Full Court Press
by Ben Golliver on Apr 27, 2009 10:16 AM PDT
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PrintHenry Abbott on playoff experience...
But the bigger reason I knew that was Fernandez was because it was a risky thing to do, and he's the one Blazer who has his risk-o-meter set to "playoffs."
Before the Blazers played their first playoff game, there was a group of voices out there betting against Portland simply because of their lack of playoff experience. I still don't know if I buy it -- their three losses have come to a very good Houston team, and two of them have been exceptionally close -- but that rationale is looking smarter than ever. (Also, history shows that while young teams that make the playoffs don't fare as well, young teams with good regular season records do fine.)
The Blazers have played big portions of this playoff series trying to be safe. Not going for the steal. Not throwing the lob. Not fouling.
The playoffs, however, are a bit like a frontier town when the sheriff is on vacation. Predator's delight.
Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably.
Casey Holdahl with a glimmer of hope...
And sure enough, Travis had a question.
"How many points did Artest score?" asked Outlaw.
I was pretty sure I knew what the answer was without looking at the box, but I decided to do a quick check anyway, just to be certain.
As I was scanning the sheet for the answer to Travis' question, Brandon Roy, whose locker is next to Outlaw's on the road, walked over to his stall fresh from the showers. Brandon had heard Travis' question, and he already knew the answer.
"Nine," said Roy. "Ron had nine."
As Roy told Outlaw the news, he put out his hand for a fist bump. The Trail Blazers had lost and Outlaw hadn't had a good night offensively, but Roy was there to offer his congratulations nonetheless.
Casey Holdahl also had a mini-interview with KP.
Jason Quick with the mood of the team...
The loss left the Blazers stunned and disheartened, and nobody tried to hide the sting of a game that firmly established momentum, if not the outcome of the series.
"The guys are down," said Blazers guard Brandon Roy, who continued his standout series with 31 points. "This is tough. Tough. But we feel like our backs are against the wall now, so let's go out and play our hearts out. Not only for ourselves, but for Portland, our fans. We are going to need them more than ever on Tuesday."
Joe Freeman on Travis Outlaw...
With one shot Sunday night, Outlaw could have erased the demons of the disastrous performances he had endured over the first three playoff games of his young career. Instead, the errant shot was added to a pile of postseason disappointment for a player who was so critical to the Blazers' success this season.
From Saturday (prior to Game 4), but Jason Quick delivers a nice story about LaMarcus Aldridge.
"I got into that passive mode of trying to figure out where the double-team was coming from," Aldridge said. "I was like, 'Are they coming? Are they not coming? Are they coming? Are they not coming?'
"When I get into that mode, it's not good," Aldridge said.
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle on the Game 4 win...
Anyway, the Rockets did what really good teams do at home. They dug deep within themselves, regained their resolve and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 89-88 Sunday night to take a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven first-round series.
Do you have a couple of hours? That's how long it would take to run down all the heroes.
Dwight Jaynes asks whether Nate works the officials hard enough...
Honestly, I don't know if this would do any good or not. But Rick Adelman doesn't leave the officials alone. Ever. Never has. Either does Gregg Popovich or Doc Rivers or Phil Jackson. I've covered coaches from both extremes - Adelman, Jack Ramsay and Mike Dunleavy never stopped yapping at them. Mike Schuler, P.J. Carlesimo and now Nate McMillan never said much to them. My thought is this: If it seems as if the other team is getting all the calls, yet they're on the refs all the time - you better go get your saddle and mount up. You better start riding them, too. It seems every time there's a cheap foul on Oden, the camera shifts to McMillan, who is just sitting there on the bench without a peep. At some point, I think he probably ought to take a technical foul.
Dwight Jaynes also calls for a major rotation change...
Fernandez is simply too good to be kept on the bench in this situation. It's a luxury Portland can no longer afford. If there's one change the Blazers should make in Game 5, it's to put Rudy in the starting lineup and get him at least 36 minutes. Look at it this way, if Batum doesn't start, he doesn't play AT ALL. So why is he starting?
Kevin Arnovitz on the hot-shooting Houston role players.
After getting burned by Yao Ming for seven field goals in the first quarter of Game One, Portland has shifted its defensive course, devoting a lot more attention to Yao ever since. For most of the past three games, Portland has deployed what Doug Collins referred to Sunday night as a "sandwich" - one defender fronting Yao (usually Portland's center, Joel Przybilla or Greg Oden), and one playing behind him on the block (usually the power forward, LaMarcus Aldridge). Even when that sandwich has been open-faced, Aldridge hasn't veered too far away from Yao down low.
The strategy has allowed the Blazers to contain Yao reasonably well (14 FGMs in the past 15 quarters), but it puts a lot of pressure on the rest of Portland's defense. With Steve Blake picking up Aaron Brooks as the Rockets get into the offense, that leaves only two Portland defenders to essentially zone up on the remaining three Rockets -- one of which is Houston's power forward, Luis Scola (and his backup, Carl Landry).
Wendell Maxey says Blazers are down... but not out...
It's not in Portland's DNA to lose three-straight games. It's just not.
You'd have to go all the way back to December to find the last time they lost back-to-back-to-back games versus Orlando, at Utah and against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the only time they lost three in a row all season long.
All season long.
Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm has a number of thoughts on this series, including...
Blazers fans were pretty vocal about how they would have the point guard advantage in this series. But the Rockets total frontcourt has been better than the Blazers total frontcourt. Brooks in particular has played really well, and smart within the offense. Blakedoesn't force things, and his numbers were good in Games 2 and 3, but you always feel like Brooks, Wafer, and Lowry are making more plays. Probably need to see a usage breakdown on those guys and a PER look. But hey, it's okay. It's not like the Blazers have a super talented combo guard with devastating speed sitting on the bench who they've buried and who could provide them life. Not at all. FREE BAYLESS.
Matt Moore also has a funny take on NBA blogger game recaps. Worth your time for a chuckle.
Fran Blinebury for Yahoo Sports on Chuck Hayes...
About 19 months ago, when Rick Adelman was preparing to walk into his first training camp as the new head coach of the Houston Rockets, there were a couple of guys on the roster he hoped would soon walk out.
Chuck Hayes was one of them.
After all, how could an offensive-minded coach even think of building a contender with a 6-foot-6 post man on his roster, whose shooting range is not as long as his own arms? How could anybody look at that undersized frame down among the tall trees under the basket and think it would take him anywhere?
Matt Smith from KPTV 12 was in Houston and has a number of nice in-arena blog updates.
PDX Pipeline sends over a funny picture of Blazer Bruce.
John Canzano on Rudy...
Blazers fans chant, "Rudy... Rudy... Rudy..."
Didn't anyone in the Portland huddle think it during the final timeout?
Max Handelman from Beyond Bowie on Game 4 ...
So, I have no pop culture references here. No smirky obsession with some absurd moment in the game. Just a reserved acknowledgement that THAT was a great game, a shame the Blazers couldn't win it, and now we head back to Portland for Game 5.
Mike Barrett blames the refs...
Now then, let's get to the 2,000 pound elephant sitting in the room. The Blazers were on the short end of the calls by the referees, once again. If you read this blog often, you know that I don't usually ever discuss officiating. But, I'm sorry, it's too big a factor in this series to ignore, and I can't figure it out.
Austin Kent from TheGoodPoint.com has a mancrush on Brandon Roy.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
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Hey look, I agree with Dwight for once
All the good coaches work the officals relentlessly. Yeah it’s annoying to watch and it’s kind of neat to see Nate chillin’ on the sideline like Joe Cool. But hounding the refs obviously works for the other guys and spotting the other team points in the game for points on the coolness meter sucks. How many T’s did Nate have this season? I bet the answer is under 3. How can you fire your team up when you’re not fired up? I agree this is a weakness of Nate’s.
Also lol at ‘holding’ Artest to nine points. Artest isn’t an offensive mastermind, in fact he averaged only 17 ppg during the regular season. So congrats Travis, you ‘held’ Artest to 8 under his average and made a bunch of bonehead plays on the other end. Also you didn’t rebound. Or get to the line. Sometimes I wonder if Roy’s friendship with Outlaw doesn’t blind him to the glaring deficiencies in his game.
Blazer Fan
If you haven't noticed
the fact that Travis has played good defence this whole series then I question your credibility as a Blazer fan. Do you even watch the entire game. Yeah Outlaw hasn’t been the offensive threat that he can be so far in the playoffs but it is his first trip in the playoffs. I guarentee Travis Outlaw will play a very large role in the Playoffs in the years to come.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
by lrh86 on Apr 27, 2009 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
The fact you think Travis Outlaw plays good defense makes me question your ability to properly ...
evaluate a given player’s performance on that end of the court.
Now, if you truly want the opportunity to watch superb defense, then check out Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Boston Celtics and the Chicago Bulls. Once you keep an eye on Kirk Hinrich for several mintues, then you’ll actually understand the concept of shutdown defense.
I'm not saying he is a shut down defender
I am saying he is playing decent defence. A lot better than the start of the season. Besides i could care less what you think of Outlaw because it is very obvious you hate him. You have been all over these boards calling him out and blaming the loss on him.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
On the ball defense is one small part of D
It’s the part that Outlaw is passable at.
Defensive rebounding
Help defense
Rotations
Are 3 areas that Outlaw is NOT good at.
I blame the loss on many factors, although Travis Outlaw is one of them.
1. LaMarucs Aldridge not posting up or driving to the hoop often enough and settling for jump shots.
2. Mediocre — albeit not poor — officiating.
3. Travis Outlaw’s all-around craptacular play.
4. Steve Blake’s porous defense.
5. Nate McMillan’s rigid coaching style.
6. Poor roster construction at the end of the bench.
7. Mistakes during crunch-time situations — such Brandon Roy’s iso play last night that led to an offensive foul on him against Chuck Hayes — that’ve proven costly this series.
Again, there are many factors at work here.
And they all add up to one thing...
They win as a team and lose as a team. Too many people point fingers at one player or another after losses. It is a team effort. Everyone has to step up and fill their roles. As far as Nate’s ridgid coaching style, his coaching got the youngest playing rotation in the NBA to the second best record in the west and the fourth seed in the playoffs. Also he has produced the second most efficient offence in the league and the tenth most efficient defence in the league. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
Yeah, Nate McMillan deserves a tons of credit for the team's offensive efficiency ...
during the regular season. As much as I rag on McMillan for the basic simplicity of the high/low zone offense, I still manage to give him kudos for the efficiency behind it. It’s just that, well, I’d like to see an offense that includes a bit more ball movement — such as the flex motion, for example — but that’s never been McMillan’s forte.
I guarantee that...
As the Blazers mature you will see a little more flex offence and flexible substitutions. Also i think that once he has the full trust in his players and their offensive skills you will see a little more fast breaking. If you have a reliable half court offence to fall back on if you don’t get anything on the break the coach will let the players run more.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
The Blazers are "Mature"
we have our “core” group. We need to add one or two top tier vets to the roster. No more waiting for players to “mature”. For example, look what happened when Buck Williams arrived in the trade for Sam Bowie. If we win three in a row and make it to the second round this year, great. Next year with a wile vet or two, we’ll compete for a championship.
Mature?!
The starting line-up at the begining of the year consisted of two rookies, two third year players, and one “vet”. Portland has the youngest playing rotation in the league. Do you really want to revert back to the Trader-Bob days. Sheesh. Show some patience.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
Trader Bob came within one 4th quarter of getting to the Finals...
and he’s still a huge tool
Golly Gee, I sure hope I didn't huwt anybody's feewings.... sniff...sniff....
I'm an elitist jerk, and I won't lie about it.
The WAVE is bad karma. When we lose, I'll blame it on our fans doing the wave......
by SuperDave on Apr 27, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
That team
while really good, might have competed for one ring. They were a fourth quarter from making the finals, not winning it. Who knows what would have happened. This team is being built from the ground up for a good ten year run of contending for championships.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
You do what you have to do to win now!
If Scottie Pippen was available again in his prime, wouldn’t you want the Blazer brain trust to go after him?
I'd argue that this whole staying the course rubbish is just a form of ...
complacency. It takes constant retooling for a professional sports team to reach the point of near perfection that’s needed to win a title.
While nobody is suggesting that the Portland Trail Blazers should trade its two franchise cornerstones, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, or the third wheel (i.e., LaMarcus Aldridge) — except in what would be a potentially special circumstance, such as acquiring someone like Chris Bosh or Brook Lopez — there’s a few role players (e.g., Travis Outlaw) who need to be dealt for the betterment of the ballclub.
Also, there’s a couple of guys who aren’t apt fits for the team’s future — such as Jerryd Bayless Sergio Rodriguez — consequently, both them and the organization would be better off if they were dealt elsewhere.
Here, by the way, is my outlook.
Franchise Cornerstone: Brandon Roy
Future Superstar: Greg Oden
Third Wheel: LaMarcus Aldridge
Role Players: Joel Przybilla, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, & Steve Blake.
Beyond those seven players, the ballclub is composed of many fungible pieces that aren’t necessary for the team’s long-term success.
You hit the nail on the head.
Thats the “core” group, except the verdict is still out on Martell Webster.
A game within a game
Lobbying the referees is a distinctive advantage if the coach is doing it right. There’s a finesse to working them without getting a technical. Nate should be advocating on behalf of his players.
Outlaw did a fine job guarding Artest. He forced him to take bad shots and generally played solid man-to-man defense on him. A big reason the Blazers were in the game was because of Artest’s 5-20 shooting night.
Life is not by chance. Basketball is life.
If you've ever noticed how well yelling THREE!! works
there’s a reasonable chance that getting in the ref’s ear all game long will work too.
Lately I’ve been replaying three second calls, and I gotta say, the one’s I’ve seen have ALL been wrong lately. Whether it be on Joel or Yao. The last one on Yao had him in the lane for under 2 seconds, but name yelled THREE and the whistle blew.
Nate needs to step it up
Should’ve taken at least one T in this series. Portland cannot win if the refs continue to call everything on Oden and Przy and let Yao get away with murder. It’s a 7’6" double standard. Working the refs is a huge part of being a coach.
Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.
by KP Corleone on Apr 27, 2009 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions
yeah i have pleaded for Nate to T up sevral different time this year
the staff as a whole has this mindset – - – staying calm helps their young team stay calm…..frankly I think its horsehockey – - guys need to feel that someones got their back….Nate has it in him – - – he once got fines 25K for going after the refs (as a coach)…
Not tearing them up (ever) at halftime (or on the bench even) is another odd strategy IMHO – - – maybe with an older team – - – but you got a bunch o school kids here ….and newbies…need to yell at ‘em from time to time – - – leaving them to figure it out on their own when they have no frame of reference doesn’t make sense to me….
They were so calm at times in this series that they were walking up court late in the 2nd half while behind – -
I know I’m just “some guy” and what could I know just sitting here at my typewriter….but thats the beauty and purpose of this site….it is an opinion forum
""Look. I can touch the rim on my tippy toes.. " – Greg Oden
thx Norsk for providing facts on fines below :-)....you seem to always have my back
""Look. I can touch the rim on my tippy toes.. " – Greg Oden
NBA coaches fines: Nate is not that harmless but has become more cool
Nate McMillan:
- 2002-03-13 Sonics fined $7,500 by NBA for publicly criticizing referees
- 2003-03-07 Sonics fined $7,500 by NBA for comments about referees after game
- 2005-12-26 Blazers fined $15,000 by NBA for verbally abusing refs and failing to leave the court in a timely manner following game
Rick Adelman:
None on record
Jack Ramsey:
None on record
Mike Dunleavy:
None on record
P.J. Carlesimo:
None on record
Phil Jackson:
- 1994-11-16 Bulls fined $10K by NBA for criticizing officials
- 1998-05-26 Bulls fined $10K by NBA for comments regarding officiating following game
- 1999-11-10 Lakers fined $5K by NBA for critical comments made about officiating
- 2004-03-11 Lakers fined $50K by NBA for criticizing referees after game
- 2005-12-15 Lakers fined $25K by NBA for violating league’s anti-tampering rule for comments made about interest in another team’s player
- 2006-11-29 Lakers fined $25K by NBA for criticizing referees after game
- 2007-03-15 Lakers fined $50K by NBA for comments that the league was on a witch hunt against Kobe Bryant
Greg Popovich:
- 2003-11-04 Spurs suspended as head coach by NBA for 1 game for bumping referee
Glenn “Doc” Rivers:
- 2000-03-20 Magic fined $7,500 by NBA for remarks about officiating following game
- 2000-11-30 Magic fined $7,500 by NBA for confronting and verbally abusing referee after game
- 2002-03-06 Magic fined $7,500 by NBA for failing to leave the court in a timely manner and comments made to the media after being ejected
- 2005-12-04 Celtics fined $10K by NBA for failing to leave court in a timely manner after being ejected
- 2009-02-07 Celtics fined $15K by NBA for verbally abusing referees following game
- 2009-03-19 Celtics fined $25K by NBA for criticizing referee following game
Jerry Sloan:
- 2000-12-21 Jazz fined $7,500 by NBA for verbally abusing referees and failing to leave court in a timely manner after being ejected
- 2003-01-29 Jazz suspended by NBA for 7 games for shoving referee during game
- Holds records for most technical fouls as a player and coach (over 400) according to Guiness Book Of World Records
Good stuff!
I’d be curious to see some numbers on how effective Phil’s little rants have been.
Impossible to tell because he's had so many other factors converging
Superstars and Big-Markets. Those may mask any effectiveness his whining had.
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I knew it
Dwight is always wrong and Canzano is evil.
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
thought it was a great piece.
fwiw…
i think it’s harder to avoid getting caught up in wins when you are at the games.
i think it’s much easier to avoid discussing the refs when you’re at the games.
by Ben Golliver on Apr 27, 2009 11:14 AM PDT up reply actions
meh....i complain LOUDLY about the refs at game because you get to tell them to their face how awul they are
of course, its helpful that I don’t officially represent anything but myself
""Look. I can touch the rim on my tippy toes.. " – Greg Oden
I thought it was a given that the 1st option should be Rudy
Considering that he’s the best 3-point shooter on the team and his knack for knocking down shots when it counts. That last Rudy 3 makes Nate’s initial error indefensible.
Life is not by chance. Basketball is life.
His knack?
For most of the season he didn’t shoot well in the 4th quarter. Someone got the stats.
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Who cares about the regular season.
It means nothing now. This is the playoffs. Rudy is playing at another level.
Canzano is a fart in a jar
Not worth opening, most likely putrid, and only opened as a practical joke.
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
He's still correct that giving the ball to Outlaw with the game on the line - especially while he's in a slump - is insane
The worst thing that ever happened to this team was that game-winner Outlaw hit in Memphis.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 27, 2009 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions
I didn't open the jar
And Canzano is never right.
It was an inbound play, the Blazers suck at inbounding the ball, and they got it to Outlaw. Outlaw made a stupid shot, simple as that. He could have passed to someone else, or dribbled a few times for more separation. From what I heard from Nate’s press conference, Canzano was trying to make it sound like Nate drew up a play for Outlaw. Nobody, with even a sliver of common sense should be so naive to think that Nate drew up a play for Outlaw. Outlaw was the guy who got open within five seconds to get the inbound pass and then made a mistake.
Canzano is a fart in a jar. He is never worth opening.
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
I'm completely done with Quick and Freeman for this year
They both isolated themselves from what their readership needs: EXPLANATION. We’re dying, starving for some explanation of what we don’t understand: OFFICIATING. I know it’s a tough topic, but they’re the ones who have access and knowledge to help us understand. Regardless of whether we (or they) agree with the officiating, they need to give us something.
Pretending there’s no issue here is insane if your a beat reporter. Sure, the officiating may be good. Maybe we’re the problem. Either way you look at it, it’s THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE FOR BLAZER FANS RIGHT NOW.
Silence is for going broke.
I vigorously defended Quick before. I still think he’s a good writer. He’s just completely and utterly failing us right now.
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If I was a sportswriter, I'd pen a column about how annoying the Portland fan base is regarding how ...
they incessantly blame the officials rather than buck up and actually analyze what’s caused the losses so far from an on-court perspective.
I watched the second half of this game at a friend’s house and both of us thought the game was officiated in a fair and just matter — although neither one of us are homers — with the Portland Trail Blazers having ample opportunity to win the game had the team executed passing and ball movement on offense; rather, Nate McMillan called a late game play wherein Brandon Roy ran a simple isloation play straight into stud defender Chuck Hayes that led to a correctly called charge on him.
Right now, it isn’t the referees who should be questioned for there performance; on the contrary, guys like McMillian and Travis Outlaw — as well as LaMarcus Aldridge, albeit to a slightly lesser extent — deserve to have their feet held to the proverbial hot fire for their negative contributions thus far this post-season.
the main calls people are upset about occured early in the game-- getting Przybilla and Oden into early foul trouble as well as missing a fairly blatant shot clock violation on Houston
Overall, the officiating was good, but there’s no question that the soft fouls called on the Blazer big men affected the game.
Still, Portland unquestionably had plenty of chances to win the game, had they just corralled a decent percentage of 4th quarter defensive rebounds, or taken care of the ball better.
Yeah, one of the biggest problems in the game was letting the Houston Rockets own the glass.
Until guys like LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw put out a concerted effort to box out their guys on defense, there’ll be games like this on occasion wherein the Portland Trail Blazers give up too many second chance opportunities. That, without question, was a bigger factor than the officials.
The 2nd half was okay
The first quarter was beyond awful. We got almost 60%, held them under 50 I believe, and got beat by 8 because of FTs and offensive rebounds. Why did they outrebound us? Right, Billa and Oden were out of the game in 6 minutes.
What do you wanna bet that if we take a 12 point lead into the 4th instead of a 6 point lead we don’t lose. As I’ve said before, we could have won with rebounding, but we still win without it if the refs were even.
Those early calls
on GO and Pryz convince me that the refs have an agenda (maybe from higher up, Stern?) before big games start. It was a way to even up things due to the lose of Dikembe. If our bigs don’t get those early foul calls we win. Just watch, they’ll make sure we win back here in Portland and then rig it so the Rocket’s win at home.
I watched half the game, therefore I am ready to draw a conclusion.
I’m not sure a person who watches half the games should condemn a fan base for complaining about the half of the game he didn’t watch. Do see where I’m going with this?
I agree the second half was officiated well. It’s been fairly good throughout the series. The first quarters in particular are what people are confused about.
In general, it makes a person look good when he doesn’t talk (and in the process insult the people who saw something) about something he knows nothing of.
Congrats on not being homer. Now work on paying attention.
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Just out of curiosity and because it helps evaluate your comments
do you generally catch most games in their entirety? I don’t in any way mean that as an insult, but you opened the door by saying you only watched half the game and you’ve got some incredibly strong (in some cases very insulting) opinions about the players, and the fan base. I guess you probably do because you made a point this time to tell us. Still, just interested.
On another note, I love Hienrich.
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I watched the first half of the game at home and my opinion about the foul trouble regarding ...
Joel Przybilla and Greg Oden is that Yao Ming is going to get some of the calls — since he’s a very unique player in the NBA due to his massive height — thus, everyone from the front office down to the fans should expect that to occur at times.
Of course, a part of my anger is more directed toward the team for employing Channing Frye as its third-string center. The fact that it’s come to this on more than on occasion during the playoffs is shortsightedness by everyone within the organization’s basketball operations department — as well as the coaching staff, since Shavlik Randolph should be ahead of both Frye and Michael Ruffin on the depth chart — but that’s just my opinion here.
Then, sorry. It didn't sound like you saw the first half.
I have to say, I’ve learned to expect these fouls as well. That doesn’t make me any happier. I’m not going to publish 50 fanposts, but I’d love it if someone could break down these calls and give us some explanation and perspective. There are reasons this happens. Just because people are so upset does not mean they won’t accept an explanation. Their thirsting for something and want to see it before anything else. It’d just be opportune to do something reasonable on officiating right now. The piece should be ‘Calm Down Portland’ and here’s why.
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One more question.
You said we should expect that at times. Does that mean to expect a consistent and persistent pattern, which as a result changes the rules? It’s been prevalent. I’m not calling it the difference. It may be, but I’m not saying it is.
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It's a lot easier to just blame the refs than to be truthful about the limits of our players
Those darn refs. Always stealing our playoff games.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 27, 2009 2:59 PM PDT up reply actions
"Hey Brandon! I held Ron Artest to 9 points! Yipee!"
Uhh, you guys STILL LOST! This is not a time for the celebration of individual achievements!
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely
by SandbergOnSports on Apr 27, 2009 11:49 AM PDT reply actions
the series isn't over yet
Brandon is trying to keep his teammate’s confidence up. I’m hard pressed to question Brandon’s locker room leadership.
Ron Artest shot 40% on the season and is a career 42% shooter
Why are people acting like stopping Ron Artest on O is a big deal?
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 27, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh right, FG % doesn't count
Forgot
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 27, 2009 2:58 PM PDT up reply actions
5-20 is bad even for him though
But I agree. And that is why this is the single worst matchup in the NBA for Batum. They are a team whose 2-3 guards ARE NOT MAJOR THREATS. Batum works best against the 2-3 guards, although he’s done okay against some PGs.
When we have the ball, they don’t bother covering Batum, which lets Scola/Battier/Artest/Brooks double at will.
Batum is going to be beyond awesome in a couple of years, but THIS IS NOT HIS SERIES. Rudy should be starting so that all the non Yao players on Houston has to show some actual respect to all of our shooters. And Artest is not going to post up and kill Rudy or Roy.
that's two, not one, 3pt shots in consecutive games that Rudy should have been shooting
I screamed at the TV last night for Rudy to take the shot, not Travis. When Rudy hit the “now we’re down by 1” shot, I was dually pissed. Travis is only good when the pressure is off. He is NOT clutch in the playoffs. He is NOT going to shoot his way out of it. Our 3 most clutch players are Brandon, Rudy, and Blake in that order, and I’d almost say Brandon and Rudy are 1 and 1A.
They are young, and I expect WAY too much out of these guys. I can’t help it, it’s the way I am to expect more.
Golly Gee, I sure hope I didn't huwt anybody's feewings.... sniff...sniff....
I'm an elitist jerk, and I won't lie about it.
The WAVE is bad karma. When we lose, I'll blame it on our fans doing the wave......
Folks be too mad.
We’re losing to a really really good team. The Rox gave us fits all season. Tmac was a drag on the season; without TMac, they went 33-14 (70%). That team is better than their record, and we aren’t.
Rockets have some problems — no true go to guy, relies a little too heavily on inconsistent performers, and so forth, but it’s nothing compared to our issues – inability to play playoff-level defense, having a pretty inefficient #2 scorer and a horrifyingly inconsistent #3 scorer, having big men most prone to fouling trying to defend a behemoth post player who shoots 90% from the line. It’s a tough match up for us.
I’ve seen some references to us being chock full of talent. This is absurd. We have a top 10 player, a top 50 player, and a bunch of role players. I’d argue that us, the Sixers, and the Hawks compete for least talented rosters in the playoffs.
Seriously dude...
I know a lot of us portland fans overvalue blazer players but when you have Greg Popovitch saying that Portland probably has the most talented roster top to bottom in the league, I think we’re at least a little correct. Are you sure that you aren’t really a Houston fan?
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
actually to be honest, I am a bit of a houston fan.
They’ve been in my group of favorite non-blazer teams for a while now, pretty much ever since Clyde went there. I’ve been fans of lot of players and coaches that pass through houston over the years; Rick Adelman, JVG, Rudy T, the Glide, The Chairman, TMac (when he was tragic, not this year when he was a major ass), Deek, RonRon, Skip to my Lou, Fat Chuck, and I even enjoyed the Steve Francis/Cuttino Mobley era.
For one thing, I think they’ve had the best nicknames in hoops over the past decade. Just look at that list and compare it to our guys – “the natural”? “LA”?! ugh.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Some great points
However, saying the Rockets’ problems are “nothing compared to ours” doesn’t ring true— we just played two down to the wire games on their home floor and are a couple plays away from being tied 2-2 or even up 3-1. The last 3 games have been dead even. I would say Portland is playing playoff level defense in this series.
Also, please explain to me how the Bulls, the KG-less Celtics, the Manu-less Spurs and the Mavericks have more talent than we do (even considering the top of the roster much more so than depth, as you are clearly doing)?
yeah, maybe "nothing compared to ours" is an overstatement
but the lack of playoff-caliber defense is, I think, a fatal one, where the Rockets have problems that can be overcome.
Don’t see how you can say we’re playing playoff-caliber defense. The rox have 4 rotation players with playoff pers in the 20s, where in the regular season, they had 1. Every rotation guy has a TS% over 52% against us, and three guys have TS% over 60%. Our defense has been cover your eyes terrible — we rarely have defensive sets where the Rox don’t have multiple shooters wide open.
Top or the roster versus depth…. I always go with the top of the roster. For the playoffs, give me two top 10 guys like Duncan/Parker over a top 10 guy, a top 50 guy, and a deep bench any day.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions
And now Parker/Duncan are both top 10?
5 of those spots are reserved for Wade/Bryant/Paul/Howard/James. Duncan and Parker both being in the next 5 is up for some serious debate. (Just not here.)
By the way, the Spurs are down 3-1 against a much worse team.
Duncan
is definately top ten. He is the greatest PF to ever play the game. Parker does not crack the top ten though. I think the blazers have their top ten guy in Roy and possibly a top twenty guy in Aldridge or Oden in a couple years.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
LMA is not top 20 yet, not even close
Duncan has been top ten for the last decade, this year it’s tough to say. Throughout the season he probably has been one, but the last month he has not.
LaMarcus Aldridge isn't close to being a top-twenty player under any circumstances.
Furthermore, I’d argue that his defensive limitations, unwillingness to box out oftentimes for defensive rebounds, lack of desire to improve the first step on his dribble-drive move from the elbow, inability to form a decent back-to-the-basket game on either the mid or low block, and inefficiency on his mid-range jumper — which most people seemingly don’t recognize due to his so-called smooth shooting form, even though that doesn’t negate his poor percentages from there — will always prevent him from being anything other than a so-so third wheel on a potentially great team.
Now, it’s the future development of Greg Oden that’ll make or break this franchise. I’ve got high hopes for Oden, however, who currently reminds me a lot of Patrick Ewing during his Georgetown days. Once Oden refines his game offensively and becomes more apt to the style of defense played in the NBA — particularly when it comes to guarding the pick-and-roll — then he’ll be golden.
I think our defense has been ok, in general
We’re taking away Yao and that’s leaving other players open. That’s a decision I can live with. The numbers do back you up to some degree, though, as Houston is averaging 110.7 pts/100, up from 105.4 in the regular season, which I was surprised to see. Los Angeles and Denver are the only teams with a more efficient playoff offense than Houston’s so far. I attribute a lot of that to game 1, though. I’d say our D in the last 3 games has been playoff level, if not “deep in the playoffs” level.
Are you really saying you’d pick SA to beat Portland in a series right now? That I simply can’t see.
*shrug* duncan looks banged up.
A healthy duncan and parker? I’d give them even money. I’d put Dirk a little below Roy, but Josh Howard well above LMA. Long term? It’s much easier for San Antone to find a couple of quality vets chasing rings willing to sign for small, short contracts (Sheed? Dice?) than it is to find another top 10 or even top 20 guy.
Duncan and Parker aren’t top 10, Zaig? I pretty much guarantee that they’re both All NBA first or second team this year. Parker’s the second best PG in the league, #8 PER, getting 22/7 shooting over 50% and carried that team for stretches while Duncan and Manu were out, and he’s two years removed from Finals MVP. He makes it easily in my book. Duncan’s pretty easily #6 behind the guys you listed.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Josh Howard well above LMA?
really? I’d be interested in hearing that argument. All the metrics I look at give LMA the edge.
I’m with you that SA is still in a good position for the next 3 years or so, better than us even (unless we see a big jump from Oden) if they get Manu back healthy and get a ’Sheed type. For right now, though, Portland is a lot better, even though their 2nd best player is a lot better than our 2nd best player.
Josh and LMA are about equal on offense
but Josh is a very very good defender, and LMA is average or below average.
Not that hard an argument, really.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, and LMA is average or below average at a position
that really hurts to be average or below average at help defense (where LMA really struggles). LMA’s ok at man defense, especially on the wings, but you know my argument about how much that matters from your starting PF.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
how do you figure that they are about equal on offense?
Josh has LMA beat in TS% by .003, LMA has Josh beat in PER by a full 2 points, has him more than doubled in O-reb rate, has him beat in Ast% and has a lower TO%. Aldridge had the better offensive season by A LOT.
I won’t argue about LMA’s defense since I agree with your main points, but am not nearly as harsh as you, but I’d just point out that the available numbers (defensive rating, PER differential, on/off defensive stats, etc.) paint a much less clear picture and some even give LMA the edge.
I’ve often been critical of LMA, though not as much as you, but I just don’t see how Josh Howard is “well above LMA.”
He played hurt a lot this year, and only played 50 games.
In his last four seasons, he’s had PER of 19.3, 20, 18.3, 17. I think it’s fair to assume that his numbers this season are the injury aberration and not age, since he’s only 28 now.
He’s never been the best rebounder but his numbers really slipped this year from around 7 per 36 to 5.7 per 36 – again, I think he was hurt and avoiding contact much of the year. Note that though he’s a 2/3, over the three years before this year, he’s averaged around the same rebs as LMA this year, a 4. I’ll let you guess what my reaction is to that.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, and the proof of course
is in his play during this post season.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
sorry, that doesn't prove it to me
look at his career playoff numbers— lots of fluctuation there, do to small sample sizes. As bad as LMA has looked, his numbers for the series on offense aren’t a lot worse than Howard’s career playoff numbers.
Howard’s been a lot better so far this postseason though, no question.
Oh sorry, doing too much short hand.
What I meant is that he’s clearly bouncing back to being the player he’s been from 2005 to 2008, and this year’s overall stats being down seems pretty obviously due to his injuries as opposed to him being over the hill.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I said it's up for debate
There are plenty of other measures to look at that don’t have those guys in the Top 10. Duncan also did miserable when it mattered the most. Yes, he’s been fighting injury, but in March/April he put up 16 points a game on bad (for him) shooting.
There are lots of guys who battle for those 6-10 spots. Those two could both be in, they might not.
Game 1 is really distorting the defensive rating
If you take out game 1, then Houston would have the lowest eFG% of any team in the playoffs, and their offensive efficiency would be below their season average (although not by much, due to getting lots of free throws and offensive rebounding).
Eh the talent is there, it's just young
Also your last sentence is mind-bafflingly incorrect.
Still I agree the Rockets are very good.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 27, 2009 2:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Get used to it
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
You realize that the average team has 1.67 top 50 players and .33 top 10 players
So us having a top 10 and a top 50 puts us well above average. You can’t argue that the worse teams drag these numbers down too much because even most of the bad teams have top 50 players.
Sure, we're an above average team.
I’m not saying we have zero talent. But we’re achieving about what you’d expect for the level of talent we have, with a top 10 and a top 50 guy— we probably could’ve made a little noise if we had an easier draw but we drew a tough first round opponent.
Folks around here be talking like we’re the kobe/shaq lakers. We’ve got talent, but not that much; not so much that a first round exit against a bad matchup is a surprise.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Umm you clearly said we're 1 of the 3 least talented teams.
Less talent than the Pistons? The Bulls? The Heat? The Spurs? (Who have 2 of the top 3 players between our teams, but we probably have the next 4.) The Hornets? (Also 2 good guys with worse role players.) And so on.
One of the less talented team of the playoffs.
There are 16 teams in the playoffs. There are 30 teams in the league.
by howlingfantods on Apr 27, 2009 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I have to agree with Dwight Jaynes...
about starting Rudy. Take Nicolas out and put in Rudy. You get about the same amount of D and LOTS MORE OFFENSE!!! I love Nic, I do, but they need to throw something out there to mix it up.
Nic is a great defender
but is not as useful against Ron-Ron because he is so much smaller than him. Batum is much more effective against Kobe or Wade because they don’t just bowl over him.
I Blazersedge daily, nightly and ever so rightly.
Whoever Rudy guards cleans his clock in that scenario
whether it is Battier or Artest. Rudy would be giving up three inches and 50 pounds to Battier who would just take him down on the block and school him. Add the additional benefit of having Roy guard Artest 100 percent of the time and it’s a double whammy. – Elgin
Tonight felt like the day you open the mail and receive an acceptance letter to your dream school: the University of Playoffs. - Ben Golliver, Apr 15 2009
About the refs...
I think the refs know deep down in the crevices of their minds that Houston hasn’t been out of the 1st round since the dinosaurs and since Portland lost their home court advantage they’re calling it for Houston. Oh well. One of these days it will be Portland benefitting from the refs calls. I hope. Blazers should have won game 4. A few more rebounds and they would have.
I think
Rudy has absolutely earned his place in the starting lineup and deserves to get at least the third most minutes of any blazer.
- Sam
but who does he guard when he's in there??
Tonight felt like the day you open the mail and receive an acceptance letter to your dream school: the University of Playoffs. - Ben Golliver, Apr 15 2009
Agree we should start Rudy
Normally I’m not big on major rotation changes like this, but we’re basically down to a one game season and we have to pull out all the stops. Right now we are getting NOTHING from Batum, and we cannot afford to concede ANY non-productive minutes from any player at any point in the game. I know Rudy did not respond well to the few games he started previously, but that was early in the season, and besides he is one of the few players who has been able to respond to the challenge of NBA playoff basketball. Also, he can guard Battier so that will not hurt us at all.
If we drop Batum from the rotation, another change I would make is to give Bayless some time. He was most effective when he first started to get minutes, and opposing teams were unprepared for him and didn’t know what to expect. I think this could be replicated to some degree in this series. Houston will not be prepared for him and therefore he may be very effective until they adjust. Plus, we know Bayless will provide one thing that has been most glaringly absent form our game…that is, fearlessly attacking the basket!! We need to put the onus on the refs to start giving us some calls.
Lastly, I also agree that Nate needs to start working the refs. Oden has been abused all season by the refs, and now in the playoffs it is even worse. It seems like cannot get any calls in this series, home or away. And to see Nate just sit there without reacting, I just cannot understand it…
agreed
start rudy….give bayless some angry minutes…
I have my P.h.D in unreliable hyperbole.
by Eat Politicians on Apr 27, 2009 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions
OK...so I yell at the TV too....
but JEESH….this is a tough crowd.
MOST of us (myself included) got a little too wrapped up in our #4 seed, and has some pretty outlandish ideas as to how far this team would go this year. And boy howdy, are we all ever reaping what has been sown.
I am really glad to see all the freaking NBA coaches that KNOW exactly what huge, monumental errors Nate made the past 2 games. Players that were beloved a week ago are now a bunch of garbage. The refs are a bunch of clowns and the Oregonian triumvirate of Quick, Freeman and Canzano are in on it too.
At least that’s what I’m reading in the comments section.
Maybe, just MAYBE, the Blazers need to mature for another year. KP himself has been clear that the objective this year was to make the playoffs, that anything beyond that is just gravy.
Get a grip folks….this is not the end of the world. This is still just the very beginning of a great run of basketball here in Portland. Why not try enjoying the process, instead of being PO’d at everything that does not end with an immediate championship.
FREE BAYLESS
I think next year we either trade the guy or develop him. Blake is a decent pg, but he can’t run the break and we NEED THAT for this young team. Take the losses and develop bayless or get a pg that can run the break.
If I see Blake pull up from a run with 2 blazers up front AGAIN i’m going to pull my hair out…but I’m sure I’ll see it at least 5 more times since we have at least 1 more game (though I’m hoping for 3).
I have my P.h.D in unreliable hyperbole.
by Eat Politicians on Apr 27, 2009 4:08 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Bayless had 82 games and countless practices to prove he can play in the playoffs
He should be chained to the bench
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
Travis
played very good defense on Artest. I didnt know trav could defend like that
I hope he does it again tonight.
Tonight felt like the day you open the mail and receive an acceptance letter to your dream school: the University of Playoffs. - Ben Golliver, Apr 15 2009
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