Here's the official open thread for the Summer League game today. I'll be posting updates now and again in this post. Leave all of your comments/reflections below and enjoy the game!
If you ask me, we're going to have even more trouble with Dallas' guards--Jose Juan Barea and Maurice Ager--than we did with Boston's the other night. Be prepared for a lot of running and driving from them. If our perimeter guys don't step up a little defensively it could get ugly. But wins and losses don't matter as much as how well our main guys play. Oden...Lamarcus...Martell...Sergio. That's the name of the game right now. (We'll see more from other players as the week progresses.)
Update: It's the same starting lineup as last game. LMA, Sergio, Mancinelli, Webster, and Oden. The Blazers have a large, vocal fan contingency here. Press row is packed also. Apparently this Oden guy is kind of popular.
First Quarter Update: It's been an entertaining quarter, made more so by the fans that cheer everything the Blazers do right. For those worrying about Oden, he had a spectacular dunk and a couple of marvelous blocks. He's at the stage now where he'll do something semi-boneheaded followed by something otherworldly. I think that's called being young. LMA looks as smooth as always though his jumper isn't falling. Sergio is getting TORCHED by Jose Barea though. He's had him on his heels on multiple occasions. More to come...
Halftime update: This second quarter has had a number of storylines. Lamarcus continues to have a very solid game. He's not obvously dominating like he did against Boston but he's putting together one of those games where you look up at the end and go, "Wow! When did he do all that?" He's looking very fine in the post, by the way. Sergio's energy has gone way up. He's had a couple of nice passes and steals. But the hidden star of the quarter has been Taurean Green. They're going to love the way he's hustling and scrapping again. He looks like a guy who wants to play this game and wants to make this team. And he's doing it without scoring or shooting. You're going to hear more about this guy. Joel Freeland has also acquitted himself well.
Third Quarter update: It was a rough quarter for the Blazers offensively and with the refs. It looks like a couple of people are tired, notably Sergio and Oden. Oden's jersey is soaked through. Taurean Green isn't tired though. He continues to impress with his hustle. Blazer fans everywhere continue to ask the golden question: Where's Martell?
--Dave