SB Nation User Blog: Oppy

The New Mike and Mike...

Oppy — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:33:56 -0000

suck.

Honestly, I've had League Pass for a couple of seasons now, and I've had the opportunity / misfortune to listen to a lot of bad announcers. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that the Mikes aren't always great. In fact, even some Blazer fans can sometimes struggle with them.

But seriously???!! The Houston commentators have to be hands down the biggest pair of homer announcers I've ever had to sit through. They would not stop moaning about every call that didn't go their way, and they just could not shut up about the Blazers "flopping." I completely agree that Joel is very good at drawing charges, and he definitely flops on occasion, but come on...these guys just would not stop. Even after they won the game, they were interviewing Luis Scola and asking him about the Blazers' flops and the refs' bad calls.

Ummmm...Luis Scola? Foremost authority on how NOT to flop?

Good Lord that was painful listening.

Oppy

The Mind of a Blazers Fan

Oppy — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:20:02 -0000

I've noticed that a lot of people on BE and O-Live seem surprised at how quickly the fans become worried or despondent after short stretches of bad play or tough losses. Even Jason Quick has mentioned that he is surprised that more people don't seem to be enjoying the team's success. I think these people are not familiar with one thing: the mind of a Blazers fan.

See, anyone that's been a Blazers fan is so used to seeing his team somehow screw the pooch that we're all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I love this team, and I'm loving this season, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm always a little nervous about us falling apart, getting injured, melting down or choking in key games, etc. I watched the Blazers come up on the losing end of so many big games and so many crucial situations that it's impossible not to have that mentality ingrained into me.

Watching us come up short against the Pistons, seeing Danny Young hit the shot....AFTER the buzzer, watching Magic launch the ball downcourt as time expires, Jordan hitting six threes in one half, Sean Elliott and the Memorial Day Miracle, the JailBlazers, the Game 7 meltdown in the 200 WCF, etc. etc. Having been born too late to enjoy our only title, my life as a Blazers fan has been one long stretch of us being not quite good enough. In fact, it's been a lot of watching us look like we're good enough only to get punched in the stomach with last minute collapses and terrible decisions.

Part of my joy in this team the past couple of years has been watching us change so many of those trends. Suddenly we're "clutch" in late game situations, we have awesome character guys, young talent, limitless potential, and the dream that we're finally going to be the team that comes up big when it matters most. But despite all that, it's going to take more than a few win streaks and .500 seasons before I can let go of all my old fears. The truth is, being a Blazers fan teaches you to expect the inevitable collapse, so it's only understandable that so many get so down after tough losses like last night. It's not that loss in itself, but the shadow that it seems to bring up in the back of our mind...that it just might, possibly, maybe... be the beginning of the next downward spiral.

I don't think (hope) it is, but with this team, it's hard not to worry just a little bit. So for everyone surprised that some of us worry a bit too much, let's keep in mind where we've been for the past two decades.

Here's to the next decade of dominance, memorable wins, and titles.

Oppy

TV Commentator Review Series: Washington

Oppy — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:44:36 -0000

Since the subject of teams' commentating crews has sparked so much discussion lately, I thought I'd get something a little more regular going for everyone that has the (good?) fortune to listen to the Mikes every game. Like many others here on BE, I follow the Blazers via NBA League Pass, so I get to hear the opposing team's feed a lot of the time. In the interest of offering a little comparison between The Mikes (who haven't been getting the best publicity lately) and the rest of the field, I'll try to offer my take on the opposing crews when I hear them on League Pass. Any other League Passers are encouraged to chime in.

Tonight's crew: Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier of the Washington Wizards. Detailed bios of each can be found here.

Knowledge: B

Clarity: B+

Energy: B-

Objectivity: A

Overall: A-

Summary: These guys might have been the most unbiased crew I've ever listened to. If not for their obvious familiarity with the Wizards, a casual observer might not have known which team they worked for. They called the game very evenly, with almost no complaints about the referees. They were quick to acknowledge missed calls that would have favored the Blazers, and they were very evenhanded in their assessment of our talent and our organization.

They seemed to have a solid knowledge of the Blazers' players, and it was clear that they had discussed the team with the Mikes beforehand (which they even mentioned). They weren't the most excitable crew, which might be for the best on television, but for those of us accustomed to the energy and enthusiasm of the Mikes, that was a small negative. Otherwise, they were on point, objective, and very easy to listen to.

Conclusion: This is a very solid, if somewhat unexciting, crew that knows the game and the teams well. One of the best I've heard all season.

Opposing Announcers

Oppy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:54:34 -0000

Like many other unfortunate Blazer fans stuck outside of Portland, I watch all the Blazer games on NBA League Pass. As a result, I get to watch a good number of our road games from the opposing team's TV feed. A lot of times, I enjoy the break from the Mikes just because it gives me a good chance to hear what other commentators have to say about our team. And even though it can be a mixed bag in terms of quality, I've found it pretty gratifying to hear so much praised heaped on our team by so many of these commentators.

With that said, I've also had the misfortune to listen to some absolutely terrible crews. Tonight was one of those nights. Walt Frazier has to be one of the most annoying commentators I've heard in a long time. It's like he sits there with a dictionary and a thesaurus, blindly opens to a page, points at a word, and then tries to get that word into his next sentence, no matter how idiotic he sounds.

So this all got me thinking, and for all you other League Passers out there, which opposing commentating crews do you like, dislike, despise, etc.?

I've seen a ton of crews over the past few years, but even though I despise their team, I have to say the Celtics crew do a pretty good job of calling the games evenly. Detroit also has a solid crew, and when Seattle had Kevin Calabro, they were always easy on the ears.

On the other hand, I've found the Denver commentators to be pretty ignorant, the New Orleans guys have been hit or miss, and of course the LA guys couldn't be bigger homers if they paraded around in Kobe jerseys during the broadcast. Just painful to listen to.

Anyone else?

Oppy

2 Better Than 1

Oppy — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:42:22 -0000

I already touched on this subject once when I mentioned the name of our championship-caliber PG Stevio Blakeriguez, but I think it's worth examining in greater detail.

In a lot of ways, the Blazers are a team of the future. They are young, full of potential, and seemingly have years of dominance ahead of them. But just as importantly, I think the structure and makeup of this team is also an example of where the league is headed. As we've seen the NBA develop in the post-MJ era, we've seen how it takes more than one superstar to win a title. The Lakers needed Shaq AND Kobe, the Pistons needed Sheed, Billups AND Co., the Spurs need Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, and the Celtics needed their "Big Three." The Blazers have continued this trend with our own (hopefully) version of a Big Three, but I think we are also taking it a step farther.

This team (with a few notable exceptions) seems to rely on multiple players to fill the individual positions on the team. We use the combined powers of Blake and Sergio to satisfy the point guard duties (with a dose of Brandon, as necessary). We use GregZilla to man the center spot. We use Batum, Outlaw and (soon) Martell to fill the 3 spot, and LaMa gets key help from Outlaw and Frye to add some scoring punch to the 4. Apart from Brandon, and possibly LaMa, this team doesn't have any one player that really gives us everything we need by themselves. And even though many of us clamor for trades to give us the all-in-one-package PG/Small Forward/etc. the truth is that the Blazers' depth is moving us beyond that sort of setup.

This team is all about diversification. We're not putting our eggs in one basket. If Blake is getting torched and is cold from distance, Sergio can hit the occasional 3 and push the pick and roll more. When LaMa loses his stroke or can't rebound, let Frye or Outlaw spread the defense more. Martell can run and shoot, but if he's cold, so can Batum (and Rudy and Travis). Having one guy that can do all of these things is great, but when that one guy is off, who picks up the slack?

With this team, we're spreading the minutes enough that full-time starters are a thing of the past. Guys might start and then not come back in. Bench players might play more than starters. It's a new NBA, and that requires a new way to win. I think this Blazers team is going to win multiple titles, and in doing so, they are creating the blueprint for NBA success for other teams.

Let's just hope we stay healthy and get ours before other teams get wise.

Oppy

New Orleans fans/team

Oppy — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:50:54 -0000

Hi all,

I've been reading and enjoying BE for a couple of seasons now, but I've held off on posting until now. Mostly it's because I'm too lazy to post, or because other people pretty much cover whatever I was planning to say, but something finally prompted me to get off the couch and type.

I've noticed that a lot of people are more than willing to share their hatred of the L*kers around here, and some of us also seem to openly hate the Celtics, but what's with the respect/love given to the Hornets?

I hopped over to AtTheHive to check out their recap, and much like their team, their fans were all whining and moaning about how they handed this game to us and they lost it and it was them, not the Blazers, blah blah blah. Finally some BEdgers stepped in to lay some truth on them, and when they get annoyed, other Blazer fans felt compelled to step in and apologize. Seriously? Is that necessary? Apologizing to fans of one of the most annoying teams in the league? A team that has Chris "I sucker punch college oppenents in the balls" Paul, Tyson "I would be nothing without CP3 but I still talk trash" Chandler" and David "soft as TP but still mouths off like Garnett" West? Their team and their fans are fairly poor losers, and if they are unwilling to admit that a better team whooped them, then they deserve to have a few people enlighten them.

I'm all for not being obnoxious fans, but at the same team, we have to grow with our team. We shouldn't be backing down to anyone, just like our team has to step up and get physical at times. We're cheering for one of the best teams in the league, and no apologies are necessary if we feel like letting people know. I've heard plenty of crap over the years (I live in L.A.), so it's only fair to dish it out a little. Let's show a little solidarity and not help opposing fans talk trash on our fellow BEdgers.

Oppy