After the early stumble out of the gate, I am slowly pulling myself back to my winning ways. Just to recap, my picks against the spread so far:
Grizzlies: 3-4
Tigers: 1-1
And tonight, the Tigers go at it under the big lights in MSG against a real team. And the big topic is how Derrick Rose is going to respond to the big time pressure. And I'm interested too.
What I am really curious to see is the dynamic of this team when the game is on the line, and who will be the go-to guy. When you need that basket with :10 left to go, sure it's nice to have options, but it's better to have that ONE GUY that you can ride on to either win or lose the game. And I'm curious to know if the team will look to Rose or Douglas-Roberts.
It's one thing for the media to buy into the hype, but how are the more experienced players on this team responding? And now that Memphis is on the big stage, will those players turn to their talented Junior in Douglas-Roberts or will they be willing to give the keys to the Freshman Superstar?
So if the game gets close tonight, be sure to watch closely on where the supporting players look to for on-court leadership. Should be interesting, but too bad it won't be close enough. Maybe next time.
The Pick:
Memphis -7'
