SB Nation - Martell Webster

Game 26 Recap: Blazers 95, Kings 88

Dave — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:43:18 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Cue the M.C. Hammer song.

A win! And a fairly nicely fought one too! Good news for the Blazers right now. The bad news is that it feels so good to win at home against the Kings, but what they hey. Beggars can't be choosers. And it was a nice win.

The game started out with a really nice offensive run keyed by Brandon Roy. Portland was setting screens on everything--two, three in every set--and players were running off of them on and off the ball. Roy looked sharp every time he came off of a pick, which confounded the Sacramento defense. With at least half an eye on him the Kings let Joel Przybilla and Martell Webster slip. Often that's a good bet but Joel slipped through for a couple of dunks and Martell hit a three and assisted on another to Brandon. Smackety-smackety and the Kings are down 9 before the halfway mark of the first quarter passed by. It was a textbook example of what the Portland offense looks like when it's running right. Everybody moved, everybody was ready to score, nobody held the ball, the team was almost unselfish to a fault, a high percentage of shots went in which made Sacramento stick close to their men which spaced the floor for penetration which in turn set up even more open jumpers. It was fluid, flexible, and fun.

The Kings, meanwhile, ran their offense through Andres Nocioni and Donte Green. They're nice enough players, but that has to be considered a victory for the Portland defense which was also working pretty hard, especially in the middle.

Then, as has been the story frequently this year, Portland got a little comfortable with the lead. They started shooting jumpers first, thinking of other plans later. Predictably misses ensued. When Joel Przybilla went to the bench for a rest the defense also lost its anchor. Beno Udrih and Ime Udoka connected on a couple shots each and the lead evaporated leaving the teams knotted at 23 after one.

The second period continued the way the first had ended. Portland got 4 free throws and a layup in the quarter but every other score was a jump shot. Meanwhile Przybilla started the period on the bench then came in and collected two quick fouls and had to sit again. The Kings' second unit began attacking from everywhere. They penetrated, pushed, stroked shots, shared the ball. The Blazers weren't rotating crisply or getting back in numbers. All of a sudden they're staring down the wrong end of a 31-20 period and the crowd is moaning.

Let's talk about those rotations for a minute. People wonder sometimes why this is so hard to get. A guy needs help, another guy goes to help him, a third guy is supposed to pick up for that second guy, and so on. But that third-guy position is darn tricky. Sometimes you have to pick up the open man immediately. Sometimes you have to shade over and watch how the play develops. Sometimes leaving your own man at all is more dangerous than helping and it's really more someone else's responsibility to cover. It's really easy to make the wrong decision. Sometimes if the opposing team is good enough there is no definitive right answer except for the original guy not getting beat in the first place. Any way you go, though, it requires that you keep watching your man while also being aware of what is happening in at least two other places on the court, processing all of that information quickly and acting.

On occasion we've watched the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch at home. It's the one about the crab fishermen in Alaska...a documentary/reality series following life on the crab boats during the winter season. The most interesting part of the show for the producers, and often for the audience, is the struggles of the greenhorns on the deck. The camera never gives them a break, catching every slip-up, chew-out, and frustrated moment. In the process a couple things become clear. The greenhorns aren't bad guys, nor even substandard workers most times. Their great limitation is that they are only able to do one task at a time because they only see the job in front of them and not how it relates to the whole. An experienced deckhand does his own job but is also able to see what else needs to be done and efficiently slide over to pitch in and keep the whole show running smoothly. That's why the old salts are infinitely more valuable even if they and the rookies do a single task at roughly the same level of competence. The second thing that's clear is that it takes multiple seasons for a greenhorn to develop that kind of vision and confidence. Learning six individual tasks is one thing. Learning how they all fit together and timing the need and your participation in each is quite another. Apparently it takes years to become a full-share deckhand on those boats.

That's fairly similar to what's going on with the Blazers defense most nights, particularly when you have weaker defenders at the point of attack and less experienced guys (which in some ways still includes most of the roster when you figure the primary focus of many of them has been offense) in the help positions. You usually get one good rotation from Portland. You don't always get two. And you don't always get people recovering to the correct place at the right time. It feels like the enemy just has to show a strong thrust to our front ranks to make us react and then they have our flank exposed. They sure seemed to in that second period.

Back to the game...

The third quarter saw a couple of significant developments. First, Joel Przybilla remained in the game. Second, the Blazers fed the offense through LaMarcus Aldridge. LaMarcus ate the Kings' lunch for the first half of the period, scoring 10 of the 15 the Blazers put up before the 6:00 mark. Once again the bold attack opened up opportunities on the perimeter which Martell Webster and Brandon Roy happily took advantage of. The Kings, meanwhile, reverted to their Nocioni-Greene offense. The Blazers encouraged this by steadfastly refusing to let them run. Bingo-Bango-Boinko, the lead is erased and we have a ballgame.

And from the time the score got close around the midway point of the third it really was a good game. The Kings suddenly remembered that they had Tyreke Evans on their side and that we weren't very good at containing penetration. The Blazers started hustling both ways, scrapping for loose balls, and putting up decent shots. The Kings drew first blood at the end of the third when Evans put the Blazers back on their heels. Portland came back by repeating their first-quarter screen-pass offense with some penetration by Brandon Roy thrown in. Evans kept fighting and corralled the heretofore-quiet Jason Thompson into the fight. Portland responded with Aldridge and Roy, then Jerryd Bayless started driving and drawing fouls, exposing the Kings' weakness on defense they way they had exposed ours. In the end three beat two. Sacramento couldn't keep up on the foul line and they never strung together enough shots to make the difference. 95-88, Blazers win. Energy, unselfishness, and a little know-how about breaking down a sub-standard defense carried the day.

Click through for Individual Observations, Jersey Contest links, and other notes.

Individual Observations

Brandon Roy wasn't just the main scorer in this game, he was truly the main catalyst. He gave the Kings fits to the tune of 10-20 shooting and 25 points. But the bigger stat was his 10 assists. He used his influence to get his friends involved, particularly the big men early in each half. That doubled his effectiveness at least. He had 5 turnovers to go with those assists so it's not like the game was completely polished, but it was a Brandon you'd love to see every night. Of equal note: his teammates were ready to make this Brandon look good. They weren't standing. They converted the shots he gave them.

LaMarcus Aldridge matched Roy's 25, dominating the second half as we described. He kept Jason Thompson occupied which helped divert his attention from his strengths. Thompson had 1 offensive rebound on the night. Aldridge had 5. Having to protect the glass against LaMarcus and Joel kept the Kings from getting into their offense as quickly as they'd like.

I loved Joel Przybilla's game tonight. He led the defense in shutting off penetration, set the tone in taking charges (which the team did frequently tonight), grabbed 10 rebounds, and his 2 dunks off of feeds in the first period made the Kings a little leery instead of taking him for granted. He didn't force a thing. He just looked good.

Jerryd Bayless was the star off the bench with 14 points, 8-10 free throws, 3-6 from the field, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and even a block. This defense was made for him and he took advantage, making his bones in the fourth quarter when the coaching staff showed confidence in him by leaving him in until the game was done. He also played some nice defense down the stretch.

Martell Webster had a workman-like game. He kept the floor wide open by hitting a couple threes and came away with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. When Martell is getting assists you know the offense is working.

Andre Miller did not have a good night. He had the usual defensive troubles but he also shot 2-10 from the field for 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 29 minutes. He wasn't in synch with the offense. He was actually duplicating Jerryd's secondary-scorer role but he wasn't scoring.

Steve Blake got 24 minutes and blended in, hitting a couple shots (including a three) to keep the defense honest. 5 points, 2 assists, no big mistakes or awkward moments.

Juwan Howard hit all three of his shots for 6 points but he's no Przybilla on defense. The thing I like best about Juwan, something the other guys could learn from, is that his offense is so compact. You watch him and when it's time to shoot he doesn't mess around with the ball or the dribble or anything. He just takes the shot.

Dante Cunningham got 2 points and 2 boards in 6 minutes.

Final Thoughts

24 assists on 36 made shots with only 11 turnovers is going to win you a lot of games. But the stat of the night was Sacramento with 2--count them...2--fast break points to their credit. Nice.

Boxscore

Read the reaction at SactownRoyalty.

Here's your Jersey Contest Scoreboard. You can enter the form for the Phoenix game here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Preview: Kings at Blazers

Ziller — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Don Ryan - AP

Greg Oden and Sean May, both bored for different reasons, break out the Twister game board. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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THE OPPONENT

The Blazers have struggled, and not just because of the crippling injury to wonderbig Greg Oden. Portland struggled with Oden; losing him hasn't, as some argued it would, fixed things.

Actually, the whole matter of why the Blazers have struggled so much is a touchy subject, and I'd venture that 100 Portlanders would give you at least 25 or so different reasons. Steve Blake, Andre Miller, either or both. LaMarcus Aldridge's defense. A painfully slow method of offense. Not enough Jerryd Bayless. Injuries to Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez. Coaching. Energy. Faith. Confidence.

Whatever the case, strike before the toast cools. If you want that butter melted (in other words, if you want to win in Portland) you've got to act now (in other words, you've got to act ... oh, nevermind). Easier opportunities for road wins have come and passed. Others (Minnesota, Milwaukee) will come still. But this is a fine opportunity for traveling victory, insomuch as a healthy, correct Blazers team registers nearly unbeatable in the Rose Garden.

If there is one serious note of analysis I may offer, by which I mean stea, it is that the Kings are really bad in terms of giving up fast break points, but the Blazers are the team perhaps least likely to take advantage of that. (This might be doubly the case with Rudy out.) Regarding that second link, which regards the Blazers' habit of milking the shot clock for every last drip of time (MMMM ... time), do note that it is imperative (imperative!) for the Kings to

a) not bail Portland, or more specifically talented driver Brandon Roy, hesistant shooter Andre Miller and hesistant driver Aldridge, out with a foul with, say, six seconds or less left on the clock -- let them condemn their own bridge, aye,

and b) secure the defensive rebound, which is not something that cannot be said before all 82 games.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Brandon Roy	25	37.8	7.3	16.5	44.3	1.2	3.8	32.6	5.3	6.6	80.6	0.9	3.8	4.6	5.0	2.4	0.7	0.1	2.6	21.2
LaMarcus Aldridge	24	34.8	6.6	13.3	49.4	0.2	0.3	66.7	2.8	3.4	82.9	1.9	5.9	7.8	1.7	1.0	0.5	0.5	3.0	16.2
Andre Miller	25	27.4	3.7	8.9	41.4	0.3	1.3	25.0	3.7	4.6	80.7	0.8	2.0	2.8	4.5	2.2	0.8	0.1	2.1	11.4
Greg Oden	21	23.9	4.4	7.2	60.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	3.0	76.6	3.0	5.4	8.5	0.9	1.9	0.4	2.3	4.0	11.1
Travis Outlaw	11	21.0	3.5	9.2	37.6	1.1	2.8	38.7	1.9	2.2	87.5	1.2	2.3	3.5	0.7	1.1	0.6	0.7	1.2	9.9
Rudy Fernandez	20	23.3	2.8	6.6	42.4	1.6	4.0	38.7	1.5	1.8	82.9	0.6	2.1	2.7	2.3	1.9	1.6	0.1	1.4	8.6
Martell Webster	25	23.4	2.8	7.6	37.4	1.4	3.8	36.5	1.3	1.6	78.0	0.6	2.6	3.2	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.6	1.7	8.4
Steve Blake	25	30.4	2.5	6.9	36.4	1.5	4.3	34.3	0.6	0.9	69.6	0.3	2.4	2.7	4.0	1.6	0.7	0.0	1.3	7.2
Jerryd Bayless	18	10.6	1.8	3.4	51.6	0.1	0.4	28.6	2.1	2.8	76.0	0.2	0.7	0.9	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.0	1.8	5.8
Joel Przybilla	25	22.2	1.5	2.9	50.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.6	68.3	2.4	5.3	7.6	0.2	1.3	0.2	1.4	3.2	4.1
Juwan Howard	17	11.5	1.4	2.4	57.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.7	83.3	0.6	1.5	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.0	0.2	1.6	3.3
Dante Cunningham	15	8.1	1.4	2.5	55.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5	28.6	0.9	1.1	2.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.9	2.9

THE KEY BATTLE

Aldridge vs. Jason Thompson. Two lovely offensive rebounders, two friends who can match outside jumpers ... but our pugilist is definitely more of a brawler. Despite his length, Aldridge is a perimeter-oriented power forward. According to HoopData.com, Aldridge takes 5.1 attempts per game from 10 feet or closer, and 7.2 attempts per game from further out. Thompson takes 7.1 attempts from within 10 feet, and just 3.3 from further. All this while, again, both are considered among the league's best offensive rebounders. All weird, man.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Forget Kevin Pritchard. The Portland fans, or more accurately the Rose Garden experience, might be the most important northern blueprint for the Kings to follow. The Blazers tossed out the dirty pool from that awful post-2000 era, and the fans almost immediately returned. I hope we see that community re-engagement in Sacramento, though I fear the fact that Portland is more of an "only-game-in-town" scenario (due to the proximity of the Bay Area) and simple timing (with the economic crisis) makes it a bit uneven, or even unfair.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Sergio Rodriguez will threaten either his top assist watermark (12) or his worst turnover standard (six). Perhaps both.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 14,003. (The SRSS is back, batches!)

DETAILS

Portland is in the same time zone as us? Weird. 7 PM start. Game threads at 7 and 8, post-gamer at 9:45, recap sometime tomorrow.

Game 25 Recap: Blazers 101, Bucks 108

Dave — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:08:09 -0000

Arrgh. It stinks to have to write about another loss. But you kind of knew when the game went into overtime, let alone double-overtime, that this would be a hard one for the Blazers to pull out. Shorthanded and on the tail end of a road swing against a team that's been waiting isn't a good recipe for extra-period success. Nevertheless the Blazers had their chances but couldn't overcome their mistakes and in the end couldn't pull out the win.

The game started with both teams looking to their big men to provide scoring. LaMarcus Aldridge tore up the Bucks most of the night. Andrew Bogut returned the favor. Both were mobile enough and had enough range to their game that their counterparts couldn't stop them. Centers and power forwards were the order of the day early and the Blazers were fine with that. But when the various guards stepped up to the plate Portland got outplayed. Luke Ridnour did damage in the first half, carrying the torch for Brandon Jennings who didn't attempt a single shot in the opening 24 minutes of the game. Michael Redd chipped in a little bit. On the other side Brandon Roy was quiet and Steve Blake and Andre Miller were noisy in all the wrong ways...and in the clanging of loud rims. Nobody but Martell Webster could hit a three. By now you know what happens to the Blazer offense when nobody hits threes. Portland exited the first period down 5 and it looked like it could be a long night.

In the second period Roy went on a run, which in turn developed some shots for Martell and for Jerryd Bayless. Bayless didn't get many opportunities but he did well with what he had. Martell was still doing well in the first half, so it actually made a decent lineup. It's important to realize that many of these shots were coming off of movement and screens, which seems to be a consistent factor when Portland's offense is going well. The Bucks, meanwhile, suffered from a lack of backcourt scoring. Also Andrew Bogut sat out half the period. That was a bad combination for the Bucks. Portland made an enormous comeback behind their rejuvenated backcourt and turned the 5-point deficit into a 5-point lead at the half.

Apparently Brandon Jennings looked at the stat sheet at the half and realized it is really hard to win Rookie of the Year without attempting any shots whatsoever. Perhaps he looked at LeBron tape from last night's game as well. Whatever the cause, he came out in the third quarter firing. The Blazers had to know it was coming but they're a little shy on point guard defense at the moment. Once Jennings hit a couple of threes the court opened up for anything Milwaukee liked. It was like going through a pound box of See's soft-center candies for them. No matter what they picked, everything was good. Portland started the period by driving inside but after they were rejected at the rim they apparently decided that three-point shooting was the better part of valor. They got a couple of close shots but mostly it was Brick City. Only some well-timed free throws saved the period from total disaster. (You'll recall that giving up copious amounts of charity tosses is in Milwaukee's M.O.) The game's wobble increased again as the Bucks outscored the Blazers by 15. For those counting that means the first quarter one team outscored the other by 5, the second quarter it was by 10, the third quarter was by 15, and the superior team alternated each quarter.

Obviously all of the people who believe in an orderly universe are assuming that Portland outscored the Bucks by 20 in the final period and walked out victorious. You're half right. They outscored the Bucks by 10. Both Roy and Aldridge came alive at the same time to spur the comeback. They even helped each other out a time or two, which is something you don't see often. Milwaukee shared the ball but maybe they should have considered going with Jennings, Bogut, or Ridnour alone as the Blazers couldn't seem to stop any of them. In the process of sharing the ball with each other they also shared it plenty of times with Portland, aiding the comeback's progress. Andre Miller was the third scorer for the Blazers in the period but he was a mixed blessing. It's easy to love the 5 points and especially the 4 assists he posted in the period. It's difficult to forgive two critical turnovers down the stretch when Portland had a chance to score crucial buckets. They were nearly identical, featuring Miller trying to force the tempo by driving against superior numbers on the break when his teammates weren't with him. He got stripped both times, once by Redd and once by Jennings. Both of these occurred in the last two minutes of a then-tight game. The first one the Blazers got right back. Not so the second. But either one could have made the difference and you don't expect that kind of thing from a 14-year veteran point guard. That's not to pin the loss on Miller...it was a group effort. But it's indicative that every time the Blazers felt the win in their sails in this game they hit a rock.

The final 38 seconds of regulation featured a medley of nice offensive plays. Andrew Bogut hit a hook shot to put the Bucks up three then Brandon Roy pulled the defense to him and threaded a sweeeeeet pass to LaMarcus Aldridge for a dunk plus the foul to tie it. After the big man had their curtain call Brandon Jennings made a teardrop runner in the lane to recapture the lead by 2 followed by Brandon Roy hitting a turn-around with 12 seconds left that was so bad that we would have barbequed anyone but Brandon who took it. We maybe would have barbequed him too but we'll never know because it went in. You could almost hear the Bucks' fans (who were quite vocal and sounded amazing all game, by the way) lose their beer and pretzels. The Bucks almost got a tip-in off of a missed Jennings jumper at the buzzer but it was a nanosecond or two too late. Overtime.

The overtime started out well. After Andrew Bogut made a layup followed by a short Roy jumper the Blazers fed a running Aldridge thrice. It was like three punches to Milwaukee's ribs. It looked like they could be headed for the exit. Unfortunately the Blazers never scored again after the third conversion. Perhaps they relaxed. Perhaps they were fatigued. Certainly we began to see signs of the perimeter defense breaking down as the Milwaukee smalls scored repeatedly, often times after a screen left them either free or mismatched.

There was a semi-controversial play near the end of the overtime wherein the officials invoked instant replay review for a second time in the game, the first having been the shot at the end of regulation. Milwaukee missed a shot and there was a scrum for the rebound. LaMarcus Aldridge was touching the ball but hadn't fully controlled it yet when two Bucks tried to tip it away from behind. They succeed and the ball went out of bounds along the baseline. The officials initially awarded the ball to the Blazers but the video review would show that LaMarcus' hand was the last to touch it (by about the same nanosecond as before) so they reversed their call. Technically they were correct in their determination. Full marks there. But this does highlight that even instant replay isn't foolproof because technical correctness sometimes breaks precedent. Every other call in the game is made in real-time. And made in real time that call always goes against the team whose players come from behind to tip. Had this been any time but the last, critical moments of the game that would have been Portland's ball. As it was, the call was made differently because it was reviewed. This begs the question: is technical correctness really correct or is it consistency?

Anyway, Brandon Jennings made a final shot to end the overtime and we were knotted again.

There's not much to say about the second OT except that the Blazers looked even more tired. Jumpers fell well short. Brandon Roy drove expecting to get fouled and threw up the shot as an afterthought. In overtime games you have to get the shot in and expect the foul to be called as an afterthought. Needless to say, he came away with neither. Meanwhile the perimeter defense got even worse as switches on screens became comical. Jennings, Ridnour, and guard Carlos Delfino scored repeatedly. Portland did not. End of game.

The Blazers didn't hit enough jumpers and didn't throw a wide enough defensive net to win in this game and that's pretty much the story. They're tired. They're banged up. They need to go home and hope to recover with a little rest and a friendly crowd.

Click through for the rest...

Individual Observations

These are going to be quite brief tonight.

Brandon Roy scored copiously but less than efficiently again, shooting only 8-24 to get his 23 points. Part of it is him, part of it is that his backcourt mates are playing like doo-doo right now. He was streaky, pouring on the points when needed and hitting the critical shot. But the confidence just isn't there. 8 rebounds and 6 assists but also 4 turnovers.

Blake and Miller combined for 5-22 shooting, 8 assists, and 6 turnovers. That was ouchy.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a whale of a game with 31 points and 11 rebounds. The Bucks had a hard time handling him.

Poor Joel Przybilla gets used so badly by his backcourt on defense. He never gets to worry about just his own guy. Not that being able to worry about Bogut would have allowed him to stop Bogut, but I do feel bad that Joel has to do everyone else's laundry as well as his own. He managed 10 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Both Martell Webster and Steve Blake seemed to take some advice we offered last night and stepped in for a few shots instead of just bombing. It worked OK for Steve. He was 1-7 on his threes but 2-3 on the shorter shots. Martell hit 3-6 threes, 3-8 of the remainder. Keep at it.

Jerryd Bayless played 18 minutes and scored 9 points. His best moment came when he was set up on the left sideline while Roy drove the lane, Brandon pitched him the ball, and Jerryd drained the three. That's something Blazer guards playing with Roy need to do. Jerryd nodded like he knew it and Roy high-fived him afterwards. 18 minutes is better than the 8 he got last night. We're going to talk more about Jerryd's court situation tomorrow so I'll leave it at that.

Final Thoughts

This was a rough stretch. You have pretty much GOT to get these two upcoming home games now. Remember though that we're trying to get through December without totally getting ruined. It may not be pretty but it doesn't have to be. It just can't be fatal. And things are seldom fatal in December anyway.

Boxscore

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See your Jersey Contest scores here and enter Tuesday's game form here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game 24 Recap: Blazers 99, Cavaliers 104

Dave — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Garrett Ellwood - NBAE/Getty Images

This is not going to end well.

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Well, if you're going to lose that's not a horrible way to lose. The Blazers played an inspired first half in this one. Gone was the listless play we've become semi-accustomed to lately. This team had more list than Santa. One of the things I sometimes forget is that the current incarnation of the Blazers has a little "Big Time" in it. They seemed to know they were on national TV. They knew who they were playing. They played with energy from the tip, taking a lead on the shocked Cavaliers (perhaps feeling a little entitlement to a home win themselves) and protecting it through the first half.

How did the Blazers do it? The supporting cast had a fantastic half. Martell Webster started the game on fire, hitting everything he threw up. It's not like he was taking it one-on-one. The Blazers attacked with Roy early, he drew attention, Martell and LaMarcus were the beneficiaries. In fact nobody but those three scored in the first quarter. When the stars didn't have a shot, Martell stepped up. But the Blazers also threw a few more screens in the offense, with both Roy and Webster curling off of them and hitting briefly-open jumpers as a result.

As the second quarter and the second unit (such as it is) rolled around we saw a ton of off-ball movement. The four players without the rock made it easy for the dribbler to find an outlet. Unsurprisingly the two players who benefitted the most were the two players who know how to function in that kind of offense: Juwan Howard and Andre Miller. Both of those guys have a sense of spacing that their younger counterparts lack. Howard all but killed the Cavaliers all by himself at the start of the second quarter doing nothing but raining down open mid-range jumpers. Miller ramped it up at the end of the second quarter, hitting all kinds of shots including a couple threes. Except for one Roy jumper, one Cunningham jumper, and a couple of Bayless free throws nobody but the geezer twins scored in that second period.

As you can imagine, Cleveland was a little flummoxed. Worse, the Blazers' energy on offense evoked similar play on defense. Joel Przybilla keyed the early momentum with a couple of MONSTER blocks. He was way into this game. Cleveland helped by steadfastly refusing to utilize LeBron James. He destroyed the Blazers every time he touched the ball but he was getting fewer touches than a broke guy at Déjà Vu. It was as if Cleveland had a fully gassed and insured Ferrari in the garage but elected to take the old Taurus instead. Add in that the Blazers weren't turning the ball over much and weren't allowing the Cavs offensive rebounds and you can see why Portland took a 9-point lead into the third quarter. They had outscored Cleveland 31-19 in that second period. Things were looking good.

Except you didn't need Paul Harvey to know what the rest of the story would be.

The Cavaliers announced their presence in the second half by throwing on a full-court press. The intention wasn't so much to stop Portland as rattle them. Perhaps it was also designed to light a fire under their own players. It worked on both counts. Wherever Portland threw the ball a defender seemed to beat it there. Where the Blazers had been playing free and easy, maybe even with a spritely tempo, in the first half now shots started coming later and later in the clock. The same jumpers that were golden early started missing late.

When LeBron hit a three-pointer on Cleveland's first offensive possession, approximately 37 seconds into the half, it was clear that Elvis had arrived at the clam bake. He proceeded to score 9 points in 3 minutes, hitting jumpers over shorter guys. The Blazers threw a zone which worked for a possession or so. Then it was the old "put out the fire" drill which saw Portland defenders running at him from everywhere. All of a sudden here come Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal.

Pause for interlude.

Shaq was huge in this game. Like around four bills huge. Seriously, you can now see the fat roll underneath the armpits of his jersey. The Cavs wear an "XL" patch on their uniforms. In his case it's missing about six "X's". I'm thinking the plan is to improve his free throw shooting by eventually being able to roll the ball down his stomach and into the hoop. Some guys become broadcasters after their career is done. I guess he's angling to be a blogger.

Now back to your regularly-scheduled programming.

Varejao and Shaq took advantage of Portland's inability to contain LeBron by scoring repeatedly at the cup. Portland eventually tried a smaller, quicker lineup both to protect Przybilla from foul trouble and to move men over to LBJ in a more timely fashion. That made it worse. Przybilla eventually put an end to the Shaq run with a classic heel move: poking him in the eye. Shaq went to the locker room and never came back. Unfortunately the same could not be said of Varejao, who proceeded to kill us with his energy on both ends. He bottled up LaMarcus Aldridge, rebounded all over the place, created turnovers, finished easy plays...he basically gave the Cavs all of the opportunity points they had lacked in the first half.

Meanwhile the Blazers' offense was in confusion. As jumpers missed we became more Roy-centric which had the dual effect of creating points and telegraphing to the Cavaliers where their defense should concentrate and exactly when the ball was coming up. It's not like Roy was hogging it. His teammates couldn't finish what they started early in the game. Martell Webster made like one of those drag racers starting with a huge boom but then blowing out his engine and coasting down the track. Steve Blake never hit anything in this game. LaMarcus got Varejaoed. The only guy who was any help was Andre Miller and that was at the cost of his offense running the same way Roy's did. It wasn't quite enough. Cleveland played sharper. The Blazers turned it over more and got fewer offensive rebounds in the second half. Oh...and LeBron was still cooking.

Portland made it really close, cutting it to 4 with 13 seconds left on a LaMarcus Aldridge three and then scoring again 1 second later off of a Roy steal of the inbounds pass. But Cleveland hit their free throws and Roy couldn't hit the contested, off-balance three that would have kept hope alive. It was as good of a performance as you could have expected but it wasn't good enough for the miracle win.

Here's hoping the Blazers build on tonight. They showed themselves and their opponent that they can be dangerous when they play right. The early offense was something to behold...everything you'd hoped for out of a perimeter game. The total lack of paint points rendered it unsustainable but if the Blazers can pair that movement and unselfishness with even a marginal inside presence they're going to be just fine. And by just fine I mean great. In the meantime while they're waiting for the post presence and more people who can actually hit outside shots to heal they should continue to work that hard. Good things will happen.

Click through for Individual Observations, the Boxscore, Links, Jersey Contest Results, and Final Thoughts.

Individual Observations

Brandon Roy had 23 points but never got steady offensive production until he blitzed the fourth quarter. Even then his run was short-lived. Cleveland figured out what the plan was and that made life too difficult. He was no better than anyone else on the team when matched up against LeBron James. In fact the three-guard lineup in the second half was a defensive disaster, especially when Przybilla wasn't in with them. But he looked more active on defense than he has in some outings. He had 6 assists as well.

LaMarcus Aldridge had three-quarters of a great offensive game tonight. He couldn't get anything going in the fourth. They just shut him down whenever he tried, which in any case probably wasn't often enough as the offense became guard-dominated. He drew 5 free throws and hit them all, which is good. He had 2 rebounds on the night...this on a night when he was one of two guys above 6'9" who saw significant minutes. That's not so good.

Andre Miller played tough out there on offense. He drove, dished, and hit his shots. I have a vague impression that he looks more confident against Eastern Conference teams but that's just an impression. He sure knew how to bake Cleveland's cookies. 8-13 shooting, 20 points, 6 rebounds. He had only 3 assists, taking a more shooting-guard-ish approach to the evening.

Steve Blake had 8 assists. Unfortunately that was about the only obvious good thing that came out of his night. He had 4 turnovers. Although he put himself in decent position many times he also got burned for being too slow or too short on defense. He also missed all 4 shots he took, including 3 three-point attempts. First of all, with the roster the way it is we can't afford to have a guy playing 36 minutes and only attempting 4 shots unless that guy's name starts with "P" and ends with "rzybilla". Discretion is good but you have to be a threat. Second of all...you goose-egged the evening. I hate to presume too much but have a handy piece of advice for both Blake and Webster. If the three-pointer isn't falling your choices are not limited to keep bricking or stop shooting altogether. Specifically there are shots available from 2-4 feet further in which are more comfortable. Obviously you can't step in if defenders are closing out on you but in many cases they're leaving you all alone. Take an easier shot, get it to fall, then try the hard stuff.

Speaking of Martell, 13 points in the first quarter, 0 for the rest of the game. 4 rebounds and 4 fouls otherwise. Obviously defending LeBron can be a discouraging experience. But you've got to keep involved and you've got to work for better shots instead of relying on the ones that the defense gives you most easily. On fire or cold as a witch's bras-trap won't do it.

Joel Przybilla...you made this game for us. 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, including a SPECTACULAR rejection of a Shaq alley-oop dunk. The guy had 2 assists when the offense was flowing freely too. He set the tone.

Hey Juwan...15 points in 16 minutes? Who are you, Jerryd Bayless? I guess this is the one situation where you're glad that the old-guy power forward you got also used to score with some proficiency instead of just rebounding and defending. With half the roster blown away you need the points.

Hey Jerryd...8 minutes? Who are you, Juwan Howard? No, seriously, I thought Jerryd looked pretty good out there tonight. He made a couple of nice assists and stayed turnover-free. More importantly the Blazers intentionally called the last play of the first half for him, giving him the ball to finish the period. He penetrated even when everybody knew that would be coming. He drew two foul shots and converted them. The fact that they set the play for him is a sign of respect. Of course more than 8 minutes would also be a sign of respect. I am not huge on bandwagons as I think we tend to jump the gun and/or not see some subtle things that keep our favorite guys from playing as much as we think they should. However in this case I tend to agree with my colleague Ben. I'm seeing Jerryd hit the few jumpers he takes. I'm seeing him drive with effect. I'm seeing him in the nascent stages of passing the ball and getting the offense. I do understand his effectiveness will be greatest with certain combinations. I understand that those combinations probably won't include Roy or Miller--let alone both--and that you have to give the nod to Brandon and Andre both over Jerryd right now. (In other words it's not just a matter of subbing in Jerryd in Blake's spot.) However no matter what the combinations may be I think you have to find the guy some more playing time, particularly if the other team has no choice but to send a weaker defender against him. Maybe not 30 minutes. Maybe he doesn't even move up in the rotation officially. But if Blake's not hitting his shots anyway, if Miller or Roy can handle the passing, and if Jerryd can do a few other things that Steve can't you have to sneak him in there for a few more minutes.

Final Thoughts

Pretty much said it all above, but I'll reiterate that I appreciated the effort. If the Blazers played every game this way, even with the evening not being perfect, there wouldn't be much cause to complain.

Boxscore

Check out what Cavs fans think at FeartheSword.

See how you did in tonight's Jersey Contest here. (We had some good scores!) Enter tomorrow's form here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Poll

How'd you feel about this game?

What If? What Now?

Dave — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:37:06 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

This was a long walk, but it's an even longer season.

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I think I've had more e-mail over this weekend than I've had in any weekend in history, ever. Basically people's responses and questions boil down to two matters: "What if?" and "What now?" Let's take a look.

How Far Behind the Curve Will This Put Us?

A couple of wistful folks asked whether I thought the team would have adjusted to Oden this season and how far this injury sets back the timetable for integrating him. I do think they would have hit their groove eventually but I'm not sure it would have been soon enough to do more than run off a couple of hot months. I don't think Portland would have found itself amongst the league elite even with those hot months, so it's not like the injury cost us that. Even last night I wasn't fond of how they started off using Greg up high, so I don't think they were moving in a direction that alleviated the either-or nature of the offense. They were making do...which is pretty much what you have to do when you're adjusting in the middle of the season. As coaches league-wide are fond of reminding us, practice time is scarce during the year. You have to get your start in training camp to have the best shot at consistent excellence. Beyond that it's hit or miss when you make changes. And the Blazers have been making changes all season.

If you're worried whether this season was completely wasted, whether they'll have to start from scratch next year, I would say "no". Obviously the only way to get used to Greg is to play with Greg. Losing 61 games' worth of opportunities to do that is irreplaceable. However this 20-game run viewing the nascent stages of the "real" Greg--meaning the Greg they're counting on in the future versus the lumbering, unsure version they saw last season--was educational. Now they know they can't just throw him in there and expect things to click. They'll know what they have to prepare for coming into next fall. I'd expect the coaching staff's notebooks will be full of ideas to get Greg off of the launching pad while keeping the main scorers happy. I imagine it will be Priority One. That's what this year taught us...an incomplete lesson, but still valuable.

What Do the Blazers Do Now?

As I said last night the costs to the team are pretty obvious: rebounding, defense, post play, intimidation factor, the other team having to factor Greg into their game plan. How can the team overcome these costs? They can't right now. There's no magic wand to wave. I'm not saying it's a disaster that will kill the season. I'm just saying there's nobody on the roster who brings all of the same things that Greg did. Joel will make up some of the defense and rebounding. LaMarcus will be called back into post duty. They'll have to get by without some things and try to substitute in what they're still good at.

One of the trickier aspects of the situation is avoiding a mental or emotional letdown. I tend to think that we in the public probably valued Greg more highly than his tangible positive effect on his teammates' games warranted, so I don't believe that anybody in that locker room is waving a white flag at this point. If anything once past the initial shock they're likely to view it as an opportunity for more time and responsibility. But on the whole they'll still have to avoid the temptation to just accept the season as it comes now instead of fighting for their position. They'll also have to avoid the temptation to make it all about their individual effort/opportunity. I don't think you'll see these things early but 3-4 losses strung in a row could make them vulnerable.

Both the team and its fans could maybe take the examples this season has already given us--the examples of friends and teammates in the Blazer family who have suffered this year--when dealing with the loss and whatever letdown accompanies it.

Well, how do you cope when you're diagnosed with cancer? Initially it's devastating and there are going to be plenty of hard days. It's not fair and it's out of your control, at least from the diagnostic standpoint. "The sun will come up tomorrow" sometimes seems more of a curse than an affirmation. It isn't right that it does. It seems like it should stop where it is because this happened. But sooner or later you figure out that it doesn't stop and it's not going to. Tomorrow comes anyway. You don't have any more choice about that than about the initial event. The only choice you have is how you're going to deal with tomorrow. Even your expectations here are changed. Maybe you used to have 16 great hours in a day and that's now reduced to 10 or 15 good minutes (especially at first). But those are your 10 or 15 minutes and you have to make them mean as much as the whole day used to. Some days will be better, some worse, but they're still yours to live. Maybe the Blazers used to take 48 minutes of winning basketball for granted but now with all the injuries they have to struggle to make 24. Some nights that'll be enough. Some nights you'll get 36 or that original 48. You celebrate those like crazy. Some nights it won't be enough. But you hold on to what good effort you had and you try to expand that for the next game. You don't worry about what's out of your control. You take care of what you can control. The games are coming anyway. You do everything you can to play each one well.

How do you cope when you're the coach who's under fire, whose every move is scrutinized, and who knows that no matter what he does somebody is going to say it was the wrong move because it's impossible to please everyone at once? What do you do when it's open season among media and fans? What do you do when in an effort to inspire your charges you blow out your Achilles so now probably even at home they're shaking their heads and saying, "Hey pops, don't do that"? What can you do? You can't fix any of it, really. All you can do is make what you feel are the right decisions, stick to your guns as much as you need to, slough off what everyone else says, and do your job. A bunch of people--fans and media, local and national--are going to be burying the Blazers for picking Oden, for not finishing as high as they were predicted to (if that occurs), for losing a season in which they were supposed to find themselves (providing they don't). All you can do is play right, stick to your guns, have confidence in yourselves, slough off what everyone else says, and do your job.

How do you cope when you break your knee, tear your shoulder, or fracture your foot and you're out for the year? You're not going to recover anytime soon. Your life is reduced to daily rehab toil for which the reward lies far in the future. At times that future is clouded by doubt and uncertainty. But you still do the exercises. You still follow the dietary regimen. You bust your butt every day even when it's a pain to do so. You never, ever give up. You believe in that future and that it's going to be great. The Blazers will still find their greatest success this year in repeating the fundamentals with each outing, continuing to grow individually and together, and busting their butts every day. The rewards may be smaller than they hoped in the present but it's going to pay future dividends for all of them, whether they remain Blazers past this year or not.

Allen, Lucas, McMillan, Outlaw, Batum, Oden...the examples are all there of people doing what the team needs to do every day in situations even more dire than that the team faces. (They do still have Roy and Aldridge, after all.) Pick up on that vibe and make it your identity for the year. The results might be better than people expect.

What About a Trade?

The guy I think might have the most difficult task ahead of him is Kevin Pritchard. Not only has the roster he built half disintegrated before his eyes, that roster wasn't in its final form yet. As much as he talks about cakes baking, there were moves--potential and probable, perhaps even necessary--available this year. Now, with an entire layer of that cake on the bottom of the oven and smoldering, what options does he have? The most obvious names on the exit list were Blake and Outlaw because of their contract status. Outlaw can't be traded when he's broken and Blake's trade value rests in his contract alone at this point. The only thing that makes sense is a team looking for a complete salary dump. Getting a player who makes a difference on those terms seems like long odds. Joel Przybilla also has a potential contract situation and could garner some value around the league but he can't be moved now, if he ever could to begin with. Andre Miller seems like a tough sell at this point. You better get a small forward or some shooting or scoring back for Martell Webster if you move him. The cupboard is thin right now and the shelf beneath is showing cracks.

This is probably OK, though, because I don't believe you make any deal in response to this situation that you wouldn't have made otherwise. For one thing, what are you salvaging? If you get a guy who's going to help fill holes now you still buy maybe a few extra playoff games. But the guys left to trade with any value are your potential-laden future players. You don't trade away a Fernandez or Bayless to get a stopgap measure. On the other hand the roster is too depleted to be confident about swinging a deal for the guy who's going to eventually put you over the top. Cherry-picking the best of the remaining (reasonably-tradable) roster might not be enough to get that guy. You're in no-man's land here, dealing from a place of vulnerability rather than strength. Pressing the panic button is not the right decision in that situation.

The best move here is to batten down the hatches and ride it out. You still do any deal you would have done anyway...moving those contracts if you're not going to use them, for instance. But if you do see a move made to address the present or near future odds are it will be subtle, or at least look subtle right now. Unless the Blazers already had a significant deal in mind with the exact players who are healthy now you're not likely to see one.

How Much Has This Affected Me Personally? My Fandom? How Big of a Moment Is This?

My overall fandom is unaffected. I'm still a Blazer fan, win or lose. As far as the immediate, personal impact of the injury, I'd rate it pretty high...probably an 8.5 out of 10. Part of that takes into account the combined effect of the injuries though. It'd be somewhat lower if Batum and Outlaw weren't already out. I don't believe this ruined a season in which we had a reasonable shot at a title. I do think we will see such seasons in the future. That's where perspective comes in. Oden going down in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals? That's a 13.5 out of 10.

I guess the main disappointment here, besides that I feel for Greg personally, is that even though this season can still be special it'll be special in the way we're used to. Even if we find success it'll be a scrappy team with an incomplete roster fighting for respect and being pretty happy with any level of success in the playoffs. The goal of the second round of the playoffs might still be attainable but it becomes a real long shot if our seed drops. Either way, you know we're limited this year. We were kind of limited anyway, but the upper reaches of that limit seemed higher. Also success would have clearly indicated what was in store for this team if it was intact. Now you wonder how much applicability it has. We were hoping for a different flavor of special this year. No matter how productive working on Uncle Owen's farm for another season turns out to be, it's just not the same as joining the Rebels and going up against the Death Star.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game 22 Preview: Blazers vs. Knicks

Dave — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:32:05 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

You know what they need in order to win this game? The Perfect Cheer.

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Game Time: 4:30 P.M. Pacific TV: Comcast

The Blazers face a semi-rejuvenated New York Knicks team as they enter the Garden tonight. The Knicks have won three of their last four games including impressive victories over the Hawks and Suns, two of the best teams in their respective conferences. They've been spearheaded by the return of forward Al Harrington who, while never physically absent this season, seemed to have mentally checked out, perhaps in protest to coming off the bench in favor of young Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari was out for one game and Harrington took to the starting role with gusto. He played 40 minutes in each of the last two games, lead the team in scoring, shot well over 50%, hit threes, rebounded, and generally make an all-around nuisance of himself. Gallinari is now back, packing his distance shooting along, but he's not regained the starting role. In addition to those two, forward/center (center on the Knicks) David Lee has also had a fine year averaging 18 and 10 and providing a nightly scoring threat.

None of that changes the fact that the Knicks, even with the winning streak, sit at 6-15. They've got problems in multiple areas. The first thing you think of when you envision a Mike D'Antoni system is point guards and wings streaking down the floor looking for quick opportunities at the rim or from three. Chris Duhon and Larry Hughes are not those guards. Duhon is shooting 32% from the field on the year, Hughes 39%, and neither one can hit a three. Neither can small forward Wilson Chandler. You've a far better shot seeing New York's center and power forwards take a shot from the perimeter than their guards or small forwards (unless you move Harrington to SF). This leads to a lot of teams running back against the Knicks and packing the lane, daring them to shoot as quickly or slowly as they please. The Knicks have little functional bench to speak of and almost no bigs worth a second look besides the ones we've mentioned. They suit up 12 players and depend heavily on 4, maybe 5 on a good night.

The Knicks also have systemic problems. One glaring issue is fast-break points, where they rank 28^th out of 30 teams on the year. That's not fatal if your roster is built to grind it out in the halfcourt and you're not coached by a fast-offense guru. But the reality for the Knicks is that they don't win until they start approaching 110 points in a game. It's awfully hard to do that when you're netting fewer than 10 on the break.

That 110 number brings up another problem: defense. The Knicks are allowing 109 per game, a bunch of them coming in the paint. They don't have shot-blockers at all. Smart opponents don't waste time shooting jumpers. They push inside knowing that they're either going to get an easy look or a foul. New York is running a 5+ attempt deficit at the foul line per night. Their perimeter defenders are marginally better...sometimes. But they're still getting killed by the fact that most of their best offensive players lack defensive chops and vice-versa. This is one of the reasons Nate Robinson hasn't been playing.

Topping it off, the Knicks are getting killed on the boards on a nightly basis. They have some decent individual rebounders (Lee in particular) but the corporate effort just isn't there. They're among the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league and in the lower third defensively. Now maybe you're saying, "Mike D'Antoni...rebounding...his guys never have emphasized it." But remember this offense is not running like a typical D'Antoni system. They're slow, at least compared to the Phoenix days, depending more on possessions than the blitz. If you're going to run almost -7 on the boards every night you had better have some kind of souped up offense under the hood. That would be a "no" on most nights here.

Despite all of that, New York is a dangerous opponent for Portland tonight and not just because of the 3 in 4 momentum. Portland has been strong in interior defense. The Knicks shoot jumpers and loft shots over your forwards instead of scoring at the rim...a process the Blazers have yet to stop consistently this year. Robinson has been in D'Antoni's doghouse but if he's unleashed he's a matchup nightmare for the team. Ditto Al Harrington. They are able to probe specific weaknesses that the Blazers have trouble compensating for. If the Knicks do get on a roll and get near that magic 110 number the Blazers are highly unlikely to match. Nor do the Blazers have the option of brutalizing them inside with Oden anymore. Joel Przybilla is a fine option but realistically anybody could grab rebounds and protect the cup against this team. Someone to muscle through them and score at the rim would be helpful. That's not Joel...at least not on his own. If Joel is scoring tonight it means a bunch of things are going well for the Blazers. But Joel's not going to be able to turn a game around at the offensive end like Greg could have.

Pivotal Points to the Game

1. Energy is the key in this game: first, last, and always. Without energy the Knicks get easy breakaway buckets that push their offense. Without energy you take stupid shots when you could have quality ones. Give the Knicks a reason to break down on either end and they will. One or two guys might go off but they won't be scoring 40 apiece and you win. Let guys like Duhon and Hughes have strong games along with their frontcourt and you're in for a long night. Just keep the pressure on.

2. On the defensive end realize that their forwards aren't traditional and focus your defense accordingly. It's perfectly OK to double team outside of just the post tonight. Ideally you want to hawk their forwards anytime they get near the painted area, not just when they're near the rim. Get the ball out of the hands of Harrington and Lee and into the hands of that starting backcourt, shooting long balls.

3. On the offensive end you just have to make them make decisions. They're decent at getting back so you'll need to run your halfcourt offense but that shouldn't equate to dribbling and jumpers all night. Penetrate and kick. Screen and pop. Make them play coordinated defense and they'll probably not do it.

4. A big game from Martell Webster wouldn't hurt, eh?

Final Thoughts and Links

Effort. I want to see effort tonight no matter what. Give me that and I'll be pleased.

One of the best blogs in the universe for, like, forever has been PostingandToasting. Check it out for the Knicks vibe.

You can enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here. Remember, just enter "0" for the Oden question and send your well-wishes to Greg as you do so.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Rockets vs Trailblazers Game Preview

Xiane — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:43:34 -0000

We are playing the Portland Trailblazers. We have always played the Portland Trailblazers. We have always been at war with Oceania.

Well, not quite. But if there's one team we've seen a lot of lately, it is Portland. And overall this is a good thing, because the Blazers are an entertaining team to watch, the fans at Blazer's Edge are generally bright and reasonable, and they aren't the Lakers (whom we have also seen a lot of lately).

Both teams come into tonight's matchup with fairly similar records, but quite likely, very different feelings about those records. Rockets fans seem to be reasonably pleased with what the Rockets have achieved with their star-deprived roster. Trailblazer fans? Not so much, I think.

There are no panicked Blazer fans running shrieking through the firs yet, but it might not be far off if Portland drops a 4^th consecutive game. Thus far, instead of consolidating their gains of the past two seasons, and stepping up to contention, Portland seems to be struggling to find consistency.

I can't say I'm surprised that the addition of Andre Miller has not stabilized their PG situation, but instead made it, somehow, worse. Miller just seems to have that effect, despite there being nothing essentially wrong with his game. Miller is presumably on the trading block now, which given his summer signing, is not a ringing endorsement. Perhaps if Miller is traded Bayless might get a chance, but I doubt it.

The real story thus far is the continued development of Greg Oden, a concept not unlike that of process theology. Greg Oden is not omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, polyamorous. But Greg Oden is becoming omniscient, omnipotent, etc, etc. It is the faith of the believers that makes this process true.

Of course, for a center to be truly effective, the offense needs to run through him. This is a concept Portland has thus far failed to grasp. Tonight would be a poor night for them to start, and if the drama in PDX's frontcourt continues to steer the ship, then we have little worry in that direction. Even so, Oden has been highly effective cleaning up garbage and playing D. Chuck Hayes will have his hands full. We'll see if David Andersen can draw Oden out of the paint, or if he will be trampled on defense.

Portland has, it is true, suffered from some injuries, but this is where their vaunted depth should shine. Meanwhile, we'll continue to be scrappy, stroppy, gritty and hustleful and pray it sees us through yet again. That or sound, unselfish, basketball.

Matchup Analysis - I always get this wrong. Write Your Own Punchline!

Portland has been experimenting with its starting lineup. What we see tonight may in no way resemble this description.

PG - Blake vs Brooks

Steve Blake is a good player with some real limitations. One is that when defending a player like Brooks he often resembles a turnstile. Andre Miller is somewhat better at defense, but has his own limitations - mainly that he sometimes fails to understand his role in the offense and takes shots away from more productive scorers.

Advantage: Rockets

SG - Roy vs Ariza.

Brandon Roy, for my money, is one of the top 3 SG in the league at this point. Trevor Ariza is the sort of player who can slow him down. Will he? We'll see. Roy has put up some huge games against us recently.

Advantage: Blazers

SF - Webster vs Battier

If Greg Oden is becoming God, then, Portland fans seem to reason, Nic Batum is obviously an archangel, if only because he actually seems to enjoy playing D. Unfortunately for them, he's hurt and they merely have a recent top 10 draft pick to replace him in Martell Webster. Some criticism has Webster content to loiter around the 3pt line, and not much else. I have no idea what Webster will bring. We all know what Battier will bring, but will he add 6 blocks? Let's hope so.

Advantage: Even

PF - Aldridge/Cunningham vs Scola/Landry

LaMarcus Aldridge is no doubt an effective player, with a sweet jumper. He's not really my preferred style of PF though. He can get hot and score points in bunches certainly, and his mid-range game seems made to work with an offense running through an omnipotent center. For now, that offense isn't Portland. Cunningham is another talented young Blazer player, a rookie in fact. I think Scola and Landry bring more to the party, especially the way Landry has been playing.

Advantage: Rockets

C - Odin vs Hayes

We discussed the incipient divinity of Odin in great detail. The All-Father remains a great unknown, perhaps a great-unknowable to mere Rockets' fans. Unless a raven whispers something in our ear soon, then it is not given for us to know what may transpire. Hayes can frustrate nearly any big man, but a Big God? Well, that could be different. We may see lots of Andersen, drawing Odin out of the paint, as Australians just don't show proper respect to anyone.

Advantage: Portland

Prediction: A tough game, but Portland may be in some disarray. Rockets by 4.

For coverage greater than that which can be conceived - Blazer's Edge.

Who's To Blame?

Dave — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:14:03 -0000

Click through to find the answer.

So here we are, in the midst of a three-game losing streak...a total case of shock and "awwww" for Blazer fans across the globe. This team hasn't seen a three-game losing streak since December 9^th-12^th of last season when we lost to the Magic at home, the Jazz on the road, and the Clippers again at home in overtime. And before that we hadn't seen a three-game losing streak since the first three games of the previous season, one in which we ended up 41-41. Well, I suppose we should probably mention that in between those latter two three-game streaks the Blazers lost five straight to a lineup of opponents including the Sixers, Wizards, Bobcats, and Nets. After that they won a game versus the Kings before dropping four more straight. Then later that year they dropped five in a row again. And then they did it again towards the end of the year. And oops! In all of those other losing streaks I managed to miss another three-gamer that technically did occur after the one I just cited. In that .500 season we saw so many losing streaks I can't keep them straight.

Nevertheless, in the quest to get to the bottom of this one a single question has repeated in various forms in numerous forums, including this one. It's a question that's repeated after nearly every loss, streaky or not: Who is to blame for this?!?

The question has its roots in our culture, I believe. I remember when the news about the Columbine shootings broke the story wasn't twenty minutes old before people were calling in to radio stations pinning the blame on the parents. I've learned since to avoid reading the comment section of any online news source when they report a story where something goes wrong. You'll read a laundry list of posts blaming the situation on Bush or the Demmycrats or the mayor or the police or liberals or the ACLU or judges or Outer Mongolians whether or not any of those individuals, groups, or philosophical outlooks address the matter in any way. It's human nature. If we can pin the blame for something on Subset A of society while identifying ourselves firmly as being outside of that subset (us being good parents or having the right political leanings or what have you) then the laws of simple cause and effect guarantee that said wrong will never happen to us. Now what was I doing before that story inconvenienced me? Ah yes...

"Gilligan!" "Sorry, Skipper."

I must admit that I see a fair amount of this phenomenon in my day job in the church. It's present in the occasional bout of parochialism, of course, but it imbues even the positive aspects of the church-pastor relationship. What do you suppose people want in a sermon? Along with the God-stuff comes this mantra: Keep it simple, keep it short, and bring it to a level I can understand. And indeed I try. But even as I do so I am aware of the cosmic folly of trying to reduce what is for those who follow this calling (and I'm not saying you have to or should in order to understand this example) the most complex subject in the universe. Dealing with something both overarching and foundational at once and well beyond the capacity of our minds to comprehend we are compelled to distill it into what amounts to an easily accessible, memorable, palatable sound bite. Too often it's inadequate despite our best efforts. This is one of the reasons that I have disliked every single religious billboard I've ever seen. As someone who trades in the written word myself I feel for God as he experiences that kind of editing.

"I'm curious to see what you did with that manuscript I left you. I thought maybe it was coming across a little preachy so I hoped you would...WHOA! FOUR WORDS??? You left in FOUR WORDS??? Do you know how long it took me to write that?!?"

When approaching something esoteric our instinct is to reduce a matter to the simplest explanation possible. If something in that esoteric field is going wrong we then find somebody to be the fall guy in our explanation...someone outside of the circle which includes us and the people we know and care about.

This works really well in the abstract. Most real-life situations are more complex, though. And most real-life people have far more depth than just being "The Guy Who Did It" (duh-duh-duuuuuummmmm). But that reality demands of us more than we're willing to give to most causes so we settle for the obvious, efficient solution.

Circling around to the topic again, who is to blame for the terrible predicament we find ourselves in as Blazer fans, having lost three straight games?

Perhaps it's Brandon Roy? His offensive game hasn't looked as sharp as usual this year and he's pretty much forced the team to play good defenders around him...a commodity we're currently fresh out of. On the other hand he's also playing with a bunch of guys in new roles who don't yet have the understanding to play alongside him or the tools to match him.

Maybe it's LaMarcus Aldridge then. His offense has looked even spottier than Roy's, certainly shy of the clear #1A option we're used to. His rebounding has been intermittent and he's stayed out of the lane like he's allergic to paint. On the other hand the Blazers have set him up to take mid-range jumpers because they have a true post-player now and keep clogging the lane with him and with cutters. They've also relied on their forwards to rotate to perimeter players which tends to cut down on rebounding opportunities.

Maybe it's Greg Oden. He's been doing well compared to his progress last year but he's still not at first-overall-pick level and his transformation of the team has been a disruption offensively in addition to being an aid defensively. Then again if he's not a transformational presence then he's not doing what we brought him here for.

Maybe Steve Blake is the one. His shooting has been sub-par and he's not been able to stop people individually. His forays into attack dribbling have been disastrous more often than not. But he's also been asked to play out of position with the same kind of altered lineup that his backcourt partner Roy is facing. Plus he's been yanked around by the organization and his position and/or future here isn't clear.

Could it be Martell Webster? He's been up and down like a roller coaster. But he's also all but mandated to play because he can shoot outside and has the body to absorb punishment from small forwards and both of those are attributes this lineup needs. We'd certainly be worse off without him playing.

Perhaps we should blame Rudy Fernandez. He started the season poorly, perhaps fatigued from international play. He's made some exciting plays and had some nice games but he's not found a rhythm yet and he's another guy who has hurt as well as helped. But then again if you don't let Rudy make some mistakes you lose the aggression and daredevil nature from his game...the very things which make him special.

Maybe it's Andre Miller. He was supposed to man the helm for this team, provide veteran experience, be another coach on the floor. Instead he's struggling with the coach, taking odd shots, and looking as confused as anybody. Of course he's coming into a strange situation where he's not been given the keys to the car by the coach or his teammates, so how is he supposed to drive?

Could Joel Przybilla be the culprit? He plays hard every night but his contributions are limited to rebounding and defense. Plus when he's pressed too hard defensively he has a hard time covering the floor without fouling which takes away much of the advantage he gives us. And his offense allows opposing defenders to devote extra men to the true scorers. But he's Joel Przybilla! His rebounding and lane-watching have been our silent security blanket and the already-decimated frontcourt would be all but obliterated without him.

Maybe Jerryd Bayless is to blame. He's showing more energy and compact play this year but he's still not in the flow of the offense and his shot is still kind of ugly. Maybe he should have worked harder on the jumper in the off-season. But he, too, has been asked to do things he's not naturally suited for. Plus the things he does do well he does very well.

Perhaps it's Dante Cunningham. He's a rookie and it's good to blame rookies. They have a hard time arguing back when they're hauling veteran luggage up the stairs. He suffers from plenty of rookie mistakes. But then again he brings an energy and confidence--brashness, even--that the team needs. And he's just a rookie!

If you don't like blaming rookies, how about Juwan Howard then? He's 36. He should know this league inside-out. But he's never been able to bring extra wins to teams he's played for. Plus he's having a hard time defending. But he's also one guy on the team who seems aware of his role and is willing to fill it, be that 25 minutes or zero. Besides he hasn't really played enough to blame things on.

Well maybe it's the Fates, then. They injured Nic Batum, Travis Outlaw, Jeff Pendergraph, Patty Mills. They even got in a shot at LaMarcus the other night. Those Fates are a cursed plague! Except that every NBA team deals with injuries at one time or another and if you have to blame them consistently you're sunk before you start.

OK, who put this mess together then? Kevin Pritchard, front and center please! You have to answer for the draft choices, the trades, for building this roster that can't withstand its forward corps being blown to smithereens and still win 70% of its games! How could you possibly leave us with only Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, and Andre Miller? I mean, what NBA GM would be satisfied with that?

Ahhh...I can hear you out there. We're getting warmer, aren't we? Hmmm...maybe it's...THE COACH! YES! The coach did it! We love the players. We can't really blame them because we want them to be part of the "us" circle. We love KP too, if nothing else for the team he's put together on paper. No championship dreams without him. But coaches? They're disposable. Every decision they make is arguable. Everything they do to advantage one player disadvantages another...a player who is sure to be somebody's favorite. And the criteria for evaluating them is as nebulous as the answer to the question: "What makes good basketball?" Good luck coming up with an answer that will satisfy everyone. Not even wins will do it! You can still win and be playing far below your "potential", whatever that is. If we win at a .666 pace it should be .700. If we win at .700 it should be .750. Best of all, nobody really knows what's being said or done behind closed doors so we can make up whichever explanation suits us best. Reduce! Simplify! Explain! Pin! It's perfect!

So yes, maybe it is the coach. I assume he's going to make mistakes, have good and bad games just like his players do. 10-year NBA veterans still commit errors out on the floor. 10-year veteran coaches do too. Greg Oden probably hasn't been featured (or left out there) enough. The Andre Miller situation has slipped too far. Brandon Roy was forced into a high-pressure situation against Miami the minute he was put out there with four other guys who can't create their own shots. Like many, I'd like to see what a Miller, Roy, Fernandez, Aldridge, Oden lineup could do, especially since we're not defending the perimeter that well anyway. I could go on, just as I could have with any of the above people.

On the other hand, what's the guy going to do? He's sailing a ship with the midsection blown out right now. Everybody's bailing water. He's calling for people off the bench who aren't there. He's starting people who aren't ideally suited for the tasks in front of them. And realistically no matter what he does people are going to complain. How many times have you read, "Why isn't he playing [Player X] more?!?" and "I can't believe he's playing [Player X}!!!" in the same comment thread? Oden stays in and gets fouls? Nate's not managing his minutes right. Oden comes out before he can get fouls? Nate's stifling his progress. Losses...every one his fault. Wins? Not to his credit. Getting blamed sometimes can be fair. But it's different when there's no way you're not going to get blamed.

Here's something to think about. Maybe it's us. Lord knows we tend to anticipate more than evaluate when we assess the Blazers' chances. I had people two years ago telling me for sure that this was a playoff team, probably destined for some success. I had people last year telling me we were a Western Conference Finals team. I've had people telling me this year that we have a shot a title when that's clearly among the longest of long shots for exactly the reasons we're seeing. Every team undergoes difficulties. Teams such as we--young-ish, not a ton of experience with each other, without a track record of legitimate success--take longer to recover from their difficulties and restore their confidence and groove than do teams who have been pressure-cooked longer. The difference might ultimately be only a few games, but those few games usually spell the difference between good and great.

Or maybe it's us because we're impatient. 2 games out of the division lead with 62 to go isn't enough. Like the lovely and enchanting Veruca Salt we want our golden goose egg NOW!

Or maybe it's us because secretly in our heart of hearts hides a part that would rather be an "expert" than just a fan of a winning team along with everyone else...a part that loves the sound of its own voice...a part which would rather be right than happy.

Ahhh...but then we can also blame those Blazer teams of yore for stirring this longing for success in us: Walton for kindling the championship flame, Drexler for leaving us just short and longing, Wallace and company for dashing our souls after coming so close. And we can blame the marketing department for those catchy slogans that enticed us into dreaming. And we can blame David Stern for keeping us down. And we can blame refs for screwing us. And we can blame opposing teams for their luck against us. And we can blame the media for distorting our vision. And we can blame Dr. James Naismith for hanging up that peach basket in the first place. Anything as long as it's quick, easy, and preferably cathartic for us.

This is not to say that all criticism is illegitimate, nor that we lack good analysis among Blazer fans. You can read a bunch of it around here and I appreciate those posts greatly. But it's generally true that the level of illumination in a post is inversely proportional to the level of blame cast within it.

Who's to blame? In truth, all of the above. The Fates have hit this roster at spots where it doesn't have the right kind of depth which has forced everyone to scramble in unfamiliar territory which has lengthened the adjustment process for everyone, coaching staff included, and left certain situations in which there just have not been right answers sufficient enough to ensure the level of play which heightened expectations for the season demanded.

Brandon Roy was pressing hard on offense in the last game because of a combination of the skills of the players around him and the perceptions of his role put upon him by himself, the coaching staff, and the fans. The players around him were not able to respond in such a fashion as to alleviate said pressure nor was the coaching staff in a position to find new ones. The more Roy plays the role of savior the less involved in the offense his teammates feel and the more they're inclined to stand and watch and/or force attempts, making Brandon's role seem even more necessary.

Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla have been getting in foul trouble because of the lack of lateral quickness and appropriate size among the perimeter defenders which in itself is caused by the team accumulating players for whom that is not a forte. In response said defenders have sagged off to help protect the lane and their centers which in turn has allowed the opponent easier jumpers. When made, these make the defense look even weaker, causing the centers to drift out of position in anticipation or rescue, exacerbating the problem.

We could go on. Lamarcus' offense, pick and roll defense, playing time and development of younger guys, starting lineups, trades...there are answers for all of these things but none of them are foolproof and none are simple. Decisions will be made, imperfection will ensue, blame will be assigned, eyes (and perhaps heads) will roll. That's the way of things, for better or worse.

The truth as far as I can see it is this: The Blazers are in a less-than-ideal situation right now...certainly not the one they envisioned themselves in. There's no quick fix to make that situation ideal. We don't even know for sure if it would be more ideal if they had the full roster available. They haven't had enough time together to show that yet.

In this kind of situation only one question matters: How well do you deal with the less-than-ideal? Will you fall apart, point fingers, check out mentally, give up? Or do you pull together, grab every win you can, take the losses you have to, but always work to put the best game together that's humanly possible given your circumstances? Your answer to that question doesn't just determine your success during the rough times. It's also the same resolve that's going to be tested as you approach the pinnacle and very good opposing teams make life very tough on you for seven games straight.

And you see, that question can't be answered by one person. It can't be answered by one person for another either. It can't be done by a coach or a GM. You can't do it with half your roster. It's something that everyone has to answer together and live up to or it's meaningless. The blame falls on everybody or on nobody because you either do it or you don't as a team.

Many defensive schemes can succeed. Many kinds of offensive players can have great nights. Most teams can find multiple lineups that work together well enough to give a chance at victory. Without that team commitment, though, none of it is any good. Without everybody together--in praise and in blame--you quickly get carved apart as every opponent you meet drives a wedge right through the crack that you showed them.

Maybe everybody is to blame. Maybe nobody is. Some nights it might really be one person or another. But when it comes down to it, the question of blame means less than we make of it. The game is bigger than that. The team needs to be bigger than that. So should we be.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Wednesday Practice Report

Ben. — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:14:06 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Forget about it.

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The theme of Nate McMillan's comments today was his team's defense and, particularly, its poor perimeter defense. In response to a question from Brian T. Smith, McMillan said...

We're not up close enough. We're not able to get into the ball and do the things (we should be doing).

We're missing key guys. Nic really set the tone for defensively how we played. Now we have guys who are working at that. They're not as good but they're working at it.

The interesting thing about McMillan's "not close enough" observation is how universal this complaint is among basketball coaches at every level. I've heard it from AAU coaches this summer, college coaches, I can even remember my grade school coaches harping about it.

No question, the spatial relationship between ball-handler and defender is a building block of any defensive system. So, why do defenders back off? There are three main reasons why this happens, regardless of what level of basketball you're talking about.

One, they don't trust their footwork or foot speed and give extra space to compensate.
Two, they don't trust or understand their help defense or defensive system and give space to prevent a bigger breakdown.
Three, they are simply not committed to defense on every possession.

At times over the last week, we've seen all three of those situations. Steve Blake has given space to prevent getting burned. Martell Webster struggled with forcing players away from their hot spots and towards his teammates. Brandon Roy and Andre Miller take plays off, content to allow jump shots over the top.

I turned back to Nate McMillan for his thoughts on this subject. When he watches game tape what sticks out the most to him? What is he looking to correct?

Blazersedge: You said guys aren't close enough. Can you pinpoint a reason for that? They don't trust their footwork, their team defense or is it just an effort thing?

I think it's -- you're all of a sudden asking some guys to do something that they haven't had to do [in the past].

Martell [Webster] has now become one of our guys that we are trying to put on the best offensive player. Well, he's been a shooter all of his life. And now going from a mindset of what I do best to what the team needs you to do.

Brandon [Roy] is having to take on some of that this year.

Rudy [Fernandez] has that assignment. Rudy is a scorer. And he's had to take on that assignment because we don't have [Travis] Outlaw, we don't have Nicolas [Batum], he has to become a defender. He has to defend better. Somewhat become a stopper.

Now it puts even more pressure on guys like [Steve] Blake to have to become better defenders on the perimeter.

With that answer I think you get a pretty harsh dose of reality of what this team is facing right now. Simply put, the Blazers perimeter defense is stretched dangerously thin.

As McMillan notes, with Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw out for a long time, everyone is being asked to do more. Average defenders are now drawing above-average assignments. Below-average defenders are now drawing average assignments. Wing defenders are playing more minutes and thus are at greater risk for exposure.

There's no quick fix for that. Personnel might improve but it's not going to happen overnight. If you're in Nate McMillan's shoes and you're thinking about ways to improve this team, a minor trade for a perimeter defender might make a lot of sense. Otherwise, you're faced with the prospect of running out these same players who have struggled defensively for months to come.

That's a tough, tough pill for a coach to swallow. How many hours of tape of bad defense can you watch?

For a second look at the Blazers' recent defensive struggles, Kevin Pelton tackles the subject with graphs over at Basketball Prospectus. His conclusion: teams have simply shot better against the Blazers over the last five games.

Is that a product of weak perimeter defense, luck or both? Feel free to weigh in down below in the comments.

Some other quick-hitting notes from a nearly empty practice gym today. I guess there's this Civil War thing going on that has most of the local media distracted.

Patty Mills was in the gym dressed for practice but didn't participate in drills aside from some light shooting.
LaMarcus Aldridge did not practice and was receiving treatment in the training room for the knee contusion that kept him out of last night's game. Nate McMillan currently says he is a gametime decision for Saturday. The Blazers won't practice tomorrow so that will give Aldridge something like 72 hours of time for his knee. If that's not enough and he misses practice again on Friday it might be time to get a little bit concerned.
Greg Oden did not practice due to a tweaked ankle, although he was in the gym getting shots up and had a smile on his face as he joked with coaches. McMillan seemed pretty confident he would play on Saturday. I think they were mostly just giving the big guy a rest.

-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter

Media Row Report: Blazers 106 Timberwolves 78

Ben. — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:58:08 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, right, "squats the john" -- hip new dunk slang! -- as Minnesota Timberwolves forward Al Jefferson watches in disgust during the second half of their NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. Oden scored 16 points and had three blocked shots as Portland beat the Timberwolves 106-78. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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Single file. I said: SINGLE FILE! Yes, this is the line to take credit for the adjustments that led to the Blazers victory -- but please, stop pushing and shoving!!! -- Order. Please, order!!

So you thought the Blazers should ditch the three guard lineup? Good, step right on up here.

You thought Blazers bigs should be allowed three fouls in the first half, like every other team in the league? Yep, get in line.

You wanted to see more young energy -- Jerryd Bayless and/or Dante Cunningham -- provide a spark in the second unit? Congratulations, you're in the right place.

Oh God. Oh... God. You're part of the mass of 100,000 people who thought it was important to return Brandon Roy to his rightful position as two guard? Ok, all of you, you're in. Careful, please, careful.

All together now: pat yourself on the back. Don't sprain anything. Ma$e, what are you doing here? Oh, you'd like to break out an impromptu rendition of "Feel So Good?" Fine. Very well.

Good show, everyone, good show. Take a bow. You deserve it.

It's not everyday and every city where you see the fanbase so accurately predict a team's necessary adjustments after a loss and have them play out almost exactly as planned the very next day. This is cause for celebration.

Seriously, though, it's always nice to know that the coaching staff and the fanbase are seeing the same things and it's doubly nice to see the coaching staff exhibit flexibility and sound judgement in pulling the trigger. Some of these issues might have seemed like easy decisions but they are more complicated than you might expect given that they do involve real people, real dollars (millions of them) and real egos (very, very real egos). The important takeaway from tonight's game: adjustments were made, normalcy was re-established and life goes on in a much happier direction.

Tonight, Nate McMillan returned to his original starting lineup -- Blake, Roy, Webster, Aldridge, Oden -- and returned both Brandon Roy and Steve Blake to their respective comfort zones. While some might hold out hope that Andre Miller will find himself in that starting point guard spot, that's a discussion for a later date. No one can argue with the results that Blake and Roy provided tonight: Blake was 4 of 6 from distance with 9 assists, Roy with 18 points and 5 assists, the players combined for just two turnovers. The icing on the cake was one of Martell Webster's best games as a pro, his first career double-double (21 points, 13 rebounds), highlighted by a solid 4 of 7 from distance, 3s that helped turn the game from comfortable win to blowout city.

It remains to be seen how Andre Miller will respond to his return to the bench. He managed just 4 points and 4 assists in 20 minutes and gave a laconic post-game interview before exiting the locker room quickly. He said all the right things but didn't look particularly thrilled. Then again, I'm not sure thrilled is part of his vocabulary when it comes to post-game interviews.

Brandon Roy, on the other hand, looked as happy as he did the day he signed his max extension, practically gushing over the return to the original starting lineup. "Of course I like it, I'm back to my natural position," Roy said. He later added, "I wish we would have stuck to it a little longer" earlier this year. Sounds to me like those statements we heard this week about Roy not grasping his role found the right set of ears.

Certainly, it's hard to put any stock into a win over the Timberwolves, a team that fields no more than three quality players, a team that the Blazers out-shot, out-rebounded, out-assisted, out-blocked and out-housed (they took them behind the woodshed). Nevertheless, a resounding win is what we all expected to see, what the team, frankly, needed to deliver. And they did. Mission accomplished, for tonight.

Random Game Notes

Martell Webster went down hard during the last minute of the game -- a ridiculous scene, really, as he tried to pad his stats with the game well out of hand -- and was having difficulty moving around on the game's final possession. After the game, he asked a member of the Blazers medical staff to join him in a back area of the locker room and seemed to indicate he was in some pain. The team is not scheduled to practice tomorrow and will only go through a light shootaround Monday before Monday night's game against the Bulls. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
So Bill Laimbeer and Nathan Jawai walk into a bar and... yeah, it's a ridiculous mental image worthy of a punchline. During pregame warmups, the former Bad Boy was putting the pleasant Jawai through his paces, with a focus on footwork, exploding to the basket and some peppy motivational mumbo-jumbo. When Jawai took the ball directly at Greg Oden for his only field goal of the game, the Wolves bench exploded, although Laimbeer just sat smiling. Baby steps, I suppose.
Jonny Flynn might not have been efficient or all that effective but there is a very short list of players in the league who are more fearless. All these minutes with the ball in his hands reading defenses will surely pay dividends later in his career. He is Wade-esque in his ability to hurdle/vault himself at the rim regardless of the bodies around or in front of him. Blazers Scouting Director Mike Born spoke with Flynn for quite awhile prior to the game. Dare to dream.
For the record... when Nate McMillan switched to the 3 guard lineup against the San Antonio Spurs, I noted "there's a chance McMillan talks himself into this starting lineup for the next 9 games." He made it 8 games. Remarkable, in hindsight.
Juwan Howard: 0 points, 6 rebounds, 21 minutes. Is Team Dante ready to rock and roll or what?

Nate's Post-Game Comments

Martell

With that group, that first group, he's a spreader. Brandon and LaMarcus are seeing double teams when they play and you need a guy who can keep that defense honest. And if they don't he has the ability to hurt them with the three point ball. If they play single coverage our guys should be able to take advantage of that. He really helps spreading the floor.

New Lineup

Yeah, I just wanted to get back to that lineup and get Martell in the game, get us some balance. I wanted to try to get Brandon some touches. Get Andre with that second group, running that second team. I thought he did a good job tonight, running some sets with Martell. Bayless was in there for a little bit. Rudy, that group. I think it balances the rotation. Without Travis being in the lineup, we need, I really need Andre to be more of a force with that second group.

Tonight he basically was just quarterbacking. He was running the sets. Looking for Rudy and Martell. We had LaMarcus come back with that group. I want to try to keep a big with them, either Greg or LaMarcus. LaMarcus was the guy who got in foul trouble, ended up playing the fourth quarter. It wasn't bad. I think we can take advantage of Andre posting and running the team, and running some sets for those guys.

Six players in double figures

I mean it's been awhile since we've seen guys make shots. Tonight we were knocking down our shots. Open looks, shots that we've had in other games but tonight we were knocking those shots down. We're very capable of knocking those shots down and we just need to keep taking them.

Wins over bad teams

Those are games you've got to take care of. That's the schedule, you play the schedule. You try to improve every single night. A game is a game -- all of them mean the same, regardless of who you're playing or where you're playing. You try to win those games. I thought tonight we came back after losing that game last night, much better job taking care of the ball, only 10 turnovers tonight.

Stick with this starting lineup going forward?

Yeah, this is where the lineup that we'll go with.

Andre's reaction to not starting?

He was fine with it. I want him, I need him to be aggressive with that group. It's not a demotion or anything like that. I think with that group we can allow him to be aggressive, post up, run the team. We had pretty much all of our weapons in that first group -- now Martell, you're not running plays for him, he's just spreading and playing off of guys, which I think is good for him. This is the way we started. You change that lineup sometimes to get some aggressiveness, to light a fire with a guy and tonight Martell had his eye.

Martell's defense and rebounding

It's very important and he's capable of defending and rebounding. He's a good rebounder and those are things he needs to do at that small forward position.

-- Ben Golliver | (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com) | Twitter