A Live Spectator's Perspective ATL vs POR

Half Empty Stadium, Phantom Greg Oden Calls, Corny Announcer, Outrageous Outfits, Sub Par Dancing From the "cheerleaders".... This was the Hawks vs. Blazers game.  

I decided to go to this Blazers game LONG ago.  I knew i would see them play the hawks this year... since I go to school down here, it is really my only opportunity to see them live in action.  It just so happened that today was my birthday, so i figured it'd be the best b-day present I could give myself.  I asked my two friends to come along, knowing if we lost I would NEVER hear the end of it....

I text them Greg Oden's stats after every game as proof he is improving.  I also yell GREEEEEEEEG OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODEN whenever I see them on campus, leaving everyone wondering what is going on.  My persistence and rabid enthusiasm, as only PDX fans know how, for a team as "random" (never been to portland) has turned them both into staunch Oden Haters.  It's all good though because one is a Memphis fan (easy pickings there), and the other is a Hawks fan (they passed on like 9383081390 point guards and drafted Marvin WIlliams #2...and Al Horford has gotten NO better since his rookie year...not too hard here either).  I digress 

...So we get to the game a little bit early, using the student discount (50% off can you believe that?).  Once we get in, around 6 30...the stadium is almost EMPTY.  I was disappointed.  Having watched like every Blazer stream over the past 12 months...I know the crowd there is raucous, lively, and early.  As tip off neared i was dumbfounded that the stadium was MAYBE half full.  

The Game started and I feared the Blazers would come out flat, resulting in a stiff blowout...The opposite happened and they performed pretty well.  They did not appear lead-footed or dreary at all.  The defense looked good, so from here I will give me notes on the game...

Blake: He is surprisingly a lot better at D than I anticipated.  It was easier to discern this watching him live.  He often ended up guarding Joe Johnson, who seldom too advantage of the mismatch.  Blake kept him in front and moved his feet.  He hit a few shots and played a generally solid game, especially with his 11 assists.  

Miller: When he was in the game, the team definitely plays differently.  The offense has rhythm, people cut and it is rare that people are ball watching.  He is still getting a feel for his teammates, but his impact on the game is undeniable.  He got to the free throw line, something no one but Brandon does a great job of doing.  He has 6 himself.  Sometimes he moved a little fast and hoisted up shots early but it happens.  He played some good D man.  Johnson was not doing anything, including posting up, while Miller was checking him.  

Roy: He played within the flow of the game early, really helping the team.  His defense left something to be desired.  He was hustling, squaring up, and getting low, especially on Johnson in the 4th, but it wasn't enough.  He doesn't move his feet especially quickly to keep people in front.  Blake did a much better job of keeping Johnson in front.  In fact, Johnson seemed to make a point to take Roy off the dribble, whereas when Blake was on him he frequently toyed with the ball ball and hoisted a contested jumper.  

Aldridge: He played a great game really.  He took few long two's and seemed focused on attacking through the post.  The problem is he has little variation on his post ups.  He either backs down and fades or backs down and steps to the middle for the runner.   He needs a post progression to make himself more effective.  Also, he needs to establish lower post position to be more effective.  He's starting so far out that he has to move his man 3-5 feet before he's really in post up range. Other than that, he played solid defense, grabbing board after board.  He looked really intent on grabbing anything in his area, a wide area at that. 

Oden: He did some really good things early.  He scored on the first play of the game, quieting the already silent crowd.  Best of all though, I got to rub that ALLL IN THE FACE of my friends...BOW BABY.  With that said, he seemed a little rushed.  He was aware of the fact he could dominate the hawks big men and really wanted to prove that.  He was just trying to do too much at once.  When he has been effective he has methodically checked down the progressions of his post moves.  This was not the case tonight, though he was effective, he went to a LA like step-through multiple times.  He should have gone to the jump hook, drop step, or spin baseline more.  He would have been more effective.  On defense he did a great job of moving his feet.  He was really good at this in the first half.  The Team was really looking for him early and often and he produced 11 pts.  A lot of the things defenders were doing he would have been called for a foul....so frustrating.  Even my friends agreed the refs just called him for things that he had nothing to do with... There was definitely a loose ball foul in the 2nd half where he had already started back up-court when the whistle blew.  He also made a great play on josh smith ( I believe) which SHOULD have been a charge but was a no call...He did commit some fouls, not too many silly ones but the phantom calls he gets really prevents him from dominating that side of the ball.  He just plays tentatively.  Blazers should DEFINITELY go to the league and complain PUBLICLY.  

Webster:  He didn't play much, not much to say here.  He didn't play with the same tenacity as I have come to expect this year.  When he attacked the basket he passed instead of looking to ruin someone's career as he has been doing lately.  He played defense and ran the floor, thats about all I can say....Oh and they put him and Bayless on the Kiss Kam....needless to say he moved down a seat.  

Fernandez: WOW... What a game from Rudy.  It really looked like HE was back.  I don't think I can say he did anything wrong.  He played with a fire that reminds me of last year.  His shooting touch was great and he attacked the basket a few times.  His movement on offense had the same effect off ball as Miller's did with it.  He had a trillion steals and could have a had 1 or 2 more.  He played some really good pressure D at times.  He has definitely improved in this category form last year.  He was probably our most effective 1 v 1 defender tonight.  I don't know what else I can say except WHAT A SHOT...WOW.  My hope were all but dashed when he hit that...Kudos Rodolfo.  

Bayless:  Should have gotten more PT.  He was aggressive and has played well recently...and really could have helped give some people some rest so they would have been fresher at the end.  He was apparently only brought in to help get Jeff Teague to stop pressuring full court.  

Howard:  HE CAN STILL DUNK Y'ALL.  Solid play tonight. 

McMillan: Let the run where ATL caught up go on too long.  He was about 2-3 possessions late with the timeout.  Blake played well...really well...BUT 40 FRIGGEN MINUTES HONESTLY?  Nate dropped the ball with the substitutions.  Webster should have played more and so should have Bayless.  We need new plays, too much Iso.  On the bright side, Our defense is pretty good.  The rotations were there.  The Zone they used looked nearly impenetrable.  It would would if Greg wasn't so scared of being called for a foul in he breaths though.  That was the only weak link, when the ball rotated back to his corner and he refused to close out any more than 8 feet.  

General notes: Our offense looked GREAT until the 4th quarter when Roy wanted to take over.  Everyone stopped moving.  This is where we lost the game.  Roy tried to break down his man but since no one was moving, they all just watched him.  It made it impossible to get into the lane and it forced him to launch jumper after jumper.  It wasn't that bad because Marvin Williams isn't stopping him...I don't care WHOSE talking.  Bu t the lack of motion made it too easy to stop our offense.  Then came the double teams and no one else was in a position/ready to help him.  The 4th quarter, give it to roy, offense needs to be revamped.  

The reason that the Hawks kept scoring is that they had a series of penetrators who attacked the defense.  ALSO they had constant motion, keeping the Blazers defense shifting.  It hid deficiencies of some players like Marvin Williams who has similar range to Miller.  If we had motion like that, we would have won that game.  Even when they posted up, people moved off ball.  The Blazers just clear out.  It leaves the post player with no option but TO shoot.  Its not a part of the offense, it BECOMES the offense.  The team seems to have lost touch with some basic offensive principles.  If we get back to those, the offense will DEFINITELY come back.  

Other than that...My experience was great until we lost.  I had to leave with about a minute left because it was disappointing.  But I felt relieved because we hung with, outplayed, and SHOULD HAVE beaten the best team in the east, at their house.  I enjoyed myself watching my favorite team play.  It's  something I'll always remember, as I did the last time I saw them play (my hs coaches took me and my co-captain to seem them play in Sacramento during the preseason...we sat courtside...AMAZING...)  

Anyways.....GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEG OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN