Friday, October 30, 2009

Trail Blazers @ Thunder: Game 4

Here we go again Blazer fans, yet another sputter out of the gates by the Trail Blazers. Last year was expected, because of the massive amount of road games being played early on, but the October/November schedule, on paper, looked like a huge gift for Portland to take advantage of and get a jump start on the rest of the Western Conference. I'm not ready to hit the panic button just yet, because Roy has looked all-world the past two games and Aldridge showed flashes of his own brilliance last night, but I do expect this team to struggle throughout the rest of the month.
As the armchair coach, I believe the problem lies within chemistry and the rhythm of the team, especially at the point guard position. We need to start treating Steve Blake like we do with Travis and Rudy, whom are both very effective but do so in limited roles, sometimes getting extra minutes if they are having a great showing on a particular night. There is no way, shape, or form that Blake should be starting, let alone playing 24 mpg. He is great in spurts, and I love his shooting, but his deficiencies in all other aspects of the game make him a major liability if he is playing anymore than a quarter a night. We signed Andre Miller for a reason, and that was to get us out of the first round. He isn't going to be as effective as he can be if he is not allowed to get into a rhythm. So, until Dre gets the nod as the starting point guard and is playing over 30 minutes a night, don't be surprised to see Portland fail to play up to their potential.
Unfortunately, I see Durant and Westbrook just taking us to the woodshed tonight. To make matters worse, we have no Batum to at least bother Kevin on the perimeter, which could mean a long night on the bench for Thrilla and G.O. if our wings allow KD to blow by them which will force those two to pick up fouls. Could Portland win? Most definitely. But I have just not seen a consistent effort to get the ball down low to Greg and LaMarcus this season. Just like every game we have played this year, we have a monumental advantage down low, but do open the door when opportunity knocks? No.
Game 3 Prediction: Trail Blazers 92 Thunder 107
Post Game Thoughts
So, I call out Blake, and he is one of the main reasons why we were fortunate to pull out a tough road game against the upstart Thunder. If that wasn't enough, I predicted a huge blowout with Durant and Westbrook running wild on us, yet we win in a grind it out affair that saw KD shoot a pathetic 3-21 from the field and Westbrook turned the rock over 7 times. I love it when the Blazers prove me wrong.
Although the win was U.G.L.Y., nearly every member of the team had a major hand in this victory. Greg set the tone early and was a force on the glass all night long, Marty just blew up in the 3rd quarter to extend our halftime lead, not to mention his superb defense on Durant all night long, Travis, minus the traveling violations, really stopped the bleeding with his 3's, and Blake had his typical Blake game, meaning when we needed a shot in the arm, he was able to keep us afloat.
This team is just a different animal once they get Greg involved early and often. He gets a bounce to his step on defense and plays with a swagger about him. Outside of Howard and O'Neal, Portland should be able to dump it down low at will against opposing big men, and it needs to continue Tuesday night against Atlanta who still features Al Hordford as their starting center. But the real star of the game was Webster. Even if Durant was hitting his shots, he was still right in his face, challenging every shot and battling down low for post position, making him work for every single thing. It wasn't just all about the lock-down defense on Durant, as Marty hit some open jumpers and had a thunderous dunk on the break to really juice up the squad. When our other wings, not named Brandon, start hitting shots and becoming a threat to the opposing defenses, it opens up Roy for isolations against players who have no chance to check him one on one.
Box Score

Trail Blazers @ Rockets: Game 3

After putting on one of the worst offensive performances I have seen in the Nate McMillan era, it will be intriguing to see how Portland bounces back as they trek out on the road for the first time this season. If we go off of the season opener, this one should be a cinch; a sure thing. Problem is, there are a lot of intangible factors going on in this game. The big one being this is Houston's home opener and teams just seem to play a lot better in their first game in front of the home crowd. The other being Houston is playing better. They waltzed into the Bay Area and took it right to Golden State (a house of horrors for our own Blazers) and beat them, so naturally their confidence is higher.
Although we are not playing our best offense by any means, we have one thing they do not have, Brandon Roy. It's not the fact he is the best player on the court. It's not that he can be counted on to carry this team on the offensive end when things go flat. It's his leadership abilities to rally the troops. We all know no one took the loss harder than Roy. Look for Brandon to set the tone early by attacking the hoop and forcing Houston to double him at all costs, leaving shooters open. If Travis can bounce back, Marty making timely 3's, and Rudy continues his hot streak, it will be a long night on defense for Houston.
Even if Portland struggles again on offense, this is a game that can be won on the defensive end. We stymied the Houston offense by holding them to 37% shooting, but more importantly won the rebounding battle 51 to 33, which was so critical in last year's playoff series. Obviously the Trail Blazers have the advantage down low, but rebounding is all about will. If the team wants it, they will get it.
Although we have not won in Houston in our last 7 tries, I have a feeling the streak ends tonight. Without Yao and Mcgrady, Houston just lacks the offensive firepower to make Portland pay, even if they are cold from the field again. If the bigs can get Scola in foul trouble again, this could be another route, but that won't happen. Portland eeks out a close game on Halloween night behind a dominating performance on the boards by Joel, Greg, and Travis, yes, Travis.
Game 3 Prediction: Portland 91 Houston 87
Post-Game Thoughts
This will be short and sweet. There are absolutely no excuses to give up 111 points to a Rockets team without Tracy and Yao, but give Houston credit for taking it to us all night long. Try as we might to take the lead, they had an answer for us every time we hit them with a run. Roy tried his best to carry us to a W and you can't ask much more out of him with 42 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, but outside of Aldridge (27 points), no one helped out the cause. There is NO excuse for Greg to attempt 3 shots. It is time for Blake to hit the bench. Andre Miller needs 30+ minutes to get into a rhythm and he won't get that splitting time with Blake. Bench Blake, give Andre 35 mpg and let Bayless get the scraps and find some continuity in the process. I can't put my finger on it, but this team is missing something and my best guess is consistency at the small forward. Hopefully, they find it tomorrow against OKC, unfortunately, I smell a OKC route. Prove me wrong boys!
Box Score

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets: Game 2

After a sloppy, yet dominant performance in the season opener versus the depleted Rockets, it will be interesting to see if the 20+ turnovers can be attributed to first game jitters or a month long problem due to unfamiliarity with one another. Like Houston, Denver is down key personnel with JR Smith serving the 2nd game of his 7 game suspension due to reckless driving. The one problem I foresee is Carmelo Anthony potentially going nuts on our swingmen and putting Denver on his back to a nail biter victory. Although Marty and Trav had great all-around games last night, there is no replacement for Batum's length and tenacity on defense.
Fortunately for Portland, we get to sit back and relax on Wednesday night while Denver has to play a knock down, drag out fight against a Jerry Sloan coached Jazz squad then has to fly out to Portland early in the morning for a back to back. The biggest key will be to jump out on Denver early by setting the tone on the defensive end of the floor, get the Garden crowd rocking, and use our depth to wear the Nuggets down in the 2nd half.
Look for Brandon to be more assertive early on as he has the notable advantage over Aaron Afflalo and he wants to shake off the rough 5-18 shooting performance from the previous game. Once Roy gets it going, hopefully, they will look inside and feed the beasts. Aldridge was hampered with early foul trouble against Houston and Greg was only able to attempt 3 shots. There is no way Nene, K-Mart, or Birdman can defend those 2 on the blocks; Go inside and either draw fouls or double teams, either will get the job done the way Rudy, Marty, & Trav have been shooting.
Game 2 Prediction: Portland 103 Denver 92
Post Game Thoughts
Witness Protection has called and they are looking for LaMarcus Aldridge and Steve Blake. For the 2nd straight game, both players have been invisible, perhaps doing their best Casper impression to get into the Halloween spirit? The only positive from last night was the fact Brandon looked like his former self, but aside from that, it was a very dull game, dominated by the tweet of the officials. I don't like to harp on officiating, but 90 combined free throw attempts is asinine for a game that featured little attacking of the hoop. With that said, Denver was obviously the beneficiary of the officiating tonight and the star calls Melo received were sickening. Poor Martell couldn't breathe on him without being whistled for a foul.
After the game, I was at a loss for words looking for a reason why we can't run a fluid offense. Is Coach Nate to blame for not calling plays to get the ball in the post? Is it LaMarcus' fault for shying away from the post and settling for jumper after jumper? Or could it be the wing's fault for taking literally 5 robotic seconds to throw an entry pass? Most likely it is a combination of all 3. We all know LaMarcus turns it on after the 1st half of the season is over, but he needs to be more aggressive and assertive. If he misses, so be it, but take some damn shots in the post. We are unstoppable when we get the L-Train going down low and he is one of the biggest keys to a successful season.
Finally, in homage to the Schonz, "You have to make your free throws!" We shot a pathetic 34.6% from the field and still had a chance to win the game if not for 8 2nd half free throw misses after shooting bull's eyes the entire 1st half. We will see the true test of this Blazer team. Houston is a very formidable team who just went into the Bay Area and got a W and you know they will be juiced for their opening night, then there is our Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide persona when it comes to playing at Oklahoma City. Here's to a quick 2 game road sweep!
Box Score

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Trail Blazers vs. Rockets: Game 1

With added experience in veterans Andre Miller and Juwan Howard accompanied by last season's success comes high expectations, maybe too high at times. The biggest storylines of the night will be to see if Portland can handle the pressure of being the hunted instead of the hunter as well as executing on offense by using their bigs to their advantage. One of the biggest reasons Houston was able to fluster Portland during last year's Western Conference Quarterfinal match up had to do with their ability to hinder Portland's execution on offense. At times, it looked like it was Brandon Roy, one on five, vs. the Rockets, because he was the only one who knew how to attack their defense.
Obviously with Yao Ming lost for the year and the departure of Ron Artest, the Rockets take a huge hit on their defensive prowess. But, as we saw when Yao went out in the Semi's vs. the Lakers, the Rockets seemed to scrap harder and relished in the "us against the world" role. Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge will need to assert themselves down low as forces not to be pushed around and work the inside-out game, freeing up shooters like Travis, Rudy, and Martell for open jumpers off of double teams. Whether Portland likes it or not, they are going to be in for a fight tonight; I hope they will be ready. Do not be surprised to see a depleted Houston team keep up with the Blazers through 2 and a half or 3 quarters, but I think the combination of the Rose Garden crowd and Portland's overall depth will eventually wear Houston down and take off with a 10 point victory.
Game 1 Prediction: Portland 94 Houston 84
Post Game thoughts
If you were to tell me Portland would have committed 26 turnovers, Oden scores two points, and Houston has the advantage in the paint, I would have thought Houston came into the Garden and stole the home opener. As a team, we were just that good, to have all those things against us and still find a way to have the game comfortably in hand from the 2nd quarter on.
Portland got inspired play from their bench, most notable Travis Outlaw and his team-high 23 points on 9-14 shooting, but it was his defense that was most impressive. Many times he would get matched up with Scola in the post and he went toe to toe with the Argentinian who gave us such fits just 5 short months ago. Martell made us forget about Nicolas Batum for a night by coming out aggressive in his 2nd stint after a passive first shift. The poster in traffic showed he is back!
Although the turnovers were horrendous, even for an opening night, Portland hustled their tails off and out worked and out muscled a team that did exactly the same thing to them last spring. Portland did yeoman's work on the glass by going plus 18 and added a ridiculous 12 blocks, headlined by G.O.'s 5, and thieved their way to 9 steals.
The only downside was seeing Roy press too much in the 2nd half and Oden's lack of touches in the post. I'll chalk those up 1st game flaws and don't really have any doubts about getting those problems shored up.
Box Score

Monday, October 12, 2009

2009-2010 NBA Season Preview

With approximately 3 weeks left until the regular season opens up for the Trail Blazers, it is time for the season preview and predictions article. Along with our picks, we selected four of the best hoops blogs to dish out some of their own knowledge. A huge thanks to Blaze of Love, Bust a Bucket, Knee Jerk NBA, and NBA Noise for their contributions. Without further ado, the 2009-2010 NBA Season Preview! Blaze of Love NBA Preview Top 8: West
    Lakers
    Spurs
    Trail Blazers
    Nuggets
    Mavericks
    Jazz
    Hornets
    Suns
Top 8: East
    Cavaliers
    Magic
    Celtics
    Heat
    Hawks
    Bulls
    76ers
    Raptors
West Finals Lakers vs. Trail Blazers East Finals Cavaliers vs. Celtics NBA Finals Lakers over Cavaliers MVP LeBron James Rookie Of The Year Blake Griffin Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Rudy Fernandez 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Chris Paul
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Tim Duncan
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Gilbert Arenas Biggest Underachiever Hedo Turkoglu Surprise team Raptors Disappointing Team Hornets Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Stephen Jackson Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph Eddy Curry Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 58-24 Record At The Rose Garden 35-6 How Will Their Season End WCF against Los Angeles Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team Not this year, next year Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard It should be Miller, but it will be Blake Record Vs. Lakers 2-1 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Under LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Under Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Under Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Under Number Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots 2 Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Bayless. Cunningham will only play in blowouts Who Will Be The Scapegoat Andre Miller Bust a Bucket NBA Preview Top 8: West
      Lakers
      Trail Blazers
      Spurs
      Nuggets
      Mavericks
      Jazz
      Suns
      Clippers
    Top 8: East
      Cavaliers
      Celtics
      Magic
      Heat
      Hawks
      Bulls
      Wizards
      Raptors
    West Finals Lakers vs. Trail Blazers East Finals Cavaliers vs. Celtics NBA Finals Celtics over Lakers MVP LeBron James Rookie Of The Year Blake Griffin Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Rudy Fernandez 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Chris Paul
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Dirk Nowitzki
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Rudy Gay Biggest Underachiever Paul Pierce Surprise team Clippers Disappointing Team Nuggets Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Ron artest Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph Eddy Curry Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 55-27 Record At The Rose Garden 32-9 How Will Their Season End Game 7. WCF. At Los Angeles Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team No Doubt Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard Blake will start, but Andre will finish Record Vs. Lakers 2-1 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Under: Winning streaks are overrated LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Over: 9.4 Book it! Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Under: 27mpg Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Over: 23ppg Number Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots Between 3-4, last year was crazy Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Neither, because they will barely play Who Will Be The Scapegoat Doubtful there will be one, Travis most likely Knee Jerk NBA NBA Preview Top 8: West
      Lakers
      Spurs
      Trail Blazers
      Nuggets
      Hornets
      Jazz
      Mavericks
      Suns
    Top 8: East
      Cavaliers
      Celtics
      Magic
      Hawks
      Bulls
      Raptors
      Heat
      Pistons
    West Finals Lakers vs. Spurs East Finals Cavaliers vs. Celtics NBA Finals Lakers over Cavaliers MVP Kobe Bryant Rookie Of The Year Blake Griffin Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Lamar Odom 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Chris Paul
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Kevin Durant
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Greg Oden Biggest Underachiever(s) Allen Iverson & Hedo Turkoglu Surprise team(s) Clipers & Rockets Disappointing Team Raptors Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Vince Carter Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph F*** those idiots! I'll bring back Oliver Miller out of retirement. Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 54-28 Record At The Rose Garden 33-8 How Will Their Season End Lose in the Conference Semi-Finals Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team No, too many good forwards in the West Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard Andre Miller Record Vs. Lakers 2-1 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Under: 8 LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Under Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Over Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Over Number Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots 4 Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Bayless, but neither will be factors. Who Will Be The Scapegoat Sergio if things are rolling. Greg if we're struggling. NBA Noise NBA Preview Top 8: West
      Lakers
      Spurs
      Trail Blazers
      Nuggets
      Mavericks
      Jazz
      Hornets
      Rockets
    Top 8: East
      Celtics
      Cavaliers
      Magic
      Hawks
      Raptors
      Wizards
      Bulls
      Pistons
    West Finals Lakers vs. Spurs East Finals Cavaliers vs. Celtics NBA Finals Lakers over Cavaliers MVP LeBron James Rookie Of The Year Blake Griffin Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Manu Ginobli 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Dwyane Wade
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Amare Stoudemire
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Mario Chalmers. He had a solid rookie season which he should be able to improve on, and the depth at the point guard spot in Miami is still paper thin. A year under his belt and added confidence should result in a breakout year for Chalmers. Biggest Underachiever Gilbert Arenas. Gil’s game was based on quickness and confidence before he got injured. He’s likely lost a little bit of both. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m not expecting to see the same old Agent Zero this season. Surprise team Clippers Disappointing Team Celtics Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Brandon Jennings Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph Zach Randolph. If he is as big of a black hole at the dinner table as he is in an offense, he would be a great competitive eating partner. Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 55-27 Record At The Rose Garden 34-7 How Will Their Season End Eliminated in the Western semis Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team Yes, I think this is the year that he surpasses David West. Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard I’m torn here. I think that Andre Miller is above and beyond the better basketball player, but I’m not sure that his style of play is as effective with that unit as Steve Blake is. That being said, I’ll err on the side of having the best player on the court – Miller. Ultimately I think he will make that group a bit more dynamic, and improve Oden’s game significantly by finding more opportunities to get him the ball that the Blazers have passed on before. Record Vs. Lakers 2-1 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Under LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Over Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Over Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Under Number Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots 2 Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Dante Cunningham. The Blazers are set with backcourt ballhandlers, but Cunningham could provide the Blazers with some frontcourt versatility in spot minutes. Who Will Be The Scapegoat Andre Miller Dustin's Take NBA Preview Top 8: West
      Lakers
      Trailblazers
      Spurs
      Hornets
      Mavericks
      Nuggets
      Jazz
      Rockets
    Top 8: East
      Celtics
      Cavaliers
      Magic
      Wizards
      Heat
      Bulls
      Hawks
      Raptors
    West Finals Lakers vs. Trail Blazers East Finals Cavaliers vs. Celtics NBA Finals Celtics over Lakers MVP LeBron James Rookie Of The Year Brandon Jennings Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Jason Terry 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Brandon Roy
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Dirk Nowitzki
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Thaddeus Young Biggest Underachiever Hedo is the obvious pick, but everyone is picking him. I'll go with Elton Brand. Surprise team(s) East: No One West:Rockets Disappointing Team(s) East: Hawks West:Nuggets Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Jamal Crawford. Not many can surpass him for the title of worst shot selection in the League. Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph Eddy Curry Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 60-22 Record At The Rose Garden 37-4 How Will Their Season End Game 7 WCF against the Lakers Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team Yes Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard Andre Miller All Day Record Vs. Lakers 2-1 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Under:7 LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Over:8.2 Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Under: 26 Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Over:23 dNumber Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots 4 Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Bayless Who Will Be The Scapegoat Nate McMillan Matt's Take NBA Preview Top 8: West
      Lakers
      Trailblazers
      Spurs
      Nuggets
      Jazz
      Hornets
      Mavericks
      Clippers
    Top 8: East
      Cavaliers
      Magic
      Celtics
      Hawks
      Heat
      Raptors
      Bulls
      Pistons
    West Finals Lakers vs. Trail Blazers East Finals Cavaliers vs. Magic NBA Finals Lakers over Cavaliers MVP LeBron James Rookie Of The Year Blake Griffin Defensive Player Of The Year Dwight Howard 6th Man Of The Year Manu Ginobli 1st Team All-NBA
  • G- Chris Paul
  • G- Kobe Bryant
  • F- LeBron James
  • F- Tim Duncan
  • C- Dwight Howard
  • Breakout Player Louise Williams Biggest Underachiever Hedo Turkoglu Surprise team Clippers Disappointing Team Rockets Most Likely Give His Coach A Heart Attack Ron Artest, we can only hope. (I kid) Man V. Food: You Need A Partner, Eddy Curry Or Zach Randolph Eddy Curry Trail Blazers Preview Regular Season Record 61-21 Record At The Rose Garden 37-4 How Will Their Season End WCF against the Lakers Will Aldridge Make The All-Star Team Nope Blake Or Miller As Starting Point Guard I'd star the season with Blake. Record Vs. Lakers 3-0 Longest Winning Streak: Over/Under 10 Over LaMarcus Aldridge RPG: Over/Under 8 Under Greg Oden MPG: Over/Under 28 Under Brandon Roy PPG: Over/Under 22.6 Over dNumber Of Brandon Roy Game Winning Shots 3 Bayless Or Cunningham: Bigger Impact Bayless. Cunningham will only play in blowouts Who Will Be The Scapegoat Travis Outlaw