LA Times: Team You Don’t Want In The First Round: Portland
by DephlatorMouse on Mar 27, 2009 4:00 PM PDT
28 comments
Pity the Houston Rockets, who could be bounced in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Maybe that is a bad example because the Rockets slump every year right after tax day, just like the swallows coming back to Capistrano. But we could just as well end up pitying San Antonio or Denver or New Orleans.
We should pity whoever gets the Portland Trailblazers in the first round, because that is going to be one tough out and is likely to go seven games.
The young Blazers have turned the Rose Garden into a fortress, having recently beat the Lakers, Spurs and last night the Suns there. And the Spurs and Suns didn’t just lose, they got blown out. The Suns came in a team desperate for wins just to make the playoffs, and they were down 8 at halftime and just got steamrolled in the third quarter.
To beat the Blazers in a best of seven, you had better defend your home court because you know they are going to defend theirs. Portland is 29-7 at home and starting to play their best basketball now. After years of disappointment in Portland — from the era of the “jailblazers” to the struggles of Greg Oden — they are ready to rally behind their team. That arena is going to e rockin’ for the first round.
And the Blazers have the talent to steal a game on the road, too. Brandon Roy is one of the best, most physical ball handling guards in the league. Not only can he drive with quickness, but he is so strong it is hard to keep him off the spots he wants to get to on the floor.
LaMarcus Aldridge has quietly become one of the best, most efficient power forwards in the game. Steve Blake can bomb away from deep if you collapse your defense on Roy or Aldridge. The Blazers have one of the most active benches around, with Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez, not to mention the ball of energy that is Travis Outlaw.
And all of those guys just seem to play a little better in the Pacific Northwest.
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The Eastern Conference has more championship-caliber teams at the top, but there is nobody in the bottom half of the bracket that remotely scares Boston or Cleveland. The first round in the East will be primarily exercise for the best teams. The West may only have the Lakers as contenders, but rest assured they do not want Portland in the first round. Los Angeles hasn’t won in Portland in four years.
And they don’t want to have to find out how to do it in the playoffs. Nobody does. Which is why we should pity Houston — the current match up — or whoever draws the Blazers in the first round. There may not be a second round for them.
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i love how he fails to mention that the lakers were blown out too
"There are a few teams you have to watch out for in the fourth quarter."
"Yeah, but Portland definitely is not one of them."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters at the end of the third quarter with the Hornets leading 74-59. Portland later ends up winning 97-89.
"They don't mind him shooting that shot at all. Rudy Fernandez is not that great of a 3pt shooter."
-New Orleans Hornets broadcasters right after a Rudy Fernandez missed 3pter. Rudy Fernandez finished the game with three 3pters on six attempts.
by Tofu Anonymous on Mar 27, 2009 4:03 PM PDT reply actions 10 recs
I wondered how he didn't tie that in
that all teams were down by over 20 points. The lakers only closed the gap during trash time after ariza’s assault on Rudy. Anyone else think Oden should change his jersey number and see if the refs still call it on him. Sometimes I think they are trying to call a foul on outlaw or roy and the scorer’s just assume it is Oden. Since Roy and Outlaw almost never have foul trouble…
by lurtsman on Mar 27, 2009 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
something about worst loss of the season?
largest deficit in any game for them this year?
any of that ringing a bell?
it’s all very convenient that he forgot to mention that in the article
"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"
by Magnum on Mar 27, 2009 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
thought the same thing....
Rip City Baby...People have no idea what is coming.
Follow my twitter www.twitter.com/PDXBlazersFTW, @PDXBlazersFTW. Lots of random Blazer Posts from links I find around the blogosphere.
by lanepete on Mar 27, 2009 4:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Strange...
At first I thought my memory was faulty and then I thought it was strange that the author didnt mention that we blew out the Fakers too. Then I felt embarassed for the author for being such a pathetic homer that he couldn’t bring himself to mention it. Pathetic. No spine.
by lawdawgg on Mar 27, 2009 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I kept reading back to see what I missed
Apparently the author just didn’t want to use the “b-word” (as in “blown-out”) with reference to his team. Hilarious!
"We don't back down to nobody." --Joel Przybilla
by hurryup09 on Mar 27, 2009 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
ditto
(keeping the local readers happy I guess)
There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.
Paul Muad'Dib - Dune (Frank Herbert)
My Translation: My Dad is a dude just like me, and my sons are dudes like me also. I love that.
Season Tix: Section 315, with my sons
by johnv59 on Mar 27, 2009 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
profanity flag
Theists think all gods but theirs are false. Atheists simply don't make an exception for the last one.
by TheTinfoil on Mar 27, 2009 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions 6 recs
nice.
go green.
Took me a second…
Give the man his "M"!!!
by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Mar 28, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
"The Lakers are the only contenders in the West"...
Reading the next two paragraphs of the article, This chachi writing this article says that the Lakers are the only contenders in the west… With the Celtics and Cavs in the East being contenders…
So why not just have a 3 game playoff? LA is so arrogant they don’t even look at the Spurs, Rockets, Jazz, Blazers, Nuggets, or Mavs as contenders… this is the West we are talking about that has been so dominate for so long and now the Lakers are the only cream good enough to rise to the top?
I know I know, on paper the fakers are good and they play well… but if there is ANY team of those top 3 contenders that could be upset at any stage of the playoffs… it is the Lakers. I don’t peg them as a sure bet for the NBA finals this year… but that would be a great poll question.
by Portland Dynasty on Mar 27, 2009 4:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Spurs, Rockets, Jazz. They're the only ones who can beat L.A.
...
by BR7formvp on Mar 27, 2009 5:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
and the Blazers
"Sergio and I obtained chalupas to understand their power. Then Sergio showed that each one has 427 calories and 27 grams of fat. Leaping upwards, we reviled the accursed chalupa and its pressure. – Rudy Fernandez
by LetsBlaze on Mar 27, 2009 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blazers match up very, very well with the Lakers. They may not be able to conceive of their own mortality this season, but if they take time to stare into the abyss, they'll see red and black...
Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...
by timbo on Mar 27, 2009 9:40 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
We could be the Fakers worst matchup
The Fakers are probably too deep for San Antonio, who are busy incorporating pieces and arranging retirement home visits.
The Jazz have a shot, but I think they are not versatile enough.
Denver is unlikely to be able to enforce their game, but they have a shot.
The Rockets — don’t see it.
N.O. — doesn’t feel like their year. They seem to lack a piece. I don’t think CP beats Fisher and Co bad enough to offer them any real hope.
The Blazers have two real post players, versus Pao, who is a dominant PF but not a true center. Our bench is at this point probably better and certainly more explosive. I see us giving them fits. I don’t see any really bad heads up match-ups for us. We will make K*be beat us over the top, and he can’t do that every night. If we can stay out on their solid perimeter shooters, we have a real shot.
by LaoTzu on Mar 28, 2009 1:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
well said.
What do they need? Nothing. I think they have it all. -Shaq
by pxilpooshr on Mar 28, 2009 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah Orlando is bad.
They haven’t beaten the Lakers or Celtics all year…
by Zaig on Mar 27, 2009 6:52 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
didn't the magic just beat boston?
not that your point is any less true. also, we would have taken them twice if not for turkeyglue and his last second wish of a nose, er, uh, shot
by llublazerfan on Mar 27, 2009 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So, a four team playoff?
Fakers v Magic
LeBron v Busters
by LaoTzu on Mar 28, 2009 1:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Like I said in another post
“Run for the Title” is the mindset…if you don’t believe you can win you won’t…
Falling short is not failure . . .believing you can’t = total failure…
"Sergio and I obtained chalupas to understand their power. Then Sergio showed that each one has 427 calories and 27 grams of fat. Leaping upwards, we reviled the accursed chalupa and its pressure. – Rudy Fernandez
by LetsBlaze on Mar 28, 2009 7:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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