Game 58 Recap: Blazers 82, Clippers 80

by Dave on Feb 27, 2008 11:15 PM PST in News

Ugh. Watching this game was like brushing your teeth with a toilet scrubber. It was like drinking the water in which Paris Hilton soaks her delicates. It was like envisioning your parents being intimate. Twice.

Sorry, but it was just that gross.

I want to find a lot of good stuff to say because it was a win, but I don't think you'd respect me in the morning if I did. So we'll just say the good thing was it WAS a win.

We shot OK from the field, well from the three-point line, and crappy from the free throw line. We played with a middling amount of energy in the first half but the Clippers stank it up so badly they made us look like impresarios. They adjusted at halftime and we faded so it became a nip and tuck affair. We ended up with foul shots to win it (most of which we missed) and they ended up with a horrifying Corey Maggette heave from beyond credible distance (which missed everything). We stayed with them rebound-wise only because they missed so many more shots than we did. They missed so many more shots than we did because of our sterling defen...HA! It was because they sucked the big baloney wad tonight, pure and simple. That and they were missing all kinds of players. We were too, so we were even. Unfortunately.

If you read the Gameday Thread you will find that in the closing moments we didn't care who scored or who won as long as the game didn't go into overtime. That's just the kind of night it was. So let's just get on with the individual stuff.

Individual Observations

--Jarrett Jack saved this game for us in the fourth. He scored 13 of his 21 points in the final period (which also ended up being 13 of our 24). He ended up the game 9-13, 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover. I know he missed two free throws in the closing seconds. Tough. We won anyway.

--Lamarcus...(sigh). He had some good individual moves again but he just wasn't aggressive overall in this game. He took 9 shots, scored 9 points, and got 6 boards. Every time he was double-teamed he looked confused. Half the time he caught it he waited to be double-teamed. I didn't like this look at all. In fact I don't like forcing it in the post to Lamarcus much. It's OK a couple times to start the game but we need more motion to really take advantage of what he brings. He did shoot 6 free throws tonight. As we keep saying that number will be really important to him in the long run.

--Travis...(double sigh). He had one spectacular drive and dunk of the kind that makes you go, "OHHHHHHHHHHH! TRAVIS BAYYYBAAAAYYYYYY!" Then he chucked a bunch of shots that just made you go, "Oh." He had some tough defensive assignments and that may have distracted him. Only 3 rebounds though. This is a big issue with the Travis-Lamarcus forward combo. 6 defensive rebounds between them in 63 minutes of playing time.

--Joel...9 rebounds but only 21 minutes because of 5 fouls.

--Martell nailed a couple threes tonight! I liked his game better than I have recently. 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists.

--Steve Blake followed up his game of the decade with a 0-point, 6-assist performance. Granted we weren't really looking for him to score but still.

--Channing Frye recaptured a little bit of his shooting mojo tonight. 4-8 shooting, 4-5 free throws, 12 points. If he could match that every night it would be a lot easier to keep him on the court.

--Hey, what's my name?

--Von Wafer!

--Hey, what's my name?

--Von Wafer!

--Yeah I'm the big

--Game saver!

--Don't judge my skillz

--On paper!

:::doing jiggy little Von Wafer dance:::

Well, maybe he didn't exactly save the game, but it was a nice enough outing. The first thing you notice is that he's a little slight for an NBA guard. It wasn't as noticeable in Vegas but when you see him out there it shows. He goes against the grain a little for us that way. But he didn't hesitate on his shot, which is good. It doesn't matter if you're the star or 12th man, shooters gotta shoot. He went 4-10 on the night, 2-5 from distance, and ended up with 11 points. He also had 5 rebounds and a nice wing block, hollah hollah. He'll get another look. Just let's not go overboard, OK? It was one outing and just about everybody on the roster has had one as good or better this year already.

--Hey, what's my name?

--Raef LaFrentz!

Awwww, forget that. He played 12 minutes and got 3 boards and a bucket. Golf clap.

That is all.

One-Sentence Game Summary:

Excuse me while I go bleach out my Tivo.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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Comments

A win!

Want to know what was good about this game? I will tell you:
FINALLY, we play a team that is supposed to suck, and they DO!
How many times lately have the horrible teams pulled out their good plays against us? How many times have their role players had career nights? A lot! Seems that way, at least.
But not tonight. We stunk up the place and we still won!
Woo-hoo, I say.

But luckily I was at a meeting tonight, and I only had to suffer through the last 90 seconds of the game. That was enough.

by Section323 on Feb 27, 2008 11:39 PM PST reply actions

Ugly Indeed

You think it was ugly for you? I had to watch it live! And then my team lost!

Clippers shoot 31% and have a chance to win in the final seconds. That doesn't even make sense.

But more ping pong balls for me.

I'm sorry anyone was subjected to that.

The Clippers! The (second) Best NBA Team in LA!

by ClipperSteve on Feb 27, 2008 11:49 PM PST reply actions

Hey

We apologize too, man. Next time we meet may it be with more players and a prettier outcome.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 28, 2008 12:27 AM PST up reply actions

Me too

But my team won so it wasn't that bad. What am I saying, that was the most depressing win imaginable. It did nothing to restore confidence in the Blazers. ClipperSteve and I were joined by about seven other bored and confused Angelenos at Staples. DJ Dense and the Jumbotron antics were by far the highlight of the night. They had 10 year olds playing at halftime and I swear to god both junior teams had higher field goal percentages then the pros. It was my buddy's first NBA game. Afterwards his response was: "I can imagine that if it was actually two good teams playing and the game actually mattered, then I can see how this basketball stuff could be fun". I was so embarrassed. This was one of those games that all the NCAA snobs I know can point to and say, "See, I told you so!"

by Jumbo on Feb 28, 2008 11:23 AM PST up reply actions

Ugly is, as Ugly does!

Get what I mean ;) ;) ;)

"The Team with Caricature!"

by Lizzy Lowblow on Feb 28, 2008 5:07 PM PST up reply actions

More stuff

check out Hoopsworld.com for interviews w/Blake, LaMarcus, and Oden and hear McMillin's post game thoughts

Travis Outlaw drops the sledgehammer on Daequan Cook for a dunk so vicious, it's illegal in 48 states.

by BlazerBandit on Feb 28, 2008 12:28 AM PST reply actions

the trade

I think tonight showed the little trade a few days is good for us. Vanilla Wafer may not be a star for us but we'll have a lot more use for him than Green.

by ericande on Feb 28, 2008 12:36 AM PST reply actions

The best sight

was Martell facing up on the wing, throwing some pump fakes and driving to the basket. This could really become a deadly move for him if he works on it.
If they lay off him he shoots it, if they bite on the fake he goes around them.

The silver lining of Roy's injury is seeing a Martell oriented offense that we kinda saw in the first half

Travis Outlaw drops the sledgehammer on Daequan Cook for a dunk so vicious, it's illegal in 48 states.

by BlazerBandit on Feb 28, 2008 12:39 AM PST reply actions

LaMarcus & double-teams

Unlike Dave, I don't have a problem with the Blazers posting up LMA. Sure, he seems like a deer in the headlights when teams bring double-teams. But how is he going to learn to read and handle double-teams except thru lots of practice? In my experience, every NBA big struggles with double-teams when they first start to draw them. Over time, the good ones--like Kareem and Shaq--become so good at handling doubles that they WELCOME them. But that takes time. A lot of it seems to be timing--learning how to either shoot before the double arrives or to make the defense commit to the double, then make the crisp pass out without hesitation.

I'm confident LMA will get the knack; he's smart and is naturally a good and willing passer. In the future, when the Blazers have more weapons, LMA will face fewer double-teams. So, taking the long view, it's good that he's getting lots of practice this season. That way, they won't faze him when he DOES face them in future seasons.

"Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people." -Gabe Muoneke

by hurryup09 on Feb 28, 2008 12:44 AM PST reply actions

I agree with Dave

L.A. needs to be more of an offensive force for this team right now. Dave was spot on when he said that L.A. has been waiting for the double team to come, it only makes his job that much more difficult.

2-4 the who

by 24thewho on Feb 28, 2008 8:27 AM PST up reply actions

It seems to be partly a mindset

When LMA isn't being doubled--usually early in games--he tends to be aggressive. But when the double-teams start coming, it's like he decides, "OK, they're doubling me now, so I should forget about scoring and just pass it." I think that in time (hopefully soon), LMA's mindset will be to stay aggressive at ALL times--to think, "OK, they're doubling me now, so I'm going to make them pay."

In addition to the developing that mindset, LMA will need to become better at reading where the double is coming from and when. (Good teams continually switch this up to keep offensive players off-balance.) As LMA gets better at making those reads, he'll gain in confidence, thus helping him keep an aggressive mindset.

But my point is that all this will improve with experience, and it's GOOD that LMA is getting a ton of that right now. Remember, this season is his first real experience with being double-teamed--at least at the NBA level. Some things you have to learn by doing. (This is the same learning curve Brandon Roy's been dealing with.) That's where I was differing with Dave: this season is about growth, so I LIKE seeing the Blazers keep posting up LMA, even when the opponent starts doubling him. He's gotta learn how to deal with that, and I'm confident that he will. LMA is an extremely intelligent, talented young basketball player.

"Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people." -Gabe Muoneke

by hurryup09 on Feb 28, 2008 9:56 AM PST up reply actions

I see your point

But I'm with 24thewho and Dave. LMA would get the ball and I'd yell at the TV, "Shoot it, shoot it! What are you waiting for?" He wasn't listening though.

"I am Godzilla! You are Japan!" - Critical Bill from Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

by tominhawaii on Feb 28, 2008 10:28 AM PST up reply actions

It's not

so much whether he gets the ball in the post. I agree that he needs touches there to develop. It's the "We just tossed the ball to Lamarcus in the post so let's all stand and watch what he does" thing that bugs me. LMA isn't equipped to deal with that and really will never be the kind of player to go 1-on-2 versus the defense while everyone else stands. Especially when he posts farther away from the basket we need some movement, cutting, back screens, and stuff so the opponent isn't free to just send a double team and shut him off. Lamarcus' strengths are that he's tall, fluid, and has plenty of options. The way we played him in the post last night took away all of those options except for "heave or bail out".

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 28, 2008 10:34 AM PST up reply actions

In other words

all of the points here are essentially correct. We need to post him BUT it looked ugly last night because we didn't help him at all after we had entered the ball (and that shouldn't become a pattern in our offense).

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 28, 2008 10:36 AM PST up reply actions

We were Z-Bo-ing him

Drop the ball in the post, and everyone stands around INCLUDING LaMarcus. Someone has to make a move there or nothing good will come of it.

It was just like the Z-Bo days, except LMA wasn't as selfish and driven to score no matter what... even when we need him to be. We shouldn't play LMA like he is anything close to Z-Bo, and use LMA's strengths to our advantage.

Right? (cringes and waits to be hit)

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Feb 28, 2008 10:58 AM PST up reply actions

Good point

I guess part of the problem may have been that no one was cutting to the basket to take advantage of the doubles on LMA. But what I was pointing to is that LMA wasn't forcing the double-teamers to fully commit. He needs to force that commitment on the part of the defense so that the cutters can get open. In contrast to Z-bo, LMA tends to pass TOO readily out of double-teams.

It seems that once LMA gets double teamed a couple of times, he becomes passive, assuming that the defense is going to do so EVERY time. But instead they switch up, sometimes sending the double and sometimes faking it. So LMA ends up passing when he has an open shot or an open lane. After he's gotten burned that way a couple of times, he starts getting paralyzed: holding the ball too long or putting it on the floor just as the double team arrives.

I'm not suggesting any of this is easy; it requires correct reads and perfect timing. But, as I said, this is something LMA will master thru practice--as bigs like Shaq, Duncan, and Kareem have before him. Last night was bad, but I'd bet a pair of Blazer tickets that the Blazers are working on that very problem--double teams on LMA--in practice today. Hopefully, we'll see the fruits of that in Friday's Laker game. That's what this season is all about: growth.

"Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people." -Gabe Muoneke

by hurryup09 on Feb 28, 2008 12:19 PM PST up reply actions

Does your bet

Include airfare?

"I am Godzilla! You are Japan!" - Critical Bill from Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

by tominhawaii on Feb 28, 2008 1:44 PM PST up reply actions

Only for you, Tom

After all, you turned my wife and me onto a good Portland sushi restaurant. She works in the airline biz, so it's do-able.

First, of course, you must win the bet. Have your buddy Nate call me confirming that the Blazers didn't work on LMA double-teams today, and you're on.

"Ime caught the guy in mid-air with a fist and calmly continued his dispatching of oncoming people." -Gabe Muoneke

by hurryup09 on Feb 28, 2008 2:22 PM PST up reply actions

Sweet

I just sent him a text.

"I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy. I know high school girls." - Charles De Mar from Better Off Dead (1985)

by tominhawaii on Feb 28, 2008 5:21 PM PST up reply actions

Props to Nate as well

He didn't pull L.A. out of the game after 2 quick fouls in the 1st quarter. That must have been a very tough call for Nate not to make, under normal conditions that means an immediate hook. I've never sucribed to the 2 foul and sit rule, L.A. finished with 4 total, no big deal.

2-4 the who

by 24thewho on Feb 28, 2008 1:08 PM PST up reply actions

LMA and Travis

are the two best players who played in that game. Ok, maybe 2 of the best 3 (Maggette is a very good player). They should have dominated but were so passive and uninspired it almost cost us the game.

Both of them need a healthy kick in the butt.

by jksnake99 on Feb 28, 2008 12:55 AM PST reply actions

tired puppies

I think the ugliness of the game was a result of almost everyone playing 35-40 mins against the L*kers. Travis looked worn out from the get go.

Everyone who had legs, played pretty well.

by blazernerd on Feb 28, 2008 10:55 AM PST up reply actions

That was the worst game, ever

I can't remember a worst WIN, at the very least.

Just got done watching the game off of my DVR, and I'm glad I didn't blow off what I did instead while the game was going in favor of watching it live on TV. GOOD GOD THAT WAS AN AW-FULL GAME.

LMA didn't even look like he wanted the ball. He'd get it and instead of looking to score while he's only covered by one man, he'd hold and hold and hold and look to pass. The most confusing, possibly worst game I've yet to see him play. The Clippers had no one healthy who could guard him and he should have gone for a career night. Oh man, he did not "bring it", as the kids say.

Outlaw was awful also; he looked like 2nd year Travis most of last night. Bad shots, no idea what to do, slow, asthma bothering him so much he can't raise his arms on defense, just a bad bad bad game.

Martell was playing really well offensively, abusing Corey Maggette a few times but then we didn't force feed him until he was cold like we should have. Once we weren't giving Martell the ball when he was shooting and scoring well, his body language on offense was languid and lackadasical... he should have been incorporated much more, especially since no one except Jack was doing ANYTHING offensively.

Von Wafer gets the surprise player of the game award just for playing so many minutes, and because it seemed like Nate designed the inbounds play for Wafer to get the ball and the foul towards the end. I really appreciate giving the kid a chance and he did well, but if we lost this game because of his missed FT I'd be kinda annoyed. He is smaller than I thought he'd be, but he had a good game. He was one of the few Blazers who didn't hesitate with his moves.

Thank God for Jack. He wasn't as good tonight as he was bad last night, but it was close. Without him taking over we definately lose. Good lord almighty that was an awful game.

Nobody wanted to win this game. I'm not even sure we can tally this in the win column legally. The rest of the NBA will petition the front office to pretend this game never existed.

Really, has there been a worser win than this game, ever? I'm so super duper happy we won, but it was BRUTAL. I don't even know what to say. I'm really looking forward to the home game against the Lakers on Friday in front of a sold out Rose Garden crowd... if Roy and Jones are back, we gotta win that one. The energy should be intense and fuel us into MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.

I feel sorry for our mothers. They never intended for us to suffer through a game like that.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Feb 28, 2008 2:18 AM PST reply actions

Li'l Red Baron...

>> He is smaller than I thought he'd be...

Yeah, what's up with that? NBA.com lists him as 6'5", but I was pretty sure that I saw him standing next to Luke on the sidelines at one point last night, and I reckon that makes Luke 7'1"... (It was just a very quick glance up from the keyboard while I was typing... Might have been someone else, but I didn't recognize the face...)

"You don't live by the jumpshot, you die by the jumpshot." ---Charles Barkley, 2/7/08

by timbo on Feb 28, 2008 8:23 AM PST up reply actions

mistrial

Kind of like when a judge declares a mistrial. Clearly there weren't any NBA players in this game.

by blazernerd on Feb 28, 2008 10:59 AM PST up reply actions

Alternate one-sentence summary

Blazers lose ground to Clippers in Derrick Rose sweepstakes.

by knickfan on Feb 28, 2008 5:19 AM PST reply actions

Textbook win

by leeroyjenkins on Feb 28, 2008 6:35 AM PST reply actions

The Red Baron...

............... had a career high with 11 points. I suspect we've got another streaky, overly young player with lots of potential etc. etc. on our hands again, but it was nice to see SOMEBODY step up late in the game. LMA is a first quarter wonder and Outlaw didn't have it going on...

I'm not really sure who, if anyone, the Blazers CAN beat from here out, other than the fact that they have the Clips twice more -- so that should keep 'em out of the record books for longest losing streak in the association this year.

I'm still irate that KP didn't try to trade to fill needs this season, but there's no use crying over spilled milk -- or rather, about the milk that went bad sitting in the refrigerator for 3 months because someone was afraid to take it out and use it for fear of spilling it... I'm sure he's thinking he can work a little draft day magic, plus Oden, plus Rudy, and then a little big of shenanigans for a veteran point guard, and there ya go.

The fact remains that this is essentially a AAA team playing against pros.

And I still intensely dislike the way The Darius Conspiracy is being conducted.

Oh, well -- going in we expected that .500 would be a "good season," and by that measure this will clearly wind up yet another bad season to tack on the list. But an entertaining season regardless and the fans have bought back in, so not a total loss.

Now get ready for the Lakers to do some serious pounding...

"You don't live by the jumpshot, you die by the jumpshot." ---Charles Barkley, 2/7/08

by timbo on Feb 28, 2008 8:17 AM PST reply actions

Blazeraces

"You, my friend, are an enigma" (einman77)

by amlmart1 on Feb 28, 2008 9:56 AM PST up reply actions

Wafer Sparks Jack into Action

I think Jack noticed Wafer being aggressive, taking it to the Clippers and he didn't want the kid showing him up.

Good, that's exactly what this team needs. somebody to make the defense react, take the shot under pressure and get some motion into the flow.

When Roy returns, Nate will have Wafer to throw into the mix if Jack goes back to being too passive, which is not his game.

by ralphwood on Feb 28, 2008 8:55 AM PST reply actions

I still can't believe Nate put Wafer at the line

The NBA, where a coach puts the game on the shoulders of a player who has never played for the team and has only shot eight free throws all season happens.

The NBA, where Von Wafer happens

by JTDuck22 on Feb 28, 2008 10:59 AM PST reply actions

Who else?

Jarrett "I shoot 87% as long as the game is not on the line, in which case I'll just heave it up for 0-2" Jack?

Or Martell "my range doesn't extend to the free throw line" Webster?

My point, of course, is that 1 for 2 was probably all you can hope for out of any of those guys. Even Brandon has missed key free throws. I think Nate did the right thing.

Wishing we'd play with Ruben Patterson-like abandon is like asking the chess club to smash beer cans on their heads. - Dave

by jamon51 on Feb 28, 2008 5:19 PM PST up reply actions

In Jack's defense

(how often have I typed that now?)
he frequently makes clutch free throws. Some games that's the only positive, but . . .

by Section323 on Feb 28, 2008 7:25 PM PST up reply actions

A couple of things that worked . . .

I was curious how Martell might work at the 2-guard position and if Wafer might contribute something. Seems like we got positive answers on both.

When Martell moves around and plays are run for him, he scores. And, as a 2-guard, he seems to get more rebounds. When the Blazers resort to the Z-Bo offense (toss the ball into the low post and stand around), Martell (and the team) suffers because we're flinging up shots against the shot clock.

Wafer contributed. I'm flat-out shocked that Nate played him for 32 minutes and got the ball for the foul shots in the closing seconds. He hit some critical 3's and didn't show any glaring deficiencies.

Jack played relatively well. In this case, I'm shocked that Nate played him only 31 minutes. Jack hit a number of critical jumpers and still stayed in the running for goat-of-the-game by missing two consecutive free throws at the end of the game. Give him credit for coming back after a horrible game against the Lakers. I still don't understand why Nate goes to him so much, but Nate does "handle" Jack to keep his fragile psyche intact.

On the other hand, the Nate/Sergio relationship seems to be constantly undermined by Nate's niggardly award of minutes to Sergio. Wafer gets 32 and Sergio gets 0?

I like point guards that distribute the ball (Blake had 6 assists in 19 minutes), while Nate seems to really like the scoring point guards (Jack had 3 assists in 31 minutes). Not sure what that means when Roy returns, but lots of minutes for Jack seem to be in the cards for the balance of this year.

Travis seems to play better off the bench. Seems to focus both him and his teammates better. Anyone know what brand of shoes Travis wears? He looked like he was on ice skates at times . . .

Maybe this was one of those learning victories. Yes, we won but there was lots of stuff to improve on. When we win and shoot well, we seem to act as if we've arrived and don't learn much. When we lose, we bemoan certain facts and act as if only major changes will save us (wait until Oden, Rudy play; trade Jack; crucify Miles; play Sergio 32 minutes).

So it was an ugly win and we learned some things; not a bad day at the office.

by vcubed on Feb 28, 2008 12:46 PM PST reply actions