Mahoney: The Blazers are Ridley Scott's Alien
Whether you agree or disagree with his conclusions regarding the Blazers / Suns series, this is some fantastic writing by Rob Mahoney over at Hardwood Paroxysm.
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If I may, the Blazers are Ridley Scott’s Alien. The film is predicated on two things: the build-up of suspense through an extension of the ordinary and the grand reveal of the titular creature. A surprising amount of the film’s running time is designated to portraying the characters going through seemingly ordinary sequences of action, which naturally makes the audience uneasy because they’re (1) aware that they’re watching a movie in which something interesting is supposed to be happening and (2) cognizant of the fact that the damn movie is called Alien, yet there have yet to be any aliens. The injury-plagued Blazers are very much the same, in that even the team’s most talented players are seemingly ordinary. Andre Miller is hardly perceived as an elite point guard, despite the fact that he’s been incredibly effective in Brandon Roy’s stead. LaMarcus Aldridge is considered a solid four, but lacking in some fundamental element of superstardom and thus inferior. Marcus Camby is a nice shot-blocker, but he’s been deemed well into his decline and though he’s a difference-maker, he’s hardly considered a defensive anchor. Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster, Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez — all fine role players, but nothing more.
This is all, of course, before a little alien with Nate McMillan’s face comes bursting through your chest at the dinner table and ruins a perfectly good time.
It’s powerful and it’s shaking, largely because the status quo as it were only acted as a mechanism for the reveal to manifest itself. Miller wants you to think that he’s incapable of being a force, so he can can blow by you on his way to the rim by using the quickest slow (or is it slowest quick?) first step in the league. Aldridge wants you to think that he’s incapable of providing star-level offensive production as a primary option, so he can toss turnaround jumpers over your head from the low block, drop 20+, and call it a day. Camby will lurk behind on the break to rock a weak layup attempt, or emerge from the darkness to contest an otherwise open look.
The only problem is that once everything is in full view, the power of the reveal is gone. Portland may have caught Phoenix by surprise in game one, but now that the Suns know the secret, the result will never be the same again. That initial reaction can never be quite replicated, regardless of how expertly the Blazers execute.
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Mahoney goes on to compare the Suns to James Cameron's Aliens just as eloquently and then ties everything together to guess how the series will play out.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
almost 2 years ago
Ben Golliver
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We'll know very quickly tomorrow whether or not he's right.
I fear there’s much truth in what he’s saying.
PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!! PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PANIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, I feel better.
Yes! Yes! In the face!
That was perfect....
That’s exactly what has happened in this series so far, I dont think anyone could have said it better. I guess us blazers fans will have to see what Nate does. This is the part of the series where Nate needs to show us why every blazer fan thinks he deserves coach o the year.
by Michael Baller on Apr 21, 2010 10:13 AM PDT reply actions
Far from "every" blazer fan thinks that.
I have trouble giving a coach too much credit when we got better as players went down and the line-up choices stopped being choices at all. For the most, the players left, like Miller, really stepped up. I will give some credit to Nate as he seems to do better with the less that he has. Let’s not forget that he has yet to show us much when he has more to work with. I have not forgotten the start this year. It was bad considering are extremely easy schedule up front on the season. He absolutely failed with implementing Miller correctly and didn’t seem to know what to do with the most efficient player in the league at center. People see all our injuries and then give credit to the coach, but a lot of that credit goes to the players. Nate is good with an underdog team, but has yet to show what he can do with an elite level team. And that’s where I worry about him as our coach.
It’s time for a real test now, though. The Suns coach made the right adjustments, now it’s time for our coach to make the adjustments.
I know I will do my best to bring it tomorrow
This is it Blazer fans, go loud or go home for six months and think about what could have been.
"Good evening Blazer fans, wherever you may be!"-Bill Schonely
cry...alien was a great movie though
perhaps he is right, I dont know… but if that is the case, havent they been watching alien for the last 6 months? It would then seem that the blazers are more like eternal sunshine of the spotless mind…
ever few games they forget what the heck the blazers were about……
but, man it is really scary to be clobbered that bad. It really says something, but I dont think we can know exactly what it says until game 3… if things go bad again, then we know exactly what it says, if things go well, then perhaps we are still confused about what game 2 says…
after game 1 I knew that the suns would come back, but I thought it would be a lot closer.. and that the series would be super tight…
after game 2… it feels like we are third graders playing with giants….
i love my blazers, but man, that was a huge crippling blow. One where you worry the boxer cant get up from, at least in time to not be a TKO. And if you do get up, you worry, that another hit like that will be the last….
Beautiful Analogy
Wow. That is a beautiful analogy. We are a team of smoke and mirrors. We won our first game and we have at least one more in us due to our final trick (home court), but until Roy gets back, we lack a little substance.
If we can get to game 7 and Roy can come back, we maybe might have a chance.
Smoke and mirror teams do not win 50 games.
Let’s not allow a nice piece of prose lure us into abandoning critical thinking.
For example, I doubt there is a coach in the league whose opinion of or approach to playing against LaMarcus Aldridge is anywhere close to lulled.
I also don’t buy Rob’s line about the “power of the reveal” being gone. Sunday’s game was not the first time Phoenix played Portland this year. It was the 4th. In 5 games, the Blazers are 3-2, with only one of those games showing the Suns as the clearly better performing team. The record could easily be 4-1.
I’d say there is a lot of wishful thinking in Mr. Mahoney’s presentation.
Clarence, It's better to have a gun and not need it, then need a gun and not have it.
I agree with this
I also think our victory in game one was quite a bit more comprehensive than some folks are making it out to be—like there was one tossup and one blowout, so the blowout team is ahead. We played a perfect road game in game 1, keeping it close until the 4th and thoroughly out-executing them down the stretch. That we almost let them back in with FTs is a different issue, however, we were the better team by a substantial distance that night. There was nothing “lucky” or “surprising” about it: we beat them solidly.
We shall see how the series goes forward.
Smoke and Mirrors
Ok, so if we were to come up with a smoke and mirrors team, I think the best example would be the Houston Rockets of this year. They were constantly underestimated; they played as a really solid unit; depending on the night, a different guy was stepping up. The Rockets won 42 games. We won 8 more, but that was with Brandon Roy for most of them, Batum for half of them, Oden for a quarter of them.
I think that as our roster now sits, we are a smoke and mirrors team. We are very good at strategy and utilizing what we have, but that does not change the fact that we are a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. That is not a bad thing, but Mahoney was not saying that Alien was a bad movie. It is just a different movie. A movie that runs out of steam after a couple of watches.
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden.
Along with the sunshine,
There’s gotta be a little rain sometimes
this article isn't that good
i think the article is fun because it mixes in movie analogies from cool movies but it isn’t very well thought out. we didn’t surprise them with anything special in game 1. there was no “reveal” that gave us some advantage that we have now lost. Phoenix knew exactly who they were playing before game 1, had played us before with and without Roy, three times. this article superficially sounds logical and convincing but doesn’t really say anything about this series.
by letusrun on Apr 21, 2010 10:57 AM PDT reply actions 3 recs
agreed.
the suns just came out with a lot of energy, and dare i say desperation last night. they needed the win to stay in it, and they played like it. what comes next remains to be seen.
There are a couple things he fails to mention.
1. The Suns probably played their best game of the season. EVERYTHING was falling for them. When Nash made that crazy, goofy, reversish type layup cutting across the key, that was it. If those types of shots fall, they deserve to win. Hill hitting his first 10 shots??? C’mon. I doubt they’ll be able to shoot like that for 3 more games.
2. Those 3 games will have to be in Portland. The pressure is still on Phoenix. Until they win in the Rose Garden, the pressure will be on them.
3. None of it matters if Batum is out. If he’s out, nobody expects the Blazers to advance. If he’s ok, Portland is still the favorite.
Really, I didn’t like the article. You could have written this about any team that upset in the first game, it just so happened to be the Blazers.
Suns fan here
I really disagree with your first point. I mentioned this in another thread, but the Suns’ shooting percentages last night were basically the same as they’ve been all year. Last night, they shot 52% from the field and 40% from three. This season, they’ve averaged 49% from the field and 41% from three. On the other hand, Amare was below his averages in points and rebounds, the bench wasn’t as productive as they have been all year, Nash scored below his average. Now, the low turnover rate was an anomaly, so I’ll give you that. But, it was hardly the Suns’ best game all season.
I AGREE
youre right, the blazers shoudl pack it up and roll over, you dominated us… our one win was pathetic, and even though we tried to give you guys the game and you failed to connect, your teams one win was so superior, that they warrant an automatic move to the second round, hell lets make it the western conference finals….
lol, what?
the guy said phoenix had a great game maybe one of their best…
you decided to say, it wasnt near their best and really they shoudl have what?
had sixty more points? or I dont understand…. am i overreacting? yup it was called sarcasm because of hwo you chose to phrase the win.
You basically said, what we did last night was nothing special, our best scorer barely did anything… but i guess we didnt turn it over as much….
so i wonder what your point is?
the suns were dominate last night, and I saw the ball have some incredible rolls that were simply amazing. Al la that nash shot… which really, if he takes that shot a hundred times I bet he makes it five.
perhaps statistically your guys had an average game, but when you have a guy shooting 3’s and missing none, and the ball rolls in like a mysterious hand gives it that last little tap, then yea, you must admit that this was maybe your BEST game.
or at least very lucky… or if you even like, technique mixed with fortune…
I didn't mean to suggest the Suns should have sixty more points
Just saying, statistically, it was about on par for what they’ve done all season. Sorry, that’s what the stats say. Yes, the Suns got some favorable rolls and such. But if you use that logic, then they probably played WORSE than their best game, because it took lucky rolls to even get to their statistical average.
In my opinion, last night was less about what the Suns did well (except keeping their turnovers down) and more about what the Blazers didn’t do well.
I have a lot of respect for the Blazers
I was surprised to see them blown out. Just saying, I would count on 50% field goal shooting and 40% free throw shooting to be the norm, if the Suns are left unchecked. Yes, it may not always be Jason Richardson and Grant Hill, but it could just as easily be Stoudemire, Nash, Frye, Barbosa, Dudley, or Dragic going off.
The Blazers just didn’t bring it, intensity-wise, and it’s up to them to corral the Suns. They mailed it in, like the Suns did in Game 1, that was why the Blazers lost last night’s game, not because of any out-of-the-norm hot shooting from the Suns.
But...
What about Richardson and Hill. They were the difference in the game; them and the fact the Portland couldn’t throw it in the ocean. We missed way too many lay ups. We won’t miss them at home. Hill and J Rich both scored about double their season average, and J Rich was 80% from the 3, as opposed to 39%. I doubt Portland will shoot 38% FG, again. ANYTIME that happens, you lose. The problem was Blazers offense was stagnant.
yeah, that reverse flip layup reminded me of Andre's 52 point game
that better not be every night, or, gongratulations Suns. I’m not believing that yet.
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
They is nothing revealed in our 'ugly' style...
We just have to hope that our ‘ugly’ is better than PHX’s ‘pretty’ and last night was about as ‘pretty’ as it gets for them…
"You kill a mosquito with an axe. Nothing personal, but this is what I've got to do. You're in my way right now so I've got to get rid of you and I'll see you next year." -Monty Williams
My question
is how this incarnation of the team (perhaps now without Batum even) can be called the “Blazers”? The actual reveal here is a stick on which a little bit of latex and stage makeup has been placed coming out of your chest at the dinner table. You can even see the hand that’s pushing it through. This isn’t exactly what the final film will look like.
Oh…and if you’re just talking about this series I believe “Alien” had a number of sequels, all of which featured the Alien surprising you in different ways.
—Dave
He has it all wrong
The actual “reveal” will come tomorrow night at the Rose Garden when Roy, Oden, & Batum all stride onto the court just before tip off and proceed to destroy the hapless Suns.
I was born in '52, and I believe in #52. Hang in there, GO.
You too, Przy: everyone knows you're the heart & soul of the Blazers.
"suspense through an extension of the ordinary"
There will be nothing ordinary about the Blazer Crowd.
We need back-up!
Hopefully that little alien that comes out of the chest will be none other than Brandon.
Nice piece of writing.
Too bad it was wasted by drawing erroneous conclusions.
Clarence, It's better to have a gun and not need it, then need a gun and not have it.
the more i think about this article
the more i think it is an example of some pretty lazy writing. why is this still sitting on the front page of Blazers Edge? Lets get some real analysis!
Keep thinking, bro
You’re almost there.
"It all depends on where his growth will come and we think his growth will come within us" -- Kevin Pritchard on Jerryd Bayless
ahh, plenty of other posts, have a nice day
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
Game over man, game over.
If LMA had a baseline move, if Bayless could see the floor, if rudy could get past his man, if Martell could play with more control, if Miller had players around him good enough that he wouldn’t have to go one on one..
We have a lot of guys with a lot of heart that got us 50 wins but now we have a serious talent deficiency. Our guys are very good at very specific things and this team would be great around a healthy Oden. Until then.
I haven't read the article, but I thought the original Aliens was about the greatest suspense/sci fi movie ever...
and there are a lot of ways to go with the analgy. For instance: game one was the egg in the face surprise, game 2: all better now, time for din din, game 3: baby busts out of Suns belly, it’s not at all dead yet ! games 4-6: ok ok, the little bugger is hiding somewhere, but Suns should be ok. game 7: Roy shows up, the monster is a lot bigger now.
The rest of the league manages to fight off this years team short of a champoinship. We need Oden, for the sequels, hopefully with final success for the Aliens.
"You be realistic," Oden said. "I’m going to stay happy. All right?"
It doesn't really work
The little piece seems interesting on a first read, but collapses almost immediately.
Its authors asks us to believe that Andre Miler and LeMarcus want people not to think of them as forces, so that they can sneak up on them. There may be players in the league who do not think of themselves as forces, but Andre and Aldridge aren’t among them, and Marcus isn’t either.
To suggest, as the author does, that the Suns were somehow surprised with what they saw in game One, is beyond laughable, and still not justified by the artistic license that allows writers room for hyperbole. The Suns saw from Portland what they’d been seeing all year, and they saw it from the same end—the losing one—that they had in two of the three previous games, including games without Brandon and in their arena.
There was no reveal, no surprise, not hiding of secrets. Portland’s non secret is that they play hard and smart, have veteran that provide leadership and enough experience to give them confidence.
So this piece seems fresh at first, and perhaps even smart. But then comes its own reveal, and the articles shown for what it is. And so just as he suggests the Suns now look at the Blazers, we look at the writer, and can say with confidence: There’s nothing there.
Not one damn thing.
Hulk (high school nickname; not the name you'd expect for a decent marathoner.)
I'm willing to go with this metaphor...
So long as we “reveal” in Game 3 that Greg is suited up and ready to play.
Barring that, I’m more going with “Friday the 13th” where our intrepid happy campers get knocked off one by one every time they think they’re going to score.
They come out at night. Mostly.
So, I’m with many of the rest of you in agreeing that the article is based on cleverness than real basketball analysis. It’s kind of the Bill Simmons school of sports writing where you start a pop culture meme and then ride it to death. Watch for my new series of articles: “The Orlando Magic are built like The Terminator movies” , “The Denver Nuggets: Stand and Deliver.” and “The Houston Rockets: Revenge of the Nerds: trouble in statistical paradise” But still, it’s a fun sort of cleverness.
So in that spirit, let’s continue the “Alien” series comparison, shall we? As I think Dave mentioned, as it so happens there are plenty of other Alien movies. As a rebuttal to Rob Mahoney, let’s see how this plays out ….
Game 3 – we learn that the Blazers are actually like “Alien 3.” But the flaw we need to correct is that, by any measure at all, the Blazers have less in common with any sort of Alien, and far more to do with the overmatched human protagonists. Now, I should mention that this is one of my least favorite movies of all time. When it came out, I loathed it for killing (literally!) any and all potential from the two great movies that came before it. But let’s not go there. In Alien 3, everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. Much like this Blazer season! In fact, before the movie barely begins, prominent and beloved characters are killed or injured, and you know they’re not going to be there to help save the day. Sound familiar, Blazer fans?
Still, a scrappy group of underestimated guys with tattoos rally together and defy the odds, even as they are losing people left and right. Nate McMillan (or Andre Miller, your pick) is like Lt. Ripley here. The savvy, calm voice of experience, keeping everyone together. Despite looking around incredulously, asking “you mean, we have no weapons of any kind?” a way is found to win. It’s not a one trick pony. It’s done with gritty adaptability and throwing whatever men are available at the problem. If this isn’t a more accurate Portland analogy than the first movie, I don’t know what is.
Game 4 – That leaves us “Alien Resurrection.” To be honest, I’m not sure how to swing this one in the Blazers’ favor. Maybe the rebuilt Brandon Roy comes unexpectedly back, like some freakishly powerful cloned Sigourney Weaver and leads everyone to safety. And the Suns seem unstoppable but turn out be a bawling hybrid monster that seems lethal, but also has baby eyes and can be shushed. Honestly, that’s just weird. But really, I think the Phoenix Suns will be like the movie itself. A beloved franchise starts off with hype and promise, then goes predictably off the rails and falls apart in the end.
Game 5 – Yet another tough one to read in the “Aliens” tea leaves. Aliens vs. Predator? Does that even count? Okay, so our game begins with the innocent underdogs with no superstar names among them falling into the ambush of a high-powered Alien (er, Suns) attack. Hey wait, this comparison is working out great! And then …. um, a dreadlocked Chris Bosh shows up in the stands and starts picking people off? Only Patty Mills is spared? Okay, I got nothin.’ Luckily, nobody actually saw this movie.
See. Good thing basketball is basketball, and not a movie franchise.
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