[Bumped to Front Page]

Since the game wasn't televised, read through this great account of Blazers/Clippers down in LA from reader Oppy.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

Well...that was a definitely some preseason basketball.  It's hard to take away a lot from this game, I suppose, mostly because Nate played some lineups we will NEVER see in the regular season, and also because most of our team seemed incredibly out of synch.  I'll try to give a few general thoughts about the game and team in general, then follow with some individual observations.

General Points:

Portland looked very out of rhythm tonight.  There was no flow on offense, guys seemed to be running into each other on multiple plays, and there were a lot of stray and lazy passes that resulted in turnovers and Clipper baskets.  Our poor transition defense was back in full force and our zone/man defense really lacked communication, often leaving Clippers with wide open looks.

It really seemed like the team was uninterested in this game.  A few guys (Ime, Rudy, Juwan Howard, Cunningham) seemed eager to play, but I was pretty disappointed in Roy and LMA.  There was a noticeable lack of effort from those guys, and the body language was terrible.  Granted, I was sitting up in the 300 level, so maybe I misread things, but I never got the sense that the starters were fired up to play or to win, and the game felt more like summer league than it did preseason, at least in terms of intensity.

The refs were actually pretty decent.  Given all the reports of how bad the refs have been so far, I was actually satisfied with them.  While they did call the game a bit tight at times, their calls were actually based on violations.  It's just that many of those fouls or violations aren't called in regular games.

The Staples Center was empty.  There were maybe 5,000 - 6,000 people in the stands, but unfortunately for the Clippers, they just have a very weak home atmosphere.  I've been to regular season games as well, but the truth is that everything that organization does just feels a little second-rate.  Maybe it's not fair to compare them to teams like the Lakers or even the Blazers, but it's pretty obvious that it is a team run to make money.  They definitely don't come across as a top-flight organization.

Individual Players:

Brandon Roy - I'm not sure what to think about his performance.  In all honesty, he didn't look good out there.  He was sloppy with the ball, had no touch from outside, and didn't have much of a rhythm on the floor.  He didn't seem to mesh well with the lineup on the floor, as he never could get a clean pick-and-roll or any other offensive sets going.  He did manage to draw some fouls, and at least a couple of times he drove, collapsed the D, and then dished out to someone for an open look.  But on the whole, he was not sharp at all.  I'm not sure why it is, but he still seems pretty rusty to me.  I don't doubt that it'll come back, but he didn't look like a star tonight.

Greg Oden - I tried to temper my own expectations before the game, knowing that Oden's performances against Sacramento had to be taken with a grain of salt, but it was hard not to get caught up in the "Greg is so much better!" hype.  So even though I told myself not to get my hopes up too much, I couldn't help hoping to see him dominate tonight.  Truthfully though, I was (wait for it...) underwhelmed.  Yes, he looked a little quicker around the hoop.  Yes, he cut down on the unnecessary fouls.  And yes, he definitely looks leaner and sleeker.  But honestly, his hook shot was badly off the mark every time.  He struggled to get good looks against Kaman.  And he wasn't as quick off the ground as I had wanted to see.

He did do some good things though.  He pulled down rebounds whenever they were near.  He made some nice passes out of the post when double teamed.  And he had a good put-back jam off a miss.  In fact, that play was one that I think this team should make its bread and butter.  Greg set a pick for Brandon at the high post, Brandon drove the lane, dished out to LMA along the baseline, who then had a mid-range jumper over the out-of-position defensive player.  As the Clippers raced to close out on him, his missed shot was right there for Greg, who was pretty much waiting untouched by the rim.  Easy put back.  We should see that all year, hopefully.

Andre Miller - Again, I was hoping for much more.  He did a good job of getting entry passes to the post, making sure Greg saw the ball often.  But his defense was pretty weak, and he had some sloppy turnovers.  His shot is iffy, at best, and his only attempt at a post-up ended in a turnover.  He logged more minutes than anyone else on the team, but I honestly can't remember much that he did.  He didn't seem to affect the game much, but I will reserve judgment because the whole team looked pretty terrible tonight.  But it's obvious that he and Brandon haven't played a ton together.

LaMarcus  - Only had 2 rebounds.  TWO.  There's a simple reason for that appalling stat.  LaMarcus was allergic to the paint tonight.  Maybe its because he was trying to free up space for Greg, who was posting up regularly, but LMA just drifted around the perimeter all night.  He took a lot of jumpers, and never tried to really back anyone down.  Even when Griffin was on him and I figured he'd take him to the block and school him, he let himself get muscled out to the perimeter.  He did have one nice play where he did that long step into the key for the extended hook/layup, but other than that, his game was reminiscent of Sheed towards the end of his Blazer tenure.  Like Brandon, I expect him to step it up, but he also didn't seem too interested in dominating this game like he can.

Batum - I would have liked to see him play a little more and be a little more assertive.  He disappeared for stretches while he was on the floor, although he did have a monster jam along the baseline at one point.  His defense was ok, but I was surprised by how easily Gordon was getting around him at times.  But he played so few minutes that it's hard to draw any real conclusions or to expect him to have gotten into any kind of groove.

Bayless - Truthfully, I didn't pay too much attention to him, mostly because I was focusing on some other players.  He did seem a little more comfortable moving within our offense, and he didn't seem so lost on the court as I saw sometimes last season.  His shot is still pretty atrocious, and although he drew fouls, he only converted half of his free throws.  And even though we all think he has the physical tools to be a good defender, he just has not picked up that part of the game at all.  He pressures the ball when it's not effective, and picked up a cheap handchecking foul way outside the 3 point line.  He also got burned several times by his man.  Based on what I saw tonight, I can't imagine him getting much time in a rotation including Miller and Blake.

Juwan Howard - A surprisingly effective post defender.  Even though he doesn't have the athleticism to keep up with guys like Blake Griffin, you could see him using lots of veteran tricks to win better post position and keep Blake off the block.  I think he'll serve us well in spot minutes on the defensive end. 

Travis Outlaw - Looked like the same old Travis most of the time.  I think he showed some improvement on his ability to beat his man off the dribble.  He had two nice moves that I can remember where he got himself by his man and got a good look at the hoop.  But he still seems to have very poor court awareness.  His spacing is ok when he is setting himself up for a spot up 3, but at other times he seems to have no idea where his teammates are.  I think we know what we are getting from him at this point, honestly.

Rudy/Udoka/Blake - None of these guys caught my eye, to be honest.  Rudy seemed to play with more energy than most of the team, but his shot was still a little off.  Blake didn't create much and turned it over 4 times in 16 minutes.  Ime is just what he was before.  He's a pesky defender who will set up shop in the corner, but he's not creating his own shot. 

Conclusion

Overall, it was a rough night for the team.  Definitely not my favorite live performance from these guys, but I still enjoyed seeing the team in person.  You probably didn't need me to tell you what the box score makes pretty clear, but this was a terrible game by the Blazers.  I wouldn't read too much into it, though, given the lineups on the floor and the lack of energy from our key players.  Hopefully that is only temporary, but that's just how it was tonight.