View Always in Moderation

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Irrational immediate reactions: We need to hire Herb Brooks as our coach.  If an aging Ray Allen can consistently out hustle our young team, we should make them stay on the court after the game sprinting baseline to baseline until they are all vomiting.  “While other teams can out muscle us, they should never out hustle us!”

More Moderate Reaction:  We have all played a pickup game where the other team is torching us.  We don’t need to be too hard on a team for losing heart during a 20-0 run… We do, however, need to emphasize aggression.  Whether it is crashing the boards, getting back on defense, or cutting to the basket, we need to utilize our team’s athleticism.

Irrational immediate reaction:  I would have paid $100 to Glen Davis if he had let his emotions get the best of him and sucker punched Kevin Garnett… maybe that will teach him to keep his arrogant mouth shut.

More Moderate Reaction: Jerryd Bayless gets to be in charge of the next practice  The focus… “Everybody needs to perfect their Bayless Face.”  Boston came into the game looking to intimidate Portland… and it worked.  Even our beloved Brandon Roy (who is notoriously calm) let Paul Pierce get too him.  The easiest way to get them to stop the taunting is for them to know it doesn’t phase you.

Irrational Immediate Reaction:  For as much as we pay RLEC he needs to take one for the team and go Tonya Harding on Rajon Rondo’s knee caps during half time.  My guess is that his ensuing ten game suspension won’t hurt the team.

More Moderate Reaction: The Blazers need to watch more film.  If I recall, the only jump shot that Rajon Rondo even attempted was the long 3pt that he hit at the buzzer.  All three of our PG’s were playing tight defense against Rondo 5’ outside the arc.  He promptly torched all three of them all night long.  Know how to defend your man… this means give Rondo a nice cushion, don’t leave Ray Allen alone as a help defender, etc.

I also think the Blazers need to work on their team defense.  They have the ability to be a dominant defensive team, but they don’t understand how to properly approach team defense.  When you have excellent post defenders (which we do) the focus should be to funnel the offensive players to the post defender.  As a defender, your goal should be to funnel your man to the baseline where they are trapped between you and Oden or Przybilla.

If your goal is to shut down your man and you get beat, your post defender has to scramble over to the lane and using get a blocking foul.  If you concede the baseline, your big man already is in position which usually means he gets a block or an offensive foul.  San Antonio has been running their defense this way for a decade.  It has worked well for them even with some very marginal perimeter defenders over the years (obviously not talking about Bowen)

Irrational Immediate Reaction:  We had better beat Boston by 30 points when they come to Portland.  Kevin Garnett will be sitting right next to Big Baby with a towel on his head and tears welling in his eyes.

More Moderate Reaction:  If it ever becomes imperative that we able to beat Boston at home THIS SEASON, than 2008-09 will be more special than I had ever imagined.