[外電] James works hard on scoring touch

[jerod (KG4MVP)]

James works hard on scoring touch

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/15975053.htm


The day before Timberwolves point guard Mike James scored a season-high 23
points against Sacramento this week, he was on the practice court, shooting
three-pointers.

His routine was to make three in a row before rotating to his next spot
behind the arc. James shot while general manager Jim Stack rebounded for
him at Sacramento's practice facility, well after teammates had left the
court.

"That's hard work paying off," James said. "I stay in the gym working on
my game, so I expect my shot to go in."

James might have found his scoring touch during a four-game road trip.
He couldn't keep the Wolves from losing the past three games, but his
performance was a bright spot, especially after his subpar debut in a
Wolves uniform last week at home.

Fans at Target Center saw James shoot just seven times, missing four,
then spent the fourth quarter on the bench. Reserves in the backcourt
led Minnesota to a 92-83 victory over Sacramento in the season opener.

A second game against the Kings, Monday night at Sacramento, capped a
more productive run for James, the team's prized free-agent acquisition
last summer. He made 8 of 13 shots in that game after scoring a total
of 37 points against Denver and Portland.

He took a step back Tuesday during Minnesota's loss to the Los Angeles
Lakers, missing 10 of 14 shots. Still, he's shooting 45.2 percent this
season, including 38.9 percent from three-point range, while averaging
15.2 points and 4.4 assists. Those numbers are closer to those from his
breakout 2005-06 season with the Toronto Raptors (20.3 points and 5.8
assists).

The Wolves entertain Orlando on Saturday, the second home game for James.
He believes fans will see a different version of him than they saw in
the season opener, when he picked up two fouls in the first quarter and
never got on track.

"Of course," James said. "I've learned to be just more aggressive and
understanding where to pick and choose and get my attempts, and I'm slowing
down a lot more. Things are starting to open up more, and I'm understanding
more what the Wolves want me to do."

What the Wolves want him to do, first and foremost, is help the team win.
The Wolves are 2-3 and struggling to find better chemistry, especially with
the starters on the court in the first and third quarters. In the past two
games, the Wolves were outscored 105-79 in those quarters.

Wolves coach Dwane Casey said he would like to see more ball movement on
offense and a return to better defensive principles. James can help with
those issues, Casey said.

Briefly: Wolves forward Mark Madsen, who missed the first five games
because of left knee soreness, practiced at full speed Thursday. If he
doesn't suffer a setback, he will be probable for Saturday's game against
Orlando, Casey said. "He looked like a new player today," Casey said.
"He looked like he was ready for a Game 7. We'll have to see how (his knee)
responds."

‧ Marko Jaric and Randy Foye were involved in a brief scuffle near the end
of Thursday's practice, but it was quickly defused. Teammates Davis and
Madsen were peacemakers. Casey said it was no big deal and just a typical
NBA practice incident.


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→ shan740510:James加油 老大就靠你幫忙了
推 HaopingWoops:Jaric跟Foye練習後扭打? 天啊~ 希望沒事...
推 hilario:天啊  最後四行真是太擔心的,,,,,,,,,
推 HCLG:Jaric= =...在比賽中那麼凶就好了..不過畢竟是前輩 Foye@@"
推 jerod:翻譯 翻譯
推 wisdom8002:這樣只怕已經不敢用新人的教練會更想冰他...
推 HeavyBlue:Jaric在世錦賽好像也跟隊友打過
推 jinshenn:灰狼霹靂火上演XD  我想應該沒什麼大問題啦 :)