Blazers Nudge Up In NBA Power Rankings
by Ben Golliver on Jan 30, 2012 11:32 AM PST
in News
Email
PrintThe 12-8 Portland Trail Blazers went 3-1 last week, remaining No. 4 in the Northwest Division while improving to No. 7 in the Western Conference. This earned a minor boost in most of the NBA Power Rankings.
Here's the round-up. Last week's rankings, if available, appear in parentheses.
Marc Stein, ESPN.com: Blazers are No. 14 (No. 16)
Only two teams in the Western Conference have a better nightly average point differential than the Blazers' +4.9 nearly a third of the way into the season: Denver at +7.2 and OKC at +6.2. But the Blazers' ongoing road struggles and inconsistent guard play are getting more attention. Justifiably so, Blazermaniacs?
John Hollinger, ESPN.com: Blazers are No. 7 (13)
John Schuhmann, NBA.com: Blazers are No. 14 (No. 15)
The Blazers play a big game in Utah on Monday, but they've lost six of their last eight away games, struggling offensively. Gerald Wallace has shot 63 percent at the Rose Garden, but just 30 percent on the road. No player with at least 50 shots both at home and away has nearly as big a differential.
David Aldridge, NBA.com: Blazers are No. 15 (No. 15)
Like Spurs, Blazers have no trouble winning at home (9-1, tied with Chicago for second-best home record in the league), but can't get it done on the road (3-7).
Chris Sheridan, SheridanHoops.com: Blazers are No. 9 (No. 16)
Five of next seven are at home, where they are 9-1 (tied with Chicago for 2nd-best behind Spurs). Marcus Camby did not score a point but grabbed 20 rebounds in 38-point win over Suns. It was the second 0/20 game of Camby's career. There have been only 10 other 0/20 games in NBA history. Dennis Rodman had seven of them.
Kurt Helin, ProBasketballTalk.com: Blazers are No. 13 (No. 15)
Fantastic at home (9-1) but pretty weak on the road. Good news is they have a string of games at home starting later in the week.
Jeff Sagarin, USA Today: Blazers are No. 7 (No. 9)
John Hollinger of ESPN.com's advanced stat rankings...
- No. 12 in Offensive Efficiency (up from No. 14)
- No. 7 in Defensive Efficiency (up from No. 8)
- No. 6 in Pace (up from No. 7)
- No. 4 in Rebound Rate (up from No. 18)
Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge is currently No. 21 in the NBA in dunks with 20, according to the CBSSports.com Dunk-O-Meter.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
44 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
A few of our road losses were just stupid
We’ll even that out by the end of the season. Unfortunately our home record probably won’t keep at one loss forever either.
Getting tired of the reference to road losses
No team in the league is playing well on the road yet. It will come. They played one of the best games this season on the road vs the Thunder. Tonight is a divisional game and they have had some rest. Blazers need to bring it tonight.
two division rivalry games this week
should be exciting
"Wide, girthy. Just like a Rhino. Sometimes my horns are visible."
Knew that was comin....
OKC is the same team as last year. Chicago is playing pretty well also but their record is fools gold because they have not played quality teams. We beat the Thunder and i hope we do again. The Heat are another team playing fair on the road. Also no big changes in roster.
For the most part the rest of the teams, like 27 of them, are having trouble on the road. This will change as the season progresses. The cream will rise to the top.
Most impressive thing about the heat
is changing back up point guards and using a rookie.
There is NOTHING impressive about the abomination that is the HEAT
The unprecedented player’s collusion brewing in Miami is the greatest threat to organized sports in our time.
Nothing, I repeat no a GD thing, is impressive about players circumventing the meaning, if not the letter of the law, to try and bake in a title.
What an incredible wimp LeZero is for not trying to build a championship himself. He has to go where it’s a “sure thing”.
Wow. Impressive? Not the word I’d use…
Hooray! We did it! We actually did it!
Gerald Wallace has shot 63 percent at the Rose Garden, but just 30 percent on the road. No player with at least 50 shots both at home and away has nearly as big a differential.
Marcus Camby did not score a point but grabbed 20 rebounds in 38-point win over Suns. It was the second 0/20 game of Camby’s career. There have been only 10 other 0/20 games in NBA history. Dennis Rodman had seven of them.
Lol.
"If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you're a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind."
by thankyouforblaze on Jan 30, 2012 11:47 AM PST reply actions
New Season Slogan...
Nudge Up With Us!
"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"
by Krang on Jan 30, 2012 12:00 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
i don't like the dunks slipping.
LA was up near the top last year. how hard it it to throw the ball near the hoop for the oop, felton? easy buckets.
I don't always root for an NBA franchise, but when I do, I prefer the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lobs look easy.
But they take time and practice. And the Blazers have had no practice time. The only guy really looking for them is Camby. Thats because they played together last year.
by kjironman1 on Jan 30, 2012 12:13 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Besides the whole Dre miller thing
teams have scouted that play pretty damn well at this point.
by moflow on Jan 30, 2012 12:38 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
100% agree with this
I’m sick of it all being blamed on Andre being gone. How many backdoor dunk attempts have been attempted and not converted because of poor passing?
According to Hoopdata...
The Blazers are 2nd in the league at attempts at the rim (27.4, league average is 23.8) but 28th in the league at field goal percentage at the rim (58.1%, league average is 62.8%). We are getting the attempts, we just aren’t making them. It’s not like they are missing dunks, they are missing the chippies…The culprits (those below the team average): Crawford, Camby, Batum, N. Smith, and Matthews. BTW, Wallace has the 3rd highest FG% at the rim (64.8%) on the team behind Johnson and Williams (both at 66.7%). He is 5th in the league at attempts at the rim (6.4). I only mention Wallace because he seems to be getting flack around here for missing easy shots. He only misses more because he takes more…
#7
by clinchmobb on Jan 30, 2012 12:39 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Wallace's attempts will start to fall.
Nice research….
Wallace misses all of them on the road, that's why he gets flack
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
Yeah, and he hardly misses at home
So it makes him look worse on the road
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
I'm no coach, but..
Mebbe they should change up their layup drills at the BOG to mirror game action… Let Batum chase ’em down… They obviously NEED the practice!
Totally agree.
When the guard play comes around so do the road wins. Guards control the ball and in essence the game. When the game is on the line on the road you have got to be able to rely on the point and the 2.
yeah this
if the guards could figure things out we’d be putting together some pretty impressive games.
Felton has been out of control....
Sometimes it results in really fast hoops…
But usually it results in head-scratching turnovers.
Not sure if its weight, or not knowing your teammates and lack of practice, but man, he looks bad most nights.
To the point where I’m really happy when Smith and the Chucker come in..
Given our guard play, I was suprised by these Advanced Team Stats from Hollinger...
TurnOver percentage: 23.1% tied for 2nd (!!!) with Spurs, Bulls, & Jazz.
Assist percentage: 15.0% tied for 10th in league.
While we often look sloppy on the court, it appears that the rest of the league is even worse. Our pace is holding up. We are 6th.
Shout out to AK-47!!
Yeah, I’ll have to see if I can dig up AK’s reply in the pre-season…
He seemed pretty sure of himself that the Blazers pace would be where it was…
I was wrong about that.
Of course, upping the possessions per 48 minutes hasn’t done anything positive for this team.
It’s still a mediocre squad.
"I Am Mine"
Nothing positive? Mediocre squad? Both cannot be true...
If nothing else, they are much improved on the watchable scale. I was at a party Sat night, and several not huge fans said “The Blazers are fun to watch this year” This is good not only fo the fans, and the owners, but the players LIKE this brand of ball, AK! So it might just bring somebody here to play it.
Blazers swarming D has looked pretty good at times this year; I expect it to only get better.That feeds off of, and feeds, the fast break. Defense wins championships, in large part because it fuels easy hoops on the break.
And you are already seeing a “mediocre squad” be playoff worthy in the west, beat upper echelon teams, and compile a .900 percentage at home.
Sounds like something positive must be happening for a mediocre team to often look dominant.
Could it be the pace?
This big jump:
John Hollinger of ESPN.com’s advanced stat rankings…
…..
No. 4 in Rebound Rate (up from No. 18)
was caused by this big jump:
Marcus Camby did not score a point but grabbed 20 rebounds in 38-point win over Suns. It was the second 0/20 game of Camby’s career.
?
Honor Alaa Abdelnaby.
First in the NBA. At least alphabetically
yeah
that 38 point win over the Suns sort of weighs heavily in Hollinger because of how much emphasis his formula puts on the last 10 games.
i keep dancing on my own.
We completely destroyed teams on the boards last week
Kings = 53 to 36
Grizz = 50 to 39
GS = 43 to 30
Suns = 58 to 41
Hard to look at those numbers without being a little impressed!
Correction
Camby completely destroyed teams on the boards last week…
Take away Camby’s Wilt-like glass cleaning, and we’d not be…
Camby was completely dominant for sure
but we had some other guys chasing down rebounds. LMA, Nic, Wallace, Kurt and Craig all had some pretty decent rebounding numbers last week. LMA with 16, Wallace 11, Kurt 10 etc etc.
Give Camby 5 rebounds instead of his normal total in each of those games and we still win the rebounding battle in most of them if not all of them.
Slightly off topic, but that pic of GW leaping out from the crowd is amazing.
I especially enjoy how its got those two people holding up their hands as if to herald his return to the court. Best ye prepare thyself for the Crash returneth to thy realm of play.
by Doganpc on Jan 30, 2012 2:50 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Solution – all games must be played at home.
Or, on the road, if we’re aiming for a high lottery pick.
by The Cactus Leaguer on Jan 30, 2012 5:32 PM PST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Behind the Box Score, where the Boston Celtics are moving on to the conference finals
- NBA Playoffs Fan Fiction: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- The Indiana Pacers? Gone till November
- Shaquille O’Neal is in a Chinese beer commercial, too (VIDEO)
- ‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
