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Hey, man. Do you see the Blazers? "Naw...haven't seen them all night. Where do you suppose they are?" I don't know. But who cares? Let's go score some more!

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MEMO 

To:  The Blazers

From:  Your Loyal Fans

When someone asks you what you would do for a Klondike Bar you have to stop answering like this.  Just go buy your own ice cream sandwich.  Seriously, they're not that expensive.

For the second night in a row the Blazers blue-screened in the first period, letting--nay, helping--the opponent to streak out to an early lead which they never relinquished.  The Jazz were about as close to losing this game as I was to getting a date with this girl named Candy (seriously) back in high school.  She was a senior, she knew how to wear makeup effectively, and ay Chihuahua! Did she have nice taste in fashion!  Providing, of course, your idea of "fashion" is knowing exactly how to accentuate...I mean...well, let's just say that she was quite empowered and seemingly liberated and I had about as much chance of attracting her notice as a chipmunk had of lifting the Empire State Building.  The chipmunk was having a permanent bad hair day, too.  Poor guy.

Believe it or not, that futile memory was actually more encouraging than tonight's game.

You know we were in trouble when the first defensive play of the game featured blown coverage on a pick and pop in which both defenders drifted to the dribbler, allowing Mehmet Okur an uncontested 15-footer.  The first offensive play of the game was a Brandon Roy turnover, leading to a slam dunk on the second defensive play.  Then Greg Oden got his shot blocked.  Soon after the Blazers blew coverage on another screen play in the exact same way they did the first time.  And it was all downhill from there.

The most critical errors came on the defensive end.  The main one of those was that there was no defense.  I've seen man-to-man defense.  I can recognize a zone.  I can usually tell when there's a matchup-zone being employed.  But for the life of me I don't know what to call it when at least four, if not five, defenders just sort of plant in a spot, maybe wave their hands around a little, but basically just stand flat-footed.  Is this scheme code-named "Trees in the Breeze"?  The Orange Safety Cone Special?  Did someone pass a note pre-game saying "The less we move the sooner we can get out of here"?  I'm used to the occasional slow rotation, but no rotation?  The Jazz shot approximately one-hundred-billion percent in the first period and finished the game at a more-than-respectable 60.6%.  I could actually stop the recap right there because when you see "60.6" followed by a percent sign in a boxscore and it's not talking about free throws you're done.

But I can't stop yet because we haven't covered the Blazers' offense yet which, when spoken of in the first-quarter anyway, now carries a mandatory "What the hell happened to..." in front of it.  Much like the British offense in the First World War according to Black Adder, the Blazers evidently decided than since shooting jumpers one-on-one off the dribble without ever getting the ball inside first didn't work the first 100 times they tried it last night the opponent would never be expecting them to attempt the same tonight.  In the opening stanza Portland heaved like supermodels at the buffet.  Meanwhile Steve Blake looked inept and Andre Miller looked like he was purposely trying to lose the game for us,  Between them they handled the ball a lot.  Roy and Aldridge were the only guys who made any noise and neither of them did it in sustainable fashion.  It was more one-on-one trick shots.  Blazers down 15 after one...leaking more than a point per minute.

Defying every principle of probability, space, time, and decency the defense actually looked worse in the second period.  The Jazz didn't score as many points but they came close without Deron Williams on the floor for most of the quarter.  The second unit tried to initiate some passing but they ended up whipping it around the perimeter without ever mounting an attack of any sort.  The strong side was guarded so...around the horn the ball goes.  Now it's on the other side.  No openings here.  Send it back!  What?  I just sent this away.  Nobody did anything with it?  Well I'm still shut off.  Send it back again!  It was like watching fourteen year-olds passing love notes in class, except the fourteen-year-olds get results sometimes.  Finally the Blazers got the ball in to Greg Oden for a couple shots (and we do mean "a couple") and that loosened things up a little.  Portland ended up scoring 27 but also allowed the Jazz 27, chipping away none of the 15-point spread they inherited from Period One.

Brandon Roy came out with phasers on kill in the third period.  He tried his best to bail the team out.  On teams with clear superstars--let's say the L*kers--this kind of display often ignites teammates and fills them with confidence about their chances of winning despite being behind.  With the Blazers this kind of display seems to fill everyone with nonchalance.  His teammates seemed content to watch Brandon operate.  Nobody played appreciably better when he started damaging the foe.  At this point Carlos Boozer also started taking advantage of Greg Oden, who looked a bit slow tonight comparatively.  He scored and got Oden in foul trouble, taking him out of the action.  Utah continued to move the ball faster than the Blazers moved their feet.  The Jazz took the quarter by 7 and put the Blazers down 22 entering the fourth.  The third unit showed some spirit and won the final period but it didn't really matter.  Another night, another lesson in humility.  Or futility.  Wait...make it "fumility".  Whatever it is, it's no fun.

The Blazers got killed in every offensive stat except offensive rebounds and points in the paint.  There were too few of either to matter though.  Utah had 36 assists on 43 makes, a sure sign they were doing whatever they wanted.  Boozer and Williams scored at will.  The Blazers had no will.  End of story.

Individual Observations

For the same reasons I explained last night, these will be short.

Roy did what he could offensively.

Jerryd Bayless and Dante Cunningham both brought energy that their teammates lack.  It was garbage time when they came in (defined in this game as "anything after the six-minute mark of the first quarter") but they still showed desire.

Andre Miller:  6 minutes, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, 0-4 shooting.  Yuck.

Final Thoughts and Links

It doesn't get any easier for the Blazers after this.  They come home to face Miami and Houston before embarking on a four-game road trip which, while not sporting the toughest of opponents (Cleveland aside), is still four games on the road back East.  Somebody better glue the pieces of the vase back together or mom's gonna get home and deliver some awful whuppins.  Fortunately there's a three-day break in between the Miami and Houston games.  I'm guessing there will be some practice involved there.

Boxscore (definitely NSFW)

Hear them get rowdy over at slcdunk.com.

Here are the Jersey Contest scores for the month and this game.  Remember that final scoreboard is not accurate yet.  I'll let you know when the Minnesota results are in and we can declare a winner for the month.  Meanwhile, go ahead and enter the first game of December.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Share your best observations on tonight's game here.  The game recap will be forthcoming this evening, but as I'm spending time with seldom-seen family over the holiday weekend it will probably be later than usual.  Enjoy the thread until then!

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

What will the final two quarters hold?  Converse here as the game progresses.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

The first half tonight has got to be better than You-Know-When.  Energy, hustle, rebounding, and keeping somebody (anybody) out of the key would be a good start.  Discuss the proceedings here.  As always we request you keep it clean, respectful, and free of illegal links or requests for same.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

OK, we've all washed last night's debacle from our memories, right?  Mind bleach!  Mind bleach!  There we go.  Tonight is a new night and a chance to start a new winning streak.  While you're waiting for the game to start discuss the Blazers' chances, strategies, and why it's so infernally hard to win in Salt Lake City.  Please be respectful, keep it clean, and no links to or requests for streaming video sites other than the Blazers' official (and legal) one.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Game Time:  6:00 p.m. Pacific  TV:  KGW

The Utah Jazz come into this contest 8-7 and indeed, they're having an 8-7-ish year.  Their story is pretty basic.  They've beaten most of the bad and mediocre teams they've faced.  They've lost to every upper echelon team they've faced.  The combination of the 2-3 mediocre team losses plus the elite guys balances out the wins against lesser opponents.  And there you are.

The Jazz do a few things pretty well.  They share the ball, spread the scoring, and shoot well from mid-range and in.  This isn't the devastating offense of a couple of years ago but they can still score.  6 of their 8 wins have come when they topped 100.  They also happen to be 6-2 when scoring 100 or more.  The Jazz are decent rebounders and their bench is underrated.

Utah has also displayed several shortcomings in the early season.  The most glaring one has been a disturbing lack of energy.  They slough off their defensive responsibilities.  They settle for obvious offense.  That makes for some bad nights.  Their main players turn the ball over too much.  Outside of Mehmet Okur they don't have a good distance attack.  They don't have shot blockers.  They don't have a lot of team speed.  In order to win consistently they have to play Jerry Sloan basketball and they're not always doing it.

Even with all that, the top six guys on this team can be as dangerous as anybody in the league.  Carlos Boozer is a scoring machine, hitting 54% of his shots and scoring almost 20 per game plus 10 rebounds.  Deron Williams is flirting with a double-double average also, scoring just above 19 and dishing almost 10 assists.  Mehmet Okur is not providing All-Star level play but he is shooting 43% from the three-point arc.  Andre Kirilenko has good games and bad but he can still defend and he's always been a nuisance to the Blazers.  Ronnie Brewer brings athleticism to the two-spot and Paul Millsap scores and rebounds off of the bench plus his all-around game is improving.  You don't have to give these guys much of a crack before they'll pound the door down.  Their home turf isn't as friendly as it once was (they're 5-3 on the season at home) but it's always been a difficult place for Portland to play.  No matter how the two teams are doing currently this is a tough matchup for Portland.

At many positions the strengths of the two teams clash.  Deron Williams is a strong, bullish point guard who can score in droves.  The Blazers field finesse guys.  Okur is a distance-shooting center while the Blazer pivots prefer to camp in the lane.  Kirilenko is a rangy, disruptive, defensive small forward while Martell Webster is more of a smooth scorer.  Portland's bench plays flashy and tends towards skill players.  The Jazz bench is more lunch-bucket.  The two positions where you see mirrors are power forward and shooting guard.  Aldridge and Boozer are both scorers, though Carlos is more experienced and by far the better rebounder.  Roy and Brewer are both all-around guards, though Roy is far superior in talent and effect.  Both teams also sport hard-line coaches with definite ideas about how the game should be played.  It's just a nice mesh and clash of styles when these squads get together.  You can never take anything for granted other than it's probably going to be a grind-out affair.

Pivotal Points of the Game

1.  This game will be a real test of Portland's new-found defensive prowess.  The Blazers like to shut down the interior.  The Jazz love to score inside.  Somebody is going to enforce their will on the other.  That team will have a huge advantage.  If Portland's defense is going to mean something it has to mean something in games like this.  Last night's contest was not a positive sign.  The Blazers need to turn it around defensively tonight.

2.  Listen...please.  The Jazz have problems getting back in transition.  Repeat, the Jazz have problems getting back in transition.  This game could be a clash between proficient halfcourt offenses.  In that case you can probably flip a coin.  But the Blazers could slip underneath the guard and deliver some stunning jabs simply by running.  You can happily grind to a 60-60 standstill in the halfcourt if you finish ahead 20-10 on the break.

3.  Can Aldridge stay close to Boozer's production?  Will the Blazers let him try?

4.  You have to worry about Okur on the perimeter.  Somebody has to get a hand in his face.  But that somebody doesn't necessarily have to be Greg Oden.  It's time for the perimeter guys to help the Big Fella the way he's been helping them all year.  Meanwhile what's Okur going to do trying to contain Oden on the other end?  For that matter what could Boozer do?  Or any of the Jazz big men?  The Blazers ought to feed Oden early and often in this one.  Draw fouls.  Dunk.  Get mean.

5.  I'm not as frightened of Williams as I probably should be because I think the Blazers' interior defenders can help shut down whatever he does to the point guards.  He might be able to post up Blake or Miller, for instance, but we can help with that.  Guys like Brewer and Kirilenko scare me though.  If they get hot, especially with the jumper, that opens up more possibilities for the Jazz to move the ball as the Blazer defense compensates.  The Jazz moving the ball for free scores is probably their best shot at winning easily.  I'm not sure the Jazz finish ahead on the strength of their top three alone, but if they bust out with #4 or #5 it could be a long night for Portland.

Final Thoughts and Links 

Check out what the Utah folks are thinking about this matchup at slcdunk.com

Enter the Jersey Contest form for this game here.  Our Jersey Contest Master says the Minnesota glitch will be fixed by the time the weekend is over so we'll have to wait to see who won this month's contest until then.  But a new jersey is up for grabs in December, so play along!

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

by Don Ryan - AP

Wait! Don't go yet! You haven't seen my Lurch impression! I do it better than anyone except Przybilla.

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Oh.  106.  Ouch.

There's a fine line between coming into a game expecting to win and coming into a game feeling entitled to win.  Riding a pretty good streak of beating weaker teams (and yes, teams that start with "M") the Blazers appeared to come into this game squarely on the wrong side of that line.  Portland has found success in recent weeks by setting up Greg Oden and/or LaMarcus Aldridge early, forcing the defense to compensate and letting the offense flow from there.  The early offense in this game read "jumper, jumper, jumper, jumper, jumper".  You have to get to the 6:33 mark in the first quarter before the Blazers even attempted a shot at the rim and that was a Brandon Roy putback.  Portland had no attempts at the rim in the quarter other than those following offensive boards.  None.  Now granted, some of those perimeter shots were falling.  In fact 3 of Portland's first 4 made shots were threes.  But you knew this spelled trouble.  It was like the Blazers didn't feel they had to try that hard tonight.  Add in a few sloppy turnovers and nobody realizing the clock was running out when the Blazers had the ball for the last possession of the period and that impression was confirmed.

The second period was pretty much more of the same.  A layup by Andre Miller at the 10:03 mark broke an 8+ minute scoring drought and ended a 21-0 run by the Grizzlies.  But by that time Memphis was percolating with confidence.  Everything they were tossing up was going in.  The Blazers, meanwhile, continued to miss jumpers.  Portland's second unit came up dry.  Only an extended burst of energy by Brandon Roy kept the period from being a complete massacre.  On the other end Portland started over-pursuing pretty hard on all penetration and picks.  This took the big men out of the middle and allowed the Grizzlies even easier buckets.  The Blazers had lost the first quarter by 14.  They lost the second quarter by 8.  They went into the locker room down 22.

Portland tightened up their board-work in the third period and seemed determined to make a run at the game.  There were two basic problems.  First the defensive shortcomings continued.  As perimeter players got beat everybody scrambled to cover and Memphis got open shots which by this time were like child's play to them.  Second, the Blazers still seemed convinced they could win this game by hitting more jumpers.  To be fair, the Grizzlies were doing a pretty good job with their interior defense.  They sent two and three guys at any penetrator.  Hasheem Thabeet had one of his best games ever, taking advantage of his teammates' help to shut down the middle.  Nevertheless Greg Oden and Brandon Roy broke through and made the quarter respectable.  On the other end Memphis started to relax and shoot outside themselves.  The result was a 24-16 quarter in favor of the Blazers and hope swelling among the home crowd.

The Blazers finally displayed a little offensive energy--drive and kick, drive and finish--as the fourth quarter commenced.  You wondered for a minute if they could get away with that awful first half.  They scored at the free throw line, mixing it up a little bit with all of those threes they kept taking.  Quite a few of those threes fell in this period though and Portland ended up with a dandy 33 on their side for the period.  They were down 14 to start, so they needed to hold Memphis to 18-19 points to make good.  No such luck, though.  The defensive effort was as lackluster as the offense was spirited.  The Grizzlies were scoring at the rim, scoring off of drives, scoring off of wide-open jumpers.  Portland even tried to mix it up by throwing on a press but that was only a short-term disruption.  The Grizzlies scored 29 in the period themselves and that was the ballgame.

As far as team stats, one need look no further than the 54 points the Grizzlies scored in the paint compared to Portland's 34.  Reading that, the percentages become predictable.  Memphis shot almost 54% while the Blazers couldn't clear 41%.  Even though Portland shot a fantastic 10-24 from the three-point arc it wasn't near enough.  In fact in this game it turned out to be fool's gold.

Click through for Individual Observations, an extended Final Thoughts section, and Links.

Continue reading this post »

Converse about tonight's results in this thread while you wait for the official recap and the Media Row Report.

A personal note:  I have family in town this weekend and I never get to see them otherwise.  So I won't be watching the game until everyone has tucked in for the night which means the recap will be later than usual.  Hope you understand.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

The second half is getting underway.  How will the Blazers fare?  Discuss the final two quarters of the contest here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

The ball is going into the air and another game begins!  React to it right here with your friends and neighbors from our community.  Be respectful, keep it clean, and no requests for or posting of links to streaming video sites.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)