An astute comment from reader ORDucktape in the comment section of Saturday's game recap reminded me of something I've wanted to talk about for a while but haven't found the right space for. His comment was essentially this:

These guards lack discipline. How often are their feet set, shoulders square, in rhythm and within their range?

The assessment is accurate. Portland's issues aren't all schematic, talent-based, or planted at the feet of intimidating opponents. The Blazers are falling apart in three fundamental areas which may look insignificant on any given play but which, when aggregated, are costing the Blazers points they dearly need in some of these narrow losses.

We'll start with the area most-mentioned so far and, sadly, least correctable. The Blazers have dribbling issues up and down the roster.

Wesley Matthews doesn't function well off the dribble at all. It's straight ahead or bust for him...sometimes straight ahead and bust.

Other players fare better technically but become single-minded when they put the ball on the floor. They can dribble, they can pass, they can shoot, but they can't keep all three options open at one time. It's akin to texting while driving your car. You can text, you can drive, but when you do both together your focus shifts to one, leaving only the most rudimentary options available for the other. You can send that brilliant message but you better be driving on straight, flat road and nobody better stop in front of you while you're typing. Conversely you can pay attention to the road first but your spell checker better be immaculate.

The players affected by this phenomenon include LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, Craig Smith, and for the most part Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford. As soon as they put the ball on the floor one of three things is going to happen: they put up a shot, they pick up their dribble and bail out of the play, or disaster ensues. Felton and Crawford earn a "for the most part" because each is capable of making a pass off the dribble but their natural mode is scoring. They look far more at ease and in tune with the game when they're headed towards their own shot than when they're trying to make a play. It's ironic because this is the inverse of the problem the Blazers had with Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez. Both had astonishing ability to pass off the dribble but neither was a good decision-maker or scorer. The grass is always greener.

The only main rotation guy not covered so far is Nicolas Batum. He's shown the ability to pass or score on the move. His problems are aggressiveness and timing but he's the best hope on the current roster for a multi-threat player off the bounce.

Portland's second fundamental-level issue is related to the first. They are lousy passers when trying to set up their teammates anywhere outside of dunking range. Portland's outside shooters are inconsistent but some of that isn't their fault. They're not getting the ball where they need in order to fire cleanly. Sometimes they're not seen and the ball comes too late. But even when delivered on time it's seldom right on target.

As a shooter you're taught to be ready for the ball, hands out and soft to receive the pass and flow seamlessly into your shooting motion. The other side of the equation is the passer hitting you in your hands, or at least somewhere near your upper torso so you don't have to reach, recover, then line up to shoot. Portland's shooters are all but required to play Inspector Gadget to catch the ball. Passes go low. Passes sail high. A disturbing number go wide, maybe the worst option of all because then you're off-balance and have to fire without getting centered again. These aren't turnovers but they're costing the Blazers clean looks at the hoop. The shooter has to focus on making the catch, not targeting the rim. By the time he's secured the rock a defender is closing out. He then has to rush the shot to get it up. From 20 feet and beyond that might as well be marked a turnover for anyone but the most amazing snipers in the league. If this happened once or twice you'd chalk it up to human error. But the clean catch and shoot is a rare occurrence nowadays. Portland's passers are not their shooters' friends.

That doesn't excuse ORDuck's point, the third fundamental weakness. Even when they've got time the Trail Blazer gunners don't shoot the same way twice in a row. Feet and body position are awful. Blazers fire with one foot ahead of the other. They fire with their body pointed towards the stands. Their arm angle varies nightly. Pushing the ball instead of shooting is a common sight.

The players feel it's a mental thing, I'm sure...confidence and groove and all that. Coach McMillan and Mike Rice claim the guys are "just missing good shots". Wipe away the mumbo-jumbo and physiology is behind the failure...or at least it's not divorced from it. A quick run-through of the tape, focusing on the misses, should show them.

Players do have good nights. Batum's form has been solid the last few games. But inevitably the Blazers start missing jumpers and inevitably their form is disintegrating as they do so. That's no accident.

People often ask for areas in which they can critique the coaching. This is one of the most valid. No doubt these basics are part of every player's personal preparation...a given. You assume that a guy who takes a job as an engineer won't all of a sudden have trouble with addition and subtraction. It's embarrassing. It shouldn't need to be brought up. This is something you remind rookies and drill into the offensively-challenged. A player is supposed to notice form breaking the same way he notices his fly is unzipped and just fix it.

On the other hand, sometimes you don't notice your fly is unzipped. A tap on the shoulder is warranted in those situations. More to the point, when everybody starts walking around with open zippers and their underoos (or worse) showing it's time to say something. Outside perspective makes the problem clear, especially when you're in denial. ("This can't happen to me. I'm a pro!") This is precisely what a coach is for.

As we said, the dribbling thing can't be corrected. You either have the ability and instinct to multi-task like that or you don't. No amount of coaching will turn Gerald Wallace into Rudy Fernandez. Trying would only result in hesitation and turnovers...precisely the behavior we see from Crawford when he gets in his own head about being a true point guard instead of playing his game.

Passing on target and shooting with reasonable form, on the other hand, can be worked upon. We've seen these guys make their passes on target. We've seen them go up with true form and bury jumpers. They are capable, they're just not doing it. You won't get 100% perfection no matter how you address it but 75% is better than 40%. The difference between wins and losses often boils down to 3-5 points. Getting back to good fundamentals, earning that 30-40% improvement on these little things, will earn the Blazers a shot at those points.

Being talented isn't enough. Playing harder isn't the only answer. In order to succeed you also have to get the details right.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

In an all-too-familiar story the Blazers play lackadaisical, uninspired, brain-dead basketball and dig themselves a horrible first-half hole before coming back in the third and fourth quarters to make the game close. In this case, thanks to some of the most un-clutch shooting in the history of the universe by Dirk Nowitzki, "close" equaled an overtime, then two, before the odds finally caught up with the Blazers and they lost.

Game Flow

Here's what you need to know about the first half: the Blazers scored 32 points. Yes, in the half. Their entire offense was perimeter-oriented and slow...a bad combination. Meanwhile on defense they repeated their performance from the last couple games, defending in initial attacker just fine but completely missing any kind of rotation or help when the dribbler got past his man. It was horrible. The Mavericks had an 11 point led after one and pumped it to 18 in the second period. A little bit of scoring by Jamal Crawford and LaMarcus Aldridge plus some forced turnovers cut it back to 11 at the half, but this was bad. How bad was it? Earlier today we stopped by the liquor store in a rare trip to pick up some adult beverages for the evening. Watching the Blazers I figured, "Why not? There won't be much to write about this game anyway." So I downed a couple shots. OK, a few. OK, I put one down every time the Blazers made a stupid play. No joke. Two overtimes later I am still writing this somewhat buzzed. If you catch a typo, that's a shot for you. Catch enough of them and you'll stop noticing.

Portland dodged a bullet near the end of the second period when Khloe Kardashian's husband ran over Marcus Camby, who was set up to take the charge, and fell right on his leg. At that point I was tempted to grab the whole bottle but as it turned out after limping off the court Camby was back in the second half.

The second half featured more forced turnovers from Portland plus some filthy defense from Nicolas Batum and Gerald Wallace. Batum moved so fast blocking shots from behind that he was a blur on the screen. At least I think it was because he was moving so fast. Anyway...his defense prevented at least half a dozen easy points at the rum RIM for Dallas...points which often came because the guard defense was as poor as ever. Wallace grabbed some rebounds and hit some people, the usual. Portland's poor offensive possessions continued, however. They could only manage 23 points in the period, The good news: that was their best period of the evening by far. Plus denying Dallas with the blocks and a few steals kept the Mavericks at 18 for the quarter. Awww, heck. The Mavs' own indifference kept them at 18 as well. Portland played so poorly in that first half they convinced the opponent it was for real too. Dallas had a little bit of a ballgame on their hands headed into the fourth up 5, 61-55. Obviously that's exciting if you're a Portland fan but third parties would look at this game and say that at 61-55 after three things were getting ugly. Third parties would be right. The story wasn't so much Portland taking over as Dallas slipping back.

You know how when you were a kid your mom would tell you to go and beat up on a pillow when you got frustrated? In the fourth period LaMarcus Aldridge was frustrated and the Dallas Mavericks were the pillow. Aldridge scored 15 in the period. With a little help from Crawford he pulled the Blazers even, much to the chagrin of the Dallas crowd. Aldridge's teammates deserve some credit. First, they got him the ball. Second, their position defense was much better in the closing period than it had been earlier. Dallas' easy looks and offensive rebounds disappeared. With both teams sensing a win within grasp two battles ensued. One pitted Jason Terry versus Crawford. That was mostly a draw. Jamal's scoring kept Terry from winning the game outright for the Mavs. The second battle pitted Aldridge versus Dirk Nowitzki. Aldridge won that one hands down. He destroyed the Mavs on his offensive end (not being guarded by Nowitzki). He took up the defensive challenge against Dirk at the other end and Dirk just wilted. Not only could the guy not hit a shot (open or guarded) he was barely hitting the backboard, and sometimes not. That advantage was all Portland needed to stay close. Down 4 with a minute left the Blazers pulled even behind a Crawford drive and an amazing Aldridge turn-around. Dirk missed two shots in the interim. This game went to overtime, 81-all.

The first OT was sloppy. Portland missed a ton of shots from the perimeter. On the other end, though, they made the Mavericks work, got a block, forced a turnover, and limited them to 5 total shots in the OT. Dallas made 2 of those shots plus a couple free throws. Portland shot 3-10 in the same span. The game was still tied 87-all after one extra period.

For some ungodly reason the Blazers took until the 1:45 mark of the second overtime to get LaMarcus Aldridge, their savior, a shot. Crawford and Raymond Felton did the honors...if honors is the right word. What they did is shoot 1-4 between them, that "1" being a circus-shot 180-degree back-to-the-basket layup by Felton who was fouled along with the miracle make but missed the free throw. Crawford also drew 2 foul shots, making them both. That was Portland's scoring. Meanwhile Delonte West made 3 shots in 4 possessions against Wesley Matthews and crew. (This stretch was a failure for Portland's guards all the way around.) The Mavs led 93-91 with the ball and 2:00 left when Jason Terry threw a pass into the stands and Portland finally decided their main man should get a shot. Aldridge hit another patented 12-footer and the game was tied again. Everybody was thinking triple-overtime but a couple of unfortunate events conspired against it. The Blazers forced a Shawn Marion miss on a layup but only Gerald Wallace went for the rebound against two Mavericks. Aldridge drifted through the area while Crawford just stood and watched. Wallace had been a blue-collar hero all night but he couldn't keep Brendan Haywood from tipping in and giving the Mavs a lead. After Crawford (!) missed another shot Nowitzki took the ball against Aldridge at the top of the key and proved the old adage from White Men Can't Jump, the sun shines even on a dog's hindquarters. He put in an old-school leaning back on one foot Nowitzki special, making him approximately 1-6 on critical shots in the game but providing enough margin for the Mavericks to win. Dallas survives a Wesley Matthews 1-2 trip to the foul line to cut the lead to 3, an amazing forced jump ball on the rebound by Wallace which gave Portland possession off the tip, and a desperation no-chance heave from Crawford at the buzzer to tie. The Mavericks win, 97-94 in double overtime.

Take-Away Points

One of the words used copiously after the Oklahoma City Thunder robbing/loss was "narrative"...not just the facts of events but their meaning and significance. Here's the narrative of this game: the Blazers lost. That's it. Yes, people are going to go, "World Champions" and "road game" and "double overtime" and "Aldridge shining" and construct positive stories from this. Heck, if this were the first time this had happened all season I'd be doing that too. But how many times have the Blazers played flat for large stretches of games and then tried to come back at the end, only to fall short? If in the first two quarters of this game Portland had played with half the energy and focus they showed on defense at the end of the fourth and those two overtimes then they would have won this game. They did not. They lost. They lost in the same way they've lost a half dozen times before on the road. Neither double overtime nor the quality of opponent (which frankly wasn't that high tonight no matter what the name on the uniform) turns that "L" into a "W". Portland knows this. They know how and why this happens. They're either unable to compensate, unable to find the drive and energy, or unwilling to put enough into the game to do so. No matter how you slice it, that's going to lose you games.

A narrow loss to the Mavericks tonight is no more encouraging than a narrow win against the pathetic New Orleans Hornets last night in a game that followed the same general pattern. Quality of opponent doesn't factor in with the Blazers as much as the quality of their own play. If they don't look themselves in the mirror soon and come up with some answers they have no hope of anything more than a golf clap as they exit this season, victims of a team that's no more talented but plays smarter, more consistent, and more motivated basketball.

Individual Notes

The Blazers forwards were generally superb tonight, especially after the team got rolling. Aldridge led the pack with 33 points on 14-26 shooting with 12 rebounds. The only critiques are repeated ones. First, why not wring somebody's neck when they're hoisting shots early in the shot clock in critical situations and not letting you touch the ball? Once, OK. But the Big Dog has got to demand the ball when the game is on the line and he's on a roll. Otherwise he's just one of the pack. Second, if you're really going to take this team on your back and drive them to victory you have to do whatever it takes. Aldridge was probably 99% good tonight, or at least when it mattered. He hit shots. He played good defense. But that 1% may have been that fatal Haywood tip-in rebound. You can't just watch Wallace try to battle for it. If you come flailing in too late to get the rebound, fine. But at least come flailing in. At least make a dive for it. Superstars aren't the guys who make the play every time. Superstars are the guys with enough courage and drive to go after every play and thus, by percentage, make a lot of them you wouldn't expect. But you can't win if you don't play, so to speak. It feels bad knocking LMA for that kind of thing on a great night but this seems like one of the few remaining steps between him and true, franchise-changing greatness. He hasn't made it yet and it's a big one.

Don't let Gerald Wallace's 3-4 shots in 50 minutes fool you. He played 50 minutes because he was once again one of the only guys going after this game consistently. He had 10 rebounds, his 8 defensive boards leading the team by far. He shouldered that responsibility when Camby went down. He also had 4 steals to go along with his 10 points...points scored at the rim and foul line on a night when perimeter play was Portland's M.O.

Nicolas Batum had 7 rebounds and shot 5-11 for 12 points. He also had 3 mighty blocks, saving the game for Portland before anybody knew the game could be saved. He did well. The quibble for him came with 40 seconds left in the first overtime and the game tied. He got the ball in the corner with time running down and faked a streaking defender beautifully with a pump. Seeing his man fly by overhead he put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket. He had acres of open space to pull up or could have driven hard for the foul. It was going to be a game-defining moment. But instead he heaved the ball all the way across the court to Raymond Felton (of all people) who was out beyond the three-point arc (of all places) with the clock now running down. You can guess what happened. A potentially beautiful opportunity off of a broken defense turned into a horrific one at the most critical of times. I say this not to knock Nic for a single mistake, but to point out that there's more to go in his development. Coach McMillan seemed to agree, as he was pulled immediately after.

Portland's guards didn't fare so well. Each had something decent about their game but each ended up flawed. Felton contributed 9 points and but 2 assists on 4-17 shooting. I guess you could say he was aggressive. The second overtime might not have been the best time to show it. But he did keep the Blazers' heads in the game and turnovers low, though committing an obvious one himself late. Jamal Crawford also was "aggressive" shooting 6-23 for 19 points. The Blazers needed those points though. He didn't really do much else but he was handy to have around when Aldridge needed someone to distract the defense. Wesley Matthews shot 3-10 for 9 points but he did have 6 rebounds. His defense...I just don't know any more. The safe thing to say is I like his ability more than his results at this point. Combined these three guards went 3-15 from the three-point arc, making Aldridge's scoring clip even more impressive.

Marcus Camby had 6 rebounds in 16 minutes. Let's hope there are no ill effects from the fall. Kurt Thomas struggled tonight. Neither big man was a big factor.

Fun With Numbers

• Blazers shoot 37% from the floor, 15% from the arc. (3-20...ouch!) It's a miracle they were that close. Don't fool yourself. It was only Portland's grit for about 10 minutes total in regulation. The Mavericks took this game for granted and played sloppy. Though at least they could shoot. (46% from the field)
• Portland forces 23 turnovers from the Mavs with a big assist from the Mavs.
• Blazers get 11 assists all night. With 2 overtimes. Think maybe the guards had something else on their minds?

Final Thoughts

I want to say the Mavericks are a shadow of the team they were in last year's playoff matchup with Portland. The problem is, I fear the Blazers might be too.

Hear the Dallas story at Mavs Moneyball

Trail Blazers vs Mavericks boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard and form for the Wizards game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In preparation for tonight's game we did a little back and forth with Jonathan Tjarks of SBN's Dallas regional site. Here's the link to.his questions and our answers. The inverse here:

BE: What's up with Dirk? Did he just win a title and shift it into cruise control? What's the status there and how do Mavs fans feel about the slow start?

SBNDALLAS: The lockout affected his off-season routine, whichis a big deal for a player whose game depends so much on timing. But after a decade of pretty much being a 24/7basketball machine, it would only have been natural for Dirk to stop and smell the roses a bit.

Really the big thing has just been the sheer number of games this season. Dirk is 33 and he's played in over 1,200 playoff and regular games; this is not a guy who should be playing five nights a week. There's been a lot of nights where he's had no lift in his legs whatsoever.

The good thing is Dallas is much deeper offensively than they were last year, so they can afford for Dirk to go on cruise control. And as long as he gets enough rest by the playoffs, Dirk's going to be at the bottom of the list of concerns for Mavs fans.

BE: Can you clarify exactly how and why the Mavericks won their title? One of the things I am already sick of in this season is pundits, fans, and media folks saying, "This team could be the next Dallas Mavericks" as if the only (or most important) criterion which won them their rings was surprise. Every half-heralded team all of a sudden gets a championship mention because people weren't talking about Dallas last year before they won it. Other than flying under the radar, what contributed most to the Mavericks' success? There had to be some solid, long-term underpinnings there.

SBND: There was a lot of talk about how Dirk overcame his post-season demons last year but really he's been the same player for almost a decade. Dallas has won 50+ games for 11 straight seasons, and that's while building three different elite teams around Dirk -- the Nash/Finley/Dirk"Big Three", the Avery Johnson helmed '06 Finals team and the 2011 title squad.

The difference last year was Dirk finally had an elite defensive center in Tyson Chandler. Dirk and Chandler were a perfect combination: the most versatile offensive 7'0 in the NBA and the most versatile defensive 7'0. Chandler was absolutely incredible for Dallas last season: he could shut down guys like Griffin and Amare on the perimeter, check Bynum and Gasol on the low block and cut off LeBron and Wade's penetration at the rim.

The Mavericks won for the same reason the Celtics and the Lakers won: they dominated the paint with two 7'0 guys. The NBA has become obsessed with perimeter players in the post MJ era, but realistically, the closer you are to the basket, the easier it is to score, so the teams with tall and athletic players who can control the paint are going to have a huge advantage.

Dallas was not as talented as Miami or OKC but they had talent in more important places on the court, which is why I took a flyer on them at 16:1 last February to win it all. This year, honestly, I think the one team who can copy the Mavericks run is Portland, with Aldridge in the Dirk role and Camby in the Chandler role.

BE: The obvious: How do you feel about the chances of repeating this year? Has anything changed which makes you think the road will be harder or easier?

SBND: The second Chandler walked out the door, the Mavericks chances of repeating went down to zero. Dallas made a lot of smart moves after letting Chandler walk, and they're still going to be a real tough out in the Western Conference playoffs, but I'd consider the WCF a real accomplishment.

BE: If the team doesn't make it all the way, at what point do they tear it down? At some point the formula of Nowitzki + Ancient Guards + High Profile Free Agent Small Forward + Serviceable Center that the Mavericks seem to employ every year or two has to break down. Do you foresee a future in which they reset?

SBND: What everyone in Dallas is talking about is the summer of 2012. If you assume they amnesty Haywood, the only players under contract are Dirk, Marion, Beaubois, Brandan Wright and Dominique Jones. I'm not sure exactly about the math but that gives them enough room to offer Howard and Deron Williams near-max money. And if the Netsand the Magic hold on to them all season, I don't see another team offering a more attractive supporting cast for those guys. Williams is from Dallas, so there's that too.

It's a lot of ifs obviously, and I would have rather had kept Chandler and just pursued Williams in 2012, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on.

BE: What's the biggest barometer of the Mavericks' success so far this season? How do we know if they're having a good game (outside of the scoreboard, of course)?

SBND: Dallas needs either West or Beaubois to give them dribble penetration and create open shots, otherwise the offense is way too stagnant.

Defensively, Haywood is pretty much done, so they need either Mahinmi or Brandan Wright to give them minutes at the 5 position.

Wright, in particular, has really come on in the last few weeks. He was a McDonald's All-American and a lottery pick out of UNC for a reason: he's 6'10 with a 7'3 wingspan,really athletic and coordinated. That's enough to merit a spot in most teams rotations.

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Thanks to our friends at the Dallas regional affiliate for taking us deeper inside the Mavericks and this matchup!

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

You may recall a few weeks ago we ran a blurb for XFINITY's Social Media Contest, wherein they're choosing somebody to work for them on the social media end of things. Here's the follow-up where you get the chance to vote on a winner if you're so inclined.

Have you ever watched one of those TV shows where from thousands of hopefuls, one star is born? Well, here's your chance to play "starmaker" and help pick the new voice of sports in social media!

XFINITY is looking for the next renowned sports social media star through its Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The winning candidate will serve as the new voice of XFINITY in the sports social media space and go behind-the-scenes at some of the biggest sporting events in 2012, sharing exclusive insights and updates with fans.

From February 9-19, you can review qualified entry videos and vote for the contestant you'd like to see advance to the finals of the XFINITY Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest. The five entrants with the most votes will advance to the final round of the contest where they will cover one of five premier sporting events the weekend of March 8-11. Fans can head today to Facebook.com/XFINITY and click on the Ultimate Sports Social Media Job contest tab to vote for your favorite personality (once per day)!

Will you choose the brainiac with the encyclopedia of stats, the former jock who knows the game inside out, or the corporate type who gets the marketing side of the business? You decide. Vote today at Facebook.com/XFINITY!

Enjoy reading and voting if you wish. Thanks to XFINITY for the opportunity.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 5:30 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The Portland Trail Blazers face the World Champions tonight. Given the course of Portland's season you'd expect that to be a tall order. It probably still is, but the Mavericks aren't in any better position than the Blazers right now. Their home record is an anemic 9-5. Their overall record puts them on a par with Portland.

The unimpressive (given the standards) start has been directly attributable to a couple of factors. Superstar Dirk Nowitzki has so far treated the season more like a victory lap than a quest to repeat. His production has dropped precipitously...per minute, per game, it's been bad in every category. His scoring has dropped from 23 per game to below 18. His shooting percentage has plunged from 52% to 46%. His three-point percentage was 39% last year. It's 21% this year. You read that right. Dallas fans used to chant "MVP" every time he took the floor. Now they're chanting new initials. The first two are "WT..." You can fill in the last. On the upside he's had three straight impressive games, so maybe he's back in gear. If not the Mavericks aren't going anywhere no matter what the rest of the roster reads.

Tyson Chandler, the backstop of Dallas' defense, is now in New York. Brendan Haywood rebounds better and has a more varied offensive attack but he's not the defender or intimidating force Chandler was. Ian Mahinmi is hit and miss at center. They're OK at center but not anywhere near as potent as they were with Chandler.

Dallas' smaller players fare better. Jason Terry and Shawn Marion are reliable enough at shooting guard and small forward, though Marion is missing the incredible touch from the field he showed last season. Both can connect on threes to spread the floor, as can Vince Carter and Delonte West. They're certainly not challenged for alternate scorers. Though none of these players retain the vigor or production of their youth it's pretty certain at least a couple of them will be in tune on any given night.

The Mavs had reasonable hopes for Lamar Odom, considering he was 6th Man of the Year last season with the Lakers. This year he's apparently going for 10th Man of the Year, shooting a wretched 35% from the field (almost 20% lower than last year's average), grabbing fewer rebounds...heck, the best way to explain it is his PER going from 19.4 to 9.8. That's like failing art class: theoretically possible but pretty hard to do.

Also somewhat disappoint has been young guard Rodrigue Beaubois, With each of his three years his minutes have increased while his production decreased. Defense has been his only area of improvement after his promising rookie season. He's neither consistent nor productive enough to trust, especially with veterans ahead of him at his position. No doubt the Mavericks still have hopes for him but either the mix or the player is wrong.

Brandan Wright has had a few good games and provides counterpoint to the disappointment of Odom and Beaubois. Portland will need to watch his energy.

And that's been typical of Dallas' start. The names are right. Talent, if a little aged, is plentiful. But confusion at the top of the rotation and rot at the bottom are exposing, rather than covering up for, the weaknesses of the guys in the middle.

Unsurprisingly last year's highly-efficient offense has become middle-of-the-road this season. The Mavericks aren't scoring in the paint and are only average on the break. Lack of any dependable attack in the middle, either in the post or off the dribble, has left them relying on the jumper. That's OK when the ball moves and the right people receive it but too often they're stuck shooting deep bail-out shots. Despite the four good three-point shooters mentioned above the Mavericks are only 21st in the league in three-point percentage and they take a bunch of them. They're only fair drawing foul shots. They don't rebound on the offensive end. They're just not getting enough easy buckets, enough extra points, enough extra chances to generate a dominant offense.

On defense the Dallas philosophy is simple: they want you away from the rim. They'll let you shoot all the threes you want. They'll let you pull up too. You can get past their exterior defenders for a step or two but they'll collapse on you before you hit the paint. They want a shot over their heads and a rebound in their hands. They get steals, a few blocks, and they also commit fouls in the process. It's basic old-man, conserving energy, play the percentages defense. It's not a bad scheme though. They're the 7th most efficient defense in the league...far better than their offensive standing.

Like Portland, Dallas is playing their second game of a back-to-back with travel. Like Dallas, Portland has chronic weaknesses and always battles the temptation to succumb to stagnation. Either team has the talent to play great. Neither team does on a consistent basis. This game may come down to energy, one team exploiting and tiring out the other. Whichever team comes out with fire, vicious rebounding, an effective driving attack, and the capacity to hit a few jumpers will have an enormous advantage. Your guess is as good as mine which that will be. Likely Dallas, I suppose, but it doesn't have to be that way if the Blazers are willing to play.

MavsMoneyball will have your Dallas look.

You can find the Jersey Contest form for this game here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

On a night when the New Orleans Hornets wear uniforms as ugly as your great-grandmother's drapes the Blazers oblige them by playing ugly for most of the game before turning on the hustle to edge ahead and take the game. New Orleans has chances but blows them like a 4-23 does.

Game Flow

I'm going to spare you the blow-by-blow in this one in case you have anything on your stomach. Suffice it to say that whatever the Blazers were playing out there tonight, it wasn't basketball. Consider that they shot 52% for the game and they never really experienced horrible droughts. In fact their outside shooters were better than we've seen in a long time. How do you trail one of the worst teams in the league while shooting that well? You don't rebound. You turn over the ball. You lose track of people on defense. The Blazers did all three and more for the better part of three quarters. They'd get three people back in transition when five were needed. They'd cut off the strong side drive with extra men but never rotate on the weak side, leaving Hornets open after a simple pass. They did everything but go inside on offense, getting few easies and drawing no fouls. It was the kind of game that made you want to yell at your TV all night.

Portland rode hot shooting by Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton plus some great energy from Gerald Wallace to stay in striking distance of the Hornets. Trailing by 9 midway through the third period they turned it on late, courtesy of Crawford's hot hand and Wallace's hustle, exiting that quarter with a 70-67 lead. Then when the Hornets tried to come back Portland suddenly began doing all the things they sloughed off on earlier: rebounding, trapping and forcing turnovers instead of committing them, getting tough on the interior on defense, bothering to pass around the Hornets on offense instead of dishing once and shooting contested. Even so they couldn't get farther than a half-dozen ahead and New Orleans didn't give up, being that close to a rare win. When Al-Farouq Aminu hit an improbable three with 48 seconds remaining the Hornets were within 2. Unfortunately for them they seemed to intentionally foul on the ensuing possession. This is the second time we've seen that strategy under a minute but with another possession left on the clock this season. Maybe somebody who's a coach or expert statistician will explain why you don't just defend and get the ball back for the tie or win. It seems silly to grant near-automatic points when you've rallied to get that close. But the Hornets did, the Blazers hit their free throws, dodged a wide-open Marco Belinelli three, and iced the game from the foul line. Portland emerges victorious, 94-86.

Take-Away Points

Portland's bigs looked S-L-O-W out there tonight. Also one wonders how LaMarcus Aldridge gets only 12 shots in a game that's going this poorly. Yes, the Hornets were swarming him but no worse than every other team the Blazers face. When the team needs him he has to get in position, fight like heck, and then demand the ball. Had Portland's guards not been connecting from the perimeter in near-unprecedented fashion this would have been a loss and the team's best player pretty much would have watched it happen. Maybe the team is still covering for illnesses or something. If not, it's up to Aldridge and his teammates to make him the superstar the Blazers need every night.

Individual Notes

It's not like LaMarcus wasn't connecting when he had the ball. He shot 7-12 for 14 points. He had 7 rebounds...not great against range-challenged opponents. He was around the key tonight but boards were going elsewhere. He had 4 assists. He should have had 8 more shots.

Gerald Wallace once again looked like the only Blazer who gave a darn on defense for much of the game. He was trying to pump up his teammates but they were wet blankets tonight. He hit 6-9 attempts, scoring well at the rim, and had 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Marcus Camby had 7 rebounds in 20 minutes. It's hard to blame him for Portland's rebounding woes with that kind of rate. At the same time, he was one of the guys moving like molasses.

Raymond Felton shot wonderfully from the perimeter, at least compared to his norm. He went 6-10 tonight for 18 points and even squared up on the jumper a few times. It's marvelous what a few fundamentals can do. He had 6 assists. Unfortunately he also had 5 turnovers.

Jamal Crawford played the hero off the bench tonight, shooting 10-16, 9-10 from the foul line, for 31 sorely-needed points. Let's put that in perspective. The Blazers only scored 94 in the game. He accounted for 1/3 of Portland's production. It's not like he got lucky with triples either, going only 2-7 from distance. He worked for those points, breaking down the defense and either pulling up or dishing. He also had 8 assists. He looked like he was moving at the speed of light compared to most of his teammates in the halfcourt. He was also the only player who looked like he had a clue, even if that clue was often leading him towards his own shot.

You know how the Eskimos supposedly have 20 different words for snow? The Blazers need 20 different words for how badly Wesley Matthews is playing right now. Other than a couple steals, just don't ask.

Nicolas Batum, on the other hand, found a way to impact the game on a night when he had only 6 shots, connecting on but 2, going 1-4 on his newly-beloved distance shot. He had 5 rebounds, which the Blazers needed, 5 steals, and 2 blocks. Well done.

Kurt Thomas played 14 OK minutes.

Elliot Williams missed 3 shots from the field and 2 from the foul line in 5 minutes, committing 2 fouls and getting 1 assist on a baseline wrap-around pass to Gerald Wallace in the process. That assist didn't outweigh the rest. He didn't see the game again.

Fun With Numbers

• Hornets 14 offensive rebounds and they win the rebounding battle overall on a night when they missed far more shots than did the Blazers. Who was working harder?
• New Orleans 54 points in the paint to Portland's 30. Who was working harder?
• Everything else but the shooting percentage (Portland 51.5%, New Orleans 44%) was pretty close.

Final Thoughts

A road win is a treasure but epic fail for only playing 8 guys (E-Will's 5 minutes doesn't really count) on the first of a road back-to-back when the opponent has a 15% winning percentage and tomorrow's opponent is Dallas. Don't blame Coach McMillan. The starters could have gotten rest by giving more effort early and finishing this instead of playing just good enough not to lose for 44 of 48 minutes.

You can read about New Orleans' hope and/or lack of patience with results like this at At The Hive.

Boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard and the form for tomorrow's game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 5:00 Pacific TV: CSNNW

Update: The New Orleans Hornets sent a release on Friday saying that guard Jarrett Jack with not play in Friday night's game due to a re-aggravation of a bruised left knee. He is expected out "at least a week." -- Ben

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The New Orleans Hornets are bad. They're really bad. Have you ever walked in your house after being outside in the fresh air and gotten a whiff of some sickly-sweet smell wafting from the kitchen? Have you ever checked the garbage, the cupboards, the back of the fridge without being able to identify the source? Have you ever dug persistently, certain something was off, until finally in the back of the fruit and veggie drawer you found some unidentifiable bag of green, gooey, stuff from which this foul smell was emanating? Have you ever then opened that bag and chugged its contents? Then you, my friend, have no idea how bad the New Orleans Hornets are. They are the forgotten baggie of formerly-organic produce raising a stench from the bottom of the NBA's fruit drawer. And you get to eat them tonight.

Do you think I'm exaggerating? These guys are on a losing streak that's lasted the whole season. And it's not getting better. They have won 4 times in 26 games. Two of those wins came in their first two outings. That means they're 2-22 since. The Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets did the honors, Orlando by scoring 67 points (still trying to figure out how they did that on a night when Dwight Howard scored 28) and the Nuggets by scoring 81. In fact the Hornets have not beaten a team that has scored more than 84 points on them. It's Lawler's Law modified: First to 85 wins. Unless it's the Hornets. Then the other team wins anyway.

To be fair the Hornets have been without scoring guard Eric Gordon for much of the season, but come on...is this guy Kobe? Is he LeBron? That's what you'd need to turn this team around. They score like a sports blogger at a Victoria's Secret show. For most teams 87 points is a disastrous night. That's their average. The only guys averaging good percentages from the field are the guys who don't shoot much. They don't have a single reliable three-point shooter among them. Even distance-wizard Marco Belinelli has lost his touch. They're horrible on the break. It's inside scoring or nothing for them. Pack the paint , secure the rebound, and profit. There's no "?????" line needed. It's just that easy.

On defense the story is slightly better. They can guard the paint. They allow a low three-point percentage. They rebound well defensively. Their big issues are getting back on defense and not helping out. They have ability defensively but lack confidence and cohesion. If you just go one-on-one against them all night they'll look good. Pass the ball a couple times and watch what happens. Plus remember that the bar is 85-88 points instead of the 100 you'd feel comfortable with against most defenses. No matter how well you defend in this league you're going to have a hard time holding opponents that low.

With Gordon out Jarrett Jack remains the leading scorer for the Hornets at 15 per game. Carl Landry and Trevor Ariza hover around 11 per. Everybody else--Emeka Okafor, Kaman, Belinelli, and a bunch of people you ain't never heard of--scores in single digits. You're not watching this game to see if your team wins. You're watching this game searching for spare parts to plug into the Trade Machine. At this point the Hornets are a league-owned salvage yard. Grab a distributor cap and a back-up center. Don't be stupid enough to get bit by the dog while browsing.

No matter who is sick, no matter how bummed people are about the last two games, no matter what coaching schemes are employed or how minutes are distributed, even if it is on the road, the Blazers should win this game. The goal in this situation is to play with enough energy early on that you can rest your starters in anticipation of the Dallas game tomorrow.

Inevitably in the comment section someone will mention that this type of game is a trap. If it is, go ahead! Spring it! What are you going to do, give the Blazers a mildly nasty rug burn? Put a slight noogie indentation in the old hairdo? Maybe it's true that any team can win on a given night, but this ought to be a night where the win isn't given. And being given it is the only way the Hornets are going to walk out of that arena with a "W".

At The Hive will no doubt compare the team to a slightly less moldy variety of vegetable.

Your Jersey Contest form for the evening.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Many of SBN's NBA sites have partnered up with TiqIQ, a service which aggregates several different ticket sites to find you the best price on the secondary market. If you'd like to check out their services you're more than welcome. The link is http://tickets.blazersedge.com/trail-blazers-tickets. In the meantime TiqIQ has a pair of Blazers-Clippers tickets to give away to a Blazersedge reader. Details are in the graphic below. Whoever wins them, enjoy!

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

As most of you know by now, our site is trying to send 600 children and youth who otherwise could not afford to attend a Blazers game to the March 22nd Portland-Memphis game at the Rose Garden. This is the fifth year running we've sent groups of kids to the game. Each year the number gets bigger because each year the demand gets greater. The special challenges this year are two:

• 600 is an enormous number (but not disproportionate with the requests we're getting).
• March 22nd is pretty close and the deadline for buying tickets is actually three weeks closer than that...the beginning of next month.

We don't have corporate sponsorship for this. This is the people of Blazersedge--and really Trail Blazers fans from all over the world--banding together to give children an experience that most of us take for granted but that they will not have but for us. And in case there's any doubt, once they've had it they never forget. Let me share with you a few stories from kids, teachers, chaperons who have gone in past years:

These kids are hard in every sense of the word. Hard background, hard circumstances, hard road ahead of them, hard shells around them every day. We only get to see inside of that exterior on rare occasions. When they went to that game everything was different. I took kids to that game. Every one of them was a kid that night. I've never seen that before.

Or this one:

The old stereotypical thought was that basketball is a way out for these guys. That's bull. They ain't going to make it out with basketball. They have no illusions about that. But basketball still represents that other world. It's a world they can't touch but it's still there...

You don't realize how small life becomes when you're in these situations. People always wonder how small things like insults and territory and reputations can get so big to these kids. Proportionally they're huge. When you only walk the same blocks and see the same people and eat the same food and have the same arguments because you can't afford to go anywhere else or you don't feel safe anywhere else the world becomes so small and tight. They know there's another world out there. They see it on TV when they watch the team. It might as well be across the ocean...

You allowed them to participate in that other world at that game. They saw that it was real. Seeing the Blazers with their own eyes was part of it but another big part was seeing the people all around. Another big part was being in a new situation with the people they're used to being with. You opened this up to them. You made it more safe and more possible to think bigger. Maybe it didn't change lives. But maybe it opened the possibility of changing lives.

How about this?

Most of our kids had never been to an arena before. When the time out was called in the 4th and they started playing YMCA, a few of the kids were like "what happened? why are they doing this?" We're talking about kids that don't get out to these kind of events much. So all of that is to say, this was a great opportunity, I really appreciate you sending these tickets...

Or this one...

Thank you all so very much for making this happen. For all the weather related missteps this went off without a hitch. I can't get over how perfectly it happened today for our merry little band. I was worried that people weren't going to be able to show up at the last minute but we were at full capacity of 8th and 9th graders right off the bat. Everyone that wanted to come was able.

We met up to have dinner before the game and then make our way to the Rose Garden. The guys were happy to see each other after a week off and most importantly not be stuck in their homes. Stir crazy/boredom was the big topic over dinner. On the train ride in conversation switched over to the game. The kids seemed to know the most about Oden, Sergio and Rudy. The native Spanish speakers in the group were outraged that Rudy wasn't a starter and I think Oden is a bit more relatable to the average 13/14 year old than Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. They wanted to know about the players from Toronto who to watch and if it was going to be a close game. I felt bad for not scouting out the Raptors first. My basketball cred took a big dive for not having my normal amount of information. We talk about basketball a lot at school.

After we crossed the bridge they seemed get a little bit more nervous/excited. The guys hovered around me until they had their tickets in their hot little hands. The one thought that kept going through my head the whole night was how kidlike they seemed. At school they try to be so tough, street-wise, sarcastic and generally more grown-up than they should be. But tonight they were just excited and happy to be there.

During the game they were pretty quiet...I took the seat further away thinking that they probably would have more fun with their buddies without the awesomeness of having a female teacher monitoring their language. However it was sort of a moot point because they were transfixed, that sort of glazed over staring intently look that I normally associate with video games and TV watching. During timeouts they were watching the crowd, the big screen and the DJ. The biggest laughs came from the Greg Oden question/answer video and the Rudy Language Lesson.

As for the game I had a difficult time getting them to talk about it, I think they were on sensory overload and were just taking it all in. I could tell that they were having a great time...they were clapping along with every cheer...standing up on the big plays. It was a great night a real highlight of the school year for me and for the guys.

Thank you very much for all of this.

Here's the point. You can make this happen for a kid with even a small donation. A larger one sends a row of kids or a classroom in some cases. Tickets to this event are affordable. As of right now we have around 250 of 600 tickets sold. We have less than a month to make that other 350 good for all the people who are looking forward to going.

Here's the information on ways you can purchase tickets to help kids attend this event.

If you want to buy tickets directly you can simply go to:

http://tickets.trailblazers.com/deals

Then type in the password: Blazersedge

The Blazers have set up this site so you can order directly. Tickets are $14 each plus there's a $5 service charge for the entire order no matter how many tickets you buy. They accept all the usual online payment methods. Note that this only works for DONATED tickets. You cannot buy tickets for yourself this way. Also note that you need to click the WILL CALL option. That avoids all delivery confusion and fees. The tickets just stay with the Blazers and go to us.

If you want to give a non-standard amount (like $10 or $100) and/or want to avoid the service charge you may make a donation via PayPal to the account blazersedge22@yahoo.com We'll compile the funds donated via PayPal into one lump sum and purchase tickets accordingly.

If you're having difficulty with one of the above methods or if you wish to purchase tickets for yourself to attend this event in our sections you can always call Lisa Swan at 503-963-3966. She will help you out.

Thank you so much for making this dream a reality. If you work with children and youth in need and you'd like to request tickets for this event, write to me at this e-mail address. We'll do our best to get you taken care of.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

The Blazers follow up Monday's ultra-luster effort with a lackluster one tonight, failing to rebound, defend the pick and roll, or rotate to the perimeter. The absolute lack of meta-game ruins an otherwise fine shooting performance as a team.

Game Flow

To the surprise of...well...nobody the Blazers came out flat in this game. In fact a Marine barber, a truck-stop pancake maker, and a 12th century cartographer were all spotted in the third row bowing and chanting, "We're not worthy!" Raymond Felton tried to pump up his team early, attacking the rim, hitting a jumper, pushing the ball up the court and waving his arms for teammates to follow. None did, really. Mediocrity soon set in. The Blazers played passable offense but made no real attempt at credible defense. What do you need to do against the Rockets? The textbook says to watch Scola and the guards on the pick and roll, keep an eye on Kevin Martin, and watch out for the three-pointer on the kick-out. The Blazers watched Martin pretty well. That was it. Other than that they watched Lowry whip passes, watched Scola score on easy jumpers after a quick roll out off the screen, and watched as the Rockets lofted threes over their heads, half-jogging to cut them off. 30-28 Houston didn't look bad after the first period, but what the heck were the Blazers doing allowing Houston 30 points? Also this was the limpest near-30-point quarter we've seen in a long time.

It would be nice to say that the bench, limited to Jamal Crawford, Nicolas Batum, and Kurt Thomas tonight, came in and turned the game around. Sometimes a proficient second unit can do that, bringing the energy when the starters don't. Crawford gave the Blazers a three-pointer. But outside of several Thomas jumpers--the iced tea of Portland's offensive wet bar--the Blazers were slouching. Wesley Matthews hit a three, a jumper, and dunked but outside of the slam those were pedestrian plays. Nicolas Batum could have come out with a white towel wrapped around his waist and not a stitch of clothing on besides and still kept the quarter completely family-friendly. That's how much he moved. With nobody but Crawford showing any chutzpah Portland's offense tanked. Meanwhile the Blazers turned over the ball repeatedly, rebounded with sterling mediocrity, and their weak-side defense might as well have omitted everything after the hyphen. Houston led by 14 at the half, gaining a dozen in the period.

The first part of the third period was more of the same, then the Blazers woke up behind Gerald Wallace and a smaller lineup. These guys pressured the ball, ran out, made life hectic for the Rockets for the first time all evening. Wesley Matthews drove and drew foul shots. Wallace slapped away balls and ran out on the break. Batum even dropped the towel at the end of the quarter to reveal his Superman Junior underoos. Behind this blitz the Blazers cut a 19-point Houston lead at the 7:30 mark to just 7 by the end of the period. The Rockets led 77-70 going into the fourth.

The assault continued in the early fourth quarter but you could tell the steam was running out in the usual ways. First the Blazers started relying on longer and longer shots to sustain their offense. They hit a couple threes but you always know that's the last few ticks before the kitchen timer goes "DING!" for them. If they have to rely upon those long shots, the game better be close to over. Second, Houston started grabbing more offensive rebounds as the second half progressed, the side-effects of a small lineup and the energy expended making the Big Run and playing with 7 guys all game. To their credit the Blazers did manage to tie the game at 9:56, 9:07, and 8:44 but they never took the lead. Then point guard Goran Dragic, in for Kyle Lowry who had been injured in the third, proved that the name on the back of the jersey doesn't matter to the Rockets. Any point guard in that uniform is apparently capable of ripping apart the Blazers. Dragic attacked the lane on multiple occasions, threaded nifty passes to shooters, and generally made the Blazers look foolish and (once again) slow. Houston's lead was only half a dozen during the quarter's middle minutes but after climbing up Mount Everest six more feet might as well be a mile. The crowd knew the Blazers weren't coming back. The Blazers knew the Blazers weren't coming back. A few missed jumpers later and Houston had the game salted away. 103-96 was the final margin. Having lost only a single game at home before this week, the Blazers have now dropped two straight.

Take-Away Points

Did we mention not paying for one bad call with two bad losses during the pre-game discussion?

Individual Notes

One name you haven't heard mentioned so far is LaMarcus Aldridge. He had 3 steals and 2 blocks...that's good. He also shot 5-14 for 13 points with only 5 rebounds and looked no more peppy than his teammates. It was a bit of a sad game following up a great one for him.

Raymond Felton continued his tradition of looking like a great, aggressive, butt-kicking point guard for the first five minutes of the game and then fading into oblivion. 9 points on 4-11 shooting. 3 of the 4 makes and 7 of the 9 points came in the first 4:53 of the game. He had 6 assists.

Wesley Matthews hit 3 of his 4 makes in the second period and earned a slew of free throws in the third. But he shot 4-10 himself for his 17 points. He was good during the run, so-so otherwise.

Gerald Wallace was really the only guy who brought it for more than a single period in this game, providing some energy in the opening half and standing right at the center of that second-half storm that threatened to knock the Rockets off of their perch. He was the one player deserving of the label "good game". He went 8-11for 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Too bad he got saddled with those other stick-in-the-muds tonight.

Marcus Camby, suffering from bronchitis, played 18 minutes with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Jamal Crawford had an inspired offensive game off the bench, shooting 8-15 for a team-leading 21 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Apparently Crawford and Wallace, two of the newer Blazers, are more immune to the "we lost that last game because we're Portland" doldrums.

Batum had 10 points on 3-5 shooting but owes his entire night to 2 made three-pointers. Where was the guy that ripped the jock off of James Harden and ran it through the blender?

Kurt Thomas hit 3-6 shots in an impressive second quarter but ended up with 3 rebounds in 15 minutes. The Blazers needed more boards from Thomas and Aldridge in Camby's absence.

Craig Smith had a rebound and went 0-2 in 5 minutes. The Rockets knew that he was going to shoot and snuffed him.

Fun With Numbers

• Houston 10-23 on three-pointers, 43.5%. Did I mention the Blazers didn't rotate out with any alacrity? This ruined a night when the Blazers shot 7-18 for 39% from the arc themselves. Those are supposed to be winning nights.
• Similar story: Blazers shoot 47% from the field, allowing the Rockets 53%.
• Those stats ruined Portland's +8 points from the foul line.
• Blazers outrebounded on the offensive glass by 3, defensive by 7, for a -10 margin overall. Counting rebounds like that is a little suspect but tonight the story was real.
• Blazers force 22 turnovers, many of them in that critical second-half comeback, but commit 19 themselves to ruin the evening.
• Blazers 74 shot attempts on the evening. They average 84. Kind of a slow night, eh?

Final Thoughts

If you don't pay attention you don't win. It's not enough for three guys to each have one brilliant 8-minute stretch. You need multiple players playing brilliantly, or at least hard, for most of the game. It still feels sometimes like guys on this team are depending on who they are instead of how they play. The name only tells part of the story and it doesn't mean jack on a particular night if you don't back it up by playing to the best of your ability. This is especially true on defense. Everybody understands that your shot will be off some nights. Standing and watching while plays go by you is a much harder sell.

Read about the encouraging Houston victory at The Dream Shake.

Rockets vs Trail Blazers boxscore

Your Jersey Contest Scoreboard and the form for the New Orleans game.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

By now you've been over every single angle of the admittedly-blown goal-tending call that cost the Portland Trail Blazers a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder two nights ago in the Rose Garden. You've seen the camera angles, heard the howls of protest, and you realize fully that the standings now say, "Portland: 14-11" instead of "Portland: 15-10" when for the last few years Western Conference playoff standings have been bunched with a single game or two making the difference between high seeds and low. That's the obvious cost of this blown opportunity.

You also know that of all the public people in all the internet world I am the last to blame outcomes on officials. I am happy to point out multiple offensive rebounds given up to the Thunder, offensive possessions with no clear shot because of poorly-executed sets, shots that should be made with eyes closed not going in. Therefore let me state publicly that I am not complaining that the Thunder were unworthy to win that game. They played well. They did what they were supposed to. That cannot be taken away from them. And the message to the Blazers remains: give the extra effort so that your fate is never in the hands of the officials. That's the biggest take-away point for the team going forward.

But before we leave this issue entirely, we need to note that there are hidden costs to this event beyond the obvious divisional and conference standings.

Every season and every career have moments that define them. This is particularly true of critical seasons in the careers of emergent superstars. However it's defined, superstardom is build around repeated effort and repeated victories. It's proven over time, not granted in a moment. But that scrolling timeline is peppered with defining moments when players take the step from star to team leader, from team leader to all-time great. Who can forget Bill Walton blocking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Clyde Drexler serving a facial to Detroit? These moments defined careers, bringing these Hall-of-Famers into the public consciousness, stamping the label "Chosen One" on them in a way that could not be gainsaid.

I'm not suggesting that LaMarcus Aldridge is ready to be labeled a Hall-of-Famer, nor that Monday's moment was as critical as the Walton or Drexler plays just mentioned. Both of those happened in the playoffs, for one thing, and at a Conference Final or NBA Final level. But before those moments happened both Portland and the league saw plenty of transcendent snapshots from those two stars. The table was set for the Ultimate Defining Event by the earlier play and its acknowledgement by teammates, opponents, league observers, and fans. In some ways the day that Drexler became Portland's unquestioned leader was as important as the day he threw down that jam in the Finals.

Who could argue that Blake Griffin had just such a moment last week with the dunk against Kendrick Perkins? Before that it was Griffin and Paul, Paul and Griffin. Now you KNOW who's coming to town and who's going to lead that team to the Big Time Lights (provided that happens). You're waiting for Griffin. You're anticipating the next explosion. His teammates are too. They're going to rally around him, depend on him, draw their confidence from him. If and when he gets to the late playoffs the stage will be set for his Big Moment, for his career to be defined, and for his teammates to rally around that play to victory. And you know what? If that Big Moment--say another dunk--happens to involved a little bit of a charge over a defender whose feet are planted that's not going to be called. The whistles will be mute because everybody, including the refs, are going to be watching for the Big Time Event and that's all anybody is going to see. (See also: Michael Jordan pushing off on Bryon Russell in 1998 long after he had hit the game-winner against Craig Ehlo in 1989.)

LaMarcus Aldridge also had that Griffin-esque moment against the Thunder Monday. The game was down to, in effect, one meaningful possession. The opponent was the greatest scorer in the game today, a guy totally unstoppable by mortals. Durant got the drive he wanted and the shot he wanted. And Aldridge, without help and without mercy, snuffed him out. The layers of meaning here are manifold. This may have been more of a defining moment than Griffin's because Blake already gets plenty of hype whereas Aldridge toils in relative obscurity. One of the main questions surrounding Aldridge has been whether he's a big-time player, a true team leader. With one swoop of his arm LaMarcus declared to his teammates, Portland fans, and the world that he could be trusted not just for stats but to make the plays necessary to propel his team to victories. And he did it on the defensive end. He showed the power of defense in general and his own in particular...a critical lesson and assurance for any team trying to become great instead of just good. This was the rallying point. This was the moment where everybody pointed to LaMarcus and said, "He stared down the giant and took him out, saving all of us. We can get behind him and he won't let us down." This was the eternally-repeated SportsCenter highlight. This was the All-Star lock moment. This was the exact instant when everybody looked at LaMarcus Aldridge and said, "He has become more than just a player. He is The Man." This was the moment that made not only the Thunder, but everybody in the league, wonder if playing the Blazers was safe as long as Aldridge's sneakers hit the floor. This was neither the first nor the last pivotal moment of Aldridge's career, but it was a darn-hard-to-replace chance to take the next step into a possible evolution to superstardom.

All of that was taken away by one whistle.

I'm not saying that LMA's teammates, fans, and league observers think less of him now than they did before. To use the vernacular he's wizard, he's smashing, he's keen. We all know that. Everybody will admit it freely. He's even going to get his long-coveted All-Star election. That was going to happen no matter what. But now when the league remembers this moment, if they remember it at all, the topic of conversation is going to be a Scott Foster whistle, not a spectacular LaMarcus Aldridge game-saving block. Now when his teammates remember this game they're going to recall a demoralizing four-point loss, not an exhilarating and potentially season-changing two-point win. They won't get to rally behind the leader who sealed their victory. Instead they'll be left with the image of their leader getting screwed at the mercy of powers beyond his control...a decidedly different lesson. Instead of being perceived league-wide as the guy who outscored and then stood up to Kevin Durant--perhaps a critical image should the two ever match up in the post-season--Aldridge will be remembered for putting up a nice stat line but eventually joining the ranks of Durant's many victims in this fine season for the Thunder.

For comparison's sake, imagine if Blake Griffin had made that block and it had been called clean under identical circumstances. Pundits and casual fans alike would be trumpeting him as a "two way player" and a defensive force. Radio hosts from coast to coast would be speculating about a Clippers-Thunder matchup in the playoffs. Speculation would begin on whether you'd rather have Griffin or Durant on your team, not in terms of scoring but for winning. The reaction wouldn't have been as great for Portland because Aldridge wasn't as hyped as Griffin going into this contest. Still, whatever buzz and momentum were there, whatever promotion of identity--self-assessed or granted by others--was in the offing because of that buzz, Aldridge and the Blazers were robbed of it.

Both player and team will get more such moments...more chances to discover whether they're willing and able to be amazing instead of just pretty good. This whistle won't define his career nor the team's fate. But it did take away a chance for both star and team to become more than they were in this moment and to travel further down the road to perceived greatness. Now if Aldridge puts another spectacular block on Durant announcers everybody around the league will react with surprise and amazement, saying, "Can you believe that?!?" instead of saying, "This has happened before. Aldridge may have Durant's number and may be just as potent of a team leader, if not player." The gulf between those two statements is vast, not only in assessment but in impact and influence on the game, team expectations, and yes, officiating. The edge the latter statement provides is exactly the one that teams like the Lakers, and now the Clippers and Thunder, carry into matchups against less-heralded foes. That edge can easily provide the difference between playoff wins and losses in an otherwise-even contest.

For a bright, shining second Aldridge and the Blazers were over that hump in a way they hadn't been since the Drexler years really. For an instant the tide had turned, bringing with it hope that once turned, it would continue to flow Portland's direction. Then that instant was pierced by the sound of a whistle, assaulted by a dramatic gesture, marred by an incorrect assessment by one of the only three people who had the power to take it all away. And they did. Like Icarus too near the sun the Blazers were brought back to earth, made again into the team of Greg Oden's broken knees, of Brandon Roy's medical retirement, of Scottie Pippen's complaining about officiating bias, of the blown fourth quarter against the Lakers in 2000, of the Magic Johnson rebound tip in 1991, of Buck Williams and Jake O'Donnell, of the Bowie leg shattering and the Walton foot collapse. Portland fans felt those pains echoed in their moment of hope robbed. Now once again they ask if a break is ever coming their way. And once again the sad realization hits: if you have to ask, it's not. Some folks get to be the cool kids, others don't even when they appear to earn it. Sometimes the difference between the two is as small as a single tweet.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The 14-11 Houston Rockets visit the 14-11 (15-10 without referee Scott Foster) Trail Blazers tonight in a battle of Western Conference titans pretty good Western Conference teams. The Rockets are 4-8 on the road, slightly better than the Blazers 3-9, much worse than Portland's 11-2 home record (12-1 without referee Scott Foster). After starting the season a dismal 3-7--suffering under the weight of an impossibly hostile schedule--the Rockets are on a nice little run, winning 11 of their last 15 with Portland, San Antonio, Minnesota, and Denver among their victims.

The Rockets' backcourt is pretty nice. Blazer fans will recall (and no doubt covet) Kyle Lowry and his dismantling of Portland's defense in the last game these two teams played. Though he's struggled with his shot lately this guy's a professional, seasoned as a chronically-underrated backup and now heading his own team...and darn well. He's one of a handful of players in the league who shouldn't be underestimated. His backcourt mate Kevin Martin is an established scorer averaging 19 per game this year. He's looking to rebound from a couple of horrific offensive outings but he's a perpetual threat.

Houston's frontcourt is competent, led by pesky power forward Luis Scola...another guy you underestimate who ends up taking a chunk out of your behind. At 15 and 6 Scola is not exactly lighting the world on fire but he still has it in him. Samuel Delambert provides his usual blocks and rebounds at center. Chandler Parsons is the nominal starting small forward, a jack-of-all-trades and...well, you know the rest. He's actually losing minutes to energetic marksman Chase Budinger and shooting guard Courtney Lee off of the bench. Former Sun Goran Dragic backs up Lowry at the point. Houston is still looking for a reliable big man off the bench, cycling through Jordan Hill, Patrick Patterson, and in their last game Jeff Adrien who posted 9 rebounds in 17 minutes against the Nuggets.

This isn't exactly a world-beating rotation but they're good...dangerous when you catch them on the right night. The name of the game, as we've said already, is to not overlook them. No matter how good or bad they've been in the last decade, the Rockets have proven that you always have to fight them to get past.

Houston's offense is surprisingly efficient considering the patchwork lineup they field, again a credit to Lowry's point guard play. They're right down the middle in shooting percentage, three-point percentage, effective field goal percentage. Their huge downfall is lack of free throw attempts. They're last in the league in that category on a per-game basis. They'll run and they're good in the paint. They just don't get the extra points from the stripe. They're excellent offensive rebounders, however, and the Blazers will have to watch the boards carefully to avoid a repeat of Monday's Oklahoma City debacle.

On the other end the Rockets allow plenty of points in the paint, lacking size and experienced defenders. Delambert will block shots and Scola will fight you but neither is a huge intimidation factor and beyond them Houston is stretching. The Rockets are quite good at stopping the three-ball, however, and they don't foul much. They'll give up basic points but they limit the extras. Their defensive rebounding is adequate. Other than Lowry they're not really threats to steal. Their defense is more position-based than opportunistic or driven by individual skill.

The peril for the Blazers tonight, besides the obvious handicap of playing without Raymond Felton, will be having their heads back in Monday's emotionally-charged game against the Thunder instead of focused on tonight. It's easy to let disappointment and frustration cause you to throw a bad loss after a good one, so to speak. This is especially true when you've had a hard-fought game decided by conditions over which you are powerless and you're having a harder time getting up for your next opponent than you did the last one. Nothing will bring the final seconds of regulation in the Oklahoma City game back, but two losses is a steep price for a moment that technically only cost you one. The Blazers need to focus, play with energy, and get that loss back tonight. If they show the same effort they did on Monday they're going to come away with a win. If they half-bake this game--especially if they aren't aware of the challenges of a Crawford-versus-Lowry matchup (experienced point guard averaging 2 steals per game) and just come out to play "however" instead of to win--then Houston is more than capable of sending Portland home in disgrace.

Check out the Houston view at The Dream Shake.

Here's your Jersey Contest form for the night.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

The Blazers experience the expected troubles with pace and lack of continuity without their starting (and only) point guard--the injured Raymond Felton--but still manage to ride LaMarcus Aldridge and various situation-specific heroes through their fistfight with the Thunder. A poor goal-tending call at the end of regulation helps send the game into overtime. There, as in much of regulation, the Blazers have trouble rebounding and setting the offense. Those twin bugaboos, plus occasionally lax transition defense, provide enough margin for the Thunder to escape with the win.

Game Flow

The Blazers came out aggressively in this game. You have to give them credit from the start. They did not have their usual tempo. They didn't have their usual array of offensive options. They did, however, set a basic offense wherein Jamal Crawford (or whomever the Thunder forced the ball to on the perimeter) entered the ball to LaMarcus Aldridge. The Thunder decided not to double Aldridge for most of the early game. As a result LaMarcus feasted on jumpers over hapless defenders. Whenever anybody else had an open look they took the shot and usually hit. Wesley Matthews and Jamal Crawford fit into this category. The Thunder, longstanding victims of Portland physicality themselves, tried to bump and shove the Blazers early, establishing themselves as the more physical team. They're not good at it. They remind me a little bit of the Prime-Roy Years Blazers wherein everybody had skill but nobody was particularly tough. The result of OKC's bungling attempts to bully was trips to the foul line for the Blazers. Sadly Portland missed many of those attempts, but the pattern was set.

On the other end the Blazers did a good job guarding 4 of Oklahoma City's 5 players on the floor at any given time. For most of the early minutes of the game that 5th player--varying each trip--was wide open. Not being fools or particularly weak at their exterior positions, the Thunder took advantage, straight-lining and twining jumper after jumper. From the beginning of the game the Blazers also had a problem corralling OKC misses, likely indicative of the extra effort required just to stop them in the first place. Nevertheless, Oklahoma City is one of the weakest offensive rebounding teams in the league. Not so tonight. Between second chances and a bunch of niggling Portland continuity (and sometimes flat-out turnover) errors the Thunder were able to keep close even with the sterling quarter the Blazers put forth. Portland led 31-29 after one.

Portland's bench is already shallow and Raymond Felton's absence made it paper thin. Craig Smith played well enough in the second period but Nolan Smith looked overmatched and overwhelmed. Portland's savior on Saturday, Nicolas Batum, entered the game and began missing the three-pointers that went in against Denver. Thankfully Oklahoma City's bench didn't fare much better. James Harden made free throws. That was about it. Still, it would have been foolish to keep Portland's deep bench players in for long, as the writing was on the wall there. So Portland coach Nate McMillan started rotating his starters back in, beginning with Aldridge who responded with yet more scoring. The extra minutes for their main guys kept the score close, 50-50 down to the 3:15 mark of the second. That's when the Blazers started gagging up the ball and not getting back in earnest. Plus they gave up more offensive boards. OKC took advantage of the gifts to build a 60-52 lead going into the half.

When the third period began with the Blazers generally flat-footed and the Thunder out-hustling them in every conceivable way it looked like this contest was over. The ONLY thing the Thunder couldn't do was put the ball in the hole. They got to loose balls first. They rebounded. They played faster than the Blazers. They made more quality passes. They just could not hit the shot. The thing is, despite the valiant lobby efforts of advanced statisticians across the internet, basketball games are still scored using plain old points. A free throw here, a tip-in there, and the dozen-point Thunder lead was down to 6. That seemed to rekindle the Blazers' fire. They threw on some nasty defense, barely allowing OKC to dribble, let alone pass clean. A couple of turnovers, a three-pointer and some change, and the Blazers were back on top. From then on you knew it was going to be a scrap. The third period ended with the Blazers spreading scoring between Aldridge, Crawford, and Matthews while the guard duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden went on a huge tear for OKC. When the dust cleared from all of this twine-tickling Oklahoma City had re-established a 6-point lead, 85-79, but Portland was looking steely-eyed yet.

The fourth period began with Harden and Batum engaging in a mano-a-mano duel that should be sung through the ages. Harden scored a couple times in the opening minute before Batum said, "Mais non, mon frere." (Add the accent, both grammatical and in the delivery of the line, yourself.) The two then commenced to pushing, shoving, and butting heads like Bambi and that jerk deer going after Faline. (Sorry. Batum is kind of cute and baby-faced so when he gets all tough it brings to mind Disney movies.) In any case, Batum shut down that Harden crap and scored a little himself, playing a different kind of hero. When he finally connected with a three at the 6:50 mark the Blazers were even once again.

From this point on the Blazers began to make better use of Aldridge and Crawford together as well, bringing LaMarcus out of that left-side post position and up above the key. Simple moves left him open for jumpers which he hit time and time again. Oklahoma City had no answer and now the Blazers led by 6, 101-95, with 2:17 left. Then Durant hit a three-pointer and Westbrook took advantage of his ability to drive, drawing fouls. With a minute left the score was tied again at 101. But the new, improved Blazer offense left more wiggle room for Crawford and he hit a jumper to put his team ahead by 2 again with 55 seconds left.

At that point the Thunder turned over the ball and the Blazers drained the shot clock before missing. OKC got the ball back with 34 seconds, down 2. The Blazers then proceeded to defend the heck out of the Thunder, forcing three consecutive misses between the 26 and 12 second marks, two by Durant. Sadly, the game-long inability to secure a rebound came back to bite the Blazers, as they ceded the ball after all three of those misses when any decent rebound would have secured them a trip to the foul line and a chance to put away the game for good.

With 6 seconds left Durant made one final run to the hoop, down the left side of the key. He got to the bucket, went for the layup, but LaMarcus Aldridge made a masterful block, laying in wait and timing it perfectly, making little contact below and smacking the ball off of the backboard just a hair's breadth--maybe half an inch or an inch--before it made contact with the backboard. The Blazers tipped out the ricochet and looked to run out the clock...but......... TWEET! Referee Scott Foster made a motion to count the bucket, calling the block goal tending, saying the ball had made contact with the glass before Aldridge slapped it away. Now granted, this was a close thing. A ref can be forgiven for messing up a distinction that presented itself to the eye for about a tenth of a second. I don't necessarily have an issue with the missed call. The problem I have is that when he made the judgment, Foster was the referee out beyond the top of the three-point arc...not the sideline ref, not the baseline ref, but the one out near halfcourt. The one thing you need in order to judge whether there was any air between the ball and the backboard when Aldridge hit it is an angle. Foster was not only 30 feet away, he was 30 feet away behind the ball. He had something of a diagonal view but nowhere near as good of a look as the two other refs who did not call goal-tending. The referee with the worst look made the critical call that changed a game with 6 seconds remaining in a close contest. If you make that call from that position you had better be right. Foster wasn't, as the replay clearly showed. Who knows...the Blazers might have missed their ensuing free throws and Oklahoma City may have tied it or won at the buzzer, but that's a long shot. Percentages say that this call cost Portland the game.

Russell Westbrook made a spectacular (and correctly-called) block of Nicolas Batum's layup attempt to send the game into overtime, tied at 103. Both teams, likely tired by that point, struggled to score in the extra frame. The Thunder missed jumpers. The Blazers had trouble even getting a shot off. Portland had the ball down 107-109 with 30 seconds left but even with a timeout to set up a play they had to settle for a horrible bail-out jumper attempt from Crawford at the shot clock's ebb which mercifully got blocked before we could all see how badly it missed. In a weird ending to an otherwise hard-fought game the Blazers failed to foul despite being down only 2 with time remaining. Durant ended up with the ball at halfcourt and streaked to dunk it, providing the final margin. The Blazers lose 107-111.

Take-Away Points

The offense in this game was a mixed bag without Felton running the show in the usual manner. On the plus side it forced the Blazers to play to their strengths more instead of just relying on a bunch of dribbling, maybe a pick, and bunches of bail-out jumpers. Portland was all but forced to look for Aldridge as both first and second options. That's a good thing. Also when other players got the ball in scoring position for the most part they took their shots, knowing there wasn't a good alternative. That's also a good thing.

Side Note: I say "for the most part" because the Blazers continued somewhat their current habit of passing up open jumpers they have to take, whether they make or miss them. It's like they've read their own stat sheets and public critique and are now avoiding the three, especially. The problem is, passing up an open shot often leads to a worse one or a turnover. That hesitation also allows the defense to recover and puts incredible time pressure on whoever ends up with the ball. I'd rather see an honestly-missed three in critical situations than shots passed up in favor of a desperation heave.

Despite the handful of good things, Portland's offense was generally slower than Felton has run it and everything seemed a bit off. Aldridge knew what he was doing. Everybody else had to work harder and at times looked puzzled, draining shot clocks that shouldn't have been drained.

Portland's defense looked pretty good most of the time, less because Felton himself is a horrible defender and more because they were forced, almost by default, to keep other good defenders on the floor. Crawford's defense looks a lot better when he's in a lineup with Matthews, Batum, Wallace, Aldridge, and/or Camby than it does when he's paired with a relatively weak Felton or Smith in the backcourt. Portland kept a lid on the Thunder most possessions. The glaring, GLARING exception was in transition, where it looked like nobody had a clue. At minimum the guards are supposed to get back to defend. That didn't happen. In the halfcourt Oklahoma City had to earn their points but when they got running you might as well have had a table of NBA legends and fat guys on the sideline with numbered placards to judge the dunks.

Individual Notes

Yet again when these teams match up LaMarcus Aldridge looked like the better of the two UT stars tonight. Durant had 33 points on 33 shots including a bevy of the usual ill-advised early-clock jumpers. He had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Aldridge had 39 points on 28 shots, went 11-11 from the foul line to Durant's 1-1, and netted 6 rebounds and 3 assists. All of Aldridge's non-bailout shots looked solid and well-executed. Plus Aldridge defended the heck out of Durant when it mattered. I'm not saying Aldridge is better than Durant on average or overall. That would be silly. But when these teams meet Aldridge just looks...amazing.

Gerald Wallace had a rough offensive night at 2-9 for 4 points but to be fair the Blazers seldom ran and often left him holding the ball from long range with nothing to do but shoot. He had 5 rebounds and 4 assists and keyed that energetic defensive run in the second half that brought the Blazers back. I don't think he had anything to be ashamed of tonight. He did what he was supposed to do.

Marcus Camby had 15 rebounds, doing what he could to prevent the Oklahoma City roundup on the glass. Nice "D" here too. He did end up taking 11 shots but the Thunder let him. 4-11, 8 points.

Jamal Crawford did not suck. He wasn't exactly the point guard of your dreams but this could have gone a lot worse against Westbrook and company. Granted Russell scored 28 with 11 boards but he's done that against other Portland point guards. Meanwhile Crawford committed only 3 turnovers, had 5 assists, and managed the ball. He couldn't push it and the Blazers kept it simple, but that almost worked out to a win against a very good team. He went 6-18 for 17 points.

Wesley Matthews struck opportunistically tonight, shooting 6-9 for 18 points, 2-5 threes made, 4 assists, 2 steals in 36 minutes. He took his shots on offense without getting in the way, defended sporadically but not fatally...it was OK. However, if there's a worse player on the fast break attack I don't want to see him. In the last week the litany of Matthews' faults on the run have included getting his fast-break layup attempt blocked by Earl Watson (who is about the same size as Emma Watson), then getting capped in the same situation the next game by Isaiah Thomas...and not even THAT one but his 5-9-ish son. Then tonight, among other things, he actually outran his own dribble when going in for a layup on the break. This is getting Paris Hilton under green light ugly. And I feel the same kind of embarrassment watching it.

Nicolas Batum shot 5-15, only 1-6 from distance. To be fair a few of those three-point attempts rattled in and out. But you knew he wasn't going 9-15 again. To his credit after four misses or so he abandoned the tactic and started playing real offensive basketball again, to good result. His defense was masterful at times. His effort was superb. He was a true star in that early fourth quarter. 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals in 32 minutes.

Kurt Thomas did fine in his 21 minutes, as did Craig Smith in his 9. It was about what we've come to expect from both.

Nolan Smith got 8 minutes, shot 1-3, and got off the floor without causing damage to either team.

Fun With Numbers

• The teams were pretty close except in a couple of categories. The Thunder got 20 fast break points to Portland's 7. The Thunder had 59 rebounds to Portland's 39. That's ouchy when the Blazers are more known for beating up on OKC than vice-versa.
• The Thunder had 18 offensive rebounds. That's 8 over their average.
• The Blazers won the turnover battle, committing only 12 while the Thunder committed 19. The Thunder actually scored more points after turnovers than the Blazers did though.
• 30 feet. That's how far away you were when you made that call, Scott Foster.
• 70 degrees. That was about your angle when you made the call. The ideal would have been 0 and the worse possible would have been 90.

Final Thoughts

Neither team has anything to regret here. The Thunder did plenty enough right to win this game and they did, getting the Portland monkey off their backs, at least in part. The Blazers also did plenty right under less than ideal circumstances. It was a great game.

Read about the Oklahoma City impressions over at Welcome to Loud City.

Thunder vs Trail Blazers boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard. And your form for Wednesday's game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

I got the chance to chat with J.A. Sherman of Welcome to Loud City this afternoon. You can read his responses to a few questions I asked below or head over there to see my answers to his questions about the Blazers and tonight's matchup.

Dave: The Thunder are ahead of everyone in the West right now. Do you feel they've reached true "elite" status and are ready to etch their name on an NBA title? If not, what else do they need to prove besides the obvious playoff performance? What do they need to shore up to make you comfortable?

J.A.S.: For me personally, I tend to only throw around the word 'elite' in extremely rare occasions, like when a championship is practically a foregone conclusion. I'd probably only ascribe that moniker to teams such as the 1996 Bulls and the 2001 Lakers. For the Thunder this season, they are probably deservedly in the discussion (along with the Bulls and Heat) about which team is going to have the best regular season and vie for the championship. However, as we saw last year with the Spurs, things can crash in a hurry if a team's flaws are met head-on by a team that can capitalize on them (Grizzlies).

I believe that the first step towards team dominance is by a commitment to playing great defense all the time. When a team plays great defense, it enhances everything else because it leads to defensive rebounding, fast break opportunities, easy scores, and an advantage at the free throw line. The Thunder have proven that they are capable of playing great defense (see: 4th quarter against Grizzlies on 2/3) but too often do not maintain that focus early on. Against both the Clippers and Spurs this past week, OKC was far too soft playing perimeter defense, which led those two teams to get wide open 3-point shots. Once the teams' respective 3-point shooters found their rhythm, everything else became catch-up and led to embarrassing moments like Blake Griffin's dunk over Kendrick Perkins. If the team can commit to better defensive fundamentals early on in games, I think they would find that everything else becomes much easier.

Offensively, OKC is always going to have a non-traditional approach to offense since their scoring revolves around two elite offensive players in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Both are still young players and are learning to play to each others' strengths, rather than overlap each other and cancel out their individual talents. Such a balance is not easy, as we've also seen in Miami. Unfortunately, I don't see any cure to the situation other than just time spent together. I think both are willing to do what it takes, but they as of yet don't quite know how. We are hoping that by the end of this season, the duo's individual offenses will become complimentary rather than either-or.

Dave: I'm going to say two names to you. Give your assessment of their season so far and how you feel about them. Still in love? Why or why not? Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka.

J.A.S.:

On Perkins...

Kendrick Perkins is playing in his first full season with the Thunder after joining the team in a blockbuster trade last season. When he arrived, the words that were tossed around were 'toughness,' 'accountability,' and 'defense.' From the moment Perkins stepped on the court, even in his semi-healthy state, he has brought these elements to the Thunder organization. The play of the Thunder as a whole transformed almost overnight, and Perkins was a big reason why the Thunder went a step beyond where many had predicted them, which was the Western Conference Finals.

Coming into this season, Perkins has again brought those qualities to the team. However, since we have become such a stats-driven sports culture, it is still so tempting to look at Perkins' numbers and come to the conclusion that he isn't playing well. He still only averages about five points and six rebounds per game. I admit it is hard not to want more, since we know that he had better statistics last season and averaged a 10 and 8 during his championship season with the Celtics. The production potential is there. That said, Perkins is still more of a 'defensive tackle' than a 'defensive end.' To consider his full impact, you need to look at the players around him. In this regard, Perkins' performance has been solid. For example, Durant is averaging almost a full rebound more than last season and has recorded five consecutive double-doubles.

On Ibaka...

Ibaka is a key element of the Thunder's consistency by my eye. He had high expectations coming into this season after earning the starting job last year. During the playoffs, he had some tremendous performances and seemed on the cusp of taking a huge leap. He certainly has the physical skills to do it.

Knowing that the talent and potential is there, it has been frustrating watching Ibaka this season because he has not shown that he's quite mentally ready to take the leap. He started off very slowly both offensively and defensively, often looking lost and disinterested. He struggled to secure rebounds, and even his high percentage mid-range jumper was off. Everything about his game appeared a bit askew and the Thunder were showing signs of missing his production.

The one thing even we the Thunder fans forget though is that Ibaka is 22 years old, still struggles with the English language, and is very far away from his native Republic of Congo and his early playing days in Spain. He, more than most players, needs a great deal of nurturing and mentoring in the Thunder organization so that he continues to grow both professionally and personally. Fortunately, he is on a team that is known for just that. He requires patience, but that patience is rewarded when he erupts for a 20 point game against the Warriors or a 10 block game against Dallas.

Dave: I don't believe in the Clippers one bit. How about you?

J.A.S.: I am perhaps a bit more optimistic than you. I think that the Clippers are a very good team right now and have room for a great deal of growth as time goes on. They can play competitively with any team in the league and with Chris Paul at the helm, are capable of producing great offense when the stakes are high. I have enjoyed watching them quite a bit this season and I look forward to what they can accomplish as the season goes on. The way they got ahead against the Thunder last week was by being patient in their offensive sets and finding their open shooters for 3-pointers. If they can continue shooting well from the outside, they are a formidable match-up for any team.

What I would worry the most about them is that, when it comes down to it, their best offensive player is also their chief playmaker, Chris Paul. I can't say that I would trust anybody else in taking big shots in the 4th quarter of playoff games. Perhaps it is enough to just have Paul assume that job. However, if you consider the other players, the Clips cannot rely on Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan for offense late in games because they shoot so poorly from the free throw line. Chauncey Billups is always ready and willing, but at age 35, he is more or less a spot-up shooter now. Caron Butler could be a play-making guy, but he's never really been in a pressure situation either (he was hurt during the Mavericks' championship run last season).

There are a lot of pieces on the Clippers that I like, but I worry that some of them will come up small when the stakes are highest. I think they're still a year away from making a big push to the finals.

Thanks to J.A. Sherman and Welcome to Loud City for taking the time.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

An update on Blazersedge Night. We've got about 1/4 of the 600 tickets we're looking to acquire for kids in need so far. The good news is that this is GREAT for the opening 10 days or so...faster than we've ever moved tickets before. The tough news is that because of the shortened season we have less time than we've ever had before to move these tickets. Requests keep pouring in and we've got less than a month now to fulfill them.

I'm going to give you the info on how you can help kids who otherwise would never see a Blazers game come as our guests--free of charge--on March 22nd to see the Blazers play the Memphis Grizzlies. It's not hard. It's not even expensive! Every ticket sold is one more child who gets to go. But in case you'd like to know what it means, consider this piece I printed before last year's event.

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If you've never been to one of these events, let me fill you in about what happens. I'm going to piece together various stories that have been personally relayed to me by the adults who get to take these kids into a typical composite. You take a classroom full of students growing up in a rough area. The kids have little. They're down much of the time. Some are bright and brilliant and interact well with their teachers. Others hardly speak a word all year. The teacher struggles to reach all of them but she gets blocked off because what can she really do that speaks louder than the conditions these kids are experiencing every day? They're hard for a reason and that shell can't be broken down in the classroom alone. Then the teacher or her principal or a counselor hears about Blazersedge Night. And they write us and ask if somehow we can get 23 tickets for this class, because they're all underprivileged. They're apologetic asking. They know 23 is a lot. But we do a little math. 23 is less than 500. So we say, "Sure." It's as easy as that. One "yes" in a world of "no" answers.

So the teacher announces to her class that yes, they're going. The class...goes...crazy. They could have never gone as individuals, let alone as a group. For those bright, bubbly ones already with the program this is one heck of a reward. That makes you smile. But what makes your jaw drop in awe is the reaction of the quiet ones. I have heard this from teacher after teacher after teacher. All of a sudden a kid who hasn't said two words all year starts talking about LaMarcus Aldridge and defensive schemes and the matchup with the opponent. Kids will sit there and debate which shooting guard is better, ours or theirs. The teacher is taken aback and starts studying up on the team and the game and engages her students who, far from being quiet, now won't hush up for a month prior to the Big Day.

But all of that pales in comparison to what happens that night. The kids get on a bus or on MAX or carpool in and (again heard first-hand from multiple chaperons) all of a sudden this change happens. These 14, 15, 17 year old people who have had to grow up way too fast and who perpetually carry a wall around them all of a sudden look young again. They look like kids again. There's a sparkle in their eyes and barely-contained excitement in their voice because they get to go to a Blazers game. It's all too ordinary for most of us. It may be the only ordinary thing ever for many of them. I have literally heard teachers in tears because they never thought they'd get to see their kids be real, actual kids. I've heard about the awe and the wonder in their eyes as they walk up to the real, live Rose Garden. It's almost always described as a hush. On the way to the arena everybody is giddy and loud. But when they pass through the doorways and turnstiles the kids get silent. When they see all the seats and the court and the scoreboard, in that instant it's just too much. They aren't thunderstruck, they're Blazer-struck. Being kids, that precious moment wears off in about two minutes. Then it just gets LOUD. I have sat among all these kids and I know this: there is NO better cheering section in the universe. They are just out...of...their...minds for about two hours. There are smiles. There are signs. There's dancing. There are hundreds of kids wildly trying to get the attention of the camera, trying to catch t-shirts or free pizza, and going absolutely bonkers crazy every time something good happens for the Blazers. There's not a cynical gaze in view. Everything is pure, unadulterated cheering. And when the game gets close or exciting it takes you back to when you were first a Blazers fan before the hundreds of games and dozens of changing lineups, before all of the analysis and nitpicking, when there was just joy.

It's unbelievable what this does for those kids and for the people who get to take them...all of the teachers and social workers and parents and helpers. (Yes, we provide tickets for chaperons too. They work hard!) And we get to do all of this without asking a thing from them, without advertising or making them pay or getting them to do one, single thing except want to go.

We get to do that because of you. We get to do that because you respond. Not to sound like a PBS drive, but it's once a year and it's your chance to help create a new generation of Blazer fans. It's your chance to give someone a memory they'll never forget.

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If you want to buy tickets directly you can simply go to:

http://tickets.trailblazers.com/deals

Then type in the password: Blazersedge

The Blazers have set up this site so you can order directly. Tickets are $14 each plus there's a $5 service charge for the entire order no matter how many tickets you buy. They accept all the usual online payment methods. Note that this only works for DONATED tickets. You cannot buy tickets for yourself this way. Also note that you need to click the WILL CALL option. That avoids all delivery confusion and fees. The tickets just stay with the Blazers and go to us.

If you want to give a non-standard amount (like $10 or $100) and/or want to avoid the service charge you may make a donation via PayPal to the account blazersedge22@yahoo.com We'll compile the funds donated via PayPal into one lump sum and purchase tickets accordingly.

If you're having difficulty with one of the above methods or if you wish to purchase tickets for yourself to attend this event in our sections you can always call Lisa Swan at 503-963-3966. She will help you out.

We're sending more kids than ever this year and we have a shorter time in which to do it. The tickets are much cheaper than in the past, though! Please help us make this happen.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: Comcast and NBATV

Having summarily disposed of the sleepwalking Denver Nuggets on Saturday the Blazers now turn around and face the division-leading, conference-beating, 18-5, 9-4 on the road, already smarting from one loss to Portland Oklahoma City Thunder.

If you're not sure who these guys are, I'd like to personally thank you for making Blazersedge your first stop upon your return from that deserted island. As I'm sure the Professor can tell you, this is called the internet. You click buttons and get lots of bad information and pictures of naked people. Enjoy it, but do not Google "Ginger and Mary Ann Fan Fiction". You will not be pleased with what you find.

For the rest of you, you might notice that Kevin Durant guy is doing pretty well for himself. He blocks shots like a center, rebounds like a power forward, shoots the same percentage as a post player, collects free throw attempts like a whiz-bang shooting guard, and scores like a nonesuch. 27 points and 8 rebounds on 51% shooting is just the tip of the iceberg. There's enough ice there to keep the collective beers of our readership cold for at least 2-3 seasons.

Even more impressive, the franchise has managed to surround Durant with quality players. They just extended Russell Westbrook, Star 1B in OKC. He's got a killer attitude, a nose for the ball, and pumps in 22 per game himself plus 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Guard James Harden has also come alive, scoring 17 per game by mixing three-pointers and free throws. They've got more scoring power than a couple of the worse teams the Blazers have seen in the last month combined.

The rest of OKC's players know their roles. Serge Ibaka is a fine power forward who can rebound, provide some toughness, and score when needed. Also present and accounted for in the tough department is center Kendrick Perkins. He got plenty of grief for a recent SportsCenter-shattering dunk Blake Griffin threw down on him but hey...Perkins was there and he hit him on that slam. Would you rather have the guy who just meekly ducked out of the way? If the Thunder don't want Perk the Blazers would be happy to have him. Absent a pre-game trade Portland will have to deal with plenty of shoves and some quality rebounding at the center position. Daequan Cook hits threes, Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed are well-worn but dependable veterans. If the Thunder don't exactly bring firepower off their bench they also don't bring anybody who's going to get in the way of what they do best. Everybody helps out. Everybody fits. Durant and Westbrook are the shining lights. The rest of these guys are the pole that holds them up.

The Thunder will almost certainly be without defensive-minded shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha tonight. The Blazers, on the other hand, will probably play without their only proven point guard in Raymond Felton. Advantage OKC, at least as far as being tested and familiar with their loss.

The Thunder have an efficient offense, top third in points in the paint and fast break points, top two in free throws drawn, third in shooting percentage, third in free throw percentage. They're average shooting three-pointers, also average in the number of attempts from beyond the arc. It's a viable option, not a staple. They don't connect with many assists, unsurprising given their focus on 2-3 offensive players. They do, however, turn the ball over, victims of their own individual creativity and the defense's assurance that almost all key shots are coming from the same sources.

Oklahoma City's defense doesn't quite match up to the prowess of the offense. They're not bad. It's just fair to say that their defense holds one of the opponent's arms while the offense delivers the haymaker. They're average in fast break points allowed, worse in points in the paint allowed. They stay in front of their men on the perimeter, getting hands in faces instead of going for the steal. They do hold opponents to low percentages overall from the field and three-point arc but they also foul when they get in trouble. The most sterling feature of their "D" may be their propensity to block shots. Somebody's always lurking and they do a good job of helping each other out.

If the Thunder have an overall weakness it may be rebounding. They're just so-so in this department when every other has at least a strong recommendation or two.

Put all that together though and you get a team that generally keeps the opponent shooting contested shots and then attacks them with players who can't be contested on many plays. It works. It works well, in fact.

When the Thunder have lost it's been because of defensive breakdowns. All five of their losses featured the opponent scoring in triple digits, ranging from a low of 100 on a night when OKC's offense crumbled to a high of 112 when the Clippers pulverized them. Scoring big and scoring quickly will likely be Portland's desired plan tonight.

The other ace in the hole for the Blazers has been the propensity of Kevin Durant to lose his mind when playing this team....and not in a good way. In the last game Portland played decent defense on him but not enough to cause him to start bombing away from 20 feet and beyond for most of the game. He shot 8-26 on a night when LaMarcus Aldridge scored 30, looking to for the world like the true superstar forward. If Durant continues to play like no shot is a bad shot Portland will thank him profusely.

The presumed loss of Felton will be the sharpest obstacle for the Blazers initially. Jamal Crawford has not been a reliable option at point, particularly if the Blazers get shunted into the halfcourt offense. Neither does the home team have a reasonable alternative should Crawford get into trouble, be that dribbling, foul trouble, or simply not being able to set the offense. The Blazers may have to force the Thunder's hand with some simple two-man plays with their best players and hope that their individual offense skills are as unconquerable as those of the opposing stars.

If the Blazers can find a way to score, however, this should be an interesting game. Portland has talent and they play with a certain joie de vivre at home. If you see Portland's forwards start to dominate and the guards can both take care of the ball and hit a couple shots, the Thunder will be the worried team. The Blazers aren't an easy target at home for anybody. If Portland can manage this win they'll be able to hold their heads high, knowing they've taken down the two teams ahead of them in their division in succession. That alone should provide enough hope to keep them and their fans running strong for the next few weeks.

Read about the good time they're having over at Welcome to Loud City.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

Nicolas Batum makes quite the splash upon his return, connecting on 9 three-pointers and leading the Blazers in a rout of the lethargic Nuggets.

Game Flow

This game opened with both teams mirroring each other. First the combatants dueled with jump shots, then shifted weapons to the fast break. In each case the results turned out similar. The Blazers made their jumpers while the Nuggets fell short. Portland got back in transition while Denver waved at the ball. Danilo Gallinari had a dozen-point first period but LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 himself while Gerald Wallace poured in 11 himself. Portland's two forwards beat Denver's one and with the rest of the game also going Portland's way, the Blazers took a 33-26 lead into the second quarter.

Normally the second period would see the opponent bench take advantage of Portland's but Nicolas Batum was having none of that. In his first game back after a knee sprain he set the world on FIRE. He opened up with 4 three-pointers and then added a nifty layup off of a LaMarcus Aldridge assist to score a cool 14 in the period. Denver had no answers. The Blazers got up by a dozen with 1:30 left in the period before they went brain-dead, turning over the ball and borking layups to give the Nuggets 3 scoring possessions in 90 seconds. The Blazers nursed their 59-53 lead into the half.

Were this a road game the Blazers would have faded in the second half. But Portland was at home and Denver was playing their third game in as many nights. Plus Aldridge had a target fixed on this win and Batum was just getting warmed up. They added 8 and 5 respectively to their already-impressive point totals in the period. Only turnovers and losing Raymond Felton to a sprained ankle marred the quarter. Normally Felton going down would have been a serious blow but against the lagging Nuggets the Blazers simply kicked it into high gear and avoided their point-guard-less halfcourt offense whenever possible. It worked. The lead ballooned to 14, 85-71, at the end of the third.

After that the Nuggets were done. And who can blame them? It must have felt like the 12th quarter, and it showed. Portland left the hot hands in long enough to push the lead to 25 and then invoked the mercy rule, bringing in the deep bench. The Blazers end up winning by 20, 117-97.

Take-Away Points

When people value Nicolas Batum, games like this are what they're talking about. You also got to see how hitting outside shots makes the whole offense easier. What's funny is that the Blazers played a mini-version of Nuggets Style too, keeping tempo high and probing the paint. If there was something this team did wrong outside of turnovers tonight, I'm hard-pressed to find it.

Individual Notes

We're not worthy of Aldridge and Batum. Everybody just bow now.

LaMarcus Aldridge started the game peppering in outside shots and then moved inside to demolish the Nuggets' spirit. He ended up 13-19 with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals plus a really scary block.

Nicolas Batum ate Les Wheaties tonight and then submitted his nomination for weird stat line of the year. He shot 11-19 overall...so far so good. But get this. 9 makes and 15 attempts came from beyond the arc. He shot 15 threes and only 4 shots inside 23 feet tonight. And he scored 33 points. What's more he had 3 steals and a block but no rebounds and no assists. If he does that again in the next three years the post-game beers are on me.

Marcus Camby had the usual Camby night. You know...20 rebounds. Ho hum. Oh yeah, he had 2 blocks and 2 steals too.

Oh, did I mention that Nene had 4 points and 4 turnovers on 1-5 shooting with only 2 rebounds? Some Blazer big guys were looking for an extra cookie tonight.

Wesley Matthews looked more active in the offense than usual in a game when he didn't get a lot of attempts. He shot 4-8 for 11 points but also had 5 assists. Of course it doesn't hurt when "Feed LaMarcus!" and "Pass to Batum!" are both correct answers.

Raymond Felton did his usual early aggression thing and then settled nicely into the game. He ended up 2-6 for 6 points and 4 assists in 24 minutes, which is to say that he knew enough to keep the scorers supplied and not force his own offense. Had the Blazers not succeeded with the fast break after he was hurt they would have been in deep water. It's a reminder that however one feels about him, he is the only viable big-minute point guard on this team right now.

Jamal Crawford stepped into Felton's shoes to the tune of 8 assists but if assists can be called scary, he had some scary ones. The number shows his unselfishness and that things were rolling Portland's way tonight, but this guy is a scorer first and foremost. He just makes me itchy at the point, particularly when trying to negotiate any kind of screen play.

Everybody else had nice games. Kurt Thomas is steady. Elliot Williams is springy. You know all this.

Fun With Numbers

• Blazers 15-33, 45.5%, on three point attempts. Normally if Portland took 33 threes in a game you'd kill them. But it'd be too late because they'd have already done themselves in. Denver just brings out something in them. Thank you, Nicolas Batum. Nuggets 5-22, considerably less than 45%.
• Blazers 53.5% from the field, Nuggets 44.3%.
• Those numbers overcame a 12-point deficit for Portland at the foul line, which would be expected since it was the Nuggets and because the Blazers took a good 40% of their shots from Gresham.
• Blazers stayed even on the boards, pretty even on fast break points. They lost by 10 in the paint but won by 10 in points after turnovers.

Final Thoughts

This would be a good candidate for Game of the Year so far. Would another one against Oklahoma City on Monday be too much to ask?

You can read about how Nuggets fans want to forget this game at Denver Stiffs.

Nuggets vs Trail Blazers boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard and the ever-so-fun form for Monday's game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: KGW

Update: Denver Nuggets C Timofey Mozgov will not travel with the team to Portland for Saturday night's game, according to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. He suffered a fairly brutal ankle sprain (video here) during a Friday night game against the Los Angeles Lakers. -- Ben

Original Post: Several times this season we've talked about games that are "tests", barometers of how the Trail Blazers are doing and what kind of challenges they're ready to overcome. Portland has passed some, failed others, come out about in between. Let's hope they learned something because school is out. The next two games aren't tests. This is real life. Denver and Oklahoma City come into town in succession. Thought nothing permanent is decided with the season 1/3 of the way through these games will not only impact standings and tiebreakers, they're a must if the Blazers want to make any kind of statement that they're ready to challenge for the top two spots in the division. And of the two, tonight's game is the more critical. Barring a serious injury it's unlikely Oklahoma City will be caught. But the Nuggets are a reachable target for the Blazers. Unless they want Denver strutting around for the rest of the season like the Kings of the Walk the Blazers need to send a message tonight. Losing on the road to a team like the Nuggets isn't the end of the world. Drop a game like this at home and you might as well step aside and escort them to their seats in the row ahead of you. Get them some Perrier and canapes while you're at it.

A win won't be easy either. Chronically underrated by most before the season started, Denver has leaped out to a 15-8 record, 8-4 on the road. Only losing 3 of their last 4 to the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Lakers has dimmed their early season success. Those three teams are all good, not great...or at least not consistently. Portland could be in that category as well but they need the "W" to show it.

The last time these two teams met was the third game of Portland's season. The Blazers overcame 25 turnovers and 13 points apiece from LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace through tough interior defense and some amazing shooting by Wesley Matthews, Raymond Felton, AND Jamal Crawford. Sadly that was the ONLY time those last ten words have been uttered this season. It's pretty clear the Blazers will need an alternative way of winning tonight.

Since we've seen them last the Nuggets have proceeded to blow away the league in any number of offensive categories. They create more possessions than any other team in the league, so factor that into these stats. But they lead the league in fast break points per game, points in the paint per game, free throw attempts per game, points per game, offensive efficiency, and are second by a smidge to Miami in shooting percentage. They're just average when shooting the three-pointer. That's the only stat directly related to scoring in which they're less than superb. They commit plenty of turnovers, befitting their style of play. They're also poor offensive rebounders but then who needs offensive rebounds when...

A. Most of your shots go in, and...

B. Even if you miss you'll just get another one in a second.

On the other end of the court they rebound well, force turnovers, and do a really good job getting back on the break considering how many fast points they score. Their Achilles Heel is points in the paint, where they are liberal. They don't block shots and their big guys are either a little old or a little slow. They allow good percentages to their opponents from the field and the arc but they don't foul much.

The Nuggets sport three truly dangerous (as opposed to consistent) players in their starting lineup: point guard Ty Lawson, small forward Danilo Gallinari, and power forward Nene. The Brazilian is the most developed of the bunch. He shoots 52% and every once in a while pops off for the double-digit point or rebound game. If you don't push him around he'll push you. Then you're in for a long night. Lawson has quietly turned into a fine point guard. He's as deadly on the break as always and he still sports a fine, though not quite spectacular, shooting percentage at 47%. He's not a great three-point guy but his passing is good and his defense has improved. Gallinari's three-point shot has suffered as he's shot more of them but his overall percentage is still fine and he's got ten 20+ point efforts under his belt this season.

Around these three pillars the Nuggets sport a variety of veterans with specialties. Starting shooting guard Arron Afflalo can shoot the three. Power forward Al Harrington is shooting incredibly well and logging his best season in years. Point guard Andre Miller provides stability and wisdom off the bench Oh...and more assists per game than Lawson. Guard Rudy Fernandez is producing at roughly the same rate he did in Portland, he's just more efficient. His field goal percentage with the Nuggets is approaching 47% instead of the 37% he left the Blazers with. Centers Timofey Mozgov (one of the few true youngsters in the rotation) and Chris Andersen can rebound and make the most of their offensive opportunities. Corey Brewer is a defender with a three-point shot. All of these guys are playing decent minutes and all of them seem to have found a near-optimal performance point.

Besides the usual energy, the critical requirement of getting back on defense (a weak spot in Portland's armor), and the obvious hope of taking advantage of Denver turnovers to run, the Blazers will probably need a concerted, sustained inside attack to keep up in this game. They have to hit Denver in their soft spot. Both Mozgov and Lawson are dealing with ankle injuries. Guys like Felton, LaMarcus Aldridge, even Gerald Wallace need to get inside with regularity and make the Nuggets pay. If the Blazers shoot jumpers they better hit jumpers. That said, they will need to hit a few to keep Denver from simply planting 5 of 10 defending feet in the key and waiting for Portland to enter.

Look three places for your barometers tonight: fast break points, points in the paint, and free throws. Unless we get another weird game between these two teams, the Blazers will need to keep even in 2 of the 3 at minimum to have a chance. Portland can keep pace with the Denver attack if they're getting enough easy points. I don't see any way the Blazers jump shoot or one-on-one their way to victory tonight though. There just aren't enough points on the floor to overcome Denver's team offense that way.

Also look for the physical battle at both forward spots. The power forward battle could be interesting, as either team might well use their center to guard the opposing four. Camby and Aldridge will need to match Nene's physicality since you know that Nene, Andersen, and Mozgov are going to try and bump Aldridge into his discomfort zone. Gallinari will do no such thing with Gerald Wallace but Wallace will need to press his physical advantage, turning Danilo black and blue and making him prefer getting off the floor to putting the ball on it. If the Blazers fail to respond to either physical challenge they're going to lose their edge.

Read the Denver assessment at Denver Stiffs.

Tonight's Jersey Contest form.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

We apologize for the site being offline in spurts tonight. It was a network-wide problem that we now hope is fixed. On to the recap...

In a Nutshell

Behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Raymond Felton the Blazers play an inspired, physical first half only to fall prey to their old bugaboo, losing steam as the game progresses. They leave themselves in need of a three to tie at the end but having forced an impressive last-possession turnover to get their chance, they can't make either of their long attempts.

Game Flow

This game was the classic Tale of Two Halves. In the first half the Blazers could do no wrong. As he has in several games lately, Raymond Felton came out attacking the rim aggressively, either scoring or creating passing opportunities by collapsing the defense through his penetration. The difference between tonight and many for Felton was his jumper was also falling, making him a constant threat. It didn't take the Kings turning their heads that way for long before LaMarcus Aldridge took advantage to the tune of 6-7 shooting in the first quarter. Portland's shots were almost universally high quality, usually coming off of timely passes. The Sacramento defense just didn't know which way to lean. Add in some sparkling defensive energy from Gerald Wallace, a couple Marcus Camby blocks, some run-outs, and solid rebounding and you had a recipe for smashing the Kings. The second quarter pretty much continued the story, with Kurt Thomas now the outlet for easy points. Portland ended up shooting over 60% for the first half and took a 56-47 lead into the break.

And then the Blazers played their second half game. This featured a slow migration to the outside, one-on-one offense, and a general lack of energy. Where the Blazers played above the rim in the first half, their shots were low and easily disturbed in the second. Once-true jumpers fell short on the rim. Transition defense fell apart completely. When the Kings didn't score on the break outright their quick attack would catch Portland defenders out of position. Forced turnovers evaporated. Now Sacramento was playing Portland's physical game at the cup and the Blazers were looking like they didn't know how to stop it. To top it all off, their jumpers now started falling. Portland's 60%+ clip in the first half became a 25% shooting nightmare in the third period.

The fourth quarter wouldn't improve much, unless rising to 35% from 25% counts as an improvement. The Kings simply doubled LaMarcus Aldridge every time he put the ball on the floor. It was a sound strategy. If you come with the immediate double Aldridge will pass around it or simply make his move before it gets there. But once he dribbles he's normally committed to the shot, if nothing else because his handles aren't great and he doesn't see the floor well on the move. With Aldridge unable to get any clear shot attempts Portland's offense just crumbled. Felton was the only Blazer who retained his first half mojo, and that was only offensively. For the second straight game Wesley Matthews got his fast break layup blocked by a smaller man. Wallace missed rebounds and shots. Crawford scored occasionally but not enough. In the end the Blazers had a chance to tie, the product of temporarily re-energized defense, but the desperation three-pointers went askew twice and came after the buzzer the third time. Kings win 95-92.

Take-Away Points

The game flow says it all. This contest was all about energy and momentum. The Blazers had it first. The Kings had it last. Last won out. Read especially carefully the part about playing below the rim. When you watch these guys go up for any kind of layup or even for a jumper you can see their legs are not under them. The lateral movement isn't there on defense as the game progresses. The lack of a travel day and the emotional crowd at home no doubt helps the team get over the phenomenon. But Portland's getting Rope-a-Doped on the road time after time. They punch themselves out and the opponent comes back strong for the victory.

Individual Notes

LaMarcus Aldridge was nothing short of brilliant in this game. 28 points and 14 rebounds on 12 of 19 shooting says it all. Well...except the help on the defensive interior. That was nice too, at least until the whole team collapsed.

Raymond Felton had a strong game early then slid with the rest of the team late. He ended up with 15 points and 10 assists on 7-17 shooting with 3 steals to boot. The three-point shot has completely deserted him now. He went 1-7 on the night. That and the late defensive crumble are the black marks on the record tonight.

Gerald Wallace played 40 minutes. Insert comment about decline as the game went along here. He did some great stuff early but 8 points and 3 rebounds isn't a lot to show for 40 minutes on a night when every opposing wing got off.

Marcus Camby was brilliant blocking shots, so-so on the boards, good in the meta-game. He single-handedly sent DeMarcus Cousins to the woodshed twice on the same play, blocking his shot and asking who his mama was before Cousins eventually got it back and lofted a significantly-arced shot off of the backboard. Respect these years AND the blocked shots I just pinned on you. 5 blocks, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals.

Wesley Matthews had a Bad Wes night, going 4-12 from the field, 1-4 from the arc, for 9 points in 38 minutes. He did have 3 steals but that doesn't make up for not hitting shots, slipping defense, and general nondescript play.

Jamal Crawford had some nice scores and some misses but in general played one of his good games, netting 17 points on 6-17 shooting with 2 steals and a smattering of other stats besides. His glaring fault came from the arc where he was 1-5. Missing them is not a crime but why the Blazers have to take so many...particularly a Blazer with good handles against a permissive defense.

Who put the nickel in Kurt Thomas tonight? Dude scored 10 points on 5-7 shooting with 5 boards and a block in 18 minutes and actually keyed a Blazer run. That man was hot. Have you noticed that he's the only guy outside of LMA that we can talk about positively almost every night?

Craig Smith got 5 rebounds in 13 minutes. He went 0-3 from the field but 5 rebounds > 3 shot attempts. Good game.

Elliot Williams got the call off the deep bench tonight for 6 minutes and a 3-pointer hit. That made him 1-2 on threes for the night, by far the best percentage on all the team. The young man was smart, quitting while he was ahead.

Fun With Numbers

• Blazers 4-18 from distance, 22.2%. When your shooting percentage is lower than your tax bracket, you have problems.
• Kings 29 foul shots, Blazers 16. The Blazers run a 14-point deficit at the charity stripe in a game they lost by 3.

Final Thoughts

If imposing your will is critical to NBA success the Blazers have a long way to go before they've achieved it.

You can read about the win at Sactown Royalty

Trail Blazers vs Kings boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard and the form for Saturday's game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The Blazers have played the Sacramento Kings twice this season, both times in Portland, both lopsided wins for the home team. This is the first time the Blazers will face the Kings on the road. That would be the major difference.

Other than that, you already know that this team can be dangerous but usually isn't. You know that DeMarcus Cousins is a threat and that their backcourt, while inconsistent, always causes a little worry. They're also on a five-game losing streak right now, most of those on the road, the last couple by narrow margins. That could be good or bad, depending on how you think the jinx runs.

Basically if the Blazers are serious they should win this game. If they're just kind of taking the season as it comes Sacramento could bite them.

If you want to know more than that, you can check out our preview from a couple weeks ago. Otherwise you can use this thread to talk about the game or unrealistic Sacramento-based trades or what have you. Enjoy the game!

You can read more about the Kings at Sactown Royalty.

Here's your Jersey Contest form

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Dave,

So the Blazers aren't contenders right now. Or are they? How do they get there from here? Do they need a big move or just an adjustment. How close are they and how soon can we expect to get there?

Hmmmm...consulting GPS. Destination: Contending. Hold on a second...it's coming up.

"Make legal U-turn now."

Great.

The Blazers have at least a couple options in front of them. Neither is completely palatable. Which one is more "right" depends on your point of view.

If you believe this roster is close to contending then you need to take your shot right now. The West is open enough that you might be able to sneak through in a year of turmoil. You have to address this roster's weaknesses through trades. You need big men. You need another proven scorer. You need an upgrade in the backcourt. So you start talking to Golden State about Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins for Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton. You call up New Orleans and try to pry away Emeka Okafor for Marcus Camby and a pick. You sacrifice your flexibility and a bunch of dollars in the next couple years to make sure your team is viable and has at least a couple shots to come out of the West.

I don't think the Blazers take this option. It's too expensive, everybody they could get coming in has their own weaknesses, and I don't think their analysis of their chances will be optimistic enough to justify this kind of move.

Another option is a rebuild. The Blazers let their expiring contracts expire at the end of the season. They keep their flexibility and embark on another youth movement with their core players: Aldridge, Matthews, probably Batum. Depending on how deep you want to go in retooling, even those players might be available through trade, probably save LaMarcus. This option makes more financial sense and probably has a greater shot of long-term success than reaching for anybody they could get via trade or the free agency market in the immediate future. Keep in mind that the cost of not rebuilding will be re-signing some of those expiring contract guys, which is going to eat up your cap flexibility without bringing you any farther than you are right now. But even if you don't mind waiting for success, this isn't a slam dunk solution for one reason: Aldridge. He's 26 right now. Even if you have the Blazers contending in the relatively optimistic time frame of four years, that puts him at 30. You've now wasted his first nine years in the league and much of his prime. You've been paying him between $12-16 million per year to win 20-30 games per year. If he's even willing to stick around Portland for his next contract instead of jumping to a real contender it's going to cost you more, and for less production. All of that is a complete waste. The only logical extension would be to trade away Aldridge as part of the rebuild. I don't believe management is ready to go there yet either.

Therefore you're probably going to see a hybrid approach, keeping select members of the current squad, trying to add a free agent or two with the contracts of those they let go, and hoping to strike gold with a lower draft pick. Either that or you'll see an expiring contract traded before the March deadline. Either way the moves will be incremental, not radical. Trying not to lose the ground you've already gained makes sense and is the safest route. The problem comes when the ground isn't enough no matter which way you measure it. I fear that's where the Blazers may be.

None of these options lead clearly to our GPS, contending destination. We can see it on the map. I'm just not sure we can get there from here.

But maybe it's time to step back and look at the whole map here, including the road we've traveled. Big picture: the Blazers, for all intents and purposes, blew the #1 overall pick in the draft in a year when that was a franchise-changing decision. (I know the intent was right and the pick was right. That doesn't change the result. We're talking about results here.) The Blazers just lost their All-NBA shooting guard--not All-Star, but All-League--to health problems with no compensation. The Blazers have spent 7 first round draft picks in the last 8 years on point guards plus bringing in at least three free agents to start at that position during that time frame and still have no viable player to speak of at that position. Franchises do not recover from things like this...sometimes even singly, let alone in combination. It's probably a major miracle that we're talking about Portland's playoff chances at all. It's a testament to the moves that the front office has been able to make around these disasters. But when you start thinking about contending for a title, that may be a bit much to ask. Looking at the grander scope, the chances of those things happening and the Blazers still rising as if nothing had occurred are infinitesimal.

How long until the Blazers really contend? Realistically it's probably a whole new generation of players away, the result of new opportunities we can't forecast, let alone put a timetable on.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

The good folks at Portland's own Cravedog have designed a t-shirt especially for Blazersedge. We haven't had a shirt in a while and it was cool to have it done by a group of experts! You can see the design right after the jump. EXCEPT...the shirt isn't finished yet. You'll noticed that on the back they've put the slogan "Because Dave and Ben Said So!" While we appreciate the sentiment, I'm not sure that's the perfect line to represent our site and community. That's why we're turning to you.

In the comment section of this post please write your suggestions for a short slogan to go on the back of our new shirts. It can be serious, funny, pithy...whatever you wish. We'll pick out the best one--or if we can't decide we'll put it up to a vote maybe--and give a free shirt to the person who came up with it. Get those creative juices flowing and come up with the next great site description or slogan!

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Continue reading this post »

I'm going to try and sneak in a few broad-stroke mailbag questions over the next couple days, addressing frequently-repeated subjects about which people are inquiring. We're going to start with a hot topic over the last couple weeks: how Nate McMillan's job should be evaluated this season.

Right off the bat, I'll tell you the one that's driving me crazy. "Nate isn't playing the bench enough." You can add in its cousins "Nate is driving the starters into the ground" and "Nate should develop [insert name of first- or second-year player here" and the unintentionally ironic "I love what The Rhino is doing so why doesn't Nate give the bench an opportunity?"

Look...Portland HAS no bench outside of the guys you're seeing regularly. Kurt Thomas is dependable for 12-15 minutes. That Craig Smith has made inroads may be the best news of the season. But for everybody clamoring for an alternative to Raymond Felton or Jamal Crawford, for instance, it doesn't exist. This team is built around its top eight guys, period. There's no move Nate can make which, on average, will give the team a better chance of winning. He's stuck with these players.

A variation of this is, "Just play [insert young guy here] because we need to develop him! Forget wins and losses and build towards the future!" First of all, everybody has to pick their criticism. At the beginning of the season several people were hot and bothered with, "This team is going to contend!" What would have happened had Nate crooked his finger towards deep bench players and lost 2-3 games because of it? The comment section would have flayed him alive. Now, in the absence of that, the criticism is that he's trying to win too many games. You have to choose one or the other.

Those who would advocate going younger also have to realize that this isn't a video game. A head coach has to work within an organization. On top of that, players are real people too. The Blazers got Crawford and Felton for a reason. The Blazers are keeping Marcus Camby so far for a reason. If the organizational plan was to spend the year developing Nolan Smith and Chris Johnson that money wouldn't be spent. Now that you've got the veterans, how would you explain subbing them out in favor of players less able to do the job? The team's primary goal is not to win anymore? Then what are Crawford and Felton doing there? For that matter, what is LaMarcus Aldridge here for? You would instantly lose a bunch of your players. You'd end up with another eight-man rotation but this time the 6th-8th men would be your rookies and sophomores while your experienced players groused their way through the season while counting the seconds until they could get out of town.

There's an example of a criticism that won't fly. Most others fare better. Plenty will end up as valid determinants of whether Coach McMillan did a good job this year. Click through for some perspective on those determinations.

Continue reading this post »

Injury Updates: The Blazers are listing forward Craig Smith as "questionable" with a viral infection. Batum is out with a left knee contusion.

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

Just how bad are the Charlotte Bobcats this year? Michael Jackson's estate is suing them for copyright infringement. Leroy Brown is shaking his head and saying, "I can't compete with that!" At most arena turnstiles the ushers say, "Tickets, please!" In Charlotte they just ask, "Paper or plastic?"

Go with plastic. At least then you won't have to watch the second half.

Seriously, these guys are looking up in the standings at the Washington Wizards. That's supposed to be the kind of life-changing moment that drives you into rehab. But no, they just keep plugging along, losing to every team they see.

How bad are the Bobcats? They start both Tyrus Thomas and DeSagana Diop. Now granted, the former is because Corey Maggette's hamstring wised up and left town but when you're thinking, "This team will be at least twice as good when Maggette returns" at this stage of his career, you've got problems. And starting Thomas and Diop implies that they've got even less reliable players somewhere on that roster. Ouch.

Gerald Henderson is sort of a bright spot for them. Due to his minutes played (almost 35 per game) the third-year shooting guard is averaging career highs in plenty of categories including, encouragingly enough, shooting percentage. But their Big Gun still only averages 15 points per game and his advanced numbers are gruesome. Point guard D.J. Augustin is having a so-so season. His shooting percentages are down, assists up. He's likely the best player on the team but he was never meant to carry a franchise by himself. Boris Diaw is becoming a shadow of the player he used to be...and what he used to be was mostly serviceable. Don't even talk about Thomas and Diop. I suppose power forward D.J. White is doing OK. But I'm grasping for straws now.

Let's put it this way. Nobody on this team rebounds. Nobody's a great defender. Nobody can hit a long shot. Few of them have decent shooting percentages at all. The highest PER of the whole bunch is Augustin at 16.5, which is a little above average. They don't even average 90 points as a team. They give up over 100 per night, the only team in the league to do so. This is not fun. If now-48-year-old Bobcats former GM Michael Jordan's goal was to bring credibility to his claims that he could suit up today and still make a difference, he did it with this team.

I don't even need to go over the team numbers. Bottom third in the league in every offensive category that matters, bottom five in the league in every defensive category that matters outside of blocked shots...if you think that matters.

So yeah...Portland ought to win this game. Big. Anything else means they got lazy and got outworked by a huge margin. That would be a disaster of epic proportions.

Get the Charlotte story at Rufus on Fire.

Enter the Jersey Contest form for this game here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

The Blazers play physical basketball and shoot a high percentage to maintain an 8-10 point lead through much of the game before the Jazz use their strengths of inside scoring, offensive rebounding, and fast breaking to steamroll the Blazers in the late third and fourth periods. Nicolas Batum saves Portland's chances with a flurry of three-point shots but goes down with a knee injury in the critical closing seconds of the game. An MRI is scheduled.

Game Flow

This game got physical and gritty early and the Blazers were ready for it. Utah flow chart reads: Fast Break-Get It Inside-Rebound Your Miss. The Blazers took most of that away through shoving, bumping, grinding, and out-muscling their hosts. The Jazz never got to run unless the Blazers turned over the ball. The Blazers outrebounded Utah as well. With those areas in check defending was a simple matter of sending extra help into the paint whenever the ball entered. Portland ended up shooting in the 50% range for the quarter while the Jazz were in the 30's. Portland led 26-20 after one.

Portland had some bobbles with their bench players in the second period, not only through the usual turnovers but with energy in general. The starters wound down and couldn't keep up the pace. The bench didn't respond with fire. Portland's offense drifted towards jumpers. Utah ran off of their misses. Steals and tough-nosed first quarter plays became fouls in the second. Portland was over the foul limit by the 6:30 mark of the period. The saving graces for Portland were two: the Jazz still couldn't hit a jumper and the Blazers went crazy blocking shots. Portland's offense was scattered with Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford, and LaMarcus Aldridge all getting chances to create with varying levels of success. The Blazers couldn't buy a long ball to save their lives which made Utah's defensive task that much easier. When the dust cleared both teams managed 19 points in the period and Portland led 45-39 at the half.

As has been typical of late, Aldridge came out and ripped apart the entire court in the third period. He scored 14 of the 18 points the Blazers notched in the first six and a half minutes of the quarter. The Jazz had no answer for him defensively. He just buried them. Utah finally managed to connect with some longer shots early in the period. This kept them breathing but it didn't look good. When Aldridge finished his flurry they were down 11. Then the Blazers got tired again. Aldridge started pulling his jumpers. The Blazers committed turnovers again. They started putting the Jazz on the line, allowing offensive rebounds, all the things that plagued them in the second period. When Gordon Hayward--not exactly an offensive machine--hit the second of this two threes in the period Utah was even. The Blazers would eke out a single point advantage heading into the fourth, 70-69.

The beginning of the fourth period was typified by two trends. Portland's wobbly defense broke altogether. Their halfcourt rotations were slow, their transition effort poor...it was as if the Jazz had developed powers vampiric, sapping all of the energy Portland had evidenced early in this game and using it for themselves. BUT the Blazers were saved by Nicolas Batum going on a tear, popping three-pointers like they were Cheetos. He connected with three triples in four Portland possessions in just two minutes, putting the Blazers up 5 again with 9:00 left in the game. It looked like the Blazers might earn the victory after all. But seasoned 2011-12 observers know what happens when the Blazers have to rely on threes to keep them afloat. Batum's grand makes turned into spectacular misses for the likes of Felton and Crawford. Indeed, after Batum hit his third long ball at the 9:10 mark the Blazers did not score again until the clock read 3:29. The closest non-blocked shot by far in that span was a 15-footer. Six attempts came from 20 feet or more. Meanwhile the Jazz rebounded the orange off the ball, won every 50-50 opportunity, blitzed their break opportunities, and just destroyed Portland in the paint.

Still, this game wasn't over. The Blazers were still within 2 with the ball and under 30 seconds left. Ironically after shooting tons of threes they shouldn't have, they passed up 2.5 open looks from beyond the arc when it would have put them ahead, instead calling a timeout off of a stalled set. That's when Batum's number got called and the Basketball Gods decided to continue their five-year game of Whac-a-Mole with any Blazer who starts to distinguish himself. Batum drove right, across the top of the key, then got the ball poked away as he crumpled in a heap holding his knee. Even the Utah crowd, by this time in a frenzy, went silent as he was carried off the court, hopping on one leg.

But this game STILL wasn't over. After an exchange of scores and foul shots closed Utah's lead to but 1 with four seconds left C.J. Miles, to this point playing a near-flawless half, missed the second of his two free throws, leaving the Blazers down only 2. Sadly, the Blazers couldn't rebound that missed free throw. Blowing a foul shot rebound is a grievous sin at any time, but when possession will allow you to tie or win the game it's near unforgivable. But that's exactly how the final period went for Portland. The Jazz connected on a couple more charity tosses to provide the final margin, 93-89.

Take-Away Points

This game told the story of Portland's season so far: looking good coming out of the gate, showing some solid individual talent and inspirational play, but ultimately getting beaten down because of fatigue, the other team's depth, lack of shooting, or a combination thereof.

That said, the only real take-away point is the health of Batum...the one Blazer besides LaMarcus Aldridge clearly shining over the past couple of weeks. Portland needs him badly. That bench can't take a single extended injury.

Individual Notes

LaMarcus Aldridge rode that third quarter to a game-high 25 points on 11-20 shooting. He had 7 rebounds (so-so considering the Jazz let him defend inside most of the night) and 2 blocks. He looked brilliant but he also ran out of steam.

Gerald Wallace had a pretty solid game with 9 rebounds, 9 points on 4-7 shooting, and 4 assists. Even so, his energy looks more sporadic now than it did earlier in the year. This season may wear on him more than most.

Marcus Camby had only 5 rebounds but played some monster defense and ate up 4 blocks worth of Jazz shots. He didn't make as big of a difference as he did in those 20-rebound games but he was alright.

Raymond Felton 2-9, 1-5 from distance. Wesley Matthews 3-12, 0-5 from distance. Sigh. At least Felton had 7 assists.

Nicolas Batum was the star off of the bench, connecting on 4 of 5 threes for 15 points. His "D" was pretty good too. (Glaring at the guards here.)

Jamal Crawford shot an effective 6-12 for 14 points and had a couple of great looking drives but never looked comfortable at point, committing 4 turnovers. He's fine when you leave him alone but ever time you confuse matters by sending a pick his way he gets flustered.

Kurt Thomas had a great time in the middle quarters, playing 15 minutes, connecting on 2-3 shots, grabbing 5 boards, and blocking 2 shots. Nice game from him.

Craig Smith, on the other hand, went 1-4 with only 2 rebounds in 8 minutes. This continues the recent trend. I realize the Blazers need him as a post threat but my suggestion is that any game wherein Smith has more shot attempts than rebounds be labeled at best a questionable one for him, if not bad.

Fun With Numbers

• The Blazers shot a very nice 46% to Utah's 38% BUT...
• Utah: 18 offensive rebounds. (Blazers: 5)
• Utah: 20 fast break points. (Blazers: 8)
• Utah: 51 rebounds total, Blazers 37 on a night when the Jazz missed far more shots than did Portland
• Utah: 26-38 from the foul line, Blazers: 10-13. That was a legit deficit too. Portland actually got some early calls. The Jazz just kept up the inside pressure and won the physical battle.

Final Thoughts

Get well, Monsieur Batum.

You can read the Jazz side of what turned out to be a great win for them at SLC Dunk.

Trail Blazers vs Jazz boxscore.

Congratulations to darkwebs who has won this month's jersey in the Blazersedge Jersey Contest. You can see the scoreboard here and enter February's first game over here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

I was going to print some testimonials from previous Blazersedge Night kids and teachers today but something even more pressing has come up. For those who don't know, Blazersedge Night is when we, as a blogging community, purchase tickets and distribute them to kids (and their chaperons) who wouldn't otherwise get to see a Blazers game. These young folks come from all kinds of backgrounds and over the years we've sent hundreds of them to their first game, hearing their cheers and seeing their wide-eyed, thankful astonishment as a reward. This year's game is March 22nd versus the Memphis Grizzlies and we're looking to send 600 kids. You read that right, 600.

The reason that number is so high is because last years we sent 500 kids to Blazersedge Night and we barely met demand at that. As far as I know we've never had to say, "No" to a request. Everyone who's asked, we've sent.

The only qualification for going to Blazersedge Night is that you are a kid in need, for whatever reason. We don't talk to these kids directly before they arrive at the game. Instead their teachers, counselors, principals, and other associated adults write in on their behalf. We take the names and numbers of tickets needed and then send them along.

And that brings us to this post. Last week in the post announcing the 2012 Blazersedge Night I invited adults who work with children in need to write me at the e-mail address below. Already the requests are pouring in. I want to relay some of them to you (with identifying details omitted) so you can see what they look like...who we're talking about. These are absolutely typical of the people who write us. Take a look:

Dave,

I work in a school where the vast majority of students are on some kind of assistance program. I have a class of 24 students myself. Every one of them comes from a difficult background and none of them have the means to attend a Blazers game. That's like a far-off dream to most of them. It's something that other people whose lives are normal get to do. I know you must have plenty of requests but even four or five tickets would make a huge difference. I can't imagine how excited they'd be. We could have a contest for them. I already have teachers willing to give the students rides and pay for their own tickets. If you are able to sent us tickets can we buy tickets for the drivers from you or how would we get seats close? If you can't send us tickets I understand. I won't tell the students until you let me know. Thank you for what you're doing.

So...here's what we do in cases like this. We tell this teacher that no, we can't send 5 tickets. We're sending 24 plus enough for the drivers/chaperons. Not some of her kids are going to get to go...ALL of her kids are going to get to go. No contests...nobody loses in this game. If those kids need it, we provide it.

Dave,

I'm a high school basketball coach and most of my players are doing fine but three are from different backgrounds than the others. We don't make a big deal out of it but it shows. Most of my players get picked up after the game in mini-vans and go home smiling. These guys want to stay. Sometimes I worry that school and the team are the only stability they have. It's not the fault of their parents. They're doing what they can. Life just doesn't work out for everybody the same. I wasn't quite sure from your post whether the tickets were free or discounted. If they're at a discount, can you tell me how much?

They're free. And they're yours. Three plus somebody to take them.

Dave,

I work with a special group of kids who have a condition that most people don't know about. It doesn't make headlines and we don't receive a lot of government support or funds from anyone besides the families of those afflicted. We're under the radar to almost everyone so our kids get passed over for things like this. If you have extra tickets, would you consider us?

Not only are we considering you, we are sending you.

Are you beginning to see how this works, folks?

But the thing is, it doesn't work without those tickets. As I've said before, this is not a corporate-sponsored event. This is us, our readership doing something amazing. Some folks buy 1 or 2 tickets. One gentleman wrote me and asked how he could give $500. We have everything in between that range too. Offices pool money. Restaurant staffs pool tips for a shift. College students band together and scrape up enough to send a couple kids. People who just love and appreciate the team help out by creating an indelible impression on the next generation of Blazers fans created by these Blazersedge Night moments. Thank you to ALL of you who have given so far. But there are still more tickets needed before we can say we're done.

Here is the information you need. Please, take a moment today to help out if you can. As I said in the first post, this defines us not only as a site, but as Portland fans. Unity, outstretched hands, and the chance to cheer together...this is what it's all about.

If you want to buy tickets in regular amounts (like 1 or 5 or 20) you can simply go to:

http://tickets.trailblazers.com/deals

Then type in the password: Blazersedge

The Blazers have set up this site so you can order directly. Tickets are $14 each plus there's a $5 service charge for the entire order no matter how many tickets you buy. They accept all the usual online payment methods. Note that this only works for DONATED tickets. You cannot buy tickets for yourself this way.

If you want to give a non-standard amount (like $10 or $100) and/or want to avoid the service charge you may make a donation via PayPal to the account blazersedge22@yahoo.com We'll compile the funds donated via PayPal into one lump sum and purchase tickets accordingly.

If you're having difficulty with one of the above methods or if you wish to purchase tickets for yourself to attend this event in our sections you can always call Lisa Swan at 503-963-3966. She will help you out.

If you know students in need, feel free to e-mail me at the address just below.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 6:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The 12-8 Portland Trail Blazers visit the 11-7 Utah Jazz tonight, two teams in a virtual deadlock for the prestigious 3rd position in the NBA's Northwest Conference. The Jazz were flying high until they registered two losses to the Dallas Mavericks in as many weeks (plus a slightly less understandable loss to the Toronto Raptors). The Blazers fly high whenever they're at home but lift off like a blind, fat mule on the road. Both teams are in need of confidence and confirmation. Somebody is going to be happy with this win. Somebody else's bubble is going to get popped tonight.

The Jazz owe their success so far to a couple of big men. Veteran Al Jefferson, locked in a perpetual struggle with conditioning, isn't putting up numbers like he did in Minnesota but he still provides 18 points and 9 rebounds a night playing center. Power forward Paul Millsap is just spanking opponents. He registered the same 18 and 9 as Jefferson but does it with far fewer shots and more flair. His shooting percentage is hovering around 55% and he's netting 3 offensive rebounds per game. He's dangerous.

Less so are Utah's guards. Point man Devin Harris is like that guy in high school who used to get all the attention but you meet him again at your 10-year reunion and say, "What happened to you, man?" Everything about him screams "mediocre". He's becoming less and less a part of Utah's core attack and is now looking loss. At shooting guard the Jazz start Raja Bell, still a good shooter. Gordon Hayward starts at small forward. Outside of his 6'8" height and bad shooting percentages, he's known primarily for a take-no-prisoners attitude.

Utah's bench features a hodgepodge of veterans in Josh Howard, Earl Watson, and C.J. Miles at the smaller positions plus youngsters Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter at the big slots. It's not the worst bench but firepower can be an issue.

As you might expect, the Jazz feed off of points in the paint. Their main scorers are big men and their offensive rebounding is solid. They also score on the break, though. Their overall shooting percentage is understandably high. They also draw fouls, another solid source of points. They are not in any way, shape, or form a three-point shooting team. Bell is their best shooter by far in the regular rotation and he'd be considered a notch above fair on most teams. They want to run, pound, and rebound.

Defensively Utah is so-so. They're great shot-blockers and adequate rebounders. They do get back on defense but their interior line is as suspect defensively as it is imposing offensively. If they don't block your shot they're not going to stop you. They're not highly mobile and you can get good looks with a couple passes on most possessions.

On paper this looks like a pretty even matchup. The Jazz are talented and flawed, as are the Blazers. The Jazz are up and down, as are the Blazers. Utah has strengths of interior scoring and fast-breaking, though, which correspond to Portland weaknesses. Combine that with Portland's chronic road woes and the Blazers are going to have to come out with more determination than we've yet seen from them away from the Rose Garden. Utah really won't want to lose this game. The Blazers are going to have to take it. In order to do so they'll have to both defend and score in the middle, commit to getting back on defense, and work for smart shots instead of settling for convenient ones. Oh...and don't forget those rebounds.

Usually I have a pretty good sense of how a game is supposed to go. With this one I'm not sure. The Blazers could take it or they could get killed. It feels like the difference is in Portland's hands. The Blazers have the horses to win. But will they commit to making the right plays and delivering the energy for four quarters? This is yet another test on the long road to figuring out what this team will be.

Read about the Jazz perspective at SLC Dunk.

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Game Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW

The Phoenix Suns aren't the worst team the Portland Trail Blazers have played this season. They're just the team that has laid the worst whuppin' on the guys in red and black. At 6-11 on the season such blowouts are rare for the Suns. I'm sure they remember it well. Hopefully so do the Blazers.

The Suns have managed a 2-2 record over their last four games, beating New York and Boston while narrowly losing to the Mavericks and Raptors, all but the final contest played on the road. They've managed this small not-losing streak by curtailing their overtly generous defensive tendencies. They had given up 100 in 6 of 13 games prior including their last 5 in a row. Every time that happens they lose. They even managed to give up 110 to New Jersey and 118 to Chicago...atrocious numbers. But the opponent has been under 90 three times in their last four.

Phoenix's defensive trouble traces to a simple source. They're a pace-control, possession-control defense but they can't rebound. Fast break controlled? Check. Lane guarded? Pretty much. Hand in face on shot? OK. Ooops! Where's the ball? If you're willing to play down to their defense, walking the ball and being content with one shot they have a fighting chance against you. If you work at all they'll have trouble stopping you. They just don't have the big men to manage a physical contest. Eventually they get tired of the pounding, their defensive gravity diminishes, and you achieve escape velocity.

The Suns are anemic offensively. They're one of a litany of teams the Blazers have played lately that struggle to score easy points. They don't fast-break except in the most obvious situations. Their gig is slow tempo now. They don't have paint scorers. They don't draw free throws. They're jump-shooters. They'll feed center Marcin Gortat every once in a while That's the repertoire.

And the repertoire, sadly, is unreliable. Make no mistake, Gortat and Steve Nash are very good. Nash is above 14 point, 10 assists on 53.5% shooting. Gortat gives 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks, and is crowding the 60% mark from the field. But neither one can carry the team on a nightly basis and their teammates just don't provide enough support. Their inside players sport mediocre percentages, their perimeter players awful ones. Nobody outside of Nash can hit a three reliably. They run 9 deep but 7 of those 9 average below 10 ppg (with Gortat's 15 being the team high). I don't always believe everything that PER says but outside of Nash, Gortat, and Hakim Warrick the entire team is below 13 in John Hollinger's favorite metric, with 15 being the average. Rookie Markieff Morris is about the only reason to get excited outside of the obvious lead players. Other than that, this lineup is ranges between "blah" and "blech".

The Blazers simply need to remember the earlier debacle in Phoenix and take their revenge. If Portland gets even a bit physical they should take this game. They'll have no problem keeping somebody on Gortat. If they have to sink a couple people down on him it's not like Phoenix will kill you with their shooters. Phoenix needs help to win. Grab rebounds, keep the tempo up, and this game is Portland's.

Read about the Suns at Bright Side Of The Sun

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here.

Blazers smash now.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

In a Nutshell

The Blazers blast the Warriors with offensive rebounds while the Warriors slice the Blazers repeatedly from the three-point line. In a game that came down to a fourth-period struggle the Blazers don't have the legs to play to their strengths and the Warriors roll to the victory.

Game Flow

The course of this game became apparent as soon as both teams got their sea legs under them. The Blazers used LaMarcus Aldridge to draw in defenders. If he didn't take the shot himself he found the open shooter. If that shooter missed Portland jammed the lane for offensive rebounds. It worked. The Warriors either surrendered clean looks or got abused on the boards for putbacks. Plenty of Warrior turnovers didn't help their cause. Portland streaked to an early lead. Golden State responded with a little bit of David Lee before they figured out that the Blazers could compensate for him better than they could compensate for Aldridge. Then they went to their real strength, distance shooting. The second half of the opening period featured Stephen Curry and Brandon Rush putting on a jump-shooting clinic. They scored 12 points in the last 3:20 of the frame, bringing the Warriors back to 26-24, having trailed by 10 before the rush.

The Blazers made liberal use of their bench in the second period. Cancel the Aldridge moves and pencil in Craig Smith bulling his way to the hoop repeatedly. Salt in a bunch of Jamal Crawford shots and you get the idea on offense. Defensively, though, the bench players couldn't watch the inside and the Warriors began getting easy shots, their first four makes of the period being layups or dunks. Fortunately Portland's offense returned to more reliable plays, taking advantage of a returning Aldridge and an active Nicolas Batum. The Warriors didn't have the defensive chops to contain either. On the other hand the Blazers, now sagging on defense to stop those point-blank shots, allowed plenty of open looks on the perimeter...gift certificates which the Warriors were only too happy to cash out. When the dust settled Portland's dynamic duo had outscored the Golden State perimeter ensemble, but barely. Portland led by 5, 53-48, at the half.

That's when the Warriors went buck-naked-wearing-cabbage-on-your-head crazy from the three point arc. In the first 6 minutes of the third period Golden State hit 5 of 6 threes, adding a layup and a free throw for good measure. Portland hit a couple threes of their own plus some assorted shots but you knew when the Blazers needed those threes to fall they were in trouble. The game was tied as Portland called a timeout halfway through the quarter. The Blazers would make only 2 shots and 2 free throws the rest of the period. Those Portland shots were both threes, which was good, but also see what we just said about needing them to stay afloat. Golden State, meanwhile, also made 2 more threes plus a couple of dunks plus a couple of jumpers. Gone was Portland's offensive rebounding advantage. Gone was any rebounding advantage because the Warriors just weren't missing. Gone also were the turnovers. This was becoming a jump-shooting contest and Golden State was winning. 79-73 Warriors after three, an 11-point turn-around.

To their credit the Blazers didn't just mail in the fourth period. They tried to return to the inside game. They tried to play smart defense. But the legs just weren't there. Now Portland was committing turnovers instead of the Warriors. Now the Warriors were getting offensive rebounds instead of the Blazers. Portland covered four opponents adequately but there was always a fifth open, mostly David Lee. Portland drew fouls while Aldridge and Batum tried to reprise their second-quarter heroics but the cracks were too wide. As the game wound down the Blazers were reduced to shooting long and forcing passes past a swarming defense just to get close. Misses and turnovers were the results. The game, though hard-fought and better than many expected, ended with a whimper. Golden State wins 101-93.

Take-Away Points

Full marks to the Blazers for playing well under the circumstances. In no sense was this an ugly game. The Blazers were not defeated at any time before the closing moments. The victory would have been nice and should have been there based on team talent alone but given the circumstances this was a good game.

Though Monta Ellis had a muted night by his former statistical standards I actually like what he's done with his game. He had but 4 points but coupled them with 12 assists and 3 steals, looking far more point-guard-ish than I've ever seen him.

Individual Notes

LaMarcus Aldridge was quietly brilliant but brilliant nonetheless throughout this game. He kept pressure on the Warriors defense and found the right men at the right time. He ended up 7-17 for 18 points plus 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Give him a little more rest and he probably would have had 25 in this game even though the Warriors constantly doubled him in the post. His face-up look was classic LaMarcus tonight.

Gerald Wallace looked a little dead-eyed (and not in the good shooting sense) as the game started. He had a few shining moments on defense but this wasn't one of his big impact nights. 3-9 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists. We know he's going to have up and down nights. That's the character of his game and the team around him. But on night like this a little more "up" would be nice. That said...third game in three nights, finger injury.

Marcus Camby just made mincemeat of the Warriors on the interior. I wish this dude were five years younger because he could have baked them in a pie and served them a la mode too. 16 rebounds and a total "Don't even think about coming into my house" attitude in 24 minutes.

Raymond Felton shot 2-10, 1-4 from distance with 7 assists and 4 personal fouls. The Warriors didn't really test his defense against the drive which helped him. He's still getting screened off a little too easily but I like his effort on that end of the floor better than I did early in the season. As with last night, the numbers are not good but that isn't what killed the team. He's not dominating the action or the ball enough to scuttle things nowadays...a good development.

Wesley Matthews had an inverted night from Felton. He actually shot 5-9 for 15 points and hit 3-4 from the arc. Those threes were nice too...standing still and squared up. (That's a trick Felton hasn't mastered yet, by the way, even when he has time. A little squaring would go a long way towards helping his jumper.) BUT...this was one of those games when Matthews' performance everywhere else seemed anemic. Nothing special on defense, nothing special passing, few moments when you noticed he was on the court at all really unless and until he hit those threes. I love Wesley Matthews on his all-around nights. I'm beginning to dislike Wesley Matthews the scorer.

Jamal Crawford hit 4 threes to save himself tonight but that barely brought him to respectability and even then he went 4-10 from distance. I'm not sure any Blazer should be lofting 10 three-pointers in a game, let alone against the Warriors. You, sir, are not Steph Curry. In fact Curry only shot 8 and hit 6 of them. And that's 8 three-pointers out of 19 shots. Crawford attempted 10 three-pointers out of 14 shots. He had 16 points off the bench. Obviously the Blazers needed them but they come with an asterisk. You wonder if those shots could have been distributed more efficiently.

Nicolas Batum got his 16 points proper, on 5-8 shooting with a ton of energy plus he punished the Warriors on the defensive end too. He had 2 blocks and had the Warriors looking over their shoulders in fear on every break-away layup he even half chased. He only had 3 rebounds but then again his defensive duties involved chasing and staying near perimeter players tonight. This was a good game from Nicolas...far superior to his last two.

Craig Smith had 9 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes, as usual bulling his way into the post for his makes. He's a wrecking crew. The only critique is the same one I've been offering: opponents are starting to know he's going to take the shot every time he catches it. He's having a tougher time getting clear looks as they collapse and they're starting to block his shots. That will get worse if the routine stays predictable.

Kurt Thomas registered his usual 16 minutes. He only had 1 rebound but he also played when the Warriors were hitting jumpers.

Nolan Smith played 5 minutes without incident.

Fun With Numbers

• Portland shot a wonderful (for them) 8-21 from the arc tonight for 38%. Then again the Warriors shot 11-20 for 55%. It's like giving a nice little performance for American Idol and then having Frank Sinatra take the stage after you.
• The Blazers also shot only 41% while the Warriors fired at 51%, making 7 more field goals total.
• The Blazers did amass a 17-8 lead in made free throws and garnered 12 offensive rebounds to the Warriors' 5. The Blazers forced only 11 turnovers though, committing 12 themselves. Together it wasn't enough to overcome the difference.
• Points in the paint were even at 30. Think maybe Portland didn't get inside enough?

Final Thoughts

Well, this brutal stretch of long road trip plus three-games-in-three-nights is finally over. The Blazers escaped with a respectable, though not brilliant, 11-8 record overall. They didn't excel but they didn't implode. They have only 2 games in the next 6 days. Let's hope they can rest up and post 3-4 wins before the schedule gets nasty again.

Golden State Of Mind will describe the amazingocity of Stephen Curry.

Trail Blazers vs Warriors boxscore

Find your Jersey Contest scoreboard here and the form for Friday's Phoenix game here.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)