Hornets

Blazers Update: On the Road, Punking the Chumps But Not 2Nite by: torridjoe Mon Nov 16, 2009 at 14:00:00 PM PST Fans, we're nearing the end of the first extended road trip of the season--which has seemed awfully long already, even though only seven of the first dozen have been away games. I think it's just the newness of the season, getting only a couple of home-cooking games at a time before being subjected to those crazy pre-7pm starts when they go on the road. In any case, tonight's early rematch with Atlanta's Hawks proves to be the sternest test yet for this still-young and changing group of ballers we call our own.  Everything and nothing rides on the game, if you can parse that odd concept: the Blazers are 4-0 so far on the trip, and any time you go out for more than a couple games and come back undefeated, so picking up a W in Scarlett O'Hara's hometown would be a huge accomplishment. On the other hand, I'm sure if you'd asked the team whether they'd be satisfied with 4-1 they'd bob their heads like bobbleheads. Atlanta as the last opponent on the trip is also dichotomously interesting; having already lost to them at home, I'm sure the Blazers would greatly love to return the pain on the Hawks' home floor. It seems like a tall order, given that Atlanta's record matches or exceeds Portland's 8-3 by a half game at 8-2, which includes a convincing beatdown of the Celtics in the Gahden. The Hawks are 4-0 at home and have won by an average of over 17 points, but on the other hand the Blazers are 5-1 in away games and are holding teams to just 82 points over their last six, with their own impressive average victory margin of 12.  So if Portland can muster the win it will send all kinds of positive signals--undefeated road trip, quality road win over a top team, extend the overall winning streak to seven, stay alone at the top of the Northwest Division, triumph of the three-guard lineup against their toughest matchup to face it...but even with a loss, Blazers and their fans will have nothing to complain about on the plane ride home.  The effectiveness of the 3-guard is what intrigues me most about tonight. It was after the Hawks loss that Coach Nate decided to shake things up, and the Miller-Blake-Roy-LaMarcus-Oden lineup was born against San Antonio to highly positive effect. They haven't lost a game since the switch, and the lineup shuffle has definitely had the desired salutory effect.  Simply put, the team just looks like it flows better when that pesky small forward is taken out of the equation. I think it probably has something to do with the streaky nature of both Webster and Outlaw, and their inability to score off the dribble or create something for a teammate with any consistency. While both Webby and Trout can pour in the offense, if they start slowly it seems like it drags the whole team down. Now that Outlaw is out for two months, of course, either Webster will pick up his minutes directly, or he'll keep what he's getting and the balance will go to folks like Rudy (in a 3-guard setting) or Juwan Howard (in a 2-guard). But who knows how Nate will work things from game to game, and it's really not decided yet anyway that they will continue to use the 3-guard set in games.  On the other hand, why mess with success? Not only did the change apparently allow for the floodgates to open when shooters started out hot, over the last three games against inferior but more physical opponents it also seems to have propped the team up until they could find a rhythm. Against the Bobcast on Saturday night, Brandon Roy faced a larger and talented Gerald Wallace at the 3-slot, but Charlotte ended up throwing whoever they could up against him in a vain attempt to slow him down. Ironically, when the matchups looked more favorable Roy seemed less involved in the grand scheme--but in the supposedly tough matchup, he shined.  And even though it's a bit counterintuitive, given that when it comes to defense it's the guards who are easily the weakest, the defense also appears to have improved from the change. Maybe it's the fact that Outlaw and Martell aren't particularly good defenders either, and Miller/Blake/Roy are at least able to get out and throw a hand up into someone's face. Also, while Miller is nobody's Raja Bell, he has a real defensive peskiness that has turned up a lot of steals that didn't used to be there. Neutralizing the opponents' PG better, and getting a face in their SF, appears to be making a difference. And I'm still speculating, but the dominance of the interior may owe something to the clearer definition of roles under the 3-guard. By taking out that theoretical middle line of defense between guard and big man, Oden, Joel and LMA can perhaps make a clearer distinction on when to help and when to stay home, that the presence of a true forward on the court may have confused (particularly when our 3s can't usually be counted on to stay with their man on a consistent basis). With the relative few games yet played and the most recent opponents being strugglers on offense, maybe it's a confluence of good work and a smaller challenge.  Or maybe it's just Greg Oden, who is starting to come alive on a more consistent basis, and on defense is already one of the top stoppers in the NBA--1st overall in blocks (and way ahead of the pack at 5 BLK per 48 minutes) and 3rd in overall rebounds per 48.  Beyond the stats though, you can just see it during the games--even the beefiest, nastiest guys on the court are starting to shy away from taking it to the hole on Oden, changing their shots around the rim, and discovering that he is having a much better time positioning himself quickly and keeping his arms in the air with a straight-up jump to avoid the foul. And on offense? Ooh-la-la! I start to salivate when I see those 8 foot baseliners, baby hooks and sweet post moves on guys who are no schlubs, like Tim Duncan and Tyson Chandler. He hasn't put the whole package together offensively (he's watching Joel too closely when it comes to receiving passes in transition, for instance), but you can see the sparks of brilliance, and they're shorter and shorter between sparks. Enjoy the game--remember it's a 4pm PST start--and watch to see how well Roy does against Josh Smith and potentially Joe Johnson, whether the guards can keep up against Atlanta's strong backcourt, and whether Oden can stay in long enough early to kick the Blazers offense into gear. And if it doesn't work out? What--us worry?   Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Stop, Thief! CP-Less Bees Stung by Blazers, 97-89 by: torridjoe Tue Feb 03, 2009 at 11:22:03 AM PST DB Cooper. The Brinks Jobbers. HansGruber. And... Simba? The rook? He's in with Hans? Really?  Well, partially. There is certainly plenty of hero worship to go around after the stunning victory pulled off by the Blazers in New Orleans, knotting the series with Western Conference rvial New Orelans at two games apiece, neutralizing any playoff seeding advantage head to head. On the bright side, the win put Portland ahead of the Hornets for fourth place overall in the conference--a ticket that turns golden come playoff time, because it means home court for the first round at least. But come now--you say there was a game looking lost, that a Portland guard refused to accept...and so he put the team on his back and almost singlehandedly willed the team into the lead with his energy and aggressiveness to the hoop, and the guard's name was not Brandon Roy? Hogswallop, I say! Nevah, no nevah! {See what the boy and his big roar did tonight to top his previous yelps, below}    There's More... :: (0 Comments, 2739 words in story)

Hornets Harsh Buzz...But Hey, How About that Game Tuesday? by: torridjoe Sat Jan 03, 2009 at 02:01:22 AM PST Updated Saturday 6pm-- I added a couple of thoughts to the summary, extending the idea that maybe this was the team the Blazers send out when they want to rest up for the really big game Sunday--the Evil Twin Team. I really hadn't intended to miss most of the game against the Hornets tonight--in fact for a fair bit of time I expected I might scrounge a couple of craigslisters and take lil Joe to this one, since it seemed like a good matchup. (We actually opted for a sweet deal on the Lexus Club for the Pistons  Bucks.) I did see pretty much all of the fourth quarter and followed the game in some fashion for nearly the whole game, but if it looked as shaky as it sounded I don't want to see the replay--other than Tyson Chandler giving Joel the Chicken Wing Shiver after Pryz objected to Chandler hacking on his own bum wing. That was pretty great, once again, to see other teams get frustrated by the Blazers fighing back. It was definitely the high point of the game, both by the peak and the noticeable valleys on either side--particularly afterwards, when you'd think the team would respond and attack the new weakness. Nope. I can sum up the game pretty quickly: The Blazers shot like crap, almost everyone. Rudy led the team with 19 and was probably steadiest, but next at 16 was Outlaw and they all came in Outlaw style, unpredictably and with not much else good in the production hopper. They shot less than 40% for the game, less than 25% from distance. Bleccch. The Blazers, other than Joel, rebounded like crap. This was the Blazer Evil Twin night, when LaMarcus can't hit the jumper and disappears inside, and Oden starts Foul Hunting and bagging big game quickly. Get outrebounded like they did, and this Blazers team almost surely loses. On nights where Oden goes foul crazy, Ike needs to concentrate on putbacks and boards, good fouls and outlet passes. NOT dribbling, not shooting from further than 5 feet. Baby steps for baby GO, OK? Blake was Evil Twin Blake. His shot did not fall and thus he couild not steady the team's shakiness on offense, but more importantly he did not distribute well, unable mostly to find his big men down low as he had against Boston. And if he's not passing down low, he's not driving down low either--and if the 3 isn't falling, who cares about Steve Blake, defensively? No one. Jerryd Bayless is not yet, not quite, as good as Brandon.  Nobody else at guard, or frankly any other position, is as good as Brandon. Thirteen turnovers for a good turnover team is too many turnovers.  Channing Frye is the lanky princess locked in the tower, where some handsome GM somewhere will someday rescue her and buy out her contract. Sergio had no assists--and no turnovers--in limited minutes.  If Blake is not in distributor mode, not moving the ball around well enough to (say) pry Travis Outlaw from the corner, then it absolutely HAS to fall on Sergio to get things going. When he's not committing any turnovers, funny to say, that tells me he wasn't even trying to create out there. I think he's not used to having different players besides Rudy, but that's no excuse in the long run. Did I mention no Brandon Roy? The guys at Blazer's Edge will give you the educated recap and report from the media hovel; I prefer happier memories. As Mike Barnett apparently said tonight, would you rather beat NO and lose to the Celtics? I think not.  It was truly a night (this is Tuesday in Boston now, not tonight) where all the best faces were on and everyone came to play and execute. They didn't turn the ball over, they controlled second shots--it was beautiful. And set to music, below, it's a work of sports art. So let's put this ugly but probably divinely oriented defeat into the permanent sleep of the past, and focus on the happy state of Tuesday prior. Opportunity wise, it's at least theoretically achievable Sunday in LA, probably without Roy again). {vid, below}  There's More... :: (0 Comments, 48 words in story)

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