Game 81 Preview: Thunder vs. Blazers

by Dave on Apr 13, 2009 12:38 AM PDT

The Blazers just played the Thunder 10 days ago. The loss we pinned on them started a streak of losing 5 of 6 for them. They bring a 22-58 record into this game, including a 7-32 mark on the road.

Other than the extra losses, their team hasn't changed much since our last preview, which should clue you in just in case you're seeing Oklahoma City for the first time tonight.

However what would usually be a mundane matchup at home is magnfied into hyper-critical status by the Blazers' situation. Portland is locked in a three-way tie for seeding rights with Houston and San Antonio and lies a single game behind division-rival Denver. The words are tossed around too frequently. Here's hoping they haven't been robbed of their impact entirely. This is a must-win game for Portland. As long as the Blazers win they continue to hold their destiny in their own hands as far as homecourt advantage in the first round. One loss makes the path exponentially steeper.

The keys to the game were set out pretty well in the prior preview:

Dominate the interior.
Throw different defenders and defensive looks at Durant.
Run them.
Deny the drive, not worrying about their deep shooting until they prove they can beat you with it.
Overwhelm them with bench scoring.

To these five points I'd add a sixth: Don't given them even a moment's chance to remember that before this year they were the Seattle Supersonics and a fierce division rival. If these guys were wearing green and gold tonight I'd be legitimately concerned about their potential for playing spoiler. I don't even want to see a shred of a hint of a ghost of those uniforms tonight. These are the Thunder. Just keep repeating that.

See what the Thunder have to say at WelcometoLoudCity.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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Go Blazers!

by StuckeyDuck on Apr 13, 2009 12:50 AM PDT reply actions

Great preview

Bad Link. Loud city has a comma instead of a period, FYI.

by undutchable on Apr 13, 2009 1:05 AM PDT reply actions

Fixed

Thanks!

—Dave

by Dave on Apr 13, 2009 1:22 AM PDT up reply actions

Gotta cover Westbrook.

I don’t typically give rookies the benefit of focus. But after seeing Eric Gordon single handedly take the game into his hands, I don’t want a repeat with Westbrook. He just has nothing to lose. Make sure he is not going off and get him to make mistakes. He can be dangerous.

by dpnim on Apr 13, 2009 2:32 AM PDT reply actions

If I was Nate

I would put Batum on Westbrook becuase he is the Blazers best defender. I’m not so worried about Durant becuase while he scores a lot of points, he usually takes a lot of shots to accomplish this. I think you’re right that we should be more worried about Westbrook. Durant is not going to single-handedly beat us so I would play him man-to-man and nothing special and let him get his. But this game is all about us being focused, and just taking of care of our business. This is a must-win and it doesn’t matter how we win.

by Blazer Fan From Ohio on Apr 13, 2009 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions

Must win game

by tominhawaii on Apr 13, 2009 4:36 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs

fer sher.

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Apr 13, 2009 5:31 AM PDT up reply actions

REC!

by Zaig on Apr 13, 2009 8:34 AM PDT up reply actions

I wouldn't want to touch Robert Swift.

I’d probably take a Pinesol bath if I had is sweat on me after playing against him.

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Apr 13, 2009 5:31 AM PDT reply actions

As a third-string center next season, the Portland Trail Blazers could do way worse than Robert Swift.

by AK1984 on Apr 13, 2009 8:02 AM PDT up reply actions

provided he was given a proper bath and had all his shots updated.

I’d want the rest of the team vaccinated against whatever he’s carrying as well.
ick.

Rudyculize: The act of Rudy making others look slow, dim and generally oafish.
http://www.myspace.com/y5k

by Y5k on Apr 13, 2009 8:04 AM PDT up reply actions

swift v. birdman?

i don’t have words to describe it

by cornplant on Apr 13, 2009 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Would Paul Allen pay for a full body laser tattoo removal over the off-season?

Greg Oden = Robert Parish (HOF, 4x NBA champion, 9x NBA All-Star). The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946.

by Norsktroll on Apr 13, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions

OT

The Spurs should’ve lost last night to the Kings, or at least gone to OT, but the refs counted a three by Michael Finley to win that was at least half a second after the shot clock buzzer. Reviews were clear (it was clear in real time, actually), but shot clock violations are for some inexplicable reason not reviewable.

Unfortunate.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Apr 13, 2009 8:17 AM PDT reply actions

Missed Dave's post about this, my bad.

Should’ve known he had it covered.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Apr 13, 2009 8:30 AM PDT up reply actions

Ouch

I understand your last paragraph, Dave, but it just hurts me to see it written so plainly like that. I feel for Seattle, and really really wish there were still a team there. I can’t hate on the OKC players or fans, because I actually quite like them, but I’m still fuming mad at their management. That was just one more nail in the Sonics’ coffin that you wrote….

< /war >

by Diesel10 on Apr 13, 2009 8:21 AM PDT reply actions

Don't given them even a moment's chance to remember that before this year they were the Seattle Supersonics and a fierce division rival

Not much “we” can do about Seattle fans who wear green/yellow uniforms to the RG

by two4larue on Apr 13, 2009 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions

those folks are likely to be

firmly on our side

"You're welcome friend
I love you."
- Tom "Dragline" inHawaii

by 92wastheyear on Apr 13, 2009 9:23 AM PDT up reply actions

I wouldn't be so sure

Maybe I’m projecting my feelings here…but I’ll usually root for another team to knock my “rival” down a peg or two when possible, especially if the players on that “other” team were kids I had cheered for a year ago

This is a touchy subject, but I can’t imagine travelling up to Seattle to root for one of their teams, unless they were perhaps playing a “rival” of one of my favorite teams (the Packers, for instance) in a meaningful game

by two4larue on Apr 13, 2009 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions

I wish there were a team back in Seattle too

But tonight I’m making an exception. I’m kind of self-centered when it comes to not having them derail our playoff seeding run. The Sonics once would have delighted in doing just that. The Thunder? Pah. Fugh. Ptooey.

—Dave

by Dave on Apr 13, 2009 9:26 AM PDT up reply actions