SB Nation - Portland Trail Blazers

Half empty? Half full? Portland's glass is shattered.

Xiane — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:32:03 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla is just the latest Trailblazer to be injured. Count your blessings, Rockets fans.

View full size photo »

We Rockets fans know from heartbreaking injury. We know what it's like to lose multiple stars for the season, or at the worst possible time. Portland is getting a special double dose of that now. My heart goes out to a worthy opponent in the Trailblazers and the great fans at Blazer's Edge.

Tonight Joel Przybilla ruptured his patella tendon. Brandon Roy hurt his shoulder and is going for an MRI. We think we don't have a center? We have two. Portland literally has none - Juwon Howard, for all his veteran grit, is not a center. I think they will pull the rookie Pendergraph off the injured list a bit early.

As I said there, next year make sure your season script is written by Frank Capra, not Franz Kafka.

Anyhow, Rockets fans, as bad as a slowly recovering McGrady and absent Yao is, its not as bad as this overfilled sick bay:

Greg Oden (Out for the season, knee injury.)

Nic Batum (Return unknown.)

Travis Outlaw (Return unknown.)

Joel Przybilla (Out for the season, major knee injury.)

Jeff Pendergraph (Went out in summer, may be coming back now.)

Rudy Fernandez (Out 2-4 more weeks.)

Game 31 Preview: Blazers vs. Spurs

Dave — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:00:22 -0000

More photos » by Glenn James - NBAE/Getty Images

Ladies and Gentlemen, the solution to all your problems: The Chosen 'Wan.

Browse more photos »

Game Time: 5:30pm Pacific TV: Comcast

OK...so girls in movies where guys wear hockey masks have a better survival rate than the average Blazer player. And if this were a video game every one of us would have cursed the heavens and hit the power button by now. But this isn't your 360 hoops hit, it's the NBA. And that means injured heads, shoulders, knees, and toes notwithstanding there's a game tonight. It matters to both teams, each of which is still in playoff position. So shove yesterday's pain aside and let us get down to business.

The Spurs have charted a precarious course to their 15-10 record. Their November 11^th win against the Mavericks stands as their only victory against a high-level (or even good-level) team so far this season. On the other hand they've feasted against teams considered decent or worse. The difference between the two performances boils down to defense. Great teams brush off San Antonio's defense and the Spurs have trouble mounting enough offense to keep up. Teams that succumb to their defensive wiles cause them no trouble.

If there's a single sign that the Spurs have boarded the escalator down from league elite status it is their defense. Don't get me wrong...they're still good. They're 12^th in the league in defensive efficiency, 15^th in opponent shooting percentage, and 6^th in defensive rebounding percentage. But that's a far cry from the years when they hung "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here" signs in the opponent's locker room tunnel. They have the desire and the know-how, just not the roster. Gone are the days when Tim Duncan alone would rule the paint, allowing any random defenders to look good outside. The slower version of Duncan does what he can to keep up but when you're looking at the Matt Bonners and Michael Finleys of the world (and when all of your other big men are ancient) the help just isn't there. They allow opponents to score in the paint. You can fast break on them. It's a different world.

The offense, on the other hand, remains strong. Duncan is the leading scorer but Parker spearheads the attack as usual. Manu Ginobili can't hit anything but a three-pointer this year, which is somewhat inhibiting. Richard Jefferson is doing OK but hasn't made the impact they hoped on either end of the floor. Consistency has been a major issue for him. The Spurs rely on the three and have multiple supporting players who can shoot it. They generate free throws but have a hard time hitting them. Those extra points give them the margin they need when opponents move faster, take better care of the ball, and get up more shots. All of that said, if you can take away any leg of the Spurs' attack you have a good chance of toppling them. They don't have offensive juggernauts stashed away. What you see is what you get: efficient, practiced, and coming pretty close to maxing out their potential.

The truly dangerous part of the evening is that, unlike Dallas, San Antonio will be fully expecting the Blazers lineup that shows up tonight. No middle, maybe no leading scorer, paper-thin bench. They're going to be looking to exploit us. The only way out of that is to play through it and play harder.

Keys to the Game

1. The Blazers have to find some way to keep up on the boards in this game. Both teams like to control the pace and the action. Rebounds are the key to success.

2. As we said about last night's game, the defensive rebounding prowess of this team will likely take away one of the planks of Portland's attack: the offensive rebound. The best way to counter that is to not need offensive rebounds, which means making your shots.

3. I don't see Portland winning if they can't hit their threes.

4. Tony Parker is a PAIN for the Blazers. You have to make him defend to have a chance. If he can just relax, run, and shoot he'll bury our defensively-challenged guards. Whoever he defends can't just hang in the corner waiting for the ball tonight.

5. Whoever plays off-guard, whether it's Brandon or Bayless, is going to have to score to make this work. Jerryd, if this is your night make it your night. If Roy's not playing the light is green from the opening tip. Get ‘em.

Check out what Spurs fans have to say at PoundingtheRock.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here. Remember even if you're too far behind to win the prize this month you do get points towards the playoffs for being consistently decent and you can win a jersey instantly with a perfect 100 score.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game 30 Recap: Blazers 85, Mavericks 81, and by the way ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

Dave — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:30:04 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

I'm comfortable with post position, establishing position, the guard and forward and center positions. I've had quite enough fetal position for the season. Thanks.

Browse more photos »

Help Wanted

The Portland Trail Blazers are seeking an energetic, motivated, team-oriented individual to fill the position of CENTER in their rising, competitive organization. The successful candidate will be a minimum of 7-feet tall, ~~have a discernable basketball skill~~, and be able to start on short notice. Luggage carrying experience a plus. Note: Anyone with knees need not apply. A pre-employment test will be administered to ensure compliance.

As you have read below the annoying and capricious injury fairy paid yet another visit to the Blazers tonight, this time in the form of Joel Przybilla rupturing a knee tendon and dislocating the knee. His absence is termed "indefinite", which is to "might be back soon" as Mary Jo Kaperski's "maybe" when you asked her to the prom was to "might actually go with you". What can you do at this point but shrug your shoulders and laugh? Not a funny laugh, mind you. It's the laugh you laugh when your house burns down and the fire truck that came to save you tips over on your new car. Yeah, that figures.

Given all that, it was a freakin' Christmas miracle that we won the game. It's not like the Mavericks came out to win this one. They were sloppy, lazy, and unfocused from the start and, one good quarter aside, Joel's injury only seemed to confirm that tendency in them. But even so you'd have thought they'd have enough advantage to pull it out. They didn't and they didn't. That's a credit to the Blazers.

It was apparent the game would be low-scoring from the start. Portland went through LaMarcus in the post early, Roy soon after, keeping things methodical. Przybilla intimidated anyone who came in the lane, encouraging the Mavs to toss the ball around looking for a scorer. The Blazers played the passing lanes and got their hands on some turnovers. Portland's offense wasn't thrilling with 18 points in the period but Dallas was more anemic with 14.

Dallas wanted to run more in the second period and they succeeded for a while. They had 4 dunks and/or layups in the first 6 minutes of the quarter after managing only 1 in the entire first. The second unit really butchered their usual run at the end of the first and the beginning of the second. It was horrific all the way around. But then the starters came back in and LaMarcus Aldridge went crazy, scoring 12 straight and smacking the Mavericks back down into the hidey-hole from which they had crawled. The Mavs scored 4 points total in the final 6 minutes of the period and the Blazers held an 11-point lead at half.

You knew Dallas would be talking strategy in the locker room during the break and it showed. With no interior defense and chances for a rebound pretty sad the Mavericks immediately began driving, posting, and crashing the offensive boards. And boy howdy did it work. Erick Dampier and Jose Juan Barea looked like superstars. Whenever the Blazers tried to help the Mavs just threw the ball to Dirk to remind us where our concentration should lie. The Blazers couldn't sniff anything near the paint on offense until Jeff Pendergraph dunked for his first NBA points off of a sweet feed from Steve Blake. Dallas obliterated Portland 32-14 in the period and led by 7 themselves as the final period approached.

A combination of things happened going down the stretch. Dallas eased up on the attack, content to shoot from farther and farther out on the floor. The Blazers manned up on the boards big time. And finally some threes started falling, 2 for Blake, 1 for Bayless. Jerryd's corner three seemed to snap him out of the chaotic funk he had been in theretofore and he injected the squad with a deep dose of energy as the final 6 minutes of the game approached. All of a sudden the defense was alive, the rebounds were coming, the ball was flowing on offense. The Blazers were up 8 with 3:15 left when Bayless was whistled for a charge on the break. That sparked a 2-minute run which saw the Mavs cut the lead to 2 behind Nowitzki's shooting. Though the Blazers would only score once more (a pair of Miller free throws with 6 seconds left to ice the game) they swarmed, rebounded, fought, and clawed. The Mavs never scored again. Having left it on the court the Blazers could walk off with their heads held high. The Mavericks have their 9^th loss and the Blazers ensured this road trip will be remembered as good at the minimum with a chance for amazing.

The Blazers held Dallas to 38.8% shooting tonight, clearly the stat of the evening. Rebounds were dead even despite Joel going down. Assists were also even, another major accomplishment. Portland attempted nearly as many free throws as Dallas did and actually made more. Scoring in the 80's is not the Mavericks' comfort zone. All in all you couldn't have asked for better as far as the results. It was exactly the type of game the Blazers had a chance of winning. And they did.

Click through for Individual Observations, Links, and Final Thoughts on the future...

Individual Observations

Roy and Aldridge both did similar things: pick the team up on their backs at different points of the evening and assure them that the game was still afoot and not all hope was lost. Brandon scored 23 to lead the team. LaMarcus scored 19 and added 12 rebounds. He really manned up. We needed the shot in the arm from both.

Juwan Howard also showed his colors after Joel went down. He wasn't as demonstrative or explosive as the two stars but he logged 34 minutes, shot 5-10 for 10 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished 4 assists. When the Mavs reverted to shooting jumpers and didn't even think about making Howard pay for being out there on defense his presence became pure gold. Credit the guy with making this win happen.

Andre Miller shot 4-11 for 12 points in 22 minutes but he also showed veteran presence in playing his game no matter what. He was one of the guys who triggered that second-quarter run.

Jerryd Bayless scored 9 in 26 minutes. He pushed way too hard in the first half and up until he hit that three in the fourth it looked like this would be a game where he literally did everything 180-degrees opposite of what he should have. But when it went right for him it went really right. He drove, made a couple nice defensive stands, and built up the team's confidence again. It wouldn't seem like an injury to a center would affect a combo guard but Przybilla being out of the rotation is going to make anybody who's reliable quite valuable to the coaching staff. This is his chance to stick but he can't overreact to it. He needs to do what he can do, depend on his teammates too, and provide that energy we need.

Steve Blake had another difficult game until the fourth quarter when all of a sudden he was dishing and hitting threes. He and Bayless worked pretty well together, feeding each other. 6 points, 4 assists.

Martell Webster went 1-6 for 3 points.

Tolliver and Pendergraph got a couple minutes each. Both looked a little overwhelmed.

Joel had 5 rebounds and some sweet defensive play in what will likely be his final 9 minutes of the season.

Final Thoughts

Obviously the ramifications of the evening go far beyond the simple victory. The Blazers showed heart but I don't take a ton of future comfort in coming away with the win tonight. Dallas exposed the likely future of the team in that third period. A nearly empty interior on the defensive end is not conducive to winning streaks. Every win the Blazers get from here on out is going to be like this one...the result of a ton of hard work, energy, and intensity rather than talent. That's hard to sustain when you're short-handed. The Blazers are now missing 5 of their top 10 players. They are missing all three of their best defenders. They are missing both of their best rebounders. They have lost everybody over 7-feet tall. Brandon Roy is already playing more minutes than everyone in the league. LaMarcus Aldridge's workload just doubled. Eventually the league is going to catch up with what's going on. It's not hopeless, of course, but the Blazers better have their hard hats on and not plan on taking them off until the summer.

Boxscore

See how you did on your Jersey Contest form here and enter tomorrow's form here.

We will really, really miss you Joel.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Breaking News: Joel Przybilla Ruptures Right Patella Tendon & Dislocates Patella; Out Indefinitely

Ben. — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:03:50 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

about 9 hours ago: Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla yells out in pain after coming down on his right knee in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009, in Dallas. Przybilla left the game and did no return. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

The Latest:

Joel Przybilla suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation... He is out indefinitely.

Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on tonight's broadcast that Przybilla's injury is "more significant" and "more serious" than Greg Oden's season-ending knee injury. Barrett implied Przybilla is done for the season.

Update (9:45PM): Joe Freeman of The Oregonian has the locker room reaction in his game recap here.

"I knew it was pretty severe when it happened," Przybilla said. "My leg was stuck in a funny position. It really didn't hurt, but I could tell something wasn't right."

Original Post (6:03PM):

With 3:12 left in the first quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers game against the Dallas Mavericks, Blazers center Joel Przybilla went down with a right knee injury. Przybilla fell to the floor while contesting a rebound with Mavericks center Erick Dampier and clutched his knee, banging his hands on the court in apparent frustration.

Blazers medical staff, including trainer Jay Jensen, rushed on to the court and covered Przybilla's knee with a towel. Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan and President Larry Miller were both shown on the Comcast Sports Northwest broadcast looking concerned.

Przybilla was carried off the court by teammates Jeff Pendergraph and Anthony Tolliver and did not put any pressure on his right knee.

Przybilla had stepped into the starting lineup after a recent knee injury to Greg Oden. Through 29 games, Przybilla was averaging 4.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 23.2 minutes per game.

Przybilla joins a long list of Blazers who have suffered injuries this season: Patty Mills (foot), Jeff Pendergraph (hip), Nicolas Batum (shoulder), Travis Outlaw (foot), Rudy Fernandez (back) and Greg Oden (knee). Blazers coaches Nate McMillan and Maurice Lucas have also missed time this season. Blazers Owner Paul Allen was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

The extent of Przybilla's injury is not known at this time. This post will update as more information becomes available.

Update (6:32PM):

Video of the injury can be viewed here. Caution: this is graphic.

Update (6:42PM):

For those asking, Przybilla is signed with the Blazers for this season and next. His salary this year is $6.8 million. His salary for next season is slated to be $7.4 million. Przybilla's contract includes a player option for next season, meaning he could choose to become a free agent this summer. Information courtesy of StorytellersContracts.com.

Update (7:01PM):

Blazers broadcaster Mike Barrett with the latest: "[Joel Przybilla] is back being checked. MRI, x-ray, that kind of stuff."

Update (7:07PM):

This just in from the Blazers via text message...

Joel Przybilla suffered a ruptured right patella tendon and patella dislocation... He is out indefinitely.

Update (7:14PM):

Be sure to check out this recent post from Norsktroll outlining patella injuries throughout NBA history.

Update (7:18PM):

Blazers Broadcaster Mike Barrett stated on tonight's broadcast that Przybilla's injury is more serious than Oden's, which was season-ending. Barrett also implies Przybilla's injury is season-ending.

This one is more significant than Oden's simply because there is a tendon involved. [Oden's] was simply a fractured patella and there was no tendon damage. They just put screws in his patella -- his kneecap. When there is a tendon involved like this case with Przybilla... that's more serious. And no timetable has been given. But I think we all know what that means.

Update (7:42PM):

Przybilla's injury forced power forward Jeff Pendergraph, who hadn't played yet this season due to a hip injury suffered this past summer, into his first game action. Pendergraph had been expected back no sooner than Christmas.

The Blazers roster currently does not include a healthy center. Power forwards Pendergraph, Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge will fill this void in the short term.

Given that Przybilla is the fifth rotation player expected to miss significant portions of the season (joining Nicolas Batum, Travis Outlaw, Greg Oden and Rudy Fernandez), the Blazers could potentially apply for another hardship exception to temporarily fill out their roster, which currently stands at 10 healthy players, including Pendergraph.

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

Petteri Koponen Addresses Changing Role, Blazers Struggles, Trade Rumors

Ben. — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:07:02 -0000

Early this morning, Blazersedge received the following dispatch from Finnish journalist and long-time friend of the site, Hippo.

Hippo checks in with a lengthy interview with Petteri Koponen, the Finnish point guard who was drafted in the 2007 NBA draft and whose rights the Blazers currently hold. Koponen currently plays professionally in Italy. In this interview, Koponen addresses his developing game, his current contact with Blazers officials and rumors that he might have been renounced or traded last summer.

Click through to read the full feature and interview.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver | Twitter

PETTERI KOPONEN DEVELOPING INTO HOUSEHOLD SCORER IN ITALY

Finnish point guard prospect Petteri Koponen (6-4", 1988), who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 30^th pick of 2007 NBA Draft and immediately traded to Portland Trailblazers, has been developing into a household scorer and reliable combo guard in Italian Serie A team Virtus Bologna in 2009/10. After a slow start, Koponen has doubled his point average and shot his way into Serie A Top 20 in 2pt-, 3pt- and free throw percentages.

Last summer, Koponen started alongside veteran point guard Teemu Rannikko (6-2", 1980) in the Eurobasket Qualifiers in four games against Italy and France. After limiting Tony Parker to a four-point performance in a qualifier game in Vantaa (Finland), Koponen dropped 26 points on Marco Belinelli in another qualifier played in Italy.

After these performances and a promising preseason, many expected Koponen to blossom as a scorer in Italian Serie A. Alas, Koponen struggled early on and averaged only 5,5 points, 2,5 rebounds and 1,5 assists a game in the first five rounds, to go with just mediocre shooting percentages (2pt 36,4%, 3pt 37,5%).

When these first five rounds had passed, Virtus Bologna owner Claudio Sabatini called Koponen out in local newspaper, naming him "dead weight" the other players would have to carry. Koponen took the criticism seriously and has been very effective in the last six games (four Virtus victories): 13,7 points, 1,8 rebounds, 1,7 assists and 2,2 steals a game (2pt 60,9%, 3pt 42,9%, Ft 75,0%).

Koponen spends the Christmas in Finland and he had time to respond my questions just the day before their Dec 20^th home game against Benetton Treviso.

1. It's been quite a season so far. Tons of things have happened and meanwhile you seem to have finally found your comfort zone in Italy. Could you tell what's the biggest difference between last year, or even the first rounds of this season?

My role in the team has changed quite a bit. Last year my task was to play the point guard alongside Earl Boykins and pretty much get out of the way of our veterans. When this season began, I pretty much assumed I had the same role but as the season has progressed, the coach and my teammates have told me to shoot more. The other main thing is that I start the games as a shooting guard and our half court plays result to my shot more and more. I've had a couple of good games and that has done miracles to my self-confidence.

2. You play as a shooting guard? That's new to me. Could you be more specific - have you changed from 1 to 2 permanently?

Not really... like I have said earlier, everyone has to be able to handle the ball in modern basketball. I have always considered myself a point guard but like last year, we have at least two or three players who can play positions 1 and 2 on the court at the same time all the time. I think I switch between point guard and shooting guard 50%-50%. Right now it's better for me to learn the ropes and know how to play 2 spot, since there are less and less players who are only limited to one spot.

3. You have played like a different person ever since the day your team owner Claudio Sabatini called you out in public. Has that really affected your game that much?

Of course it was a shock to hear he had said something like that. But then again, I know that's the name of the game in professional sports. Owners and executives want results - last season Sabatini called out Earl Boykins in the middle of the playoffs, which tells something. I think that's also characteristic to European basketball: people will label you a hero after one big game but you will become a scapegoat after just one bad game (laughter).

But to tell you the truth, Mr. Sabatini himself came to our practice the next day after that article was published and we had a good, long conversation concerning the matter. He encouraged me to be more selfish. The whole last season and in the beginning of this season I have settled into the point guard role and concentrated on sharing the ball and playing good defense. It's not that I haven't been playing well, it's just that Sabatini told he has seen dozens of DVD's of me playing and he didn't get me to Italy to play blue collar game. Now I have to right to shoot whenever I have the opportunity and coach even wants me to take quick shots if I'm in a flow.

4. You have risen into Top 20 in all shot percentage categories and you are also fouled constantly, resulting into numerous trips to the charity stripe. Is there something new about your offensive game compared to previous seasons?

Mostly it's all about self confidence. Last year I wasn't too comfortable shooting with all the veteran guys in our team and because the defense was much tougher compared to the Finnish League, but now I know I have the tools to beat these guys. Sometimes opponents do not respect my shot enough and if they let me free, I won't think twice before I shoot. Then again if they play tough man defense, it seems I will find the way to get past them and force them to foul me. Because I play guard, majority of our sets go through me and that also results to traps and pressure defense, especially late in tight names, but I'm more comfortable with that as well.

5. You had some injuries early in the season, do you think they limited your effectiveness?

My ankle was a little sore after Eurobasket Qualifications and my leg was hit pretty badly a couple of times. It took some time to trust my step again and I came off the bench in the first two games of the season. But from my perspective, injuries are inevitably part of sports. If you get injured, you just do your best to get back in shape and after that you just try even harder. I have to admit, though, that I wasn't 100% before perhaps late November.

6. Starting point guard of Virtus Bologna so far has been Euroleague veteran Scoonie Penn. You were supposed to start alongside Andre Collins, one of the best players of Serie A, but he got injured and will come back in early January. What's it been like to play with Penn and what will change once Collins comes back?

Scoonie is definitely different from Earl Boykins. Earl was a lethal 1-1-scorer. Scoring isn't really Scoonie's bread and butter, but then again he is the kind of veteran that oozes self condifence and experience. It's good to play with Scoonie - you don't doubt his ability to take the right selection at any time. Once Andre comes back, he's supposed to boost our offensive game quite a lot. He is such a good scorer and passer that everybody else should benefit from his presence.

7. Italian basketball experts say you have been the surprise team of this season, since you lost your three best scorers (Boykins, Keith Langford, Sharrod Ford) from last season. What has been the team's secret so far?

It's true that we don't have so many big names this season but I guess it just makes thing easier. When people don't expect us to be nothing more than perhaps a 7^th or 8^th seed playoff team, it's easier to sneak on them. Our victories are result of team defense. We got a lot of work to do with our team offense, but our D is already almost the way it's supposed to be. I'm not too happy, though, because we have a couple of losses that are a result of our own sluggishness - we didn't box out, fight for rebounds or control the ball well in those games.

8. It's also interesting to see Georgian forward Viktor Sanikidze (6-9, 1986) to play in Virtus Bologna with you. You guys have similar backgrounds - you both are the best players of your age group in small country and both of you have been drafted to the NBA (Sanikidze is a 2006 San Antonio Spurs 2^nd round draft pick). Do you guys talk about your possible NBA future a lot?

Yeah, I played against Viktor in U18 and U20 European Championship games a few years ago and we talked a bit there as well. In 2006, Viktor had a monster game when Georgia beat Finland in U20 Division B semi-finals and he just keeps talking about that game (laughter). It's easier for me now to have another young European in the team with me. Domestic players hang out with their familiers and local friends a lot and American players spend their free time with each other, so it's great to have a guy like Victor around. Viktor brings attitude and strenght off the bench and helps us with interior defense and rebound a lot. Of course we talk about the NBA but right now we just concentrate on playing in Virtus Bologna.

9. Speaking of Portland, what's your take on their season so far?

Man, they've had such bad luck. Batum is injured, Fernandez is injured, Outlaw is injured, now they lost Oden... last year everybody said that Blazers is team that can only get better, but come on, last season was exceptional - getting 54 victories with youngest (?) team in the league is unheard of. It's not easy to repeat that kind of success. While it seems that fans are panicking somebody should remind them that they are steadily going to the playoffs, no matter what...

10. How about the Blazers point guard situation? Rodriguez went to the Kings, Miller and Blake are sharing minutes at the 1 spot and Bayless isn't really playing. What do you think?

Well, Blazers are logjammed on every position, which is good for the team. I think this Andre Miller/Brandon Roy thing has blown out of proportions. Steve Blake's last season was really good but I think Blazers acquired Miller because they thought he would be the missing part from a championship team. It's not easy to settle into a new team immediately - I believe once everything is said and done, Miller has done well. Of course, as a fan and a potential player of the team, I follow the team daily and do everything I can to be ready once they call me and want me to join the team.

11. Do you stay connected with the Blazers executives, coaches, scouts or anyone?

Blazers' Europe scout actually lives in Bologna and we talk from time to time. We're going to see each other this Sunday at the Benetton Treviso game. Of course, my agent sends greetings from Mr. Pritchard time to time but that's just about it.

12. Did you hear the rumors last summer that Blazers were about to deal you and Joel Freeland? Did you pay any attention to that?

Rumors are rumors. Anything can happen in the NBA, something is always brewing. I knew that there were NBA teams interested in me, but after the summer I was happy that Blazers wanted me to be a part of their long term plans. Thinking about "what ifs" would just messu p my concentration so I try to settle and play as well as possible.

Many thanks to Hippo for the latest and greatest information on Koponen.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver | Twitter

Ryan Anderson's Adventures in Offensive Rebounding

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:00:15 -0000

by Gregory Smith - AP

View full size photo »

The book on Orlando Magic power forward Ryan Anderson reads that he is a three-point shooter, first and foremost. Prior to Monday's game against the Utah Jazz, he had attempted 100 of his 169 total shot attempts from behind the three-point line, or 59.1%. That's a more pronounced split than last season, with the New Jersey Nets, when three-pointers accounted for 46.4% of his field goal attempts. He digs the long ball for good reason, as he's connected on 37% of his treys so far in his brief career. Looking simply at those stats, it'd be fair to conclude that he's a specialist.

But there's more to the stat sheet than the 3FG/3FGA columns. Eddy's written before about how Anderson is far from the next Pat Garrity and could have a bright future in this league, and I wondered shortly after the Magic acquired him if he might develop into a Troy Murphy-like player. The reason is rebounding, and something I've noticed looking at the nuanced Anderson highlights OPP community member leeebear has shared here, as well as in-person in the Magic's game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday. Anderson is a gifted offensive rebounder, especially when it comes to grabbing his own misses. The man shows remarkable sticktoitiveness. But no matter whose mess he's cleaning up, he tends to get good results.

Before the Magic's game against the Jazz last night--again, I'm emphasizing this fact to indicate that the data are one game out of date--Anderson's snagged a modest 27 offensive boards in 22 games, or 1.2 per game. What's striking is that he's tallied an offensive rebound in only half of his appearances, which I can't explain. On the Magic, he ranks behind only Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat in offensive rebound rate; in overall rebound rate, he places behind those two as well as small forward Matt Barnes. Interesting that, in both metrics, he outperforms the more traditional power forward Brandon Bass, whose presence many pundits (whether they qualify as observers or experts is questionable, given that Anderson had moderately outperformed Bass in rebounding even prior to this season) predicted would be a boon to Orlando on the glass.

But back to my point: he scored via a putback or a drawn shooting foul 12 times. We can increase that figure to 13 if we include an assist he dished to Bass immediately after an offensive rebound on December 2nd against the New York Knicks. Moreover, 9 of his 27 offensive rebounds have been of his own misses--sticktoitiveness!--and he's converted 6 of those 9 into scoring chances for himself. Summarily, he presents two threats to opponents in offensive rebounding situations: first, that he's going to grab one; and second, that he'll put the ball right back up and in (and potentially draw a foul trying) once coming up with the board. We also know he's a solid three-point shooter who can put the ball on the floor if chased off the three-point line; I refer you to leeebear's videos for more evidence of that. His combination of volume three-point shooting and offensive rebounding skill is more-or-less unprecedented: basketball-reference.com shows that only Korleone Young showed similar prowess to Anderson in both categories in an entire season, and that was in 15 minutes over 3 games with the Detroit Pistons in the lockout-shortened 1999 campaign. I'll let you decide if I put too many endpoints in that search, and I welcome your suggestions on improving it, as it seems perhaps too reductive.

The next time Anderson checks in, try to pay attention to his work on the offensive glass, and see how he gets after it. There's a 50% chance he'll come up empty in any given game--which, again, is very strange--but there's also a chance he'll do something productive when he does track down an offensive rebound. And that skill, combined with his long-distance shooting touch and youth (he doesn't turn 22 until May) makes him a very special player. Perhaps the "certain national writer" who told SLAM that the trade that brought Anderson and eight-time All-Star Vince Carter to Orlando "will be remembered as the deal where the Nets gave up Ryan Anderson" was onto something.

Helping the Offense a Little

Dave — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:28:11 -0000

More photos » by Don Ryan - AP

Helping this guy put the ball in the hoop more wouldn't hurt.

Browse more photos »

One of the topics of the day yesterday, starting on the radio and continuing on Dwight Jaynes' excellent blog (and in Manga's fanpost regarding same) was the viability of the Blazers' current offense. Dwight argues that Portland is too jumper-dependent, an assessment with which I wholeheartedly agree. I'm hard-pressed to think of brilliant solutions right now, though, with half of our roster out including our only true low-post threat. We can say the team should run more but it's difficult with your best finishers also being important rebounders. Plus there's that whole defense thing. We can say people should drive more in the halfcourt but only Roy and Bayless have the ball-handling chops to attempt it on a regular basis and the defense can see that coming from a mile away. Both areas are open to improvement but the result is only going to be incremental until this roster is together like it was designed to be and the kinks are worked out.

The truth is, the over-reliance on deep jumpers is only the tip of the iceberg on which the offense is grounded right now. There's also a desperate need for a consistent third scorer. There's too much one-on-one attacking going on, allowing the defense to set and rebound easily. We need an approach that moves the defense, where more than one person touches the ball, and that creates opportunities for someone besides the two main guys besides the obvious three-point heaves.

Part of the reason we've been having trouble finding offensive rhythm and success is that the guys who have taken that third scorer role don't change the paradigm. Andre Miller is a natural candidate and could do well, but when he's at this best he's scoring with the ball in his hands. People are excited about Jerryd Bayless but he's not likely to be consistent enough to fill the bill for the entire season and he, too, tends to prosper when he controls his own destiny. As we've heard before, both overlap Brandon Roy's skill set and preferences, which makes synergy that much harder.

Martell Webster, on the other hand, remains a largely untapped resource. Mind you' I'm not talking about the Martell who stands near the sideline and heaves threes. We've seen as much from that Martell as we're going to get. I'm talking the Martell who has the potential to become a scoring machine from 10 feet out instead of just 22 feet and beyond. The nights when Webster really explodes he's not confining himself to three-point land. He's all over the floor. But we don't see that Martell often because Webster himself can't make that happen. He needs somebody to set him up. Many times that's considered a liability in this league. But it suits our purposes exactly.

Back in the day, when Brandon and LaMarcus were just twinkles in Kevin Pritchard's eyes, the Blazers used to run plays for Martell every once in a while. Granted even back then they didn't do it consistently. I'd guess there were a couple reasons for that. First, there was a fair bit of territorial jealousy surrounding offensive possessions at that time. Second, the old Martell didn't have a well-rounded game and was frequently on the sharp end of coaching barbs...or at least caused some headaches on his own bench. They tried to raise him the right way instead of the easy way, to value effort instead of just scoring. But both of those issues have since gone by the wayside (or mostly anyway).

When the Blazers did run plays for Martell he tended to score in droves. And the play that got him off more than any other was a curl screen on the right hand side. Somebody would set a pick 12-15 feet from the basket in a diagonal line from the rim. Webster would cut through the lane from the weak side, curl around from beneath the screen, a passer at the top of the lane would hit him, and BAM! Two points on the quick jumper again and again and again.

That play seems to have disappeared from the Portland lexicon. Given the circumstances, short-handed and in a halfcourt-laden offense, I'd like to see it make a comeback. It accomplishes pretty much all of our goals. The biggest one is that Martell scores off of it and points are at a premium right now. It moves the defense and it involves three people at minimum in the play. You also have other options in the set, including the pick-setter cutting towards the rim for a pass from the top, the passer diving down the lane for a give-and-go with Martell, and Martell passing out to another shooter on the strong side if the defense tries to help from there. It's not exactly a layup but honestly that 12-15 foot jumper might as well be one for Martell when he knows he has the green light. Best of all this takes no extra personnel, no fundamental shift in the offense, and doesn't shoehorn anyone into a role with which they're not comfortable. One guy sets the pick, Martell cuts and uses it, one guy enters the pass and maybe cuts, one guy hangs on the strong-side perimeter to receive a pass for the shot if help comes, and the last guy stays on the weak side to offensive rebound or get back on defense depending on what the top-of-the-key passer does. It's not a stretch to fill those roles with a Przybilla, Aldridge, Roy, Miller, or even Blake, Bayless, Howard, and Cunningham.

I don't expect a major revolution in the offense anytime soon, but I would like to see wrinkles like this thrown in. I mean, what else are you going to do with the shots you don't cede to Aldridge, Roy, and the people they outlet to? Like it or not we do need a third scorer established and Webster is not only a prime candidate for the job, involving him probably disrupts everyone else the least.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game 30 Preview: Blazers vs. Mavericks

Dave — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:19:43 -0000

"What an evil fortune! And I am already weary."

Yes, a Balrog is come. Or at least Dirk Nowitzki, provided he plays. He sat out their last game with elbow problems and is a game-day decision at last report. Dallas is 20-8 on the season and managed to muster enough oomph to beat Cleveland on Sunday, so whether the Blazers get to say "Fröhliches Schlechteshaartag!" to Mr. Nowitzki or not, they're in for a fight as this worst-case-scenario road trip continues.

It'll take considerable wizardry for Portland to overcome Dallas' multi-pronged attack. You already know about Dirk and his offensive brilliance. He's been all-but unstoppable for the Blazers since early in his career. But the Mavs also rely on Shawn Marion and the recently-returned Josh Howard, both of whom can step up the scoring when needed and both of whom have been in strong double-figures the last four games. Jason Terry is either on or off nowadays but when he's on he's as dangerous as ever, especially to a team that has problems defending perimeter guys. Jason Kidd and Jose Juan Barea also lurk in the Dallas backcourt, each of whom has given the Blazers trouble in the past. Up front they have Erick Dampier to body Joel Przybilla, Drew Gooden, and Tim Thomas, who just scored 22 against the Cavs subbing in for Nowitzki. All of them see playing time and you can't take any of them lightly. These are veterans, for the most part decorated, and they know how to win any type of game from any position.

The hallmark of Dallas' attack is versatility. They can score from any range. They will run whenever they can but are plenty good in the halfcourt as well. Whenever you apply pressure they'll find the open man and live with his shot. They play 9-10 guys and don't tire. They'll try to take out the middle on defense and live with your jumpers. What they lack in defensive chops they make up for by being a good rebounding team. They block shots, create turnovers, hit free throws...all of the little things that bolster their point margin enough to make them dominant. It's hard to find a real weakness overall except to say that the teams that tend to blitz them for 48 minutes find the most success. Energy and a quick attack can sometimes bowl them over. Just facing them mano-a-mano seldom succeeds. Unfortunately that's just how the Blazers usually operate. That's why tonight is not likely to be fun.

Keys to the Game

1. "You...shall not...pass!"

The Mavs depend on you to commit to a player (usually Nowitzki) and throw extra men at him. Then they drop the ball to whoever you left and take advantage of your scrambling. Especially if Dirk is out the Blazers have to stop the ball from moving around. Play the passing lanes. Live with a single guy scoring if that means everybody else gets short shrift. Only Nowitzki will beat you by himself on this roster. Everybody else needs everybody else.

2. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."

Since most of the main players can hit from a variety of places you're not free to sag off of them and depend on getting back to their sweet spots before they make it there. To the extent that you do rotate and help (which the Blazers do a ton) you must get back quickly. The idea is to commit fully and execute whether you're coming in to help or recovering. Getting caught in no-man's-land against this team is a bad idea.

3. "Fly you fools!"

Dallas doesn't need a bunch of fast break points to win but they'll sure take them. Like the Fellowship at the bridge the Blazers need to get back on defense.

4. "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity."

The Mavericks will let you score on them but you have to be smart about how you do it. They're a good defensive rebounding team which means you can't count on second-chance points to bail you out. The Blazers have to shoot a high percentage which means moving the ball themselves, probing, drawing attention, and then finding the open man...pretty much the same thing Dallas will try. Brandon Roy needs to have an efficient game and draw coverage and the Blazers need to take advantage from there. If Roy is missing a ton or if the Blazers hold the ball or settle for taking people one-on-one this game is going to be hard to win.

5. "Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

Anybody can beat anybody on a given night. The Mavericks have lost to some sub-par teams this year. Don't assume the game is easier if Nowitzki doesn't play. Don't assume the win is out of reach if he does. Put in the energy, execute, and see what happens.

Check out the Dallas point of view at the venerable MavsMoneyball.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

P.S. Oops! Almost forgot: Game Time: 5:30 PM Pacific TV: Comcast

Dwight Howard Named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

erivera7 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:23:48 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

Via the Orlando Magic:

The Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, Dec. 14, through Sunday, Dec. 20. It marks the second time this season and the ninth time in his career that Howard has earned the league's top weekly honor.

Howard recorded four double-doubles on the week, averaging 17.0 points and league highs of 17.8 rebounds and 4.5 blocks, as the Magic went 3-1. On Dec. 14, Howard tallied 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocked shots, as Orlando defeated Indiana 106-98 at Amway Arena. He recorded a season-high eight blocks Dec. 16 in a 118-99 home win over Toronto.

Here is a recap of the week for Howard:

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Dec. 14 vs. Indiana: Posted 21 points, 23 rebounds and four blocks in a 106-98 win over the Pacers.

Dec. 16 vs. Toronto: Scored 18 points to go along with 14 rebounds and eight blocks in a 119-99 win over the Raptors.

Dec. 17 @ Miami: Tallied 17 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in a 104-86 loss to the Heat.

Dec. 19 vs. Portland: Recorded 12 points, 20 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 92-83 win over the Trail Blazers.

Orlando Magic 92, Portland Trail Blazers 83

Ben Q Rock — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 06:35:09 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

Browse more photos »

The Orlando Magic's team-wide effort and energy proved to be enough for them to defeat the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers, 92-83, on Saturday night. The Magic, for the most part, executed their offense and got the looks they wanted, but the shots tended not to drop. Just ask Vince Carter, who missed 13 of his 14 shots en route to a 9-point night. Rashard Lewis led Orlando in scoring with 15 points, while Dwight Howard scored 12, blocked 4 shots, and grabbed 20 rebounds, propelling Orlando to a decisive 54-35 edge on the glass. Brandon Roy scored 33 for Portland, including 15 of the Blazers' 20 in the third quarter as they unsuccessfully tried to maintain their halftime lead. Andre Miller was the only other Blazer to make more than 3 baskets; he finished with 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Curiously, the Blazers finished wth 7 assists on their 29 made field goals, with 7 different players tallying 1 assist each. For a team that, as Magic coach Stan Van Gundy noted earlier today, can play 3 point guards at a time--Steve Blake, Miller, and Roy--that's a jarring stat.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Blazers	91	91.2	39.1%	28.2	16.3	13.2
Magic	90	102.6	48.0%	25.0	32.5	21.2
Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average.

Van Gundy emphasized energy, effort, and focus at shootaround today, but early on, it didn't look like his team responded. Orlando opened the game in an 8-0 hole, coming up empty on its first 7 possessions, which included 3 turnovers. Jason Williams then accounted for 7 straight Magic points to bring them to within 1 point of Portland, which got the Amway Arena crowd, eager for any excuse to go nuts, at least engaged in the game.

Williams' streak seemed to ignite a spark in the Magic, and they played hard, albeit not particularly well offensively, the rest of the night. In his post-game remarks, Van Gundy said his team tended to play too much one-on-one basketball in the first half, and then added, "but we played really, really hard." That really was the story. The same Magic team that couldn't be bothered to play defense Thursday night against the Miami Heat managed to shut down the Blazers' offense, while acknowledging that Portland is short several key players at the moment. Van Gundy's most telling statement of the night?

As a coach, I'm pretty proud of what they did tonight.

And later:

I know we didn't play real well offensively, and I know we turned it over way too much, but there's really a lot more positives in this game than negatives.

Chief among those positives, at least from my point of view, was the fact that all 10 guys who played tonight contributed meaningfully. Carter shot poorly, but drove the ball to the rim, played the facilitator role a bit, and battled on defense. Mickael Pietrus gave Roy about all he could handle defensively. Matt Barnes sat the entire first half, but immediately made an impact in the second, gamely defending Roy with Pietrus in foul trouble while adding 8 points and 4 boards in just 14 minutes. Van Gundy praised Barnes' work this evening as "professional," which is apt. J.J. Redick gave the Magic "a huge lift," in Van Gundy's words, with some timely shooting and playmaking ability. It goes on.

If you want to take the "one play defining the whole game" angle in discussing the Magic tonight, it'd surely be Ryan Anderson's blown fast-break dunk early in the 4th quarter, which he simply rimmed out despite the fact that no Blazer was in sight. Barnes followed up the play and flipped the ball in to knot the score at 70. Barnes' tip just barely made it over the front of the rim, making the play that much more exciting. The teams continued to trade baskets until Pietrus hit a three-pointer to give Orlando a 79-76 edge; the Magic scored 8 straight points after that 3 for an 87-76 lead with 3:32 to play, putting the game well in hand. 4 of the 8 points in that stretch came after offensive rebounds, a further indication of the team's hustle tonight. They also tied a season-high with 11 steals, with Johnson contributing 4 thefts.

I'll try to sum it up this way: were it not for the superstars and the high payroll, you might have mistaken this team for the scrappy "Heart and Hustle" unit of the 1999/2000 season, which won 41 games without any standout players under coach Doc Rivers' leadership. If that sounds like high praise, it's meant to be. Apart from the lax first 4 minutes, Orlando went hard for the entire night, which wore down the Blazers.

But onto the sloppiness and offensive issues: they could have done a lot of damage. Plenty of unforced errors for Orlando tonight, such as Johnson's trying to throw a silly crosscourt jump-pass to Redick in the left corner, or Lewis passing to the tops of Howard's new sneakers with Howard not even looking on one transition possession. Portland, for its part, was opportunistic. On 2 occasions LaMarcus Aldridge was able to strip Lewis, who's usually surehanded, cleanly while Lewis surveyed the defense at the top of the key.

Aldridge, though, struggled offensively. The man Van Gundy deemed the most underrated player in the league missed 5 of his 6 shots and scored 3 points in 30 minutes, while mired in foul trouble. Throw in Martell Webster's awful night (1-of-11 shooting, 2 points) and Joel Przybilla's usual offensive inactivity (4 points, 2-of-2 shooting, 29 minutes) and you've got a situation in which Howard outperformed the other team's entire starting front line by himself.

I give Blazers coach Nate McMillan credit for trying to make things work with the limited assets at his disposal. Not counting the cameos appearances Juwan Howard and Dante Cunningham made, the Blazers had a 7-man rotation. McMillan even went Don Nelson-style bonkers when he shifted Aldridge to center and surrounded him with four guards: Blake, Miller, Roy, and Jerryd Bayless, who probably would rather not see this game tape again. Orlando successfully limited the Blazers not named Roy, as Miller was the only other one with at least 5 made baskets. No one else had more than 3. I asked Johnson what that fact meant about the Magic's defense:

They made an effort to get Brandon Roy the ball in places where it's hard to double [team]. Coming down the stretch, he basically took a majority of their shots, and kinda played into our hands with them being a one-person team. Once he missed a few shots we were able to take advantage of it. He's a great player. But when one player has to carry the load, whenever they have a stretch of missing two or three shots, then hopefully the team can take advantage of it.

More on Bayless, Van Gundy's strategy, and scenes from the locker room after the jump.

Bayless shot 3-of-13 for 10 points, which isn't so great, but that's not why I think he'll be upset after this one. Nope, it's that the Magic picked on him defensively, running isolations for whomever Bayless guarded... even Johnson, who's probably the Magic's 11th-most-talented healthy offensive player. Worse yet for Bayless, it worked. By my unofficial count, the Magic either scored or drew a foul every time they cleared out to attack Bayless. Process that: a team with Carter, Howard, and Lewis--three All-Stars--on the floor, along with the corner three-point specialist Pietrus, is running plays for Anthony Johnson.

Something worth noting from the locker room: Carter's poor shooting night didn't seem to faze him, and I mean that in a good way, not in a "he doesn't care about playing well" way. When asked how players respond to shooting slumps, he said he likes to "just keep shooting," and added that some players tend to over-think and adjust their shooting form when mired in them; he described how he tried to "take a little off" one of his shots tonight because he missed long on his previous one. For him, it was just a poor shooting night, and one that's not likely to repeat itself. Van Gundy agreed, saying "there's not gonna be many 1-of-14s in him" and praised Carter's work on the defensive end.

On why Johnson, and not Williams, closed the game out at point guard:

A.J. was playing well, we had a group on the floor that was playing well, so we just went with it.

This point guard situation reminds me of what happened in 2007/08, when Van Gundy doled out backup point guard minutes to either Carlos Arroyo or Keyon Dooling, depending on how each one had played recently; there wasn't a clear 2nd or 3rd-stringer, as Van Gundy preferred to ride the hot hand, so to speak. With Jameer Nelson due back as early as Wednesday, it appears as though Williams and Johnson will have to do battle for backup minutes. It's quite a departure from training camp, where Williams thoroughly outplayed Johnson and claimed the backup role with apparent ease.

On Matt Barnes' ability to play through a left hand injury he re-aggravated tonight, and what he would have done if Barnes had to come out:

Thank God [he stayed in], because at that point we had Vince with 4 [fouls], M.P. with 4, we're still in the third quarter, and I didn't have another wing guy. It was a tough night to slide Rashard back to the three because they were small anyway. I would have gone with A.J. at the two, but then that still leaves us with no size on Brandon Roy at all at that point. So him toughin' it out and stayin' in the game at that point was huge for us, and a big, big, part of the game.

Matt Barnes, doing the little things. Like staying in the game. Does that qualify as "little"? Probably not, if it means not having to play your third-string point guard at shooting guard against one of the league's best players.

On the back-to-back tip-ins during the decisive 11-0 scoring run in the 4th quarter:

That's what you have to do when you're struggling offensively is you have to make plays like that. You gotta play defensively. I thought guys stayed on the boards, I thought we really defended hard. I know we need to play better, probably, a lot of nights but as a coach I'm pretty proud of what they did tonight.

This is high praise from Van Gundy, who was clearly in good spirits after the game. The locker room, too, was boisterous, which caused Andrew Melnick of Howard the Dunk to wonder aloud if it's the best mood the players have been in after a game all year. Anderson had a laugh about his blown dunk and implored Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel to list him at 6'09" in his game story; Anderson's listed at 6'10". In addition, Howard wandered around shouting nonsense like "LEGION OF DOOM!" (which makes transcribing the players' remarks a tough task), cackled like a mad man, and so on.

The best Howard moment came when he borrowed a media member's tape recorder and leaned into Redick's locker, furrowing his brow in mock concentration on Redick's comments. Redick played along with the gag, turning toward Howard and saying, "You had a question," opening the door for Howard to continue his charade (although I suspect he would have plowed through that door regardless). Howard asked a rambling, incoherent question of Redick--something about Van Gundy's consistency with berating referees for poor calls--who responded with hearty laughter while mocking Howard's interview skills: "Was that a three-part question or a four-part question?" Howard defended himself by saying the media's questions aren't much better.

With the Howard and Redick Comedy Juggernaut still assembled, one of the media members asked them to discuss Anderson's blown dunk. Howard smiled and said, "That's why they're never in the dunk contest."

To which Redick responded, "They?! THEY?!" before excusing himself in mock outrage. Howard offered a sheepish "Oops!" as Redick left.