First seek to understand, then be understood

by Engineering Problem on Apr 25, 2009 12:48 AM PDT

I love this quote and feel it's applicable to the situation we now find ourselves in. It's easy to second guess decisions, shots, and game strategy. There are a lot of angry threads right now, but I'm going to start this one with the assumption that Nate, 4th in NBA coach of the year voting, knows perhaps slightly more about the game than myself, who comes in armed with a HDTV, cheetos, and a pickup game that's basically Steve Kerr without the jumper. Here it goes:

Rudy should have played more: Maybe this had something to do with zero rebounds and ineffective D? Rudy has to be set up - he doesn't get shots by accident. Perhaps Nate felt LMA wouldn't get off running those sets. Could it have to do with not wanting to put the too many eggs in the 3 ball?

Trout should have been benched: Wasn't this guy in the running for 6th man? Isn't his specialty running up points when regular offense breaks down? I'm not a huge fan of +/-, but he did lead the team with +13. I'm going to guess that Nate didn't want to bench his third leading scorer on a night where his D isn't a liability (Artest never really got it going).

Blake should have passed to Rudy: Blake generally has excellent shot selection. Maybe he was just feelin' it at that moment. Rudy either gets a quick shot or needs help from bigs to get open. The circumstances of that play didn't allow for either.

LaMarcus should take it inside more: Hmm, by all accounts, LMA is a ferocious worker and pretty hard on himself. Doesn't seem like someone who would loaf his way into poor post position. Perhaps Scola, with his greasy locks and stooped posture, is actually effective at denying position? Maybe LMA needs to get stronger?

Greg needs to foul less: Maybe Nate isn't worried too much about the fouls, as long as he has 48 minutes of effective center play. Is it possible the disorganized havoc that extends in a 6' radius around Greg is worth the fouls? There's also the observation that most every good defensive center was a foul machine at the outset.

My point is, there's a whole lot that we don't know and should seek to understand. If you have explanations for the various Blazers' strategies, please share them below.

Go Blazers!

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Comments

Trout

was in the 6 th man of the year running but in this series he has stunk! Well except for a few play sprinkled in.

by Odenrising on Apr 25, 2009 12:52 AM PDT reply actions

great post

Nate is a great coach. Can he teach the team how to play 5 equally large opponents and 3 whistle blowing cowards?

My fear towards the end of the game was that the referees would hand baseball bats to houston defenders and tell them “Go get them for Deke”. (Of course Deke wouldn’t approve, he’s a great guy, but he’s taken dumps that had more integrity than the three refs combined)

by lurtsman on Apr 26, 2009 9:16 PM PDT up reply actions

Thoughtful title/Fantastic post

thanks for this

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West
"una canasta a Pau en la cara" Rudy

by Honka Playboy on Apr 25, 2009 1:03 AM PDT reply actions

I think Nate's game plan was great

it just was not executed.

by svlittle on Apr 25, 2009 1:06 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs

agreed.

The players took turns making a few key mistakes.

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
-John Wooden
If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat.
-Herschel Walker

Go Blazerss!!! Playoff time!

by DaNoose on Apr 25, 2009 1:11 AM PDT up reply actions

responses

Rudy should have played more:
I don’t think Rudy’s D hurt us tonight, certainly not that I noticed. As for rebounding, it’s not like Travis was doing that either. I actually think Rudy is more than capable of setting up his own shots (and shots for others), but we don’t allow him to try to do so very often at all.

Trout should have been benched:
Outlaw’s been pretty terrible for three straight games now. Time to mix it up.

Blake should have passed to Rudy:
It was an ill advised shot. there was time to set up a better play

LaMarcus should take it inside more:
I actually put this on the play calling. LaMarcus positions himself according to the play calls. We call a LOT of pick and pops at the three point line and not so many LMA postups.

Greg needs to foul less:
Well, he does. He commits 2-3 really silly fouls per game. Knock those out and the other ones won’t matter.

How did you guys win that?
"We scored enough points. We scored 107, they scored 105.
-Nate McMillan Postgame, 3/4/2009

by douglast on Apr 25, 2009 1:12 AM PDT reply actions

I agree with you

across the board. Well said!

Engineering Problem did have a zinger and a half though:

…myself, who comes in armed with a HDTV, cheetos, and a pickup game that’s basically Steve Kerr without the jumper.

"Death is not final," Gita says. "If any man thinks that he slays, and if another thinks that he is slain, neither knows the truth. The Eternal in man cannot kill: the Eternal in man cannot die. The soul in man is neither born nor does it die. Weapons cannot cut it; fire cannot burn it; water cannot drown it.

The Bhagavad Gita

Rudy is amazing to have survived not only the Ariza flagrant but also several attempts by snipers to end his life (look for it at second 30 and again later. Credit to Norkstroll for this incredible documetary footage!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siKWh0DkCz8

by Idog1976 on Apr 26, 2009 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions

is this part of the "Seven Habits of Highly Emotional Blazer Fans"

by tominrehab on Apr 25, 2009 1:28 AM PDT reply actions

Lol!

by jayfisher on Apr 25, 2009 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Rec'd for

who comes in armed with a HDTV, cheetos, and a pickup game that’s basically Steve Kerr without the jumper.

Everybody was a baby once, Arthur. Oh, sure, maybe not today, or even yesterday. But once. Babies, chum: tiny, dimpled, fleshy mirrors of our us-ness, that we parents hurl into the future, like leathery footballs of hope. And you've got to get a good spiral on that baby, or evil will make an interception.

by shenanigans on Apr 25, 2009 7:11 AM PDT reply actions

I meant to add

that I think LaMarcus is thinking again. Not playing. He needs to relax. I think it will come in time, and I hope it does before the end of this series.

About Blake’s shot to seal our fate, I think he was trying to get a shot off before getting fouled. If Blake gets fouled before taking the shot, Portland gets two free throws, and is really hard pressed to decide their own fate. Obviously, Blake should have got a better shot than the debacle he hoisted, but I think that was where his mind was at.

by shenanigans on Apr 25, 2009 7:16 AM PDT up reply actions

Good point about Blake's shot

hadn’t seen that mentioned before

by Engineering Problem on Apr 25, 2009 10:42 AM PDT up reply actions

I would say that is probably not it

as there is a lot of talk of the viability of fouling when a team is up by 3, but it rarely happens as it is not a smart thing to do, especially with so much time on the clock. This would be an especially dangerous tactic against a good offensive rebounding team. To me, end of the game situations come down to ball control and clock management. By fouling, especially with 17sec left, you are giving the Blazers a chance to score with clock stopped and you give the Blazers more potential to control the game. Neither of these are beneficial for the Rockets.

I was thinking a little more about Blake’s shot, and I would possibly say that it may have been due to the fact that we have a hard time setting up in the half court against the Rockets so maybe Blake thought rushing a shot was better than letting the D set. I dont know. To me it seems like a poor play anyway you slice it as in this situation the Rockets will usually guard the 3 point line and let the offense get 2 and then let it come down to free throws. Also, we had no one under the basket to rebound a miss! That is something you need to take into consideration when putting up a shot like that. In this case it was a low percentage shot that was nearly impossible to rebound. Not a good possession and one I imagine Blake would like to take back

PS I still love Steve Blake

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Apr 26, 2009 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions

History is written by results,

if he makes that shot, he’s heralded a hero.

http://janean.mybrute.com/

by Screen Name on Apr 26, 2009 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions

No guarantee we take that game even if he hits that shot. He took it with way too much time on the clock, among other things. I would argue that he could have hit that shot and we still label it a bad shot due to the fact that he took it way too early.

Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.

by jonestr on Apr 26, 2009 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions

This should be in the top sidebar

I’m not sure if setting the recs to 10 was the greatest idea. 7 is hard enough to get, especially when the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch explodes on the Bedge sidebar.

Ah, Dave knows best, I suppose.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on Apr 25, 2009 5:36 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks

It would be ideal if we could change our personal settings for number of “top” fanposts and the threshold of recs…

by Engineering Problem on Apr 25, 2009 7:19 PM PDT up reply actions

Fatty's ridiculous post somehow got 7 recs

I like 10 a lot more.

by Zaig on Apr 26, 2009 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

'for it is better to understand, then to be understood...

St Francis, very nice.

http://janean.mybrute.com/

by Screen Name on Apr 25, 2009 11:11 PM PDT reply actions

From Lao Tzu comes the following wisdom:

Those who know (the Tao), do not speak. Those who speak, do not know (the Tao).

-Lao Tzu

The Bhagavad Gita

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siKWh0DkCz8

by Idog1976 on Apr 26, 2009 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions

...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_of_Saint_Francis

I was given this a while back. It makes for an interesting meditation if your inclined that way.

http://janean.mybrute.com/

by Screen Name on Apr 26, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions

I am sorry but.....

….of all those points (that I mostly aggree with), Steve should have tried to get a pick or something and get a clean look or a pass off to Rudy or even LMA (both had hit big threes) with little less time left on the clock (maybe about 5 secs or so left, to allow for a rebound and another try). Additionally it huge mistake to let the Houston player get loose that caused Roy to have to foul him. If Roy is in the game he would have made the right read.

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

by 92wastheyear on Apr 26, 2009 8:10 AM PDT reply actions