Game 45 Preview: Pacers vs. Trail Blazers
by Dave on Jan 21, 2011 10:00 PM PST
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PrintGame Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: CSNNW
The Pacers hit town an improved team, though you wouldn't know it of late. Carrying a 16-23 record they're in the playoff hunt in the East but they've lost 9 of their last 12 games. Some of those losses have come against legitimate teams like the Celtics and Spurs, but most haven't.
As always the Pacers are led by forward Danny Granger. He's an offensive machine, though his shot attempts and scoring average (21.5) are both down this year. He can hit from anywhere, shooting 43% overall and 39% from the arc on 6 three-point attempts per game. As with so many other struggling teams, Indiana's scoring drops off the table from there though. Nobody else scores more than 15 per game. Point guard Darren Collison has been a mild disappointment, with his shooting percentages and assist total well below last year's. Center Roy Hibbert is good for some rebounding and defense but his offense is rudimentary. After that we're looking at Mike Dunleavy, Brandon Rush, Josh McRoberts, and the always-bankable Jeff Foster. The once-brilliant T.J. Ford has been DNP-CD'ed. Veteran James Posey doesn't top 36% shooting. There are major flaws in nearly every player in this lineup. Beating them is a matter of picking the correct ones to exploit.
Indiana's scoring woes stem largely from their inability to score in the paint. The lack of easy shots drives their overall shooting percentage into the toilet. They never draw fouls and they can't hit enough threes to make up for their lack of production. They also turn over the ball, compounding their problems. All of this totals up to an anemic 97.3 ppg scoring average.
The defensive end looks a little better. The Pacers are 4th in the league in field goal percentage allowed, mostly because Hibbert and company don't allow many more points in the paint than the Pacers score themselves. Though their perimeter defense doesn't live up the interior they're still a respectable 8th overall in defensive efficiency. They're quite good on the defensive boards, which doesn't hurt.
The key to beating the Pacers tonight will be getting good shots and hitting them. The Blazers need to work around Hibbert and Foster, perhaps by beating them down the floor. The guards will need to shoot with confidence and the forwards will need to rebound. One good thing about this matchup is the Blazers can use Joel Przybilla with impunity, as Hibbert and Foster won't threaten any more than Joel does. It'll be interesting to watch the rebounding battle.
See the Indy point of view at Indy Cornrows.
No Jersey Contest for this game, as my day job again made me miss Thursday's game and I hate to run a form with one day's notice. We'll resume on Monday.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Can we get the Jersey contest scores for the last game.
by cavejunctionblazer on Jan 21, 2011 11:17 PM PST reply actions
How is Blazersedge a side job?
You do such a good job its hard to think this isn’t a full time job
ALLLL Rudy Then!!!!!
Tis a shame indeed.
OSU '06
Trade for Gerald Wallace!!
by TyboOSU on Jan 22, 2011 2:07 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
We need this game and the Kings game for sure
All our conference and division friends will be locked up in tough match-ups today. A couple more solid wins while other teams are duking it out will be invaluable.
After these two games we don’t play again until we host Boston in about a week. All the other teams will be duking it out and hopefully tearing each other down while our guys take a break. Starting that break on a 6 – 0 run would be real nice.
Our mediocre bests their mediocre.
Portland by 12. Big Granger fan. Zero chance of pulling him away from Indy?
Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.
Should be a win
but this team cannot count on anything. One plus is that their center basically is Przybilla Lite. So hopefully they will battle to a draw. This is yet another game to rely on LMA: if he has another monster game, I don’t see how the Pacers can recover.
In the next 12 games......
We only see 5 teams (out of 12) that have above .500 records. Even though we start Feb with 2 back-to-backs, making it 5 games in 7 days, Portland has a great chance to keep their position at 8th or even move up a notch before Camby can return by the all-star break. I have confidence, LMA for the win! (thought I’d never say that). GO BLAZERS!
It is a reasonable expectation
to think that the Blazers will continue to win at a good clip. Sure, there are those injuries, but the bench players continue to step up, especially Wesley. Joel is working himself back into condition. LaMarcus is enunciating all of his gifts, and Batum is becoming more aggressive. Rudy plays hard.
All in all, Pritchard brought in enough talent that the Blazers, even wounded, could still beat 2/3 of the league, and we face a nice run against those lower echelon teams.
Oh, and for anyone who thinks WM is a starter on this team, you are only accurate if Roy is seriously injured, because he has none of Roy’s ice. Plus, Batum is far superior (length, versatility, upside) at the 3, and Mathews lacks the ball skills to play the 1. This (calling WM a starter) would not be a good argument, IMO, unless of course, Roy is done, and then the position is his, at least for now. He has done a nice job, although he lacks consistency, which is common for young players.
We could also argue about whether he’s all that young too, since he was a 4 year college guy, and then Utah for 1. John Wall is young. Wesley Mathews is 2 years older than Derick Rose.
by damonrayhymer on Jan 22, 2011 9:55 AM PST up reply actions
I think Batum is better also--I am a Batum fan
Nevertheless, Batum lost his starters position to WM before BRoy went down with injury, Therefore until further notice, regardless of what we feel Wesley Matthews is a starter.
hg
Wesley Matthews is not in the same category as Rose...OBVIOUSLY.
(this is in response to damonrayhymer!)
He is a good player. Depending on how Roy is able to play, once he is in shape to play again…WM is a starter.
Even if Roy is able to play at a decent level, I highly doubt he will be able to play starter minutes for a LONG time.
And I think Roy would disrupt what the current starters have going if he was to start.
I think Roy will come off the bench when he is back.
That is the only fair thing to do IMO.
Should he prove to be able to play at a high level..then the starter position is his to EARN.
The past does not equal the present.
I was just referring to youth,
not talent, not who could pound more beer, or eat more hot dogs.
If Roy comes back healthy, Roy starts, very soon. I don’t see him becoming the 6th man, no mater how much sense it makes. Roy is too competitive, he has an all-star pedigree, and he makes max money. Not exactly 6th man material, considering he’s playing for, what is, a struggling franchise.
Oh, and if he comes back before the playoffs, Coach is going to want to ride his best player, just like he did in Phoenix, last year.
by damonrayhymer on Jan 22, 2011 1:33 PM PST up reply actions
I really hope that Batum continues to play as a starter. Period.
No one knows what kind of shape Roy will be in if and when he comes back to play…especially this year.
And guess what? I don’t think Roy is the best player. I think until he shows that he is able to play without pain and well…he should come off the bench.
I think Roy will come off the bench when he is back.
I don’t, as long as Nate’s the coach.
That is the only fair thing to do
It’s not about being fair, it’s about what the head coach thinks will win more ballgames
I’d like to see Roy come off the bench alongside Rudy later this spring; the two of them had some nice juju going on back in 2008-2009. But I don’t expect it. Roy will start and Nate will have another chat with Batum up in his hotel room about seizing the opportunity to come off the bench and be the man. (Based on Nic’s recent blog entry, perhaps he’ll be more ready for that role the next time around?) OTOH, I don’t think that McMillian could ever talk Brandon into embracing the 6th man role (ref. Andre Miller, 2009) after all he’s been through in Portland. But I’d love to be proven wrong
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Yes I suppose it isn't about being fair. Wish that it was.
I think Brandon may come off the bench as he will want to do what is best for the team and he may realize that he is in no shape to start after being off for however many months he will have been off by the time he plays again.
Or…going by how Roy has been in the past…he will want to start and have the ball in his hands more.
All of this is speculation. No one knows what will happen or how Roy’s knees will feel.
I think Brandon may come off the bench as he will want to do what is best for the team and he may realize that he is in no shape to start after being off for however many months he will have been off by the time he plays again.
That would be nice, but I doubt that will be Brandon or Nate’s mindset. I suspect they’ll want to warm him up pre-game, stick him right out there and see how his knees feel. If he finds his rhythm one night he’ll play long minutes and probably close the game. If his knees aren’t responding the next night they’ll shut him down early
That’s no way to build consistency from game to game, but they’re paying Roy and he’s certainly going to play once he’s able. The real issue will be how the other players re-adjust to Brandon, and how Nic responds if he’s sent back to the bench, again
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
The Batum demotion was unjustified, IMO.
Coach simply lacked the cajones to bench Roy, who could not preforming adequately because he lacked mobility.
Politics aside, Batum was, remains, and will be, the answer. He is simply terrific, and I’m hoping that there’s someone in Portland who can tap his entire potential.
by damonrayhymer on Jan 22, 2011 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The Batum demotion apparently did Nico a whole lot of good
It almost looks like he may have an epiphany similar to LMA’s pretty soon here. Reading his blog kind of reinforces this.
Nic had to adjust to playing alongside Patty and Rudy
after a couple of years of playing alongside Roy and LMA. Like he wrote in his blog, the opponent’s defense focused more on him when he was the 1st-2nd scoring option then when he was 4-5. It’s a learning experience for every young NBA player
I see Matthews, Batum and Fernandez as all being in the same boat. They can have great games alternating with poor-shooting games. If two of them are “on” (on any given night) the team has a good chance to win, unless they’re paying an elite team. If their shot isn’t falling then they have to continue to play hard, and try to contribute in other areas. We’re seeing this maturity from all 3 players and it’s part of the reason why the team has won 4 games in a row
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
*playing against
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
for anyone who thinks WM is a starter on this team, you are only accurate if Roy is seriously injured, because he has none of Roy’s ice
and Brandon doesn’t have Matthew’s fire. Or Wesley’s pair of relatively healthy knees…
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
by two4larue on Jan 22, 2011 4:47 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
that is so freaking true. Brandon has more experience and probably more talent
but Wesley Matthews works his butt off and is very competitive. I don’t think I would ever hear him say that it was a relief to get that first loss out of the way.
when healthy Roy def has more talent
and Brandon is a competitor, there’s no doubt about that
I’m not sure if many players hate to lose as much as Matthews does, though. That’s the kind of attitude the Blazers can always use in their locker-room. The thing that troubles me about Wesley is how much he struggled when he came off the bench, earlier this year. Somebody’s got to leave the starting 5 when Roy returns, and I expect it will be Batum again.
Regardless, that decision is a ways off. We’ll see how Brandon’s rehab comes along
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Foster is a bit like Camby
if he can’t grab the rebound he’ll punch it back out up top
Jeff is chippy as well, if he was healthy and accepted a 3-4M/year contract I wouldn’t mind seeing him play 10-15 mpg for Portland after the lockout
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
We should win this game. Pacers are crap on the road...
…although they did win in Miami. It would be good to have a nice game from Rudy, Nic and Wes again. It’s so rare that all of them have good games in the same game.
Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.
I think Lebron was out for that game though right? I think the Blazers would have
won by a landslide if LJ was out for the game here….and would also win there!!!
Above .600 I think
Would be strange if this team suddenly found itself at 95%+ health wise(minus Oden) before the playoffs. If Nate managed to reintegrate Roy in the line-up without messing up what we have going we might do far better than I thought.
Roy at 85%+ with LMA as a dominate post player + an extra decent scoring option and Pryz coming off the bench…
Yes, under that plausible scenario this team can beat anybody on any given night
If Roy comes back, I’m 90% confident it will be as a sixth man; this year anyway. That would be a tremendous lift since we have one of the weakest benches in the NBA – especially when bad Fernandez plays. Roy getting 20-25 per game and 10-13 PPG would be a godsend.
If you couple that scenario with Batum making a similar advancement in play that LMA did this year, Portland is a dangerous team. I wouldn’t rule out a couple playoff series wins if the balls fall the right way.
That's what I'm thinking too
Roy and Pryz off the bench. Rudy and Dante both tend to play much better when they’re surrounded by good players.
I think, under those circumstance, much of our bench trouble is solved and we actually have a very decent starting line-up already. We’d have a respectable front and back court for both the starting 5 and the bench.
It really is strange to think that after everything we still have a shot at making a splash this year. Stranger still, after all the Oden stuff we ended up with a legitimate post threat anyway.
If Nate managed to reintegrate Roy in the line-up without messing up what we have going
I have no stats for this, but my impression from the last 2-3 years is that whenever Nate has had a roster at (almost) full strength, they’ve generally underachieved. But he’s been a master at grinding out wins with a depleted rotation
I’d love to see Portland win a playoff series next April, I just don’t have any confidence in McMillian’s ability to pull it off. (Unless the opponent falls apart and hands it to him)
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
No confidence--yet
This team is still growing. It seems to growth through adversity. Maybe another playoff series under their belt is what the doctor ordered. Would love to see it.
by BBlazer on Jan 22, 2011 5:51 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
they probably would have won in the first round, last year
if Roy, Camby and Batum were healthy
I’m just not sold on McMillian being able to make winning adjustments during a playoff series. He’ll have to show me more than he did in 2009/2010 this April
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Hows Paul George been doing for Indiana?
anyone know?
"you better hide your kids, hide your wives, hide your husbands, cuz dey rapin everbody out here "
-Antoine Dodson
about 3-4 times better than Luke Babbitt
When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Fun stat in hidden in the Weekend Dime:
Aldridge leads the league in Alley-oops, with 41. Also 3rd in Dunks. love to watch that.
I think he's only two or three dunks behind Dwight for second place
But Orlando has also played fewer games than us.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
Whoops, nevermind
Howard appears to have had a good game recently…
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
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