Further Reflections
by Dave on Mar 2, 2009 9:42 AM PST
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PrintAs I slept on last night's game and woke up again, I realized something. There was a tingling going on inside me which had nothing to do with the Tabasco-infused artichoke dip I ate before bedtime. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in this same way in a long time. It was...pride.
Now I hesistate to say this for fear of jinxing the team (and maybe I am). It's WAAAAY too early for anything resembling satisfaction. March will be a pivotal month as far as playoff seeding. April will be tough all around. The Blazers haven't really done anything yet. But throw me a bone. My team's been in the cellar for five years. We've had some good wins in that time. Heck, we've had good wins aplenty this year. We've had wins that made me happy, wins that made me excited, even wins that made my jaw drop in disbelief. But last night's win was the first in forever that made me really proud of this team...that kind of proud that makes you tingle inside and breathe a little deeper and walk around with a knowing half-smile on your face.
The Blazers needed the bounce-back win and they got it. They needed to show themselves, the league, and the world that they are a threat to take a playoff slot. They did that. What's more they didn't fool around. They were merciless and pounded the opponent into submission, not letting up until San Antonio had tapped out, doing it with defense of all things. This was a really, really good win. It needs to be said again the morning after. Well done.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Completely agree....my roomate and I kept on wondering who was playing the Spurs
Because they were playing with an intensity I hadn’t seen before
Gosh darn it
I missed the whole entire game. I returned home at 7:22 and there was a commercial on the Blazers channel. For a minute I wondered whether there was any game left to be played. Then the commercials kept going for a long time and I knew the game was over because they don’t run such long commercials during crunch minutes near the end of game. So my wondering shifted to wondering whether the Blazers might possibly have pulled out the victory. I was in full doubt mode — until the two Mikes came on for some postgame chat and lo and behold they said it was a great Blazer victory and I smiled. Yes I became happy. A resounding victory. The reason to be proud is we showed that our team can be coldly efficient and coldly dominant. Not just beating them with energy and hustly, but beating them with efficiency and domination and smart plays.
In The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin uses the phrase "survival of the fittest" only twice. He uses the word "love," by contrast, over ninety times. Darwin never wrote about "selfish genes." For Darwin, the main force behind human evolution is survival of the most compassionate, not survival of the fittest. Human evolution is driven by moral sensitivity, or love.
More than just pride.
This was the first game that gave us a glimpse into what this team will become one day, and it was good.
I had to listen to the game. I wanted to watch it so badly that I almost called Comcast to order League Pass. First-half audio feed was Wheels. Second-half was the Spurs announcing team. Wow, those guys are so much better!
Wish i could've seen the game
but not as much as i wish i knew some spurs fans to rub it in! Loved the game recap. made me grin ear to ear the entire time.
Every child must be encouraged to get as much education as he has the ability to take. We want this not only for his sake-but for the nation's sake. Nothing matters more to the future of our country: not military preparations-for armed might is worthless if we lack the brain power to build a world of peace; not our productive economy-for we cannot sustain growth without trained manpower; not our democratic system of government-for freedom is fragile if citizens are ignorant.
-President Lyndon B. Johnson
Come on Michelle!!! hahaha
first time of being really proud? no way I can believe that….these kids have done this team right…win or lose, i’m really proud of them for bringing all my families and friends back to Rip City.
Yes on Proposition #9 (RLEC must go!!!!)
nm...i read it wrong...i think your sentiments were about "pride" in the way they are winning.
Yes on Proposition #9 (RLEC must go!!!!)
Last night's game was the first
that convinced me that Portland’s roster as-is may be good enough to get it done.
I wish Portland would push the pace like they did in the first quarter against every opponent. I’m not talking SSOL pushing, but don’t pound a hole in the floor by dribbling out the clock waiting for someone to get open.
what a minute...ur photo looks eerily similar to another Edger
Yes on Proposition #9 (RLEC must go!!!!)
This game is a good illustration...
Of why I was so peeved at the attitudes last week that 1 win out of three would be acceptable. This team can play with anyone. If they had had a different attitude I think the Houston game would have been considered imminently winnable as would the SA game once it was known Tim Duncan was out. Instead it felt as if they went into both those games expecting to lose.
I don’t know that the team actually shared those feelings but it certainly seemed like they did. They can play with and win against any team in the league. They need to start carrying that attitude.
"You are never (fanatically) dedicated to something you have complete confidence in." Robert Pirsig
I see your point
But in the same token, you got to figure that, it is, but it isn’t a big deal when you lose to a playoff team on the road. No matter how you try to rationalize it, the truth is that every team in the NBA except the Rockets and the Spurs could have went 1-2 against those three teams last week. It’s not that it is acceptable, it’s just that it is somewhere between probable and expected.
I hate losses, but I’m not going to get bent out of shape if the Blazers lose to a proven playoff team on the road. I don’t know the real odds, but in my head, I give the Blazers about a 30% chance of winning those games and about a 65% chance of winning against the same team at home.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
We could really bolster our chances
of making it into the second round if we could grab the third or fourth seed.
I'd like that
We already know the Blazers will make the playoffs anything after that is gravy.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
I'm not talking about losing the game...
I’m talking about being defeated before you enter the arena. There’s a big difference. One is acceptable, the other is not.
"You are never (fanatically) dedicated to something you have complete confidence in." Robert Pirsig
No way the Blazers were "defeated before they entered the arena' in Houston or SA
But they may have been unprepared to deal with the combination of unfamiliar, unfriendly venues, road officiating, and determined, veteran defensive pressure. They STILL may not be.
Last night was a nice step forward, but that was a HOME GAME. There’s a reason so many good teams dread Texas road swings. It’s tough to win down there—for ANYONE. In time—maybe this season—the Blazers will be ready to win road games against tough teams. But not even championship contenders win those games on a consistent basis.
Anything over .500 on the road against top opposition in the NBA borders on the miraculous. There’s just so many things working against you—particularly home cooking by the officials.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
DEEEEE-Fense!
Two straight games with excellent team defense!
I have no idea what they’ll do in the playoffs (hell, I’m not 100% sold that they’ll make it), but when they play D like that, they’re a load. Just a very hard team to beat.
I hope that they can sustain the effort after a big win.
by Hawthorne Wingo on Mar 2, 2009 10:00 AM PST reply actions
Exactly.
I hope that they can sustain the effort after a big win.
Portland needs to build on a quality win like this one. Learn the lesson that pushing the pace does not always lead to rushed shots or turnovers. Portland’s offense is often predictable so it’s great if the Blazers can hustle down to get the offense going before the defense (duh-fense) is set up. Portland bogged down in the second half when Sergio was in because he never seems to push the ball when he gets it in the back-court.
Pffft
Our scoring in the 4th quarter is fine if Rudy doesn’t miss 3 consecutive WIDE OPEN 3s. More importantly, you need someone to push the ball with you. LA/Batum weren’t in the game at that point and they really seem to be the two that run the break well.
Apparently Henry Abbott shares your feelings Dave
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-38-255/Pace-in-Action.html
I am a Blazer fan, and have long intellectualized the idea that this young roster would one day be a championship contending team. But sometimes making plans into realities is about seeing, feeling, and touching the future. Last night’s first-quarter was the first time I have ever had a real idea what that would look like and feel like when this team emerges into greatness.
This should be a fanshot :)
Proud Odensheeple
He'd crap himself if Sergio was part of that title.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
Dinner and a DVR
The Game was on when we took my mother out for her 80th birthday dinner.
She appologized for us missing the game, but we just smiled and said that is why we have the DVR. She watches the Blazers too…and probably would have be ok with pizza and the game, but it was her 80th you know…
All the way home, we wouldn’t turn on the radio and then got worried that if the game ran long we’d miss the end because the DVR would shut off at 7:30…but got it all, excellent dessert…
Awe, your mom sounds like a cool old person
Tell her I said happy birthday.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
It was a beautiful game....
And it looked even better when the Spurs simply became thuggish in the 2nd half as they were being blown out. Loved the comments by the Mikes on TV that it looked like a knife fight mid-way through the first quarter.
I'm really happy about the win too, but....
we already know that the Blazers are good when,
1. Aldridge and Roy both have their shot going. This frees the rest of the team for easier shots themselves.
2. The opposing team can’t hit an open outside shot that night. The Blazers defense had something to do with that… they were covering their rotations much better and helping each other out a lot more than I’ve been used to seeing. But still, the Spurs missed a lot of shots they would normally hit.
The Spurs are famous for laying a few goose eggs over the course of the regular season. It’s part of their ‘pacing’ strategy on their way to making the playoffs. Popovich didn’t really need this win like the Blazers and surrendered the game pretty early on. I have a feeling that the Spurs have an extra gear or 2 in them that they didn’t show us last night.
So, I’m happy about the win, but let’s not delude ourselves into believing that the Blazers have made some amazing breakthrough. This team is still very young and inconsistent. I’d like to see a few more games with this new and improved defensive intensity before I concede that this might not be a fluke.
You do have a point
The Spurs won so easily in San Antonio that you had to know they’d be a tad overconfident last night. They were totally unprepared for a Blazer team firing on all cylinders; they hadn’t seen that before. Result—a home blowout.
But the time for having the buttons burst off our chests with pride will come when the Blazers go into San Antonio, Boston, or LA and beat the tar out of one of those teams in their own building. Not that I don’t believe that could happen now. Last night was a VERY impressive performance, from the coaching staff right down thru the line-up.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
I'm with you
I think the reason the Spurs lost, not counting the Blazers playing well, was the addition of Duncan. I don’t have stats to prove it, but I believe that a team is tougher and better the day after a star goes down than the day he comes back. The Spurs don’t strike me as a team that gets overconfident. The Blazers already beat the Spurs at home, they were ready, they just had to deal with Duncan mucking up their rhythm.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
Who's that and why do we trust people who make up stats?
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
Good point. Pelton and his ilk
could make-up stats to show that Hawaii is a suburb of Portland and I wouldn’t be able to prove him wrong.
No they couldn't
People just like to believe that stats can be made up for anything so that they can ignore stats that are fact based. :-)
That's my biggest problem with new stats
People “run the numbers” and suddenly there are numbers next to people names and we’re expected to trust them. I’m not saying we shouldn’t, just that I don’t understand why folks are more skeptical.
That guy who’s always talking football stats with Bill Simmons does all kinds of crazy things. If some player’s numbers don’t match what we see, he just splits the season, or adds some other thing to make his numbers match what we all see. It reminds me of the BSC, which is another reason I’m skeptical of new stats.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
You should always be skeptical
But that doesn’t mean that new data can’t be very useful.
In sports one way to make stats work is to figure out what logic makes sense before running the numbers. If the numbers don’t work, don’t go switching thing around until they do. Post-Hoc is meh.
This guy is clearly just trying to keep his job by creating cool stats that people want to see. He’s a sham!
I agree about the returning-star-syndrome
But—for what it’s worth—Popovich himself said that his team had been overconfident going into last night’s game. He referred to their “laizzez-faire” approach. (First time I’ve heard that term applied to the NBA…)
The overconfidence factor isn’t restricted to young teams. You see it every year in the late rounds of the playoffs. Winning an game against a determined, talented NBA team takes such a determined, focused effort that it’s only human to let down vs a team you just handled with ease. You can guard against it all you want: you just won’t play as hard as you do when YOU’RE the team that just got whipped.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
I can see that
And I missed that Pop quote earlier.
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
I felt proud too.
And I think we are probably going to make the playoffs. Trying to ignore the homers that talk about a four seed. But beginning to hope that we could do better than an 8. One day at a time!
I had the same feeling, Dave.
I was watching the highlights on YouTube and it gave me chills to see all of the Blazers play as a cohesive unit. Seeing them compared to earlier, heck even last week, is like night and day.
All I want is for them to get some playoff experience. If they continue to play with that fire and hustle, they’ll get it.
I miss Marty. Come back soon!
This is the reason that blogger guy from that team I already forgot about hates us and this is the same reason I love us.
Go Blazers!
It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it's told.
that guy
is just jealous
Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. - William Shakespeare
Roses are red
violets in bloom
Sophia’s in love
with Nicholas Batum
-Bow4Meow
by BlazerFan1 on Mar 2, 2009 12:49 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Perfecctly encapsulates my feelings
I’m surprised I didn’t cry after last nights game. It was close :)
"His name is Jeremiah Johnson and they say he wanted to be a mountain man." -Neil Everett
Dave
too bad you missed the wave.
:)
Sophia
Though patience be a tired mare, yet she will plod. - William Shakespeare
Roses are red
violets in bloom
Sophia’s in love
with Nicholas Batum
-Bow4Meow
little late to the party..but ...my 2 cents for those that don't have me blocked......
HA!!
And I’m a premadonna who needs lypo suction…..
Tell me this…..would we have won the game if in the second quarter half of the made shots we made were misses?…..
NO DEFENSE about it, PARKER was still able to drive the lane…HE was still able to run baseline at will, Duncan was able to get any deep post position he wanted….. FILLEBERTO was able to fling up shots like a ballerina does her too too…
WE did not win this game with Defense…..We played the same crap switch on everything zone, loose man to man where we let the guards fire off 3’s unopposed, we collapsed anytime a big got the ball in the paint, and left the perimeter completely un checked…we’re lucky that sanantonios offense wasn’t clickin and their shots weren’t falling.
This game had offense written all over it, our shots were being taken with 8 or more seconds left on our shot clock, our guys were leaking out and running like a young team should against an older team….
We just executed our offense better this time around and our shots went in ……
We won on an offensive effort (Brandon driving to the hole from the jump…Lamacus pounding the ball into the paint and hitting em)…and our D was adequate at best…..
If ¼ the shots that went in didn’t ……the game would have been more telling on how we won…it was an excellent offensive executed game,….our offense was greater than their defense…..not the other way around. Imo.
But heck yes dave, I was floating on pride last night…almost didn’t even need the bed that’s how comfortable I was on the cloud I was on.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
We see it differently
There’s a huge difference between a tightly contested shot and an uncontested shot in terms of percentage made. Last night in the first half the Blazers were executing their offense so well that a high percentage of the shots were falling. They were getting wide open looks.
Watch the 3rd qtr again and you’ll see, especially LMA’s, the shots were more closely contested by the Spurs and the offensive production fell. This is why I disagree with Roy and the boys when they say that their shots were just falling in this game and not the last though they were the same shots. The difference was the level they were being contested.
Conversely the Spurs shots were tightly contested for the first 3 qtrs and that’s why they weren’t falling compared to last week. It wasn’t merely that they were having an off shooting night.
Yes, the Blazers made shots they could’ve missed and the Spurs missed shots they could’ve made but give the same levels of defensive and offensive execution by the Blazers they would win that game every time, maybe not by a blowout, but they would win.
Spanish Main: The point of departure for enormous wealth in the form of gold, silver, gems, spices, hardwoods, hides, alley-oops, assists and three pointers.
and if we played in san antonio?
same results?…..
test!!!!!!
lets say that you and I took the same number of shots from the same spot on the floor, with the same 20 foot baracade in front of us (imagine a shaq, or an oden even guarding us)….(same posture, same everything,…almost exact except for the people taking the shots)….. I’ll miss quite a few becuase I suck at shooting….
(for arguements sake you’re a much better shooter than I)…..what was the diffrence between the shots I took and the shots you took?…..NOTHING!!..but you’re a much better player than I…
hence your offensive game won that match up….
Offense wins these contests despite the kind of lock down D the defender brings….
now we run the same drill without a 20 foot wall……similar results due to your and my ….offensive capability….
right?
but just remember I’m dumb, and a tuff guy ;) ……(seriously guy’s and girls,I haven’t a clue but this just feels wrong thinking the way is through Defense)
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
This is off the top of my head but...
Given a 20 ft. wall I think we’d both miss and since neither of us are used to shooting over 20 ft. walls it’d boil down more to luck.
But, anyway, there aren’t 20 ft static walls, the walls are always moving. The point is the Blazers were executing their offense to the point where there were huge open windows in the wall for them to shoot through while the Spurs had much smaller windows to shoot through because the Blazers were executing their defense at such a high level. That’s why, even if the Spurs are better at shooting the ball, they lose.
Spanish Main: The point of departure for enormous wealth in the form of gold, silver, gems, spices, hardwoods, hides, alley-oops, assists and three pointers.
Or in other words
The Spurs were taking much harder shots than the Blazers were, or the Blazers were taking much easier shots than the Spurs depending on whose perspective you want to take. Given that scenario the Blazers would win every time.
Spanish Main: The point of departure for enormous wealth in the form of gold, silver, gems, spices, hardwoods, hides, alley-oops, assists and three pointers.
:)
fine, …..no 20 foot wall…. :(
let’s try a greg oden with a broom ……
what was so hard about them shots they WERE taking…..really..I mean don’t the spurs train taking shots without defenders on them? After all it is basketball and ya just can’t expect the opposing team to just lay down and let you run the ball to the hole….
is it really that easy to thow an nba team out of sync?
no our offense kept us on track…and anytime the spurs made a small couple of buckets….OUR offense just earned em back and told the spurs to stay down, they ain’t got a chance in this one……and our d was addiquate.
……or our young team is a defensive jugernaut that was able to shed the soft tag for just one night, and quickly put their tag back on after leaving the garden for the next game………
it’s our team getting better …..but right now, it’s our offense that is better ..and is winning us games.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
Jon ignore Faith
He justs talks about defense not mattering to rile people up. His arguments are filled with holes and typically lack a basis in reality, but that doesn’t stop him.
Let him live with the mindset that Defense is irrelevant and offense in all that matters. Even a 2 year old could tell that Parker wasn’t getting the same looks Sunday as he was in San Antonio.
Besides, even when you DO get the same looks
You don’t hit them at a high percentage when you’re having to work twice as hard and move twice as fast in order to get them. Players tend to shoot well when they’re relaxed and in rhythm—not when they’re being pushed, shoved, and harrassed all over the court. There’s a reason the Blazers missed all those open shots in SA and that the Spurs missed all those open shots last night. That reason is effective defense.
I will throw Faith one little bone, though: had last night’s game been played in SA, it would have looked different. Travel, road food and accomodations, an unfamiliar court & lighting, hostile fans, “home-cooking” officiating—all those factors and more would have mitigated against a Blazers’ rout. But that’s not to say the Spurs would have won. The game would have been close—nothing like the previous game down in San Antonio.
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
and if we played the game that was played in san antonio in portland?...
the spurs would have won…but it’d have been close?
ahhhh…I get it now. /s
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
lol...ummm hu....yeah, I just wanna pee in everyones cornflakes ......
whatever floats your boat….
tell me then becuase I’m such an idiot….what besides location was the diffrence between the two games?
we go to sanantonio, and our lock down defense wasn’t enough……
yet in portland it was?….
I think anyone who watched both games will know neither of them cases is true.
BUT …..we can say that our offensive production in the game in portland was far more productive than it was in sanantonio….
why?…becuase the swath that is san antonio’s D just decided not to show up in portland….(with their all defensive team center/power forward back) ….or …that we decided to turn it on and light the candles on their cake with our non stop attack.
When your offense looks good, and puts more points up than your oposition,….it’s easy to say your Defense was that much of a diffrence…..but when you lose…..lol…yeah it sure was some great D.
holes in my argument?….please by all means bring them to everyones attention.
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
I have in the past
You’ve ignored it, I’m not going to keep running in circles. Just giving Jon a heads up.
I didn't just ignore it,
I read it even. :) it just didn’t seem compelling enough for me to change the fabric of the nba…put ball in basket ;)
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
Probability
It’s more probable to hold a team to zero than it is to score max points on every possession.
Thus, defense wins games!
Seriously though, neither of us is changing our stance here, so for the sake of sanity/niceness I am just not going to question you on this anymore.
kk...(for the sake of niceness ;)
I’ll settle for that, but still…..
I think it’s important to play d (even if you suck at it)….just not as important as running solid offensive sets every time down the floor….
The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.
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