"Juice" Paul

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You know me like that.

The next Dwyane Wade.

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I'll be happy if he's the next Dee Brown.

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Ecclesiastes 5:8

no.

29% 3 pt shooter goes 8-10. Had a good game.

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Good?

He was out of his mind!

He summoned the spirits of Andy Kaufmann from the construction sites of south central Illinois along with a dash of Rainbow Richard Keene to soothe the senses of Lou-Do celebrating his 80th courtside.

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You know me like that.

I think you have to go outside of Champaign for a good comparison, Doc. He summoned the spirit of Rick Mount tonight.

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Ecclesiastes 5:8

That last 3 was ridiculous. He was practically sitting in Bruce Weber's lap with a guy draped all over him.

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You know me like that.

Yeah, the three that Richardson hit that got taken off the board because of the foul against Leonard was crazy too. I couldn't believe he took that shot with the bad wrist. It was one of those where I was screaming, "No, no, no!" and then "Yes, yes, yes!" That was at a point in the game where I thought that three would have broken Ohio State's back and the unlucky foul negated it. When Ohio State came the other way and scored I figured the game was going the other way. It was nice to pull one out against a good team.

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Ecclesiastes 5:8

My guy! Anyway, he has been inconsistent as hell this year and tosses the ball away too much but this
is what we have been waiting for from him. I have been comparing him to Kendall Gill for 2 years, may
not but very accurate but there are a lot of similarities. As long as he comes back next year we may
have something with him. I hope this performance is enough to stoke his confidence in his shot. He is
a freakish athlete.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

He had a hell of a night shooting the basketball but my favorite part of the game was when he blocked Sullinger's shot and started trash-talking him.

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Ecclesiastes 5:8

I was hoping Paul would break out of his funk, but not in this way. What infuriates me about his game is that he is able to break a guy down and get to the hoop but he can't finish the play. He'll make a great move, elevate, and brick the shot.

Maybe now he'll have a little more confidence in his offensive game and start finishing at the hoop.

That Sullinger block was great. He had a few blocks. He was literally all over the floor in the figurative sense.

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You know me like that.

Agreed Doc. He is probably one of the best slashers in the country but never seems to be able to
finish at the hoop. Maybe he'll get that straightened out. Still like his defense lately and a consistent
jumper would make him pretty scary.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

He and Meyers should dunk the ball everytime they are within 5 feet of the basket.

Here are some of my thoughts on college hoops as they relate to the Illini and Meyers Leonard.

I listen to dan bernstein talking about how "superior" the NBA game is. And on pure athleticism that's obviously the case. The players are bigger and faster. But for a guy who fancies himself a "cerebral" sports fan, there is no comparison between the two games. The college game is much more strategic no matter how many times a radio guy says a particular NBA coach "runs a ton of stuff" in his effort to fetishize a profession.

Now, I understand why the college game installed the shot clock. It's all about television and money. And watching Duke and North Carolina play to a 7-0 score at the half (Yes, that happened. You can look it up. 1979 or 1980.) isn't going to hold the attention of the casual fan. But in adding the clock the rules have allowed defenses to simply collapse on a special center like Leonard and take him out of the game. In the days before the clock Tracy Abrams could have simply stood at the top of the key and waited until the opponent came out to play the ball. The short three-point line is supposed to be the antidote to that strategy.

And therein lies Illinois' problem. They desperately need a spot-up shooter who can really knock it down. They're loaded with slashers. His game last night aside, opponents don't believe Paul can beat them. Ohio State made him beat them. But I doubt it will shake out that way on most nights against a team of that caliber.

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Ecclesiastes 5:8

Glad things turned around.

I am glad he stepped up. We should expect more from a recent Illinois Mr. Basketball especially since the last
one washed out and I think is either out on bail or in jail. Maybe this is the kick in the ass he needed..

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami