SB Nation User Blog: ratbastird

Breaks of the Game - has been rereleased

ratbastird — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:54:04 -0000

Breaks of the Game - has been rereleased

So check it out. Amazon has the book on sale. For those who don't know it was a book recommended by Dave way back when as good reading. It covers the change and growth of the NBA and connects it to Walton in the Post Championship years.

I actually had to purchase the original print two years ago, which ran me a pretty penny, so it's nice to see that it's been rereleased. If you're a basketball nut and blazer nut, you should check it out.

Either way, I'm amused that a book that looked like it was sinking into obscurity has resurrected itself and I'm also wonder if the promotion by Dave had anything to do with that.

Travis Outlaw - JQ's Behind the Locker room

ratbastird — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:10:46 -0000

First off, I think this was a great article and read.

Below I've taking quotes and made comments. In part I'm commenting because Travis feels fans hate him. I won't back down from statements I've made, but I do want Travis to know that I don't believe fans hate him at all. Anyway, it was a cool article and one people should check out.

And people have long assumed that Outlaw wasn’t very smart, perhaps because of his country drawl, perhaps because of his anxiety around large groups of media, or because he never attended college. He would admit that books and school were never his forte, but at the same time, Outlaw is one of the wisest guys on the team. He has an incredible ability to assess a situation and break it down to the simplest and most logical of terms.

I keep hearing that people don't think Travis is smart. (Which is different than the BBIQ) I was hoping someone could link me to that because I have yet to read that myself. I just keep reading this and it irks me because... well... I haven't read that anywhere of anyone actually saying it but I hear people talking about this rumor of it being said. I think it's more rumor than actual fact. I really don't think it's been said anywhere, but if it has, please link it so I can mentally whip the person who said it.

Frankly I think he's a cool and wise guy. I have no idea about his intelligence because I just don't know him, but I do see signs that he has some good wisdom about him and every article I ever read, when he comes down from being brash, seems to show this as well. (not that brash is bad, sometimes you need that and it can be used. I honestly like that at times when it's the player representing the team and showcasing that they have confidence and pride in what they're doing.)

I loved that Travis said this:

This is the last year in his contract, and after his earlier tweet, I expected him to be statistically motivated. But when I asked him if he felt he needed to have a big year to get a good contract, he surprised me with his answer.

“I feel like everybody wants somebody off a winning team, that’s the way I look at it,’’ Outlaw said.

He talked about putting his work in this summer, an area that has been lacking in his previous six seasons. I asked where he felt he improved.

“I would have to say and I hate to use the word, because I don’t believe in it, but basketball IQ. But just my whole aspect of looking at the game. I used to look at it as scoring mentality. But now it’s like I look at it as, what's my advantage? I mean, I know I can get my shot off against anyone, but now it’s kind of like, we know you can get your shot off, but can you get in the lane, create for others, or can you score when the team needs it?’’

I think a lot of what he says gets blown up(referring to Quick's interview last year about scoring and then the twitter). They're stars playing at an elite level and yet they're also young guys having fun. Who HASNT bragged about something in regards to sports. You're talking smack and letting it out because you feel proud in what you do. We all do it, but when a star does it, people go stupid nuts.

Part of that is people may also feel nervous. The team we have is incredible, so what's going to go wrong? I think some of us, and i"m likely guilty too, are looking for something bad because we can't believe how good things are going.

Either way, I love what Travis said here. He still seems focused on offense and I think he could be a defensive juggernaut if he put his mind to it, but it shows an overall desire to do what it takes to win for and with the team. I admit I'm a person that was a little concerned that he'd be more focused on himself (although I think I mostly brushed it off, just raised the eyebrow), and this puts me completely at ease and tells me that he's having fun talking smack, but in the end, he totally gets it. Frankly, it makes me like him more and I don't think I'll be worrying about brash comments in the future.

Travis also talked about the lack of fan love.

“I read the blog, and I saw some of it,’’ he said almost sheepishly. “I wanted to write back on it, but I said some things don’t deserve a response. Everybody has their opinion, and me sitting and arguing about it ain’t gonna solve it.’’

It’s one of the reasons why Outlaw contends that he is one of the most hated Blazers and likely to be traded. He says he is “fine” with Portland (“heck, been here six years, it’s like a second home”) but at the same time he claims he has never been embraced.

I don't think ANY blazer fan hates Travis. I could be wrong, but I really don't think this is the case. I suspect that of all the guys on the blazers, he's probably the one who's coolest to hang out with.

I think what this is about is that fans see someone who can be absolutely amazing in Travis. He can score almost at will, his length and athleticism make him a potential match up nightmare. What I see is someone who can be a star. I also see someone that isn't always in the right spot or isn't always doing what I believe is the best decision. I do NOT hate Travis. I love the guy, but as a basketball player I also feel frustrated because I believe he can be so much more. If Udoka came in and did what Outlaw does, I think people would be excited because it all comes down to expectations. We don't expect Udoka to do anything at this point, but a lot of us expect the world of Outlaw. It's stupid, but it's what people do at times.

My end conclusion on Travis is that we, as fans, never know the whole story. Maybe Nate sends him out there with a "don't worry about anything except scoring." The players are asked to fill roles and I trust this coaching staff and management to make the smart decisions with roles and position. They know what they want from the players and what the players can do and Travis's minutes showcase the fact that he gave the team what they wanted. The fact we won 54 games showcases the fact that the team was right about what they wanted. The fact he hit game winner after game winner showed that he gets the job done.

If Travis is reading this, just remember that Fan's are idiots (yes that includes me). We love being being backseat coaches because we love our team and we love the game. There was a time where I believe the fan base was smarter than management, but that time has long passed. Now the fans are idiots and the only people Travis should be concerned about is the coaching staff and what THEY tell him he should be doing. 54 wins say they know better than the fans.

We do have a log Jam at SF. I don't know who'll win out and who'll be traded, but honestly, if outlaw is about winning and team and wants to be here, I will happy to have him. If he does leave, you better believe I'll be clapping for him when he's introduced.

On a side note... holy crud this seems to have become more complicated to post since last i did it!!!

Blazers - Wells Fargo Fan Fest

ratbastird — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:00:57 -0000

Blazers - Wells Fargo Fan Fest

Here's a post that's another waste of time.

Anyway, i received this email today and as it looks like it's open to the general public, thought I'd share it here.

Wells Fargo Fan Fest

Sunday, October 4th
Rose Garden Arena

Doors Open at 5:00 PM
Scrimmage Begins at 6:00 PM

Don’t miss your opportunity to get the first look at the 2009-10 team, including two-time NBA All-Star Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. Trail Blazers Andre Miller, Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph will also be introduced as the newest members of the team.

Click here to download and print your tickets to the Fan Fest.

See you there!

Trail Blazers Ticket Services
503.231.8000

Euro games - Batum and Rudy's Stats

ratbastird — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:57:36 -0000

Euro games - Batum and Rudy's Stats

Link to how Batum is doing and his stats. (click on the title above) I'm amused by this comment:
"Forced to a stupid trip to Portland a few days before the Qualification finals, to check a little shoulder injury, he was a bit perturbed by this unnecessary 64 hours trip back to Oregon."

So blunt, you can tell there's no bias there! Plus I would actually agree. Either way, i'm amused.
Also, a link to rudy too:

Click here for Rudy

Blazer Playoff tickets going on sale

ratbastird — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:16:22 -0000

So, I've now received my play-off tickets.

Information for those who may not know, because I didn't.

online sales

Season ticket holder's tickets on sale online at the blazer website for playoff games: (was able to post on 4/08/09)

https://www.ticketmrktplace.com/ex/loginFrame.action?team=Blazers

***UPDATE***

Online sales have a 15% additional charge and a $6 ticket charge per Timmay!

The 15% service charge and $6 order charge are processed AFTER you have selected your tickets so those costs are added to the price of whatever the tickets are.

Online sales from the blazer site can be picked up at will call and are not sent out electronically.

Thanks for the info Timmay!

***END UPDATE****

additional tickets for season ticket holders

Additional (up to four) tickets for season ticket holders go on sale: 4.13.09 noon

If you know a season ticket holder I'd suggest you ping them for the tickets to guarantee your spot and not pay extremely high prices.

Sale to general public:

Sale to general public: 4.16.09 noon (per blazers website. Let me know if the info is wrong because I was searching for it and finally just went to purchase single tickets and found the information there)

So, a poll because i'm curious.

Poll

How many people are going to the game or want to go?

I have season tickets and I'm set!

31 votes

I have season tickets but live out of town or can't go for other reasons :(

2 votes

I will pay any price for those tickets (say 3x ticket face value or $100 a seat in the 300 level) because I'll be darned if I'm not going!

4 votes

I'll pay any price for those tickets, but the seating has to have a good view

4 votes

I'll pay a reasonable price (say 2x ticket face value or $50ish a seat in the 300 level) but I really can't afford to splurge

32 votes

I'll be in line on Thursday at noon and if i can't get a ticket then, then I'll just watch on tv.

35 votes

I'd love to go, but thanks to being a broke college student (or otherwise broke) there's really no way I could seriously contemplate this.

36 votes

I have a kid, and I'm willing to auction him off. Blazer tickets AND save some money for future play-off games. Can't lose.

4 votes

148 votes | Poll has closed

Looking Back - A look at the record.

ratbastird — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:08:25 -0000

I started out with the thought I'd take a look at the team record in March and April and find an amazing hot streak taking place. You know, a couple of nice wins in a row interrupted by a fluke loss. Instead I made a different observation.

The blazers would lose a five games a month except for December when the blazers lost six games. This did not change in March and April is obviously too small of a sample.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/por/schedule?v=list&m=10&y=2008

The blazers lost at least two in a row five times and three in a row only once. None of those two game losses were in March.

The blazers played 16 games in 31 days during March. That's a lot of basketball. Eyeballing the other months it looked like it was all about the same. I know they play a lot of games, but that brought it a little into perspective for me.

Something else that stood out is the bet Outlaw had with Mike Rice. Didn't Outlaw have a bet with Mike Rice about snagging down ten rebounds? According to the stats, Outlaw snagged 10 on March 13th. Possibly the bet wasn't on then? Outlaw has only snagged 10 rebounds two other times this year. Pretty safe bet if you're not betting every game but pick a game here or there.

So, I wasn't able to point out any amazing winning streak that was obvious to my naked eye. This bummed me a little because I need justification for my irrational hope that the blazers make the finals. The eyeballing does emphasis the consistency that the blazers have played with. So, i guess yay there. *grumble*

I looked at the score to see if all the wins were crushing and the losses close. It varied, but some losses were crushing losses and of course we had a few crushing wins, but others were within a few points. Nothing there that shouts dominance that's out of the ordinary.

Obviously I want to believe that the blazers are hot and taking it to another level. So if they are, then the next obvious spot to check would be the win percentage.

The blazers currently have a .641 winning percentage for the year but from March-April they're at .700. If we were to lose the next game we'd be at .666 (I was curious to see how much a loss would change our win percentage. Clearly losing the next game would be evil and thus it should not happen. I'm amused that one number is 7 and the other 666). That would translate into 54 wins so far instead of the current 50 so far. So, while a huge hot streak isn't really showing up, the win percentage is slightly better at the moment and i'll take that.

That is my bit of hope that we'll smash other teams to dust and take it all. Experience be darned. Yes... I realize i live in a fantasy world, but it's nice here.

Jazz vs Blazers - Onsite report - The humiliation begins

ratbastird — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:27:51 -0000

!@#$&(&!(@)#^$)!@#^$!@)#$^!@#$^&

and

@#$%

Okay, now that that's out of my system. Boy did those Blazers make the Jazz look good. I think my gf said it best when she said "the blazers must be really tired, Greg Oden looks energetic!"

Monday I will be baking 300 cookies, wearing PINK fluffy slippers, an apron with the jazz logo, and I will be serving it to each and everyone of the 70-100 employees we have. BAH

The Cheerleaders:

I've got to admit, their skill level is low but their outfits weren't bad. They had this colorful sparkly one that if they added wings, they'd be looking like faeries. Another black outfit with a white undershirt was rather cute. I wasn't completely into the shorts as I'm definitely a skirt man, but not bad.

The Pregame:

Watched Sergio take about 100 shots. Watched him miss 50-60% of them. His shots looked flat and some with arcs would hit the rim. He signed autographs before he headed into the tunnel. A lot of YOUNG blazer fans at the games. Many were in full on jersey mode. I may need to break down and get a jersey so I can fly my teams colors.

The warmup involved the blazers making about 20% of their shots. Possibly not a good sign, but I had a good vibe. Determined to win because, you know... my blazers wouldn't let me down... right? I refused to let any negativity into it my thinking.

Oden:

I watched Oden a lot tonight so I'll drop it all here. During warm ups he looked like he belonged. I say this not in how he practiced, but how he stood and walked and his body language. He didn't look like some drooped over kid that was wondering what he was doing there, but like a guy that was supposed to be on the court. I find that to be a good thing... but...

During warm-up he'd grab the ball and hand it off to someone else instead of shooting multiple times. MULTIPLE times. He probably had half as many shots as everyone else. His shots also had the feel of "I'm not going to invest in this so that if I miss it's because I didn't really try". I've played like that before and it NEVER ends well. If you know what I'm talking about, that's what I saw from his shots in practice. He never dunked. He banked a few, and he had some flat hook shots that would make those Zamboni drivers proud. I winced. This guy looks like he has ZERO offense. He also had zero energy.

During the game, this ugliness continued. Seriously, I think I have better form and feel than Greg Oden does and I suck. He doesn't seem to have the feel for where the basket it. At ALL. I can hook shots in because I KNOW where the basket is. No I couldn't shoot blind folded all the time and make them, but I could make a few after I play on a basket a little bit. Greg doesn't have this feel at all. He has like -10 to that skill. Really, when I see greg I imagine a character in WOW with resurection sickness. -75% to all stats.

Greg helps out the team in a lot of ways. He also hurts the team in a lot of ways. My gf was screaming for Pryz to be in. Normally I feel that greg helps out in ways that don't show up in the stats other than a win, but this game, I saw something maybe twice.

Overall I don't like Greg's body language. It's improved, but he looks like he's just afraid to invest himself because he's afraid he'll fail. I don't like how he feels, to me, isolated from his team out there. I have a strong feeling that someone needs to kick his freaking asphalt and tell him to suck it up. I felt for the guy earlier, but I'm sorry... at some point you need to freaking deal and someone should tell him that. Have fun, act like you want to be there, act like you care about the shots instead of not committing to them. He's practicing how NOT to do it, and that's not good.

Obviously there are coaches who know more than I do. This is simply what I saw and the "vibe" I got from watching him.

Game Time:

The blazers came out with some energy. It didn't last longer than the 1st quarter and maybe not even that long. They also came out with holes in their defense large enough to drive the titanic through without hitting a berg. Last time they came to town I complained about the lack of help defense and directing players into others. this game the jazz would just pass to wide open spots so that defense wouldn't have helped because the blazers couldn't find their man with GPS attached to their hineys and big flashing arrows pointing to them.

The crowd was decently loud AND it didn't sound canned or amplified. Quieter than the last game, but the cheers sounded real. Very much like a blazer crowd in that they want their team to win. Fans would jump up shouting "YES!!!" on the good plays and were very involved.

Their mascot, as much as I don't like him, is there, not for the kiddies, but to AMP up that crowd. The blazer mascot should take some notes. I swear that Blaze is only there for the kids and thus he is a buzz kill of mine.

I laughed at Sergio and Rudy jumping around like mexican jumping beans at the top of the key and then "ZIP" the pass goes between them right under the basket for a dunk. At that point I suspected that the blazers would not be making a come back.

The blazers hold the ball too long and miss WIDE open opportunities for nice passes. I don't know if you can see it on tv, but many times the blazers would be running down and a man would be open or semi open. A quick pass and you have an easy bucket. Instead the blazers let the defense settle in and pass the ball 20 times and suddenly it was ten times harder to score.

Additionally, with 2 minutes left and down by nine you TAKE that quick 3pt shot or inside shot when you're open. Instead the blazers would keep passing. You just do NOT have the clock time to do that. In that situation it's time to gamble a little because if you play it safe, you're going to lose.

A thought crossed my mind that the "7 seconds or less" Sun shooting rules might need to be applied to this team. This team needs to know when to gamble and when to get the ball moving QUICKLY and when to recognize you're open for a good shot. rudy passed up a wide open three to pass to sergio who was a little more covered and NOT as good shooting the three. Passing for the sake of passing is dumb.

A guy commented behind me: "The blazers only have one good player, and that's Roy." Watching this game only, I really can't argue. Aldridge got his points, had nice finesse shots, but he does not dominate. I suspect that bumping him around a bit would really mess with his game.

Sergio and Greg kept getting balls stripped from their hands. When you're tired you react slower and when you're not (jazz) things can seem like they're in slow motion and thus the game becomes easy because you can be insanely precise.

The Fouls:

I'm not going to get too down on the refs here. That said, there were some major phantom fouls at the beginning of the game against the blazers. The blazers were being aggressive, it was just flat out bad calls.

The Flagrant on Frye looked like he simply stuck his hand up and got ball and the guy collapsed under it. You would probably see better than I would with the 20 replays I'm sure you got.

The mascot shined the refs shoes, played with them, high fived them and fisted fived them (what is that called anyway?). Home cooking? Possibly, but the blazers didn't come to play either. Yeah, we got bad calls, but the blazers could have played to reverse that and they didn't.

The blazer fans:

Saw quite a few of them. One across the aisle 4 up front. The cam flashing around snagged blazer jerseys jumping into the picture at least twice and probably more as I wasn't paying attention to the cam all the times. Highlight of the game was when a girl groped her gf and attempted to flash the crowd but couldn't get her shirt up because it was too tight.

Place wasn't swarming with blazer fans, but you could hear clapping and cheers and I'm sure each section had at least five to ten. I think that's pretty good. also, lots of empty seats.

The Summary:

Cheerleaders still suck at stunts but looked good with their outfits. Definite upgrades.

Blaze should take serious notes and learn how to pump up the crowd.

Blazers played like a team that's been in 7 different cities in the past 12 days. If you don't travel a lot, you have no idea what that's like. I've done enough traveling to know I'd be hating life.

I'm going to be ribbed about this bet for a long long long time. My team let me down and I'm a bit ticked despite reasons that I can understand it happening. I did NOT want to lose this bet.

I'm bummed. I was hoping my blazers would step up. They've had a harsh schedule, but I was still hoping for some love and I feel like they let me down. Obviously they don't know me from that brown stain in my neighbors yard, but seriously that's how I feel.

Hopefully the blazers can wake up for the clipper game because right now they look like they need a week off and they can't have it. That clipper game will be 8 games in 13 days and 7 different cities and 8 different flights to cities. Just so you all know. I'm not super hopeful they'll do well that game either. I should say, that I won't be surprised if they lose. That team is TIRED.

IN Game Report - New Orleans vs Portland

ratbastird — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:58:48 -0000

Pre Game

This was a game I went to conditioning myself for a possible loss. I felt that we had a good chance of winning and it was a game I was determined to lose my voice at because I would be DARNED if the blazers lost because I didn't scream, shout, and cheer loud enough.

Watching the Hornets shoot around I noticed a couple of things. First off the Hornets had a little swagger to their walk. They seemed confident. They were joking around with each other and seemed actively involved and interested in each other while practicing. In short, they were doing what I would like the blazers to do a little more of and I saw what I'd like to see a little more of from the blazers. They were doing this more than I've seen from the blazers. This had me a little concerned.

One thing I liked... the Hornets seemed unable to hit the broad side of a barn that was mooning them in grandma's panties. They missed shot after shot. It took about a minuted before a hornet made an outside shot. This I liked.

The Cheerleaders

Nice school girl outfits. One of the cheerleaders was even so kind as to lose her skirt during the dance! YAY!!!! She never lost her smile or composure and actually seemed to laugh along with the crowd. Seriously, the cheerleaders for our team just seem to be really cool people. Also... holy abdomen batman! I swear their stomach muscles grew over thanksgiving!!! They also tossed in some duck vs beaver outfits.

The timeout entertainment

Okay, I haven't said anything about this for a while, because I've been happy, for the most part relative to last year. The timeouts have been somewhat aligned with the crowd and has helped enhance in past games. sure there have been a couple of crowd momentum killers, but it has been soooo much better than last year. That is until tonight.

First off, I like that the the crowd ignored some of the stupid canned chants. This crowd seems to be about doing real chants that matter and IT seems to be deciding when and how it'll cheer. I love it. The only dumb canned cheer the crowd did was "let's go blazers, let's go" in teh fourth quarter. Frankly it was terrible, but the crowd ignored other stupid chants and I love that. I think they were too busy actually cheering.

The crowd was taken out of it EVERY time-out with poor enhancement or stupid contests that KILLED crowd excitement. The fourth quarter is NOT the time for that crap. Luckily the audience decided to heck with the stupid crowd momentum killer and they'd cheer regardless. You'd here a few people leading it and then everyone would join in. When a play was made the crowd would ERUPT! They were waiting for a reason, ANY reason to cheer.

Seriously though... when the crowd is as vocal and loud as tonight was... DONT FREAKING MESS THAT UP!!! I can not TELL you how upset I get about that. I get that there are sponserships and other activities, but keep it out of the fourth folks. Also, get some people and/or a system that lets the person in control REACT to the crowd instead of trying to control it. Help the crowd get to where they want to go. That was a loud volatile crowd that loved it some blazers!!! Quit buzz killing!!!

Okay, that's out of my system. Now on to the actual important stuff!!! (but if blazer staff read this... PLEASE find a freaking balance. Tonight SUCKED. Miami and San Antonio game was decent. React with the crowd and help the crowd and quit killing the excitement!!!)

The, you know... actual point of the post. The Game

The Blazers looked good. I noticed that they had some break downs on defense, but honestly, good offenses do that and you can't be perfect 100% of the time. We broke the hornets down more often and more completely. Even when the hornets managed to shake free, a lot of shots seemed to be with a hand in the face.

Fouls. The blazers got away with a lot of fouls in the first half. The second half seemed like New Orleans got quite a few of the calls. We booed loudly about it, but in all honesty I could see why the refs would miss some of those calls. We also got away with a lot of fouls in the first so I think it evened out.

A cool moment in the game was when the guy did a soccer slide into Rudy. Rudy was limping around and the entire Rose Garden started Cheering "RUDY! RUDY! RUDY! RUDY!!!" for thirty seconds or so. It was pretty awesome. Why were we cheering him? Who cares, we love the hustle he brings and it's an easy name to chant!

Oden is looking a little faster now. He still seems off balance and he's still taking too long on his shots. It's like he needs to bend down to explode as hard as he can and I'm goign "NO! JUST TAKE IT and put it in!!!" Not worried about it. He just seems a little off with balance, a little slow on speed and I think that'll come. He bobbled down some rebounds and he passed pretty dang well. I'm actually VERY happy with his passing. I don't know that I'm going to go with a shaq comparison anymore. I honestly think he'll be better but in a different way. The guy looks to pass and I love that. I'll take a healthy Walton over shaq any day. I think Oden is going to be a cross between those two guys. LIke I said, I was impressed.

Blake on Paul. Dude, seriously... I'm impressed. I don't know what the TV or stats will tell you because I haven't looked but he was hustling like CRAZY out there. Paul is small and quick but Blake stayed in front of him a LOT! I'm crazy impressed. I mean, you're talking about the best freaking point guard in the league and it looked to me like Blake and the blazers shut that kid down. Again, I don't have stats, but watching live from 12 seats away (finally counted them) I was amazed. Blake looked just as fast as paul at times. I currently don't feel the need for a Bayless because the blake sergio combo are doing so awesome... which brings me to Sergio.

Sergio, I love you man, really I do. But... Frye was in the corner TWICE wide open TWICE and you didn't see him!!! This was when New Orleans was making a push and took the lead by a point. Sergio kept looking left to Rudy and didn't see Frye to the corner in the right. Sergio needs to remember there are other players on the court besides his buddy because it felt like he was looking for Rudy a little too much. I guarantee Frye would have made one of those threes or passed back out and opened up the middle a little. I brushed it off the first time, but the second play in a row that he did it I started yelling at him that Frye was open. Not that he could hear me of course.

I really don't have much more to say. Pryz, Batum, Roy, you guys are freaking studs. Aldridge attacked inside and I loved it! He seemed VERY confident and I loved the attack.

Summary

Blazers got away with a lot of fouls, but so did New Orleans in the second half. Some Jersey holding when people weren't looking but not NEARLY as bad as the Miami game. The Blazers look good and are passing and communicating and their team defense is looking incredible right now. It wasn't as good as the miami game but New Orleans is a much better team and good teams will break it down now and then.

I'm so impressed with this team. I'm so proud of how they hustle. I love that they got into New Orleans face when Roy was fouled and I love that I see Joel mouthing off with other Centers during games. Guys, I don't think this team is soft. They walk tough, they look tough, they're taking hard fouls, they're communicating, moving, playhing smart, and hustling. Frankly, I think other teams up their level of play with the blazers because the blazers look like they're leaving it all on the floor.

I've been to two more blazer games and even if we'd lost, I'd have been proud of this team. I'm thankful that I didn't have to fell that pain. They've won both games I've been here and opening night. It feels good.

My next game report will be against the Jazz in Utah.

Good night ya'll!

Game Report - Miami vs Portland

ratbastird — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:02:04 -0000

Personal Note:

Driving in from Utah and catching a couple of hours of sleep before these games leaves me with little energy. I came to this game tired. You know what though, that doesn't stop me from cheering and yelling my heart out. Superstitious of me, but I believe if I let my section be silent with my absence that the Blazers may deflate and be flat. I came out cheering hard no matter how tired I was.

I also forget how good my seats are. I'm about 15 seats away from the floor. I'm amazed I wasn't able to give these tickets away one game when they didn't sell. Nothing like watching some of those sweet sweet alleyoops RIGHT in your face! I found it amusing that I wanted a live replay on some of those.

Cheerleaders:

Cheerleaders. Okay Zebra girls. If I'm going to brag about your outfits and how much better you are over the Utah cheerleaders, you can't come out looking like you're ready to get it on with some Zebras. I know we want to keep portland strange, but seriously... add a black miniskirt or something to that so you look like hot ref's instead of zebras. After that horrible outfit the blazer dancers came back with much more flattering and better looking outfits. My girlfriend loved the socks though. I'd have agreed if my eyes hadn't gone cross-eyed at the skirting stripe selection. Again I appreciate that the cheerleaders have curves and I can't use all of them to clean my teeth with. Some of the guys were holding these girls up in the air and it looked like an off night. Their arms were shaking something fierce. No injuries or deaths which is too bad. I had this wonderful fantasy of running to the cheerleaders bed and consolling her or her friends and... anyway.

Pregame warm ups:

I've been complaining about communication and team work. The other team warms up right in front of me so I watched these guys. Wade seemed to be in a world of his own. He'd half heartedly do a little spin move or something but it felt like "yawn, this practice is really not needed can we get onto the game?" He rarely interacted with his team mates. Beasely and another heat guy used warm-up to shoot a high arching shot and see who could make it the highest and make it the most. Beasely made quite a few actually. Pretty cool to watch but the only real interaction with team mates I saw. Actually, He was interacting with an usher more than his team mates.

The game:

:::drools:::

People moved. People defended. We don't have those blind no look passes that Wade has for his team mates. Actually, if Wade's team mates could have hit the broad side of a barn those would have been highlight passes for sure. Wade is simply amazing. Before the game I said there was no way we'd shut Wade down. Wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, keep dreaming. Somehow the blazers shut him down. Part of it was defense and part of it was flat out luck or confidence that his fellow players ate two bowls of suck this morning. Maybe the blazers slipped in these bowls of suck secretly?

I'm going to skip around a bit at little things that I saw that I liked. First off, Aldridge came out with clean shots and made them. They were jump shots that were wide open, but I'll take it.

Oden is looking AMAZINGLY better between now and the first/second game he played. He's still not here yet though. You watch the other blazer starters and they move with purpose. They're strong, smooth, confident. Oden is... there. His posture is a little goofy too. He doesn't carry himself like a beast but sort of slumps to his right (or left) side. It was weird watching him stand there.

That said, he's going to be a beast. I loved some of his fouls because he was starting to force things down below. Sure he was called, but I don't care. I want him to butt bump the opponent onto their butts! I WANT him to be aggressive and smack players down. Frankly, I wish he'd done some of those fouls HARDER. He's going to make mistakes and I want him confidently making them.

Batum... I couldn't help but notice him because my girlfriend kept screaming about him with every little thing that he did that was magic. Which in this game was a lot. I love the energy he brings.

Rudy came into the game. First thing that happened? One of my major issues? Rudy and Roy TALKED! It was a quick couple of seconds but they touched base and got on the same same page. I've been complaining about team work and communication and low and behold I saw something! I got excited.

Another moment I liked is that the blazers needed to inbound the ball. Sergio was there and said "i'm not freaking inbounding that, I'm the freaking point guard!" He looks around "YO! BAYLESS!!! GET OVER HERE!!!" Bayless ran from the other side, looked like he wanted to put up a fight, and it didn't matter. Sergio was boss and that there floor. I LOVED that. Sergio was 100% the floor general telling people what to do and where to go.

Half time Frye and Blake were talking and joking around more than they were practicing. Cool to see, but then i started thinking, "hey, couldn't you guys meet up for tea and crumpets afterwards!!?? We're only up by 19! Get intense and finish these guys!!!" I saw other quick conversations going on away from the ball.

Players were pointing or waving where they wanted the ball or screens or whatever. Again, communication. Team work... loved it.

Everything I've been complaining about wasn't there tonight. Or rather it was. It was with the heat.

Bayless!!! Almost forgot! He drove in for, I thought a dunk, and as he looked like he was going up he PASSED! It was a SWEET pass! Frankly, I'd rather see moves like that over just about anything! Kudos Bayless, that rocked man.

Pryz. The man, the beast, the vanilla Pryzilla! His last block of the night that was preceeded by another one sent the crowd to their feet ROARING! Joel was immediatly out and the crowd cheered like crazy for about 30 seconds. Seemed to take a while to inbound the ball there possibly because it was so noisy.

Summary

That game was TOTALLY worth driving 900 miles for. Here's hoping they can beat NO too! I'll be there and I don't plan on leaving with a voice. This is my mission. I was very happy from what I saw with the blazers on the team level. Personal level, I just want to see Greg keep grinding away and get some mean. It'll come, but if I have to dig for SOMETHING, it's for Greg to come out of that shell a little more. I love what he's doing and the rate he's improving. The kid is definitely special!

The crowd was quieter than opening night and people were EATING during the game around me! Don't they know they're supposed to cheer too??? Luckily I had some strong blazer fans a couple of seats back and they helped me carry the load.

Awesome awesome dunks and shots and mmm curvy cheerleaders. It was good game and good night.

***EDIT***

Oh yeah, awesome help defense!!! Greg was out on the perimeter because he was pulled out during a screen. Know what, that was fine! The guard ran to the basket and Oden guided him right into... another blazer player. I saw that CONSTANTLY!!!

Travis guarded Wade. He was able to do it thanks to... HELP DEFENSE!!!

The blazers did incredible on defense tonight. VERY few times did Miami get a shot up without a hand in their face or a blazer player around them. I think I only saw two or three wide open shots and two of those were because wade drew the defense and did INCREDIBLE passes... and yet those players still missed.

The blazers passed like crazy and broke down the miami defense, but our defense last night was drool worthy.

I think that's everything now. It better be. I have perogies to make and turkeys to cook!

***AGAIN***

LOTS of Jersey grabbing by Miami against the blazers. Refs weren't calling it, but blazers were being held all over the place. You'd see Jersey's snapping back into place a LOT.

Miami coach has the eyes of Jim Carrey when he makes those faces. It was freaky.

Blazer VS Jazz - Live Report

ratbastird — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:21:05 -0000

So I've had some time to cool off and I'm still not cool, but I'm in a better mood. I'll give you the break down of my night. it wasn't just the Blazers that got me hot, in the bad "I don't really need a shower unfortunately" meaning of the word. Naw, there were a few other things.

The Fans

Blazer fans that is. There were a number at the game and quite a few in one section. You could hear them cheering every once and a while, but I couldn't see them. I'm guessing they were on the level right above me to my right.

Saw KP. He was watching the game from the kitty corner to the Blazers. Thought about saying hi to him again, but decided not to bug him.

There was a blazer fan with his daughter next to me, so we chatted a little. We were 10 seats away so yelling became problematic. when more people arrived.

Jazz fans were quiet for most of the game until the mascot incident that I talk about below. The seats were half full until after halftime. this is, apparently, a strange Utah thing. The fans aren't any louder than the blazer fans, but the building conducts that noise like crazy! I also believe that some canned sound is used because when I look around at people clapping, i don't see enough to justify the noise. Possibly there are microphones to enhance it? Blazer fans were FAR noiser on opening night, but that noise isn't amplified like the jazz fans are in their building.

The Cheerleaders

First off, I know you're all waiting for reports on these horrible cheerleaders. You'll be happy to know that they've improved. The god awful sparkly outfit short dress thing with white coyboy boots was only used once and then they went to these sexier ref shirts and short black mini-skirts. Their dancing was still out of sync, but they managed a few backflips and two of the girls actually managed to stay in sync together while back flipping!!! I'll definitely take the beauty of portland cheerleaders though and their actual skill. Also, the cheerleaders were more diversified so this leads me to believe that maybe the preseason girls were also a little bit in the tryout stage as they were ALL blonde? Still 95% ugly though.

The Mascot

This subject has me hot. I'll just run down what I saw, but I seriously hope the guy sues and wins. The wookie/teenwolf (or bear as my girlfriend finally realized last night despite the fact I'd already told her) was going down the aisle and shooting people with silly string. All was fine and dandy until he found a blazer fan and shot it all over him and in his beer cup. This beer is about $8-$9 a cup. It's also weak beer 2% or so beer. ( I don't drink, so I don't actually know the strength, but I know people complain like crazy about the beer water.)

The fan didn't take too kindly to the ruinage of his lovely weak beverage. He was irate and acted out of helpless anger... because really the only other option is to chalk up that $8 as a loss or drinkng with all the silly string. The blazer fan took his cup and DUMPED it over the Mascot. This of course got the Jazz fans MAJORLY worked up. The security guards came along and escorted him out. I was torn between it being freaking funny, the unjustness of this out of control mascot doing something that would OBVIOUSLY tick off someone, and the realization that the fan did not act appropriatly.

The guards let the guy back in and the crowd booed. I think the guy realized that he hadn't been cool and just waved. Fine and dandy... except that the Mascot goes out and grabs a bucket of... I assume water. He runs up the stairs and the security guards stop him. I figure this is funny and this is where it should end. Except it isn't. He leaps around the security guard and dumps the entire bucket over him and knocks him back against the seat and then runs off. The Jazz fans roar in approval. The fan is then booted from the Arena by the security guards.

While the blazer fan obviously lost his cool, it's up to the representatives of the organization to maintain their cool and be professional. I am beyond ticked at the unprofessionalism shown last night. This is also not an abnormal thing. Talking to a jazz fan who was appologizing to me, she said that the string has been used to incite other non-jazz fans as well, so the actions were purposeful. Being told this just [s] made me love utah all the more [/s].

I seriously hope the guy can sue or something. I'm sure there's assault or battery in there somewhere... of course that opens him up to a counter suit unless the Jazz handle it quietly for PR reasons. Damn i hate the Jazz. I haven't felt such raw emotion towards a team or organization or FANS since karl Malone took out Brian Grants teeth with his wild purposeful elbows.

The Blazers

Watching this game, the blazers NEVER felt like they were in control. Even with a ten point lead, I was positive the blazers would lose this, and here's why.

The Blazers couldn't run the fast break. There were a few opportunities which ended with Aldridge not being prepared and bobbling the ball, or the person with the ball running up court, but NO ONE following. This wasn't a "we need to rebound to run". The Blazers WERE running it, and failing miserably. No one was sprinting or TRYING as a team to score. People would get the ball and go "oh shoot! what do i do???"

I saw multiple breakdowns of the players not knowing where to move or what to do when in position. I started watching the game a lot AWAY from the ball and I started to realize something. Nate runs basic plays because these guys don't seem to know how to even do that! Players weren't moving without the ball, or when they did, they simply rotated sides. I watched the Jazz move into the post and then around to the three point line. The Blazers were being run ragged attempting to catchup and it seriously freed some guys up with that ragged player was finally hit by a screen.

I saw a team that attacked the post in the first quarter and then settled for jump shots the entire rest of the game... except for Roy.

Also... the blazers NEED TO DUNK!!! What's with all the freaking layins? If our players went up with more power, the ball would go in! I saw a pass to aldridge and he did this little lady like layin... except he missed. If he'd gone harder he could have dunked and it WOULD have gone in. Watching these blazers, I can understand why Nate wants Bayless to work. We need that dunking and athleticsm because the other blazers don't display it.

Now, some things I saw that I did like is that the Blazers and Jazz were both physical and the blazers did some hard fouls with intent. they were SLOPPY about it, but they were trying.

Okur seriously looks like a lady out there. man... watching that guy and his hand gestures away from the ball is a complete gas! I started imitating him in the stands and cracking my girlfriend up. when the Jazz come to town, seriously... check this guy out. he's so danty!

The Players

I can't watch all the players all the time, so I'll report on the ones I noticed.

Batum did some nice things. He also did some dumb things. Mostly I thought he did a great job. His mistakes were rookie mistakes and with a few games, I'm sure he'd shake them off. His defence was nice and his hustle was above everyone but Rudy.

Rudy needs to be fed the ball more. I still think he's watching and waiting, but this guy is better than how he's being used. This is a man that can take over games, and for some reason, calls aren't being made for him. He needs the ball in his hands more, like roy. He can create for others as well as himself. His experience with Spain is something this team should be harvesting and utilizing.

Aldridge reverted back to jump shots. Chicago stated they needed a strong post presence and that Aldridge didn't have it. They're right. Aldridge doesn't have it. Last year he was shown stats of how much better he does in the post, and yet he's still settling for jump shots. Carlos Boozer isn't the greatest person for Aldridge to play against, but if he moves and warps his body, he could take the guy! Aldridge needs to be in the post and figure out HOW to use his finesse to dominate down there. Frankly, he should be slapped everytime he takes a jumper until he figures out the post. I'll take losses in the short term, because that means we'll dominate in the long term.

Roy... wow... he made some nice moves to the basket, but he also had a LOT of turnovers. I almost get the feeling that Roy felt he'd arrived and so he thought it would be easy and now he's waking up and realizing that he needs to work just as hard as he did last year. That is the "vibe" I have. Obviously I'm not in his head, so I don't know if it's true or not.

Blake was left open a lot, and he made the Jazz pay by hitting a ton of three pointers. I liked what he was doing out there.

I didn't notice Sergio. Pryz was Pryz. Frye hit a couple of shots AND attacked the post a few times. I liked it. I didn't notice Outlaw other than he looks very atheltic with his JUMPERS. (another man that needs to attack the basket. I also like a hard foul I saw him take that the blazers actually got away with.

The Refs

I noticed, when skimming the posts, that a lot of frustration was directed towards the Refs. While I was AMAZED a kickball wasn't called, the other calls looked good from where I was sitting and the ones that weren't seemed about equal to the miscalls against the Jazz. While the calls may not have been good, in person they looked good, for the most part and I can't fault the Refs with them at all. Actually, the Jazz fans were ticked that roy wasn't called for travels on his moves to the basket and they were upset at a few other non-calls. I believe the game was pretty even.

Overall impression

I attended the Spurs game and was pretty happy. Looking back, I realize that the win blinded me to some flaws. Those flaws were not as bad as tonight against the Jazz, but they were still there.

The Blazer players need to be given playbooks and start learning how to run them. They ALL seem to need a basic education on what the heck to do and where the heck to be out there on the floor. i recall an article by Quick (I think) that someone commented how they'd never been on a team that spent so much time working on the basics/fundamentals. There's a reason. This team is beyond belief behind that learning curve.

I generally preach patience. I generally don't become upset watching games. I'm upset though. I'm upset because I'm watching some ugly basketball. It's only the raw talent that keeps us in ball games. In the fourth when teams turn it up a notch and LOCK down on defense (like the Jazz did... they do deserve the win and even if they lost I'd be calling them the best team on the floor), the blazers fall apart. They don't have that extra notch. heck, they barely have a basic NBA notch. So I'm very frustrated. I'm frustrated that I feel like this team has stepped backwards in fundamental play more than I am at losing. I feel like thse players should be further ahead in the basic understanding of basketball.

There's a talk about a high basketball IQ, but frankly I don't see it out there. After watching this game, I believe James Jones leaving hurt us a LOT more than I would have imagined. His addition to the game allowed him to direct the Blazers with the spacing and basic movement. It allowed us to utilize our talent. Looking at this team, I see us needing another player like Jones. someone with play-off and/or championship experience. someone who's been around. Nate can only do so much. When the players fail to do basic things on the floor, then Nate can only shake his head. He CANT come up with a master plan and show off his coaching because the players couldn't freaking execute it!

Also, I thought this would be the year for the blazers to really break out, and I don't believe it is now. I don't say this because they're losing. I say this because this team is fundamentally wrong on the fundamentals. I'm hopeful they can figure it out this year, but worried that they won't because they're SO far behind. The definitely won't make it past the first round of the play-offs.

All that said, I'm hopeful that the blazers can learn and recover. I recognize that we have new players. I recognize that we're playing without two starters. I recognize that we have a harsh schedule. Still, that doesn't excuse the breakdown of the fundamentals that this team shows.

I'm hopeful that these new players with YEARS of experience (Batum and Rudy) will start directing people out on the floor, because the Blazers NEED that. I know Rudy knows what to do out there, and he REALLY needs to assert himself. Nate needs to allow Rudy to assert himself. Nate also needs to play Batum more. The kid has talent, we're not going anywhere quickly, and so you develop the talent. Batum is behind Webster, but could easily overtake him in a year (I believe).

We have a good team, but unless they suddenly figure out floor spacing, movement away from the ball, and so on, this team is going no where. Unless they figure out how to rotate on defense instead of scrambling from guy to guy leaving THREE Jazz players open... we don't have a prayer of making the finals.

I'm disappointed in this team. They're in good shape but they really needed to work on the matter between their ears and educate themselves better on how the game is played. They also need to play more like a team. Right now, i just see a bunch of individuals out there.

How can this be turned around?

The addition of Greg will plug ONE hole in the dike.

The addition of Webster will provide experience.

Nate needs to assign these guys homework. Take the plays he wants to run and let them read it. Give them tapes and make them watch it. Run the practices and make them do it. whatever they are doing obviously isn't sticking out there.

Nate needs to give Rudy more rope and more leadership. he needs to tell Rudy to speak up and direct the team. I believe Rudy CAN do this and SHOULD do this before he forgets how to move!

Nate needs to play Batum more. This guy IS our future SF. He's 19 and able to handle the pressures of starting. If he was on seattle's team, he'd be dominating with inflated stats and people would be in amazement. Instead, he's even better and able to fit in on a team with already VERY good players. We need to develop that.

In closing

So there you go. Not a positive viewing of the team, and even if we won, this wouldn't have been positive. Watching the play away from the ball was painful. This team has a long ways to go.