| As the previous item indicates, my attempt to bring you a more florid and contextual textual relay of the Blazers-Bucks game at the Garden was called due to technical failure. I got a wifi back on my phone around halftime (when I did meet Ben BEdge, which I mention not to name drop--although the temptation is great--but because I know his many fans who read LO's recaps have been demanding we register a Ben sighting. He was proper tall, genteel to all) but balked at retrieving and unpacking the laptop from what turned out to be the same old cramped seat you get anywhere else in the arena, with the same nonexistent legroom that makes you trip over both legs and whatever else they have going down by your feet--beer, purses, the last vial of asthma medication as it topples down 40 rows and off of the tier...I felt queasy. Also, it was a bit befuddling that with all of this wall space lined by seating and tables, I found not a single regular electricity outlet. Give people a lounge, and these days they're going to demand AC hookups as if we've all become RVs. (I draw the line at the gray and black water connections--cough.) And back to the seats--really, doesn't it unnecessarily hinder the insanely profitable concession business to make people guilty to buy a soda and then pee, because of the vast inconvenience it causes an entire row? They could give free admission if they made food service a snap for everyone. Lazy and overfed/bev-ed, we can do! See what you missed because the lack of plug-in made my screen dark and my typing time limited to less than an hour, and because I have middle-row guilt about being a hearty drinker and a man with high throughput issues? (again--cough) Would you like to know how the game went and less about the theoretical date of my first urology appointment? Mama always said I was the perceptive one. {recap--honest!--below} |
Friends, this was a game that separated playoff caliber West basketball from playoff caliber East basketball. Granted, the absence of Andrew Bogut and his rebounding prowess made this a tasty matchup down low for Portland, as indeed I told Lil Joe while we walked towards the entrance: "Watch for Oden to have a night to dominate inside if he can stay in the game." Sure enough, it turmed out to be his night. But it started like many games of his where he struggled. He missed his first two shots including the first of the game, grabbed a rebound and fouled Richard Jefferson with just over four minutes gone. Were it not for the fact that Milwaukee was launching a series of bricks from outside (20,25,21,25,24 were the distances of their first five shots), he might have picked up that key second foul in his first shift, and the game might have played out entirely differently. Happily it didn't, and while the Blazers were being knocked out of synch on their end by the very annoying Bucks defense that forced some off-kilter shots of their own, they were able to maintain the lead--getting to 19-9 with 4min left in the first, Oden contributing his first points at 14-8 with one of a couple monster jams on the evening. So while the result was what fans have been looking for the last dozen games or so--to exit the first quarter in a more favorable position than down 10--the credit would seem to have been more properly credited to Milwaukee. The quarter certainly unfolded the way they have lately, with LaMarcus Aldridge being the only one who finds his shot during warmups rather than the 2nd period. I don't profess it's easy; I knew immediately Rudy wasn't going to hit his first shot, a 24-footer the first time he touched the ball, 12 seconds after entering. In all, non-LMA shots were 6 for 17 in the quarter; 'Marcus was 4-4 to start and 4-5 for the stanza, plus a sweet And One. Sergio started the game and played fairly well in the first, while Bayless was less effective and more prone to being flustered by the Bucks D. Then Rudy came in for Roy, and I have to say Rude-Bay did not look like an effective combo. Sergio came back fairly quickly as Bayless picked up his second foul, and things went a little better. Outlaw found his shot as the 2nd quarter opened, and they maintained their slim 5-8 point advantage. At that point it was Rudy/Roy/Sergio, with Joel inside. Bayless came back in for Serg, and Oden replaced Pryz. Travis and Oden began to attack the hoop, which was good. It also had them slow getting back, which was bad--all of a sudden those blown jumpers turned into layups and strength moves past the bigs. And for a moment it looked like the super-hot Michael Redd would catch fire, draining a couple shots including a sweet layin to bring them within one at 31-30. With Oden, Travis and Bayless I didn't see a whole lot of effort by Jay to get them and LMA the ball down low, but he was more active than the first shift and got to the hoop to draw fouls. Oden began to assert himself on the boards, as if realizing, "Hey, if they can go to the hole so can I--and I'm better than they are!" He sure was--Malik Allen and Dan Gadzurik had no chance. And the defense finally appeared. Oden began doing a great job moving his feet and anticipating the drive, and getting over early enough to stop it without throwing his body in the way of the man to take the block. Milwaukee ended up taking poor shots or throwing off balance passes, rather than making the clean kickout or finding room to shoot. Oden's speed allowed him to stay further away from the hole and offer help--something that most of us Blazer fans watch with horror, but which Nate McMillan says is what he wants Oden to learn now and sacrifice the downside of the learning curve. He doesn't want Greg to mature professionally as a pack-in center like Shaq; he wants a Tim Duncan. And tonight Greg took big steps towards finding the timing to leave the foul line and shuttle quickly back to the post. And to their credit, the guards began doing THEIR jobs, keeping up with the driving Buck in the first place and not requiring help in the first place. It really helps that Milwaukee just doesn't have the horses to burn you that badly (other than Jefferson, who was on, and Redd, who was not), but it was REALLY encouraging to see the lane close, and the baseline sealed. That was where Oden made most of his improvement; almost nobody got around him through the lane last night. Kudos! Despite all this and a five point lead to start the third, I think fans were edgy. I know I was. The turnovers were unsettling, they were still struggling with early foul shots (my nextdoor seatmate had had enough when I gave a primal scream on Oden's missed pair on the first trip,and told me to shut it!), and Milwaukee was just playing too poorly to be in this game. At 45-42, three minutes into the second half and things looking stagnant, the game was at its nadir. There was no rallying timeout, no major inspiring play or key substitution, but all at once things seemed to fall into place, or at least the Blazers realized that they were simply better, and attacked both ends with confidence. The rebounds soared, defensive and offensive, and on the offensive end would you believe the most excitement came from free throws? Ten made ones in the quarter, out of 15 attempts. LaMarcus and Oden just kept moving to the bucket, and Milwaukee had no answer. By the time the parade at the line had ended, 45-42 was 71-64--a difference in margin of only four points, but the winds had clearly shifted. The fourth was like the third, except that the Bucks mostly stopped fouling and just waved as Oden, LMA and Outlaw played inside. Each had two big jams in the quarter, including one where Oden beat the rim bloody but missed, the ball bouncing high into the air--where Travis caught it and rammed it home with some serious air. In fact, Outlaw was jumping great last night, at both ends--when he gets himself set, he can sky over almost anyone in the league either for the shot or the 'bound. With eight minutes to go it was still only 76-71, and though Portland had led throughout, it felt like the Bucks just kept plodding their way along and staying in it. But Oden took over. He was unstoppable, and clearly relished the opportunity. Only having one foul, he was as free as a bird and just kept banging, going for 8 and 5 in the period. And as he did, suddenly I looked up and the lead was 11. Lil Joe had been counting the buckets to Chalupa Time, and at 71 to open the fourth and at the pace they were going, I told him to expect disappointment. I was happy to be wrong, as Rudy layed in the century deuce and that was clearly the end of things. This one felt like a nail biter for much of the game, despite the wire-to-wire lead. As Ben said to me at halftime, Milwaukee's just not that good right now. The frustration was that the Blazers weren't blowing them out, not any major malfunction on their part. "I can't believe it's only XX-XX!" was a common moan of mine the first three quarters. But that shift in emphasis, where they began to live in the post and exert their will--THAT was exciting. And things finally opened up and everyone relaxed with a good win. With confidence restored (Greg will definitely need it against that LeBron guy), the Embarrass the East project (14-4 and counting) continues. |
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