Game 55 Recap: Blazers 87 Sonics 99

by Dave on Feb 22, 2008 10:48 PM PST in News

Anybody who has read me for more than a week knows that I don't get down on this team unneccessarily. Losses don't phase me much if they're hard-earned (or at least well-earned). But that was seriously one of our worst efforts of the season. Considering the caliber and situation of the opponent (a team with a low-teen win total having just made a salary-dumping trade of all things) it may have been the worst. The only possible mitigating factor is that it is hard to win back-to-back games against the same team...but it's not THAT hard!

For those who didn't see the game, it became evident in the first few minutes that the Blazers were out to lose tonight. The equation, stated early on in the contest, looked like this:

no hustle = no win

We were leaning and grabbing at loose balls we should have been moving our feet for. We were letting one Sonic player outrebound three of ours. After that it was pretty much a fait accompli. We got beat in just about every way possible: shooting, transition, rebounding. If it weren't for a flurry in the fourth quarter when the game was all but decided it would have been more categories. We gave up enough dunks tonight to fill three our four normal games for us. (This is particularly damning when you figure that our tempo and team defense are set up specifically to deny those kind of shots.) It wasn't even close. Anyone who wasn't a total masochist turned it off in the third quarter.

That brings up the one thing you can say to bring perspective: this was one of about three games this year that really deserved to be switched off early. It used to be we'd get two of those per week.

Here's another bright spot: We're playing some tough teams in the coming week and we're not going to lose to them all. You're going to see a heartening, unexpected victory sometime in the next ten days. (And no, that game against the Clippers doesn't count.)

It's long been my policy that in the absence of something extraordinary there are no individual observations on a night like this. When the team plays so poorly they don't matter. Sorry Travis...you had a nice game but everybody has to bring it for anybody to get applause.

Now excuse me while I go dunk my head in my post-workout laundry basket to get the smell out of my nostrils.

And better luck Sunday.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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This is getting old

Its now been 18 games since our last "A" effort, the road win over New Jersey. In that span, I think our two best efforts have been the close, heartbreaking losses to Cleveland and New Jersey.

I don't expect the type of basketball we saw in December, but this garbage is completely unacceptable.

by jksnake99 on Feb 22, 2008 10:55 PM PST reply actions

This team

Has officially tanked the season. I saw better effort this afternoon from my Grandsons Freshman Team! I quit watching 5 minutes in to the second quarter. WTH is up with our team? It is not rocket science, it is the NBA. Time for a reality check... Pryz, LMA, OUTLAW, Broy and Blake to start. White team be ready at the 12 minute mark. Mass substitution in the first quarter. Raef, Frye, Martell, JJ1 and Sergio. For approximately 2.5 minutes. We have the assets, let's use them. Run the Heck out of the teams we play from here on out. And after every loss, Rebounding and FT shooting drills in practice. This team is the youngest, make them play BBall like it means something.

by coastrider on Feb 22, 2008 11:14 PM PST reply actions

our guards

have been horrible. Sergio, Blake, Jack, and even Roy have all been in a funk.

The Blazer win game by playing as a team with a well-rounded effort from everybody and we haven't seen that in a long time. In our few wins it has been LMA or Roy doing the heavy lifting

Travis Outlaw drops the sledgehammer on Daequan Cook for a dunk so vicious, it's illegal in 48 states.

by BlazerBandit on Feb 22, 2008 11:44 PM PST reply actions

Looking at the Boxscore

I can't find who or what beat us?

Looks like we beat ourelves!

"The Team with Caricature!" - Elizabeth "The Lizzard" Lowblow

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 22, 2008 11:54 PM PST reply actions

Dave?

Dave-

I am curious as to your comments on why this team has played so poorly for the last 18 games or so. As jksnake99 said, they really haven't played that many great games in the last 18 and no great games on the road. They played well in the Denver loss and overcame a tough Atlanta team at home, but the last 4 game road trip was listless and we were not even competitive.

Thoughts? Why is this happening? Certainly the Blazers are not as good as their streak, but are they really as bad as they are playing now? They have played very poorly for more of the season than they have played well.

If this team gets 38 wins, is that still a rousing success?

Dave, thoughts? You are so wise and calm!

by nedzadrules on Feb 23, 2008 12:09 AM PST reply actions

Ask and ye shall receive

Check out the post just above this one. I was typing it as you typed your comment.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 23, 2008 1:13 AM PST up reply actions

Team play

With JJ33 we play as a more cohesive unit (66 % win with him in lineup vs like 33% win without him ~M. Rice). Aside from maybe LMA, Roy, and Trout, individually the rest of our team isn't "great." It was team play and chemistry that made us so great during December and January. Brandon's doing everything he can to will us a victory, but he can't carry the whole load on his back when no one else is contributing.

I refuse to believe that we are playing poorly because our team isn't talented enough. I don't know if I accept fatigue as an excuse, however it may be one. The guys don't seem to be having as much fun on the court, or motivated anymore. As with many of the players on the team, I suspect it has more to do with emotion and motivation.

by Philthyanimal on Feb 23, 2008 12:50 AM PST reply actions

I think I'm glad that I slept through this one.

Living on the East Coast has taught me why no one here watches the West Coast. Sleep just makes the body work better. In fact, it may cure just about anything! Now, if only I could bottle it and find me a snakeoil salesman....

"I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled." -P.G. Wodehouse

by T Darkstar on Feb 23, 2008 7:42 AM PST reply actions

I thought LMA had a very good game

Defensive rebounding wasn't super, but he was very agressive on offense.

Steve Blake invisible
Brandon Roy clank
Jarrett Jack nothing

by tweener on Feb 23, 2008 8:10 AM PST reply actions

While his numbers look pretty good

I was not impressed with Aldridge Friday night. Maybe it had to do with seeing the game in person rather than on TV, but his line is what I'd term as soft.

by timg56 on Feb 25, 2008 6:13 AM PST up reply actions

Man, was I ever

impressed with Travis Outlaw. At times he looks to be totally unguardable. I'm guessing he's going to end up being at least the 2nd best scorer on this team for a long time to come. I also thought LaMarcus had a real good game. Brandon was playing well .. it's just that his shot was off and Jack and Blake couldn't hit anything. BTW, when it became obvious that Blake (or Jack) was never going to make a bucket, I thought it might have been a good time to give Wafer a go.

Like Rice, I love the big line-up. I think Pryz @ the 5, LMA @ the 4, Travis @ the 3, BRoy @ the 2 and Blake @ the 1 is the best line-up we can present. Although it would dilute our 2nd unit, I hope Nate uses it more.

One more thing ... I don't think we are giving the Sonics enough credit here. Despite their record, they're a decent team .... and y'all heard how well they have been playing lately.

by TwoDeep on Feb 23, 2008 8:47 AM PST reply actions

Lineup

LOL I remember presenting that lineup when Martell was struggling in January and all the comments I got were "WOW...Thats the biggest lineup ever"

by Philthyanimal on Feb 23, 2008 12:00 PM PST up reply actions

Giving some credit to the Sonics

The Sonics were the exact opposite of the "no hustle = no win" equation. They played better than any game I've watched them play all season.

On a side note, this was the 7th Sonics game I've been to this season, and it's the first one I've attended when the Sonics actually won. The irony is that it's also the first game this season when I was rooting against the Sonics. I hadn't been to very many NBA games before this season, and I suddenly realized that I've never attended a game where the team I cheered for actually won. I'm very seriously considering selling my tickets for the March 24th game.

by bocious on Feb 23, 2008 2:31 PM PST reply actions

I could have turned it off in the 3rd quarter?

NOW you tell me! Sign me "Total Masochist."

"Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people." -Gabe Muoneke

by hurryup09 on Feb 23, 2008 3:22 PM PST reply actions

A couple of observations from my first game

watching in person.

It was obvious that Brandon Roy was not playing anywhere close to 100%. The guy needs a couple games off. I don't care if we lose them. We are going to lose a lot more if Brandon doesn't have a change to heal and recharge.
Steve Blake couldn't throw it in Puget Sound. I don't have a clue what's wrong with his shot. He's been like this for a few games now, it seems.
Martell Webster - see #2 above.
Aldridge - unlike a couple folks here, I wasn't impressed with his performance. On a night where Roy obviously didn't have it and Blake and Webster were shooting like they had blindfolds on, Portland needed LaMarcus to take over the game. Yet he played soft. His point total looks good, but that's because he was hitting on his jumper. I don't know how to describe it when he has the ball done in the low post, but agressive, nor confident, are not the words I'd use.
Travis - the only bright spot of the game.
It was obvious half way through the 1st quarter that the game was going to be a Blazer loss. I had a brief sense of hope in the 3rd quarter, but they dashed that rather quickly.

Still, I ended up enjoying the evening. Watching this team, even when they stink, is more enjoyable than that of a couple years past.

by timg56 on Feb 25, 2008 6:24 AM PST reply actions