Game 34 Preview: Jazz at Blazers

by Dave on Jan 4, 2008 10:52 PM PST in News Comment 14 comments

What?!? We have to play the Jazz AGAIN??? I actually love these games but I think we've had enough Jazz previews to last a lifetime. When do we get to play the Suns and L*kers?

The keys to this game are simple:

--Don't get outmuscled
--Don't get outhustled
--Pack the lane tight with your defense and...
--Plan on hitting more shots than they do

Near even on rebounds, turnovers, and foul shots probably equates to a win no matter the pace of the game.

With that out of the way, let's talk about the implications of this game.

Since we're starting to dabble in post-season aspirations we should acknowledge a truth that used to be quite familiar to us when we were perennial playoff participants: there are no critical games before the All-Star break. The only long-term implications this game has is securing us a tie-breaker with the Jazz outright. It's a worthy goal, but unlikely to be season-deciding.

Nevertheless if you just isolate the context to just January this game will probably be fairly important to the flow of our month. We eased some of the pressure by winning in Chicago the other night, but with a seven-game road trip against stiff competition on the horizon we need every game we can get at home.

The rest of the month looks like this:

Golden State
at Toronto
at New Jersey
at Boston
at Miami
at Orlando
at Atlanta
at New Orleans
Houston
Atlanta
Cleveland

Even for the new, improved version of the Blazers that's a tough row to hoe. You'd hope to win at Miami and at least one of the Atlanta contests but none of the rest are guaranteed. They won't all be losses (One would hope!) but it wouldn't surprise you to see us lose any of the remaining games on an individual basis.

So the mission is simple: capture the tie-breaker, take even more pressure off of the road trip, give your fans a chance to cheer.

Hopefully we can pull it off.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

P.S. The Jersey Contest form for this game is here.

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Kudos for getting "row to hoe" right!

The first time I have seen it right on the internet in several years!

Kirilenko has been ruled out of the game tonight (maybe already reported here?). Will that mean the Jazz play smaller(Korver, Harpring or Miles)? Or is Millsap the starter and they play slower?

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_7881600

by lee3022 on Jan 5, 2008 12:50 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Good call

I'll add that to the Gameday Thread.

My guess is we'll see liberal doses of Korver to try and break the zone. Millsap will also get his time. They don't mind playing a little more of a halfcourt game and beating us up.

--Dave

by Dave on Jan 5, 2008 1:07 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Wait a minute...

I thought that said "road to hoe" when I saw it last night...?

Dave?

by webted on Jan 5, 2008 2:43 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Come to think...

Most aquaculturists probably think it should be "a tough roe to hoe..."

by webted on Jan 5, 2008 2:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Indeed my friend

but I corrected it within the first 20 minutes or so after posting. I reserve that right. (C= If somebody had called me on it before I caught it I would have put the strike through it and left the error visible, but if I see it first...neener!

--Dave

by Dave on Jan 5, 2008 5:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, the part that's really sad...

...is that I'm lurking around websites at 11:30 on a Friday night!

by webted on Jan 5, 2008 6:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

2 things:

It seems like we play the Jazz, then play a different team, then play the Jazz again, alternating like that. It's ridiculous.
I knew that December was an easy month and that January was going to be a relatively hard month, but this is really just insane. Every game is winnable, but piece by piece, this month looks dreadful.

Golden State (at or above .500)
at Toronto (at or above .500)
at New Jersey (at or above .500)
at Boston (at or above .500)
at Miami
at Orlando (at or above .500)
at Atlanta (at or above .500)
at New Orleans (at or above .500)
Houston
Atlanta (at or above .500)
Cleveland

The 3 teams that AREN'T at or above .500 are Cleveland, Houston, and Miami. The uninformed pundits out there may have picked those 3 teams to be championship contenders.

So this is great, we're playing ONLY playoff teams and championship contenders (I know Miami is dreadful now, but Houston and Cleveland are legitimate threats) for the entire rest of the month. And most are away games.

/end whine

by rmcdougall on Jan 5, 2008 1:06 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

This is similar to

but not quite as bad as, the schedule Utah had last month. They played 6 or 7 true elite teams as I recall. That's why people who were counting their demise early are probably incorrect. Now we have to pass a gauntlet like that...though not quite as bad. How will we fare?

--Dave

by Dave on Jan 5, 2008 1:08 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The Blazers should win about half their games

The average win/loss records of the teams the Blazers are playing the rest of this month is 17-15. The Blazers seem to me to be playing about .600 ball, if you look at how they play, win, and lose games (as opposed to their long losing and winning streaks, neither of which is truly representative of their ability). That means they should be able to win about half of those games, given that most are on the road.

by MiledAnimal on Jan 5, 2008 5:38 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

But will they be

at or above .500 AFTER we play them?

This team needs to learn how to win in every situation so a long run of good teams is ideal. I am not worried about records but experience and confidence and that seems to be working out a little bit.

by lee3022 on Jan 5, 2008 9:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Let's not make these teams 10 ft tall

We've already shown we can be Golden State and this time we have them at home.

Toronto is a difficult team to start off the road trip, but Portland should be fairly rested and hopefully stoked to start off the trip with a win.

I think New Jersey is definately beatable. They don't have anyone who matches up with Aldridge or Pryzbilla for that matter. However it's the second game of a back to back.

We should be able to beat Miami - if we don't take them lightly.

I think we can beat Orlando. However it too is the second of a back to back.

Atlanta at home may be tough, but they are a team we should beat at home.

NO will be a difficult game.

Houston sucks. If we can't beat them at home we don't belong in the playoffs.

Cleveland has James and they finally appear to be playing better defense. But it's a home game and definately winnable.

I think 5 wins out of this schedule is within the realm of possibility.

by timg56 on Jan 7, 2008 6:19 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hawks

I think they're also better than a lot of people give them credit for.

The hawks are the east coast team that I see as being our rivals in five years.

Of course... a TON can change between now and then and it really depends on the determination of the ownership there.

This is Portland. Portland loves its Blazers. Welcome to OUR house.

by ratbastird on Jan 5, 2008 9:35 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

It's amazing

to think that the Hawks could be rivals to ANYone.

It is nice to see historically bad teams get a moment in the sun.

Bingo, bango, bongo!

by Babyshoes on Jan 5, 2008 4:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

It will probably surprise a lot of people

but historically the Hawks are actually one of the more successful organization's over the history of the NBA. The fact they've sucked for the past decade tends to obscure that fact.

by timg56 on Jan 7, 2008 6:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs