Vs: Miami Heat 2010-2011: LeBron James Taking His Talents To South Beach
Asiaa, vihdoinkin respectiä Dampille!
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoopmiamiheat/post/_/id/4731/erick-dampier-moves-into-starting-lineup
[quote author="http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoopmiamiheat/post/_/id/4731/erick-dampier-moves-into-starting-lineup"]
In his debut as the Heat's starting center, Dampier finished with five rebounds, two steals and a block in 24 minutes of action. Dampier did not take a shot from the field, marking only the second time in his 14-year career that he’s played that many minutes without an attempt from the floor.
But this is one of those times when the box score doesn’t tell the story. Despite the underwhelming stat line, Dampier did his job Tuesday night -- stopping Kings rookie DeMarcus Cousins. According to game tracking by ESPN Stats & Information, Cousins missed all eleven of his shot attempts when he was guarded by Dampier. On the night, the talented rookie scored just seven points on 2-for-13 shooting after averaging 18.3 points over his previous 10 games.
Possession after possession, Dampier met Cousins outside the paint to deter the 20-year-old from settling in under the basket. Dampier was in high school when Cousins was born, but the former Mavericks center used his seniority and his size to his advantage.
“He’s a young, young guy,” Dampier said of Cousins. “I have more experience than he has. I know all the little tricks to the game. I just tried to go out there, meet him early and not let him get in his comfort zone out on the floor. He has tremendous upside in this league if he continues to work, but I think I just had his number tonight.”
Cousins isn’t the first high-scoring center Dampier has shut down recently. On Feb. 3, he got the assignment to stop Dwight Howard after the Orlando center scored a quick eight points in the first quarter. Dampier subbed in for Ilgauskas, then started the second half. Not coincidentally, Howard didn’t score a field goal after Spoelstra made the halftime adjustment. [/quote]