The best thing- Stevens' play worked perfectly. Hansbrough doubled, and Zeller was wide open for a layup.
Sorry, that wasn't a set play, we were scrambling after an offensive rebound. But of course, it worked "perfectly" because it ended up being a basket...
I meant the inbounds play with 2.8 seconds left.
Except it ended up being a contested Crowder shot instead?!
Yes, but you accused Stevens of "botching the game," and you included that inbounds play in your argument. You knocked it because it ended in a low-percentage shot. There's more there than the result. The pass by Marcus? It could've been a better decision, but the play was excellent.
No, I accused him of doing everything possible to botch the game. Of course, you can always say "oh, the players could have done better". It's a convenient out. But it still doesn't explain how "the game ball goes to CBS" given that:
1. With ~35 seconds to go, play out of timeout gives the Raptors a 2 for 1.
2. Calls no timeout on one of the ensuing possessions, gets lucky on the out-of-bounds call (play is an out of control Thomas layup).
3. With 3 seconds to go, play ends up a Jae Crowder contested right baseline jumper (Jae Crowder shoots in the low .300 from that part of the floor, btw).
I'm not the biggest Stevens fan around but I think you are a little too personally invested in this "Stevens sucks" paradigm.
He's led this team to 14 or 15 more wins than last season and that's after essentially swapping Rondo and Green for IT and Crowder. We ended the year starting Tyler Zeller at center, a rookie at point guard and with Evan Freakin' Turner as probably our MVP.
Yeah, the East stinks but given the talent and roster turnover he's had to work with, no reasonable fellow can deny that Stevens has done a good job and proven his value as an NBA coach.
Mike