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Throughout the NBA season, I'll throw down some thoughts and observations regarding the goings on around the NBA. Since everybody's doing it blog-style, I figured I better get into the fray. More often than not, I'll post after a road trip down to the Emerald City or after tuning the satellite into the Phoenix Suns action. Have I ever mentioned, Steve Nash has game? With that, let's get blogging. Thursday, June 8, 2006 -
NBA Finals, Mavericks vs. Miami Dallas is a bigger, deeper and a much more talented team that is ideally suited to cause Miami one match-up problem after another. Yes, Shaq is still a dominant physical force (when he wants to be... which appear to be now). Yes, Dwyane Wade is a stud who is getting better and better. Yes, Miami has some serviceable role players who used to be stars but have now accepted their roles. Unfortunately, all of Pat Riley's fantasy GM work will be for not as in the big picture that is the Finals, the Mavs have it over the Heat in most categories. How do things break down, hmmm... Antoine Walker could be the X factor but I can't see him passing up those quick 3's on the big stage. Even if he manages to shimmy his way into a good series, he is offset by Jerry Stackhouse's potential to explode offensively at any time. Take into account that Stack is a much better player and that spells Mavs. Gary Payton is a washed-up stiff who hasn't been able to cover anybody for the last 4 years. The Mavs perimeter speed, quickness and penetration will be too much for the "Artist formerly know as the Glove." A. Mourning, the preening tough guy, is a paper bully who the Mavs will run pick and rolls against all day for mostly uncontested jumpers. Even if Mourning manages to stay out of foul trouble, Dallas will negate his shot blocking by driving and kicking. A little spacing goes a long way (as the Phoenix Suns have demonstrated for the last two years). Plus, Miami is a team that has Jason Williams running the point. In the Finals. Jason Williams... Dallas has two big, strong centers in Diop & Dampier who will slow Shaq down and make full use of their 12 fouls. If the series goes the distance, the Mavs can even bring DJ Mbenga out of the inactive haze (after his suspension is over) to add another 6 fouls to the mix. Yes, Shaq will get his but depending on how the refs call the series, Shaq can be limited in his damage by Dallas. Look for Dallas to limit their double teams early and then vary their looks so Shaq has to take that extra second finding open perimeter players and trying to repost. Dallas will also limit Shaq's effectiveness on D by playing uptempo and running many pick and rolls to drag his shaky conditioning out of the key. Mr. Wade, meet Mr. Griffin, Daniels and Howard, all of whom can give Dwyane Wade a different physical look. Look for Josh Howard to do the heavy lifting defensively down the stretch on Wade. As well, Dallas can go with the quick defenders if they use Terry or Harris on DWade. The Mavs will make him shoot jumpers all day, especially if they can force him to shoot the pull-up going to his right. Also, who knows how DWade will be physically with the sinus problems? What the hell is Miami going to do about Dirk? Earlier this season, I posted on these very boards the statement that Dirk Nowitzki is the toughest match-up in the league. Needless to say, I got a little opposition to that little statement. After being down in Phoenix for the Suns/Mavs series, I am even more convinced that Dirty is a freak who makes for more mismatches than anyone else in the league. Miami has no answer for Dirk. Both Haslem and Posey can get physical down low with Dirk but can not cover him on the perimeter or in the mid to high post that Dirk loves so much. Put a smaller, quicker guy on him and he will shoot over him all day. Switch all those screens that Dallas will probably run and you're even more screwed. Count on Dallas running a lot of pick & roll with Dirk to draw out Miami's bigs and create mismatches. Miami's big guys do a terrible job of actively playing off the screens. When everything is said and done, look for Dirk Nowitzki to be the Finals MVP. Yes, Miami might have an advantage in head coaching experience but Dallas has an overall coaching advantage. Avery Johnson has been focussed on winning it all all year long. He matches Riley in intensity and has the luxury of having Del Harris at his side. The overall depth of the Dallas coaching staff leaves no option unexplored. Dallas is always better prepared than their opponent and a lot of that is due to Mark Cuban being willing to spend whatever money is necessary. That is why Dallas is the deepest team in the league, both with their players and their staff. Okay, that's a lot of babble on my part. Having watched Dallas defeat the Canadian national team, also known as Steve Nash's Suns, I have to admit that I probably have a Mavericks bias. Whatever. So, without anymore delay, Dallas is 6. Gotta' be a "Nowitzness!" Friday, April 14, 2006 -
Sonics vs LA Clippers Wednesday, March 22, 2006 -
Sonics vs. Milwaukee (Australia Day in Seattle) Bogut got off to a very productive start with a few rebounds, a couple of buckets and some effective high post play. As has been mentioned here numerous times, the Bucks play Andrew mainly at the high post spot and use him as the "float" big man, working the perimeter from the wing through the high post and to the top of the key - trying to take advantage of his passing but basically using him on a number of drag screens up top. He doesn't see much time in the low block (especially when playing with my Canadian compatriot, Magloire) and wasn't too effective when he got the ball down there. He had a couple of one on one opportunities down low but couldn't really shake Chris Wilcox (who, with his freakish athleticism, is blossoming in Seattle but more on that another time). The big Aussie sits with 1:08 left in the first quarter and doesn't reappear for another 9:41. When Bogut returns towards the end of the first half, he becomes the wheelman at the high post again... same results (not much happenin') and he finishes the half with 5 points, 5 boards and 3 assists in 13:54. The second half kind of rambles along with the lone exception of a great Bogut fake on a high post hand-off, which leads to a nice rolling lay-up and a foul shot to finish the three point play. The Bucks are getting hammered by the officials and Terry Stotts decides to go to a small, scoring style lineup with the mobile Dan Gadzuric as his lone big. Mr. Bogut gets absolutely NO LOVE and sits for the vast majority of the fourth (actually, looking at my notes and the play by play, he sits for the whole fourth quarter). Yikes. Final score, Sonics 114 - Bucks 105. Now, here's where we get a little insight. After the game I had a chance to sit down with Andrew for 10 minutes and catch-up, ask a few questions and find out how things are going. We have a couple of the same coaches in our backgrounds, so, it was pretty easy sit down. As the NBA season has dragged on, Andrew doesn't seem to wearing out as so many college players do. He mentioned that he is used to both the physical and mental grind of the season at this point. He chalked it up to having played his full college seasons and then playing internationally. He figured that full int'l schedule already had his body used to an NBA length season. His primary focus for last 15 games of the season, as well as the playoffs (hopefully...), was going to be staying mentally focused. After mentioning the international season, I asked if he was looking forward to rejoining Brian Goorjian and the Boomers for the World Championships in Japan. "It's the best time of the year for me. Playing with those guys is camaraderie, team basketball and guys are there for fun. You know, you're not there for money, you're not there for glamour, you're just there to get your country a gold medal." I asked him how important it was to him to be a solid role model for other Australian players and he stressed that it was very important and he felt a true responsibility to lay the ground work for Aussies to come in the NBA. That lead me to ask who he thought would be the next Australian to make their mark in the NBA and he was really excited at Brad Newley's prospects. I mentioned Anderson and Bogut thought a few of the other Aussies could play in the league but he spoke very highly of Newley. Read into it what you will? Bogut thought that CJ Bruton would have a good chance in the right situation, such as an Atlanta, but thought CJ would be in really tough in Portland having to battle Blake, Dixon and Jack. I finished off our chat asking Andrew about the influence a Canadian coach, Ken Shields, has had on his career. In the spirit of full disclosure, I've know Ken for a very long time and look upon him as both a role model and a mentor, so, I'm a little bit biased on this question. A little more background, Ken was the one who "discovered" Bogut as a junior in Melbourne and recommended him to Utah. As well, Coach Shields has been an assistant coach with the Boomers the last couple of years. "Coach Shields tells it to you like it is, not like you'd like to hear... not to put down our assistant coaches but I have a real comfort level with him... he really helped me with the Boomers, adjusting to a roster that was full of thirty year olds (much older than me) and helping me make a contribution." On that note, I thanked the big man, he finished putting on his suit (a light charcoal grey, three button number) and a very interesting hat and was off to greet some of the locals. The Bucks will practice tomorrow at the University of Washington in Seattle (go Huskies) before continuing their road trip in Los Angeles. If you notice a heavy Australian slant to this entry, well, that's because I've posted much of what's here on an Australian site, Ozhoops. So, put another shrimp on the barbie and pass over a VB, mate. Another two and a half hour drive to Seattle out of the way. I'll be back on Sunday for the NBA champion Spurs. Maybe Eva will make the road trip? Sunday, March 12, 2006 -
Blazers vs. Phoenix I'm not sure if the Phoenix players were just tired, lethargic or confused because their defensive rotations were all over the place. Portland has a load down low in Zach Randolph, a load that may be a black hole but also needs to be doubled quickly and efficiently. The Suns changed things up throughout the game but couldn't really come up with a rotation that neutralized Randolph or the resulting scores that came off his kick outs. The key Portland hoop came as a result of a cutter's defensive man dropping on to the post and the cutter (D. Miles) just pining the weakside rotation (Marion) before he could get across. Just as an aside - the Blazers might have more Bentleys and Rolls than any team in the league. And in that traditional, classy and very understated British style, the boys have all put the 22" or 24" rims on their English nobility type rigs. That's right, all you need in Portland is a Saville Row bespoke suit and some serious dubs on your "Sun Never Sets on the British Empire" whip. Now, back to Pat O'Brien in the studio. Aaah, maybe back to hoops instead. The Suns are still playing well even with a lot of injuries. Different guys are stepping-up and Nash's ankle seems to be okay. He already has his normal season's accumulation of bumps and bruises but they don't seem to have as much effect on him as they did in Dallas. I'm guessing that his off-season workouts with Vancouver trainer, Rick Celebrini, will continue to reap rich physical rewards as the playoffs approach. Speaking of injuries, Raja Bell ran into a Randolph screen last night and it looked like a semi-trailer hitting a deer (or in this case, a deer running full speed into the transport truck). Bell experienced a little whiplash and didn't return but was at least able to move on his own and seemed to be at least semi-coherent in the dressing room after the game. I didn't have a chance to ask him if Eric Cartman was still the funniest man on television, which would have been the defining moment of a Raja Bell concussion test. The man loves his "South Park." I'll be back blogging on Tuesday as the Suns make their way up the I-5 to play the Sonics. My two favourite NBA people, Ray Allen and Steve Nash, going at it in a classy, intelligent and top level way. I love watching these guys play and I love talking with them about basketball and life in general. Great guys. Great players. Sunday, February 12, 2006 -
Sonics vs. Denver Watching the Nuggets in action, I'm struck with how much overall talent they have but also by how little chemistry they seem to have. They play much better when Karl sticks out a line-up featuring multiple "point guards," whether it is Boykins, Watson or Miller or any combination of the three. Denver will have a legit chance of winning the glacial Northwest division but Denver is definitely missing something. I do have to point out that Carmelo Anthony has become a real nice player. He appears to be in better physical shape and not quite so fragile mentally. It is unfortunate that he will probably be left off the all-star team. It was interesting watching the media types keep their distance from Kenyon Martin in the dressing room after the game. After a week of sending posse members after fans and getting into it with a Colorado radio reporter, Seattle media types were giving the OZ-inked hoops bully a wide berth. Almost as entertaining as watching the invisible force field that circled "white" Jason Williams last season after his blow-up with a Memphis beat writer. Although, to his credit, Kenyon Martin never taunted the various writers, TV folks and radio guys with the "fuck them, they'll never make more than $40,000 year" line. Always a nice touch. Tuesday, February7, 2006 Wednesday, January 18, 2006
- Portland vs. Toronto
Friday, January 6, 2006 The thing, the strategy, the game adjustment, whatever you want to call it, that I liked the best about Phoenix's first quarter; they threw an immediate double (triple) team at Shaq as soon as he caught the ball. Not when he had time to find guys on the kick-out and re-post but when he first touched the ball. I've never understood why more teams don't push Shaq with the instant hard double. Granted, no Dwyane Wade makes a huge difference strategy-wise but still, what other defensive adjustment can you make with the Diesel. He was taken out of things offensively, seemed to lose interest and generally played like he wanted to be somewhere else. Nice job, Mike D'Antoni and Marc Iavaroni. Yes, I'm biased because I really like both guys but they do a great job with a Phoenix team that has had to make many adjustments this season. If you were an NBA player, wouldn't you want to play for the Suns? They play like everyone should play. I can't think of anything else that would be so fun... basketball-wise at least. It will be interesting to see how Phoenix fares tomorrow night against the Spurs. A heavyweight battle with all the Spurs back. Can Phoenix continue to thrive without Amare? Aaah, so many questions (to be answered on Raptors NBATV). Monday, December 26, 2005
(Boxing Day) - Seattle vs. Boston Ray Allen had a tough time shooting the ball (again) but he is such a smart player that he made a really nice contribution elsewhere. Took the ball to the hoop, got to the line (12 - 13), 6 assists and 7 rebounds. He doesn't get enough credit for his strong all around offensive game. He'll always do something to give you a chance to win. I was able to take my young Magee star, Hunter Jordan, to watch Ray Allen work out before the game (and in game action). Hopefully, Hunter picked-up on Ray's work ethic, professionalism and most of all, his character. Believe me, there are few better players and people to emulate than Ray Allen. Paul Pierce just killed it for Boston. He was basically unstoppable until Bob Weiss finally succumbed (or smartened up) and brought Damien Wilkins off the bench to try and lock him up. Of course, Pierce had 35 points at that point. Wilkins did alright but Boston also didn't get Pierce the ball is the right places down the stretch. He still finished with 43. Delonte West stepped up and hit a couple of big 3's (he's becoming an even more solid player) but Boston just didn't have it down the stretch. I guess when you out rebounded 49 - 31 (20 - 7 on the O boards) it will catch-up with you eventually. That's it from Seattle (and Vancouver) on Boxing Day. Friday, December 23,
2005 - Seattle vs. Dallas Dallas went a head of Seattle with just over a minute to play and ended up winning 101 - 98 (on a Jason Terry dagger of a 3) but that doesn't matter because watching Dirk operate was a treat. The Sonics should have won this game but a few brain cramps in the last minute gave Dallas a victory. The Sonics ran all of their bigs and semi-bigs at Dirk (Evans, Collison, Radmanovic, Lewis, etc.) but it just didn't matter. Der Diggler ended up with 34 pts., 13 rbds. and 7 assists (who knew) in a sweet all around effort. If the NBA game is about one thing, it is about exploiting defensive weakness and focusing on the best match-up(s). It must be nice for the Mavs knowing they always have the best match-up. Watching Dirk shoot, run and move you forget that he's a legit 7 footer. Instant match-up problem for smaller threes. Put a four or a five on him and he'll take it to the hoop and live at the foul line (were he went 15 - 15 tonight). Switch on any pick and roll, he shoots over the guard with his height and little fade away j. Let him have the block, that's trouble because he can now play with his back to the basket. Plus, throw in a multitude of jab steps, reverse pivots and shot fakes, tough for anyone to stay close enough to contest that syrupy sweet jumper. Great footwork. Really smart when it's time to score. You can always rag on his D but even there he has improved (enough so that he isn't a total liability). Add in the fact that he's sporting the Shaggy look from Scooby Doo and that's just icing on the cake. So, is Dirk the toughest match-up in the NBA? It would be very difficult to argue that anybody else poses as many problems for coaches' defensive schemes as my man, Dirk Diggler. Not Reid Rothschild. Dirk. Friday, December 16, 2005 Like the crazy scorer at your local community centre, the guy who knocks down 8 of his team's 11 baskets, Eddie House got off for the Suns tonight. His 16 fourth quarter points (26 in total) came in bunches and lifted the Suns to a come from behind 101 - 88 victory. Eddie's filling it up at an almost 1 point per minute clip, giving the Suns an always dangerous scoring threat off the bench. When Phoenix gets Leandro Barbosa and Amare back, look out. They can flat out score. I think it is about time that Coach Mike D'Antoni gets a little love as the architect of this offensive (and now defensive) juggernaut. Saturday, December 10, 2005
- Seattle vs. Sacramento Having said all of that, the Kings just laid the beat down on the Sonics. Final score, 123 - 104. All five starters for the Kings looked great and they ran their "Princeton" stuff (plays called Elbow or C-corner, Twist, etc., for all of you coaching types) very well, which has not been the case this season. Even the sourest coach in the NBA, Rick Adelman, seemed to be happy with the Kings. That may not sound like much but Adelman is usually not the best guy to deal with after a game, win or lose. I have asked him both general and very technical questions following games and been sneered at pretty much every time. He's usually defensive and unpleasant, especially if you actually seem to know something. Coach Adelman (at least for a few more games) was down right sunny following the Kings win. Having complimented the Kings, I must now absolutely tear the Sonics a new one. Their defense is beyond terrible. They were giving up point in the paints, in transition, in the half court and from the 3 point line. They allow a lot of points in general but if you look at their defensive points per 100 possessions, it is even worse. Combine that with a unique ability to allow the visiting teams to shoot an extremely high FG percentage and it means trouble. Especially when they are not shooting the ball very well. Consummate professional and one of the best shooters in the NBA, Ray Allen, continues to have trouble from the outside. I love Ray Allen and his game, so, it pains me to see him struggle. The Sonics will need him to find his stroke soon if they want to make a move and become a better than .500% team. Keep it positive, Jesus Shuttlesworth, that jumper will straighten itself out. Thursday, December 8, 2005
- Steve Nash Wins "Lou Marsh" Award A quick shout out to BC native son, Mr. Steve Nash, who won the "Lou Marsh Award" as Canada's top athlete for 2005. You'd think Nash winning would pretty much be automatic but the Toronto voters for this award are usually more interested in unearthing the latest starving amateur kayaker or speed skater, to show how in-touch they are with the true sports community. Give me a break. The only other true contenders for this prestigious award were the ageless, Michael Knight, and his trusty vehicular companion, KIT. Oh, sorry, the "Lou Marsh" voters already gave the award to a car when Jacques Villeneuve won over MLB MVP, Larry Walker. Anyway, Steve Nash 2005 - 15.5 points, 11.5 assists, 1st team all-star, MVP, great guy, new father, rock star fashion victim and now the best athlete in Canada, the "Lou Marsh" winner... Other things... NBA fines 13 players $10,000 for wearing their shorts too long. Another give me a break. The league feasts on the players paychecks when it is THEM that are at fault. The players just wear what the league mandated supplier, Reebok (recently bought by adidas), ships to each team. The guys aren't heading out to the local tailor with their shorts and having them hemmed for the proper fit (which I admit to doing with both my high school basketball and Colt league baseball uniforms). On a recent visit to Seattle, Sonics point guard Luke Ridnour mentioned that he had received "the letter" from the league regarding his short's haberdashery. He was totally perplexed because there was nothing he could do to fix the problem and had already tried to bring his shorts into conformity, as it were. In the end, the NBA executive offices look stupid on this one... Reggie Evans misses the first few minutes of the recent Knicks vs. Sonics game because he was having to give the random drug test "sample." Okay, I'm not going to go for the cheap urine joke... however, it does signal quite a seismic change in the collective bargaining stature of both the NBA and the NBPA... And that the way it was, Thursday, December 8, 2005... Wednesday, December 7, 2005
- Missed the Knicks game but... "The first thing I did (when arriving back in the Seattle area) was go to Jack in the Box." "They don't have Jack in the Box in New York. So I went to Jack in the Box and ordered a No. 5 (combo), which is a Sourdough Jack, and I got two egg rolls, and that is something I always get when I go. There are some things you miss when you come home, and Jack in the Box is one of them... and I tried telling some of the guys on the team about Dick's Burgers. They never heard of Dick's. They (the Knicks players) all say, 'You love everything from Seattle.' But this is Home" Nate Robinson, you are a fellow Jack in the Box aficionado and you are the MAN. Love live the antenna ball. Friday, December 2, 2005 -
Sonics vs. Cleveland Not to sound too much like a cheesy, homoerotic novel here but if you saw LeBron being interviewed after the game, you'd be amazed at how cut he is... he looks like an NFL linebacker, except with guard skills and speed. Let's hope that he decides to play for the US at this summer's World Championships in Japan. A quick PS - late in the game, coming out of a Cavs time-out at a crucial time in the game, Larry Hughes let off a huge and very odorous fart right in front of the scorer's table. LeBron, trailing behind out on to the court, proceeded to loudly announce that Hughes was the "stinkiest motherf__cker in the NBA" and had messed him up... the two of them are playing pretty loose and confident (and smelly, I guess)... Saturday, November 18, 2005
- Sonics vs. Chicago Thursday, November 10, 2005 That's okay, through the power of the internet, I can follow along to the streaming play by play and statistics. Funnily enough, the game is close and quite exciting via the Al Gore superhighway. Boris Diaw continues his strong play (getting his first Suns start) with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists . That Joe Johnson deal is looking pretty good early for the desert guys. Unfortunately for Phoenix, Richard Hamilton was once again money, drilling two clutch jumpers (medium range all day long) to salt the game away for the Pistons. Local legend Steve Nash had a tough time late with a couple crucial turnovers and a couple of missed jumpers. Basically, four plays that would have closed the door on the 8 Mile crew. It must be the short 'do. The Pistons backcourt was tough, as always, finishing with a combined 45 points (17-27)and picture perfect timing to close out the 4th quarter. A bright spot for Phoenix - Leandro Barbosa is quickly becoming "Oscar II," finishing with 21 points off the bench a losing cause. What else is happening? Other than being really excited by the potential of my Magee Flyin' Lions, I'm also ready to roll with a new season of "Sportstalk with Dan Russell." Tune in tomorrow night to CKNW 980am (or streaming at www.cknw.com) as Dan and I get on top of the new NBA season. Nice to know that we'll talk hoops even with the return of the NHL. As my friend Kevin would say, "sweet." Thursday, November 3, 2005 The Suns almost gave the game back (sound familiar, Mavs) but secondary scorers stepped up big time tonight with the Phoenix bench chipping in with 35 points. Professional men's league-style player, Mr. Eddie House, did a great job knocking down the jumper for 10 in 9 minutes. I love that Eddie has never met a shot that he didn't like... just like the old days at ASU, filling it up quick! This is a perfect team for Eddie. I'm a little puzzled as to why the young Lakers have so much trouble running the triangle offense? Doug Collins continues to perpetuate the rumour that it is a hard O with his useless ramblings on TNT. It becomes apparent why he is "TV analyzing" and not coaching each time he speaks. Unfortunately, when he speaks, nothing but master of the obvious comments emanate out of his pie hole (props to Jim Rome). Back to the triangle - I run it with my high school varsity team and they seem to be able to pick-up on the various read and react options and the importance of proper spacing. It's not so hard, LA Lakers, so, pay more attention to Tex Winter when he makes an appearance at practice. For trivia fans his real name is Fred, by the way. On one other matter, I watched a tape of last night's Raptors/Wiz game this afternoon. Toronto is in big trouble - their transition D is horrible, their half court D is horrible and I can't think of any other defensive areas that they could play in... at least as the Raps were being shredded I got to enjoy watching Washington move the ball (always at least 3 passes and a reversal) and execute their quasi-Princeton offense. The Bullets do a nice job. Wednesday, November 2, 2005 -
Sonics vs. LA Clippers A couple of troubling developments from the Sonics perspective; their offense looked really loose (sloppy, not taking care of the ball, poorly executed sets, P/R's and OB) and the player management by the coaching staff was shaky down the stretch. I didn't think that having Bob Weiss take over from Nate McMillan would be a huge deal but it already shows in how the Sonics are playing (he says with authority after one game... ha, ha). He went small for most of the 4th quarter, which would be okay, except that he teamed Flip Murray with Luke Ridnour and that's some bad chemistry. 3 Murray TO's later and the Sonics couldn't get back in sync. Add to that backcourt the fact that Rashard and Ray were both sitting down at the time, not good. The mysterious third scoring option wasn't making itself known for the Supes. The Clippers even threw a little zone look at the Sonics with good success. After talking with Mike Dunleavy after the game, he indicated that the Clipper would use more zone throughout the season based on "small ball" match-ups. A couple of possessions, here and there. Very interesting. I'm not sure why more teams don't throw out the match-up zones. Actually, I do know... most NBA coaches don't know zones or have trouble teaching zones (kudos to the college folks). Plus, given in-game adjustments and the talent level of NBA players there is a point of diminishing returns with zone defenses. Having said all of that I still think NBA coaches should make more use of zone D. The Clippers are a legitimate playoff contender if they stay healthy (as are the Sonics). Look for both of these teams to be around the 42 - 46 win level, fighting for that 8th playoff spot (perhaps with the Lakers?). I've picked the Clips, so, get on the bandwagon NOW or Elgin Baylor will ban you down the road. Anyway, that's the scoop from Seattle. Doug E. For more Doug E. "Sportstalk" columns (or what passes for a columns), click here!
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