Bounce Back or Flatten Out?

Heck of a game...I just can't get over this team!

New blog to check out:

http://blazersog.wordpress.com/

Keep up the good work here guys...Go Blazers!

Hey Dave, I was wondering the same thing as I left the Rose Garden last night.  I just kept saying to myself, "That is a game that we should not have won, but what does it mean for future games?"  NO and Houston games were similar, 2nd half disasters.  Hawks game was a first half disaster, and maybe even a first 3 1/2 quarter disaster.  Just because Roy was let into the lane does not change the fact that LMA, Webster, Travis, and Blake are not hitting their shots.  Now, LMA showed some positive signs in the second half and so did Travis and Frye can hit from 10 feet, but we need the outside shooting back.  Or do we?  Maybe this will show this team that you will have better success over the long haul if you take your shots closer to the basket.  I am not sure what this game will mean for future games, in terms of getting hot again, but Dave, you are right about the Will and Energy part.  This team needs it.  Once the team started its run, the Rose Garden energy rose and then the Blazer energy just kept coming, both offensively and more importantly defensively.  As Nate said, Roy's defense was why we won, together with the Energy.  That was the best man defense I have ever seen Roy play, other than maybe his block on Carmello against Denver.  Woodson made a bad call to not double Roy, apparently afraid that Travis would hit more threes.  It was a great game to be at, after having heartburn for the first 3 1/2 quarters.

By the way, my seats are right with the Blazer family seats, and Brandon's fiance', and family and friends, were there, as usual cheering louder than anyone else.  They also give Brandon a little hand/finger mojo when he shoots foul shots.  I saw when he missed that first shot that it looked too hard when it left his hands, and his family saw it too.  When it left his hands, we all said, "It looks long."

One other thing to mention is the flagrant by Jones.  I am not sure if JJ was just trying to fire up the team by that hard foul.  I think he was getting fed up with the Hawks flying down the court, uncontested.  Maybe he was just giving them something to think about.

In those losses to NO and Houston, you could tell they were probably emotionally and physically spent.  Only getting a day off after that 12 day slog before having to take on a physical, resurgent rockets team was no surprise to see it fall into the L column.

I think the two mikes had a good point in the broadcast; basically teams have figured out that all you have to do is press Brandon on the perimeter with double teams, and break up the pick & roll and you have a good chance of disrupting the team's offense, I credit Nate for coming up with an adjustment of Brandon passing into the high post where guys like Channing and LA were able to press an advantage.

Cleveland is going to be a tall order, but I'm confident they'll give them good fight.

I think the Blazers have been learning through the season.  They figured out a way to play solid zone defense and they figured out a way to score which got them their big win streak. However, teams learned both how to exploit said Zone and to stop the Blazers offense.  The Blazers O looked eerily similar to what we say at the start of the season the last couple of games.  But they adjusted, as indicated by McMillan in the post Atlana game Q&A.  Bradon started getting the ball to the bigs when doubled as they slip the lane. That shows learning.  Games evolve over a season with teams constantly countering offensive and defensive schemes.  Good teams learn to counter back and continue to win, while the bad teams begin to pile on losses as they continue to follow losing game plans.  WE were one of the lossing teams last year.  If the Blazers show that can adapt and continually make adjustments then we willl have really turned the corner.  I expect to keep playing at least .500 ball the rest of the season, which may or may not be good enough to make the playoffs.  The learning curve from here on out however will be entirely new to most of the team and will be what pays dividends next season and on down the road.

the trap teams have been hitting Roy with.  McMillan talked about it after the game, but they were successful in having Channing Frye and LaMarcus Aldridge slip the pick at the top of the key and accept lob passes from Brandon and then turn to convert the shot.  Another thing they did to beat it that they didn't talk about was to have Frye or Aldridge turn and screen the small man of the double team and have Roy rush by and end up with a mismatch against a big guy.

So if they can consistently beat the trap like that, their offense should be in a lot better shape because practically everything depends on Brandon Roy offensively, and we know that the Blazers, young as they are play better defense when they are scoring.  That trap was huge for both the Hornets and the Rockets.

So I'll go ahead and drink the Kool-aid and say the Blazers will win a few in a row because they will have solved the trap at the top of the key.

Congratulations Dave on landing a regular spot on (by far) the best local program that 1080 has to offer!  I don't know why everyone is so fired up about the "brah" comment.  Perhaps they aren't familiar with Gavin Dawson.  First off, Gavin is a big Blazers fan and does a very good job of covering them both on Sports Saturday and on the post-game.  Secondly, he seems to be a pretty genuine individual.  He's just a laid-back, friendly guy who wants to connect with people -- hence "brah".  Now that Newbear is gone, he's the only thing that keeps that station from the pit of despair.  So, it's very exciting that the program will be EDGier than usual.  Well done.
     I think folks have already said plenty of valid things about tiredness, etc.  The most telling thing is that the coaching staff is talking openly about it instead of saying "suck it up."  That shows a real respect of the players by the coaches for their effort and their devotion to the team and craft.  I think Cleveland can be a good matchup (knock on wood) with Pavlovich down and Varejao dinged, because we should have too many weapons for them to deal with, unless Lebron goes 45/15/15 on us.
     Thanks for the discussion all!

about the overall poor play of Martell, Jack, and Aldridge.  I had been hoping that the young guys would get back on track at home, but they've yet to really show much of a spark in the last two home games.  Martell hasn't had a good game since the Utah third quarter explosion, Jack hasn't really had much game since the Chicago overtime game, and Aldridge -- I can't even remember the last good game of his.  If these three keep playing the way they've been playing over the past few weeks, I think our chance of making the playoffs is pretty damn slim.

But they're young. We had a taste of the big time and now we want it all. These are the same guys they were in October.

Martel's only been in the league 2.5 years. He'd only be a junior in college.

LMA still needs to build the core strength and upper body mass that it tool Jermaine O'Neal 6 or 7 years in the league to build.

Jack isn't a finesse player going to the rim, but he blows stuff up every once in a while. He gets the defense out of their comfort zone even when he does look like he should be going at a tacking dummy instead of the hoop. And he's young too, especially for a point.

I'll be concerned if they still look like this, at this point in the season in 2010.

that 13 game winning streak may have been as much curse as blessing in that it raised expectations for this team well beyond what is realistic.

Prior to The Streak, the Blazers were classed with the T'Wolves, Sonics and the league's other bottom feeders. A mere 13 games later - voila - they're suddenly hailed as playoff contenders. And so, instead of patiently accepting the growing pains that are characteristic of a young, developing team, fans begin angrily calling for the heads of Jack, Sergio, Frye, Martell or whoever else may have failed to deliver on a given night.

In my estimation, the Blazers are not yet playoff calibre. Nor are they bottom feeders, either. Right now, they look very much like a .500 team who's coming back down to earth after a remarkable run. If you go back and review the preseason predictions made by the people on this site, that's actually better than just about all of you expected. Yet, in the wake of a 13-game winning streak, .500 doesn't look so hotsy-totsy anymore.  

Jeez, people, lighten up will'ya. Some of you are getting so overwrought about some chimerical playoff hopes that you are forgetting to enjoy what may one day be regarded as one of your team's most amazing seasons, ever. The shock and joy of the unexpected is what ultimately provides us sports fans with our most memorable rooting experiences. A great example is the playoff run that my Giants are on. A mediocre team during the NFL regular season, they've defeated three quality opponents in the postseason. Now they're poised to play in the Super Bowl. Do I expect them to beat the 18-0 Pats? No, I don't. Will I be disappointed if they lose. A little, I suppose. But that disappointment will be more than outweighed by the joy they've given me with their unexpected success. And if by some grace of the football gods they manage to win the Big Game, it will undoubtedly rank as one of the most exhilirating sports moments of my entire life as a fan. What the Blazers have accomplished thus far this season is not all that dis-similar from what the Giants have done in terms of exceeding the little had been expected of them.

Contrast that outlook with that of, say, the Yankee fan who views his season as a failure unless his team wins the World Series. For those fans, expectations are so ridiculously high that victory produces emotions closer to relief than exultation. Next year, when Oden returns, Blazerfan will also begin to have to deal with that heightened weight of expectation. At the very minimum, pundit and fan alike will regard anything less than a playoff appearance as a setback. The exhiliration of unexpected progress that you're currently witnessing will be replaced by a more methodical accounting of success and failure as your team begins its steady, arduous climb toward Elite status.

In short, what the Blazers are giving you now is something that's so special and rare, it transcends just the simple reckoning of wins and losses. The players and coaches all recognize this; Jason Quick sees it; even Pritchard gets it. It's sad, then, that there are so many here who seem to have lost sight of it.