{"id":25191,"date":"2014-03-02T22:09:16","date_gmt":"2014-03-02T20:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hoops.co.il\/?p=25191"},"modified":"2014-03-07T00:26:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T22:26:00","slug":"%d7%a1%d7%a7%d7%99%d7%a8%d7%aa-%d7%9e%d7%a9%d7%97%d7%a7%d7%99-%d7%99%d7%95%d7%9d-%d7%90-%d7%9e%d7%a0%d7%97%d7%9d-%d7%9c%d7%a1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/?p=25191","title":{"rendered":"\u05e1\u05e7\u05d9\u05e8\u05ea \u05de\u05e9\u05d7\u05e7\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d5\u05dd \u05d0' \/ \u05de\u05e0\u05d7\u05dd \u05dc\u05e1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

\u05d9\u05e9\u05e0\u05dd \u05e9\u05d7\u05e7\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d0\u05e3 \u05e4\u05e2\u05dd \u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d7\u05e9\u05d1\u05d5 \u05dc\u05db\u05d5\u05db\u05d1\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d5\u05dc\u05d0 \u05de\u05e9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05de\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e2\u05e9\u05d5.<\/p>\n

\u05d4\u05dd \u05d9\u05db\u05d5\u05dc\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05e7\u05dc\u05d5\u05e2 25 \u05e0\u05e7' \u05dc\u05de\u05e9\u05d7\u05e7 \u05d1-49%, \u05dc\u05d7\u05dc\u05e7 7.8 \u05d0\u05e1', \u05d5\u05dc\u05d2\u05e0\u05d5\u05d1 2.4 \u05db\u05d3\u05d5\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd, \u05d0\u05d1\u05dc \u05de\u05e9\u05d4\u05d5 \u05d1\u05e9\u05de\u05dd, \u05e4\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5\u05e4\u05dd, \u05d4-DEMEANOR (\u05d4\u05ea\u05e0\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\u05ea; \u05d6\u05d4\u05d5\u05ea; \u05d7\u05d5\u05d5\u05d9\u05d4) \u05e9\u05dc\u05d4\u05dd \u05dc\u05d0 \u05de\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05d0\u05d5\u05ea\u05dd \u05dc\u05e7\u05d1\u05d5\u05e6\u05ea \u05d4\u05e9\u05d7\u05e7\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d6\u05d0\u05ea \u05e9\u05e0\u05d7\u05e9\u05d1\u05ea \u05dc-STARS. \u05dc\u05e4\u05e2\u05de\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05d4 \u05d2\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd, \u05d4\u05e2\u05d1\u05e8, \u05d0\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d9\u05d3\u05d4, \u05d5\u05dc\u05da \u05ea\u05d3\u05e2 \u05de\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3.<\/p>\n

\u05d9\u05e9\u05e0\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05d4\u05de\u05d9\u05dc\u05d4 "STAR" \u05db\u05ea\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc \u05de\u05e6\u05d7\u05dd \u05de\u05d4\u05e8\u05d2\u05e2 \u05e9\u05e0\u05d5\u05dc\u05d3\u05d5, \u05d5\u05d0\u05e0\u05d7\u05e0\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d5\u05ea\u05e0\u05d9\u05dd \u05dc\u05d4\u05dd \u05e7\u05e8\u05d3\u05d9\u05d8 \u05de\u05e2\u05dc \u05d5\u05de\u05e2\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e9\u05d8\u05d7. \u05e9\u05dd \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05e9\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d9 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9 \u05e2\u05dd \u05d4\u05e7\u05d1\u05d5\u05e6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9\u05d9\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05e0\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05e8\u05d9\u05e7\u05d9 \u05e8\u05d5\u05d1\u05d9\u05d5. \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd \u05e9\u05e9\u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05dc\u05e7\u05d1\u05d5\u05e6\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d0 \u05d0\u05d7\u05d3 \u05db\u05de\u05d5 \u05d2\u05d5\u05e8\u05df \u05d3\u05e8\u05d0\u05d2'\u05d9\u05e7.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

haDid someone forget to tell\u00a0Phoenix Suns<\/a>\u00a0point guard GoranDragic\u00a0that the All-Star selection process is over?<\/p>\n

The surprise breakout performer of the\u00a0NBA<\/a>'s surprise playoff contender looks like he's still fighting for his spot in the midseason classic\u2014or working double-time to show how bad his omission really was.<\/p>\n

A second-round pick in 2008, no one bothered setting a bar for Dragic or his team this season. A full-time starter for only the second time in his six-year career, he was responsible for picking up the pieces from last season's 25-win nightmare and holding the fort until the franchise had time for a proper rebuild.<\/p>\n

Maybe that explains why we missed all of those shattered expectations as\u00a0Dragic\u00a0and new backcourt mate Eric\u00a0Bledsoe\u00a0helped Phoenix explode out of the gate. Or how we slept on\u00a0Dragic's balancing act, refusing to lose control of the ship when\u00a0Bledsoe\u00a0went\u00a0under the knife<\/a>\u00a0in early January.<\/p>\n

Well,\u00a0Dragic\u00a0isn't letting us sleep any longer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Waking Up the Basketball World<\/strong><\/p>\n

By all accounts, Friday seemed like it would be a night off for the 27-year-old.<\/p>\n

He skipped morning\u00a0shootaround, was officially listed as a game-time decision and stressed the "need to be 100 percent to play," which he admitted he wasn't, via Craig\u00a0Grialou\u00a0of\u00a0ArizonaSports.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The guard swapped his doctor's note for his sneakers, though, and masterfully guided the Suns to a\u00a0116-104 win<\/a>\u00a0over the visiting\u00a0New Orleans Pelicans<\/a>\u00a0with a career-high 40 points.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A high-volume contributor throughout this season,\u00a0Dragic\u00a0is now raising the decibels to a level impossible to ignore.\u00a0His 40-point outburst set a new personal best, something he's done three times over his last eight outings:<\/p>\n

 
\n <\/p>\n

He has upped the ante since losing\u00a0Bledsoe, but he was turning heads before "mini-LeBron" even went down.<\/p>\n

Dragic\u00a0brought career averages of 9.5 points and 4.2 assists into this season and then promptly averaged 18.0 and 7.2, respectively, through the end of November. Each month he's taken on a little more of the offense, actually increasing his efficiency at the same time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Greedy Goran: Guard Adding Quantity and Quality<\/caption>\n
Month<\/td>\nG<\/td>\nPPG<\/td>\nAPG<\/td>\nFG%<\/td>\n3PT%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
December<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n18.8<\/td>\n4.5<\/td>\n49.1<\/td>\n36.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
January<\/td>\n16<\/td>\n22.3<\/td>\n6.6<\/td>\n52.2<\/td>\n46.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
February<\/td>\n11<\/td>\n23.5<\/td>\n6.2<\/td>\n56.0<\/td>\n49.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Basketball-Reference.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

If the shooting marks seem a bit jarring, that's because they are.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finding Exclusive Company<\/strong><\/p>\n

A combination of volume and efficiency like\u00a0Dragic's is only seen among the true elites.<\/p>\n

In fact, he is one of only\u00a0five players<\/a>\u00a0averaging at least 20 points on at least 50 percent shooting (min. 25 games), via Basketball-Reference.com. Two of the others are post players: Anthony Davis andBlake Griffin<\/a>. The remaining two are sitting No. 1 and No. 1A in the MVP race:\u00a0Kevin Durant<\/a>\u00a0and LeBron James.<\/p>\n

Like those two MVP leaders,\u00a0Dragic\u00a0does more than just find his own offense. He makes players around him better, elevating the Suns from an offensive afterthought to the league's most lethal attack:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n