Game 5 Preview: Rockets at Blazers
by Dave on Apr 28, 2009 12:30 AM PDT
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PrintBefore each of the games after the Game 1 blowout we've discussed adjustments the Blazers could, and probably would, make going into the next game. The time for that is done.
The battle plans of both teams are now fairly well set. The games in which those battle plans have been executed have been hotly contested and fairly close. The Rockets are unlikely to make major adjustments, save perhaps continuing to focus on Yao Ming in the offense. The Blazers have done as well as can be expected defending Houston's stars. They've lacked rebounding, particularly offensive, and haven't drawn enough fouls. They'll likely be depending on the energy and advantage of the home court to tip the balance their way tonight. Other than exploring more of the creative matchup lineups discussed earlier in the series and played sparingly so far (Rudy-Roy backcourt, in particular) I don't see many more tricks the Blazers can pull out of the hat.
This is, however, an elimination game for Portland and that changes the rules a little. The criterion for court time is simple: if you produce, you play. If you don't produce the team can't afford to ride with you long, no matter who you are. (Outside of Roy and Aldridge, of course, who can't be replaced.) This is a little like a Major League manager emptying his bullpen in a deciding game. The normal pitching rotation goes out the window. You start normally, but you pull out all stops--whatever it takes--to get the job done. Expect to see some odd things if this game remains closely contested or if the Blazers lose momentum, particularly in the second half.
A win tonight would obviously keep the Blazers alive in the series. Every chance to play in these games is valuable. Adding another to the schedule would be an additional benefit. A victory would also give the Blazers a little more reason for pride and a little more assurance for next year. As such, this game has plenty riding on it.
It would be quite disappointing to see Portland give up on the game or the series tonight. If Houston comes in soft knowing they have a safety net at home in Game 6 the Blazers should make it their mission to make them pay heavily. A blowout win tonight would be the best, and maybe only, chance at reversing the momentum in this series decisively. If Houston comes out hard, intent on clinching here and now, it will be a great experience for the Blazers to have to claw and fight for their playoff lives against that kind of opposition.
Do be aware that homecourt wins are not assured in these situations. Emotion is sometimes hard to conjure when you're on the wrong side of 3-0 or 3-1. Let's hope we see it from the Blazers tonight.
Win or go on vacation. That's all there is to it.
Check out the build-up at TheDreamShake...hopefully not for the last time.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
P.S. If you're able, check out the 8:00 hour of the MSP on 95.5 The Game this morning. I'm going to be in-studio with Gavin and Chad doing a full hour of Blazer talk.
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Rudy Fernandez
Can a Blazers fan explain to me why Rudy Fernandez plays so little?
He’s played extremely well in every Blazer match I’ve seen.
That’s the one adjustment I would like to see Portland make
Matchups.
The Rockets are one of the best teams in the league at denying three point shots. Rudy’s game is based so much on the long ball that I think a lot of his offensive effectiveness is lost. The second reason is that he’s probably too small to guard Artest or Battier. It’s not so much of an issue when Blake is out of the game and Portland can stick Rudy on Brooks, but that’s probably not going to happen for long spurts.
When I came here (in 2004), guys like Nick (Van Exel) and Damon, they were a breath of fresh air for me,'' Przybilla
by Nick Van Excellent on Apr 28, 2009 3:36 AM PDT up reply actions
He's 8-14 in the series beyond the arc
He can easily guard Battier, who doesn’t use his size advantage at all.
He still providers the normal help defense that only he seems to know how to bring effectively
He would also take pressure off Roy and LMA if he would start tonight. (Oh hey, you’re gonna double LMA, no problem!)
There is no good reason for him not to be playing 30 minutes a game.
agree to disagree.
1.) He hasn’t taken the pressure off LMA or Roy during the 20 or so minutes he has played. What makes you think an extra ten minutes is going to change anything?
2.) Battier is an extremely smart basketball player who would probably find a way to take advantage of the size disparity. Offensively there are a bunch of people the Rockets could throw his way that Rudy has a hard time guarding.
3.) I think Rudy has only hit 7 threes total and five of those came in the same game. Rudy was 2-5 for the other three games combined. That is simply not his normal statistical output for three pointers.
When I came here (in 2004), guys like Nick (Van Exel) and Damon, they were a breath of fresh air for me,'' Przybilla
by Nick Van Excellent on Apr 28, 2009 8:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Err that was supposed to be 7-13
1.) The time that all 3 of them are on the floor together probably isn’t too much. Usually Rudy comes in for Roy, and then Roy comes in for LMA. I’m sure they have with the Rudy/Roy back court at times, but that’s probably about it.
2.) Battier is an amazing player, but if you’re a subpar ball handler and post player, you’re a subper ball handler and post player.
3.) And yeah, we need to be running more plays for Rudy. Part of his lack of 3s is Houston’s defense, but part of it is that Nate doesn’t seem to understand that Rudy is good. He goes to Blake/Outlaw, they fail, Houston scores, and THEN he goes to Rudy when it’s already too late.
I've watched Battier play countless times...
and he knows how to post up weaker defenders and either left hook who create a 3-point shot. Nick is right, he’s a very smart player. If he knows he can back down Rudy (which I don’t know that he can) then he will. Trust me.
by Artest4Prez on Apr 28, 2009 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
I make this gurantee
Battier would score no more on Rudy that he has the rest of the series. In fact, he’d probably score less since he is somehow destroying his season average.
I agree
Battiers performance to average is unreal. That and our inability to stop other role players, or block out Ming are our downfalls. Our inability to get to the rim and draw fouls is glaring, especially when Brooks is apparently able to do this nearly at will.
> He can easily guard Battier, who doesn’t use his size advantage at all.
I don’t agree. If the Blazers went with three guards for a very long time, they would be used up on the defensive end. The possible cure for that might be a 2-3 zone defense with Oden and Przybilla both under the hoop, which leaves Aldridge out of the game, possibly not the best idea. – 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
In-studio?
Does that mean you are going to the game?
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
Caps lock
Morty must be back.
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 28, 2009 7:49 AM PDT up reply actions
I am suspicious
Elizabeth had a partner and he had a rap from the cops, Him and Lenny Suckerpunch were just out Tooling around
by Lizzy Lowblow on Apr 28, 2009 7:00 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm going to be there
for my first playoff game!
We need everyone to play smoothly and with a lot of heart!
I can’t wait.
I miss Martell. Come back soon!
bench batum, start fernandez
why cant nate do this?
by vancouver_grizzlies on Apr 28, 2009 1:20 AM PDT reply actions
I wouldn't support changing the starting rotation...
But i think it would be a good idea to get more Rudy, Roy, Blake time tomorrow. I thought Roy did a good job checking Artest during game 4 when we went small.
www.freeoden.com Coming soon
by 123_G.O._RipCity on Apr 28, 2009 1:23 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm surprised at the time that both Frye and Sergio are given in this series -
They have played a combined total of 50 minutes in this series – way too much for the output given.
by hotstuffdb22 on Apr 28, 2009 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions
You are killing me Dave
Now I have to support the juvenile delinquents tomorrow morning on my way to school.
I cant wait
www.freeoden.com Coming soon
by 123_G.O._RipCity on Apr 28, 2009 1:21 AM PDT reply actions
No changes. Just play the same. Either we'll get the calls and win, or we won't.
None of you’re writing can change that Dave. I hate reading about what the Blazers need to do to win. We all watched them play 82 games. We know what they need to do.
Via the Rockets BBS:
So I just watched Game 4 again and charted all the plays for both teams. It would take too long to chart details, so I simply tallied the amount of “aggressive possessions”.
An aggressive possession is defined as any possession where an aggressive offensive move was made all the way to the rim (or into the defender) and was contested. For example, Brandon Roy had a breakaway dunk with no defender contesting…that would not be considered aggressive.
I also did not include Yao’s point blank jump hooks because they are not, in my opinion, “aggressive” in the sense that they are likely to force the defender into a foul…which is what I’m really trying to determine here. On top of that, I did not include the last 3 possessions of the game for either team since Portland was forced to foul and launch 3’s, thus skewing the results.
Here’s what I found…
Note: Despite the Rockets’ aggressive 3rd quarter, they were being rejected at the rim on just about every drive. Thus the aggressiveness did not pay off and there was a 12 point swing in the quarter.
this is really good
have you put it in a fanpost/fanshot or linked to your site(if you have info on one) yet?
"The refs have caused a bird-pig flu pandemic"
This is a chance for Blazer's fans to prove how much cooler they are than Rocket's fans
Blazer’s fans are the coolest and Rocket’s fans are basically Laker’s fans with bad posture and halitosis. Since the Blazers will be playing at home, they will not have to smell that bad breath and should win this game easily.
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
by tominhawaii on Apr 28, 2009 4:36 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I think your snark-o-meter is broken
That’s another thing about us Portlanders. Besides being extremely hip and cool, we’re kind of sarcastic.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 28, 2009 6:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Step on their f—king throats this half, Rockets!
by grungedave on Apr 18, 2009 8:53 PM PDT reply reply actions actions 0 recs
don’t take that literally, Ron Ron
by Only_A_Lad on Apr 18, 2009 8:54 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions 0 recs
well
if it’s Brandon Roy’s throat… I’m okay if he takes it literally.
by grungedave on Apr 18, 2009 8:54 PM PDT to parent up reply reply actions actions 0 recs
"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''
by Sabonis4Ever on Apr 28, 2009 7:50 AM PDT up reply actions 5 recs
what
no rebuttal from the peanut gallery? Nice find S4E.
The Michael Ruffin of BlazersEdge, cuz Amlmart said so.
by BlazersOrBust on Apr 28, 2009 10:13 AM PDT up reply actions
seriously?
A guy with Cartman dressed up as Hitler in his avatar is going to judge classy-ness?
That just made my day.
by dropsies on Apr 28, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
yes, I have Cartman dressed up as Hitler as my avatar
What’s your point?
I’m just glad I’m not the guy who thinks accusing other fans of having “bad posture and halitosis” is somehow witty or even funny.
Sounds like you need an Altoid
I'm ashamed to admit I am a Blazers fan, an Outlaw, Sergio, Nate, and Blake fan. I'm ashamed to be a fan of all the Blazers. Real fans don't want their team to win so they can get excited about the draft and call other fans "homers."
Ugh at Gavin and Chad
Maybe they will announce you with weird emphasis on certain parts of your name. You know because it’s way cooler to do that than just to pronouce things normally.
“And now we go to Daaaaaaaaave from tha Edge to talk about the Assssssooooooooooooooociation”
Blazer Fan
Off the bench
I would like to see Channing come in for Joel, play him about 3-4 minutes until Yao goes out that would match Greg up with the rockets bench. Channing can get whisled for the touch fouls and Greg should have clear sailing. In the second half it does not matter as much once Yao gets tired he never gets that energy back in the same game.
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
His stare became blank. It was apparent he was back in that place, on the Rose Garden's logo, picking up Aaron Brooks as the crowd nervously roared.
No, No, No
One more time.
No Channing.
This is Channing’s routine for the first 3 trips down the court.
Gets the ball at the top of key, hesitates, lets the defense adjust, then passes the ball.
Second time down the court, again gets the ball at the top of key, this time jacks a brick,
long rebound, Houston scores.
From then out, continues to play like a softie.
I’d be for playing him, if he came in with the right mind set’ and be a role player, but deep down he things he’s the guy, and starts jacking up ill timed long range jumpers that just kill us.
Truth is he’s got skills, and if came in and played in the flow of the and got a little rhythm the game would come to him and his shots would fall.
He needs to take a look at how Houston PF’s play, rather then try to be the next Rashed Wallace.
fully agreed
I think bringing in Channing before Greg is a great idea too. Channing can definitely post up Yao on D better than would be expected and then Greg can come in and actually make some baskets. Seems like Greg’s only purpose has been to tire out Yao…let Channing do some heavy lifting as far as that is concerned. I’m not sure about Channing coming out with a bunch of O, but the D would be great.
I'm listening right now, but it's football discussion....
As per tonight, I think Portland actually might blow out Houston – it seems to be in their genes to do this -
Yep - I'm glad Gavin stopped talking - great to hear Dave
by hotstuffdb22 on Apr 28, 2009 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions
it was pretty lame - all the harlow stuff reminded me of my high school days - i feel bad for dave
by hotstuffdb22 on Apr 28, 2009 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Wow. Poor Dave. That was a major waste of his time. If I were Dave I'd be pizzed.
"Aneurysm".
When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie
Playoff experience
What did we really expect, guys? A lack of experience is clearly the main problem here. Our best two players had never played in a playoff game. I don’t mean to be a downer, but let’s be realistic and manage our expectations. No matter what happens tonight, this series is over.
welcome to blazersedge
it’s a shame your first comment is such a downer.
"The refs have caused a bird-pig flu pandemic"
one game at a time
I’m not going to think like you are until the series is actually over…which it is certainly not over. One game at a time man….one game at a time.
we expected
fouls to be called when there’s a really hard contact, not a handful of loose-ball fouls on our centers when they almost don’t touch Yao.
TNT or espn, one of them is advertising it
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
His stare became blank. It was apparent he was back in that place, on the Rose Garden's logo, picking up Aaron Brooks as the crowd nervously roared.
My TV says NBA TV
I'm ashamed to admit I am a Blazers fan, an Outlaw, Sergio, Nate, and Blake fan. I'm ashamed to be a fan of all the Blazers. Real fans don't want their team to win so they can get excited about the draft and call other fans "homers."
by tominhawaii on Apr 28, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Yup--and it pisses me off.
This is a critical, possibly season ending game and its on NBA TV? I can’t believe my 52" HDTV is wasted on a crappy online feed, again. Very irritating.
It's spelled "PRZYBILLA."
vanillathrillagorillaprzybilla
by RenoBlazerFan on Apr 28, 2009 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Blazers.com
they will have the tv schedule
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
His stare became blank. It was apparent he was back in that place, on the Rose Garden's logo, picking up Aaron Brooks as the crowd nervously roared.
One Lineup I'd like to see
at some point, is that big lineup nate used last game-
Rudy, Roy, Travis/Batum,LA,Joel/GO
I have no idea why he went away from it last game, we used it to take over the game in the 3rd, then he put the starters back in and watched it melt away. If Steve Blake is not holding on to the ball or hitting shots you need Rudy in there, the dude has clearly shown he is not rattled by big stages. His passing and movement also are huge assets and Outlaw particularly seems to play better alongside him. The last game it seemed like he was even snagging rebounds before he got yanked, which ended up being a HUGE problem for us in the fourth.
Agree
That was an excellent lineup. Roy can play PG and can defend the PG just fine. Our biggest problem has been on the defensive side though, so I don’t like to see Rudy in there with other weak defenders. People are way overreacting when talking about starting Rudy and such. That is nonsense. If Rudy was starting in place of Roy, for example, he would be matched up against Artest. He wouldn’t score. Nor could he defend Battier or pick-n-rolls too well. He could start instead of Blake, but we need Blake to keep things organized. I’d rather start Blake, but bring in Outlaw and Rudy sooner for Blake and Batum.
exactly
I don’t think he should be starting-especially not at SF, that’s crazy. However, if Blake is playing like he did last game, I’d rather see a roy/rudy backcourt to finish the game. Blake was hurting us out there last game I felt. Hopefully he gets it back together at home.
What has Batum done for us this series?
Seriously? Batum is awesome and right after our big 3 he is the guy I think we need to keep in the long term. But in the here and now, he is not helping us in this series. This team is the single worst matchup in the NBA for him and it has shown the entire time.
If NOTHING else, Rudy keeps Artest/Battier occupied and can run them around the floor.
what has steve blake done?
battier will just post rudy up-he is a smart player and has plenty of experience in the post-if rudy comes in for steve however, you have aaron brooks chasing rudy around on the other hand…I doubt batum plays more than 5 minutes to start anyways
Didnt they make a rule
about having more then 5 players on the court at one time?
I try to help with everything," Fernandez said. "If the coach says go rebound, I go rebound. I work for the team.
""If I'm playing this game to get media and attention, I shouldn't be here," Aldridge said. "I'm here to play basketball, and do what I can do to help this team win."
His stare became blank. It was apparent he was back in that place, on the Rose Garden's logo, picking up Aaron Brooks as the crowd nervously roared.
I cannot believe Tom has not commented
that this is a must-win game. The one time it would actually be true, and he drops the ball. Dude takes too many vacations, if you ask me.
Nah
The only reason I want the Blazers to win this is to keep from watching Houston celebrate in Portland. If they lose, then we can get excited about the draft like a real fan of the NBA.
I'm ashamed to admit I am a Blazers fan, an Outlaw, Sergio, Nate, and Blake fan. I'm ashamed to be a fan of all the Blazers. Real fans don't want their team to win so they can get excited about the draft and call other fans "homers."
by tominhawaii on Apr 28, 2009 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Game 5 Line Up changes
Coach Nat Needs to make the following changes in the starting line-up tonight
- Start Channing Frey at center— so the required touch fouls that the Rick A , The League and China require can be called with little damage.
- Start Rudy and tell him to shoot like there is no tomorrow—-there won’t be if he doesn’t score.
- Start Bayless at point so he can cause havoc and fight back when " Ron Ron " and "Batty Your Arms Dukie" start playing hands defense. Also bring him in when " Von Hawk" comes in and tell him that that is the guy the TB cut so he could be a Trail Blazer and if he doesn’t take care of him …well there is always Sac Town.
This will result in the usual slow start for the Trail Blazer’s but what’s new! The long term results will allow Portland to make an excellent comeback and win this one. When this works repeat until next series.
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
NO
But I haven’t been asked back to pick up basketball since I put a guys nose all over his face with my elbow after he grabed me from behind on a break away………….Houston Play defense with your feet and stop slapping at the ball and hitting TB players arms…oh I fogot that is ok if you are from Houston !
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
I like Dan Crawford and there's nobody on that list that I can remember disliking
should be ok unless I’m forgetting something.
Should even out. Crawford is one of the best, Wood one of the bad ones. Spooner seems pretty neutral.
This year Wood was part of a very badly officiated game between LA and Boston when Garnett fouled out much too quickly. But good ol’ Monty McCutchen was part of that crew.
Leon Wood !@#$%^&*()
He is the ref that sucked when the TB lost at home to Philly…nice since he played for the Sixer’s but Crawford has probably already gotten a message from the league…back off Portland and then Houston can win game six at home with three blind mice: Joey Crawford , Voliet Palmer ,Monty Mccutchen
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
Series
Its been a great series. The blazers have played with a lot of heart and effort, but they have much to learn about the defensive side. The Rockets FG% was way above their season average over the first three games. It seems like we get a little too robotic in our defensive schemes due to inexperience. I see the Rockets do a much better job of keeping Aldridge guessing in the low post. Our guys just do exactly what Nate tells them, which is fine when playing against the average NBA team, but we’ve got to get more creative in the playoffs. If we can rotate just a little bit better back to Scola/Landry, we can win these next three games. Our offense has been good enough to win, in my opinion, when you consider the quality of Houston’s defense.
The big diff imo is that the Rocket players get into our players' bodies while our guys aren't nearly as physical
Joel is physical but has no offense. Greg is physical but is not very coordinated), and Brandon can be physical but needs to conserve some energy to score all of our points. Other than those guys we’re pretty wimpy.
Pundits agree that Houston has simply been the tougher team this series. I think that’s what they’re talking about. They push our guys around all game long. If they aren’t going to be called for it, and clearly they are not, then they win.
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Apr 28, 2009 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Pundits?
Well, if the “pundits” agree, then it can’t be right…right? I think Greg and Joel have been extremely physical. Roy is the most physical SG in the league, IMO. He and Wade. I must repeat myself…we just aren’t that good of a defensive team yet. We are the second best offensive team in the game, next to the Lakers, but there are at least a dozen other teams that are better on defense than us. Team defense takes time…it takes years. We are learning quite fast, but it will be another year at least before we play great team defense. We wil get there. Just wait ’til Batum and Oden figure it out. They have all the skills necessary.
What I like to see in Game 5
Make Yao defend the pick and rolls. If we’re not going into the post, then I want to see Yao forced to defend. It worked well in Game 4.
The Blazers offense looked their best when they are pushing the ball up the court. I want to see the PGs push the ball up fast.
Life is not by chance. Basketball is life.
Who would be the big man in the pick and roll?
Przybilla? LaMarcus? Joel doesn’t have the offensive skills to make him much of a viable to threat.
If it’s run with Roy/Aldridge then it’s more of a pick and pop situation, but that has been going on all series from what I remember…
Oden and Przybilla
As long as they can set good screens, you don’t necessarily need the big man to be a offensively skilled. Make Yao move his feet. Several times Yao was in the wrong position on the screen, Roy or Rudy can get in the paint to score or dish. Its also a tactic to make Yao tired at the end of the game. Make sure Yao is forced to play both ends of the court.
Life is not by chance. Basketball is life.
hey, BE's
im up in tacoma.. WORKING (gov computer, which allows blazeredge.com website woot woot) is the game on tnt/espn tonight or what?
"Awesome! Totally awesome! All right, Hamilton!"
FREE BAYLESS
TAKE IT TO THE HOLE… and DISH/SLAM/FOUL
V/R Game 5 gameplan.
"Awesome! Totally awesome! All right, Hamilton!"
Brooks is a pro though
Bayless is a well lil rookie.
I'm ashamed to admit I am a Blazers fan, an Outlaw, Sergio, Nate, and Blake fan. I'm ashamed to be a fan of all the Blazers. Real fans don't want their team to win so they can get excited about the draft and call other fans "homers."
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