Dice.


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## jvanbusk

Thanks Czar...

I was just going to mention how terrible this free throw shooting has been. If we end up losing the game, that will be the big reason.


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## Chan Ho Nam

jvanbusk said:


> Thanks Czar...
> 
> I was just going to mention how terrible this free throw shooting has been. If we end up losing the game, that will be the big reason.


you can always blame defense


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## ChrisWoj

Free throw shooting will be more than just a big reason if we lose a close one: try THE reason.

Anwyay, I like them exploiting Conley. Looks like Warrick anticipated them doing that that time, ha. Oh well, I like their aggressiveness. Especially AI when he gets in a groove.


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## ChrisWoj

So back to the other question asked... Am I the only on that thinks re-branding Gatorade as G is pretty damn stupid? Just don't like it much.


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## jvanbusk

I'm glad Warrick felt the need to pound that one into the 16th row.


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> So back to the other question asked... Am I the only on that thinks re-branding Gatorade as G is pretty damn stupid? Just don't like it much.


This is the first I heard of it.


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## ChrisWoj

Well, you know, everyone blows their nut in unique ways. That's Warrick's own special time.


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## Sliccat

You certainly can't blame the offense, that much has been impeccable tonight. On another note, AI has had an annual cold streak from the free throw line at about this time of the season for as long as I can remember.


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## ChrisWoj

I'm going to call it the Drink Formerly Known As Gatorade.


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## Sliccat

If the Pistons win, on the other hand, officiating will be the reason.


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## jvanbusk

ChrisWoj said:


> Well, you know, everyone blows their nut in unique ways. That's Warrick's own special time.


It may certainly fire the crowd up. But, in a close game with about 3 minutes left I just think it shows a low basketball IQ.


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## Chan Ho Nam

rejoice, our losing streak is over


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## ChrisWoj

Sliccat said:


> You certainly can't blame the offense, that much has been impeccable tonight. On another note, AI has had an annual cold streak from the free throw line at about this time of the season for as long as I can remember.


Huh? Every year since 2000 he's been equal to or better than his season average during January and February.


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## MLKG

ChrisWoj said:


> So back to the other question asked... Am I the only on that thinks re-branding Gatorade as G is pretty damn stupid? Just don't like it much.


Desperation.

The vitamin water companies are killing them.


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## Sliccat

ChrisWoj said:


> Huh? Every year since 2000 he's been equal to or better than his season average during January and February.


where did you find this statistic?


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