One element of this game that i feel has gone understated thus far is the value of depth at every position. It showed tonight in three ways.
First, we can ride the hot hand at PF. Ihnen was playing an average game (lost a little on defense but rebounded reasonably well and had a few productive drives to the hoop), but BJ was locked in.
Second, we have capable back ups at C. Curry is a leader on the court and won’t often make simple mistakes. He’s a seasoned and dependable. Freeman also looks to be a reliable enough band aid in spot duty. He’s comfortable with the ball and a big body. I’m excited to see him continue to improve for a couple more years.
Third, when Gach “lost focus” last night in crunch time (fouled the three point shooter and stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession), Pitino was able to sub in Mashburn. Mash is showing that he is a guy that can comfortably handle the moment (although he might have been the one that tried an ill advised pass to the opposite side during the press break).
In years past, we’ve been so thin that we are doomed when a key player goes cold, foul trouble hits the wrong guy(s), or our ball handlers can’t handle the pressure. Simply put, we’ve never had this much margin of error, and never had this much threat from a guy that doesn’t start.
