Blazer's Edge - OKC 103, Portland 83: Complete CoverageThe ultimate coverage and analysis of the Portland Trail Blazershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47543/blazersedge-fave.png2013-03-24T19:32:54-07:00http://www.blazersedge.com/rss/stream/39067772013-03-24T19:32:54-07:002013-03-24T19:32:54-07:00Thunder Rattle Blazers Into Loss
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<p>Too many jumpers, too many turnovers, too much Durant and Westbook all spell doom for a road-weary Blazers team that put up a good fight in the first half but couldn't muster enough energy to finish this game.</p> <p>The Portland Trail Blazers put up a good fight against the Oklahoma City Thunder for one half tonight...so good, in fact, that the Blazers led by 2 heading into halftime. But a combination of physical fatigue, mental fatigue, and good-old Thunder basketball destroyed Portland's hopes in the second half, leading to a 20-point blowout loss. Unlike many Portland games this season, the score made this game seem more dire than it really was. We've seen far worse efforts from the Blazers lead to far better results.</p>
<p>Before we go any farther, we should credit Oklahoma City's defense for making life tough on the Blazers. From the get-go the Thunder made Portland's easy shots look hard and their hard shots look impossible. When a team sports the league's leading scorer, one of the very best scoring point guards in the league, and an offense heralded as one of the 2-3 best, it'd be awfully easy to cruise on point production. That's not good enough for Oklahoma City. Their defense was masterful tonight, the single biggest reason Portland's burgeoning threat came to naught.</p>
<p>Despite that, the Blazers did a good job scoring inside during the first period. Portland traded nifty passes and drives with the Thunder, staying all but even until the close of the period. A few ill-advised cross-court passes morphed into turnovers and run-outs for OKC as the clock wound down, providing a 24-19 lead for Oklahoma City after one.</p>
<p>The second period was Portland's best of the evening, spearheaded by an amazing performance from Nicolas Batum. Batum keyed a strong stretch of defense, bothering everyone who came near him up to and including Kevin Durant. Batum also drove to the hoop, converted jumpers, passed with aplomb, rebounded...it was pure, uncut Batum and watching it was addictive. Hopping on Batum's back the Blazers scored 28 to OKC's 21 and led by 2 going into the break.</p>
<p>A combination of nice Oklahoma City defense and (one assumes) dead legs made the Blazers fall in love with the jumper as the third period commenced. Once in the seductive embrace of the 20-footer, the Blazers could never disentangle themselves. It proved a fatal attraction. The third period followed the pattern of the first, with Portland hanging close until the final minutes in which Oklahoma City converted turnovers and long misses into a hefty run. That run became a full-on flood in the fourth. Ugly jumpers led to more OKC breaks. Made jumpers encouraged the Blazers to take more ugly jumpers. Moving farther out on the court was Portland's only response to the Thunder defense. 20-footers became three-point attempts. Three-point attempts became <i>long </i>three-point attempts. That wasn't going to work. The Thunder poured in points off the break, in the lane, at the line, while Portland's artillery continued to misfire. The game ended with Oklahoma City streaking away, Portland surrendering and heading for home with a serviceable 2-3 road trip.</p>
<p>Portland shot an anemic 40.5% from the field, barely more than their 38.5% clip from the three-point arc. 26 of their 79 shot attempts--1 in 3 shots--came from beyond that arc. Portland scored only 9 points on the break to OKC's 20, 30 points in the paint to OKC's 48. The Blazers had 7 offensive rebounds and committed 17 turnovers. The Thunder committed 10 turnovers but Portland scored only 2 points off of them. The Blazers would have needed to shoot 60% from distance to turn those numbers into a win...and maybe not even then.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Individual Notes</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">LaMarcus Aldridge's jumper once again deserted him at an inopportune time, this time costing the Blazers dearly. Aldridge shot 3-14 for 10 points. With LMA out of commission, the Blazers had nothing inside. Nada. Aldridge did have 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Damian Lillard was one of the few Blazers performing to expectations tonight, scoring 19 with 6 assists. It still makes me laugh when he fires a quick step-back three through the net and the opposing crowd goes, "OHHHHHH" like they just got the world's most amazing headache.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Nicolas Batum had 13 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds, making a huge difference tonight.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Wesley Matthews didn't help the Blazers' perimeter woes shooting 3-11 for 8 points. As we said, the defense was tough.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">J.J. Hickson couldn't get many attempts up but he hit the ones he took, shooting 6-11 for 12 points and 7 rebounds. His energy was high early on, standing out from the crowd. I'm not sure anybody in Portland's uniform had energy by game's end.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Meyers Leonard had a really good offensive game, not just shooting 4-4 for 9 points but making himself available to receive passes and even dishing out a couple in return. It's not going to take much to turn Leonard's early-career enthusiasm into some legitimately dangerous confidence on that end.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Eric Maynor had a yes-and-no night. He hit a couple of threes, made a couple of nice drives, tried to stick it to Russell Westbrook and his old team a little. At times he tried too hard, leading to those "oh no" moments. Westbrook excelled anyway. Maynor missed more shots than he made.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The last long road trip of the year has finally come to an end. After starting 0-2, a 2-3 record is more than acceptable. The home schedule gets no easier, with Brooklyn and Utah on the horizon, but most of the miles and crippling back-to-backs are done. The Blazers can breathe a sigh of relief and try to take it home in the last dozen games of the season.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278763" target="_blank">Boxscore</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/3/24/4143006/final-okc-bounces-portland-103-83" target="_blank">Timmay's Instant Recap</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Welcome to Loud City gives you the <a href="http://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2013/3/24/4143368/thunder-vs-trailblazers-score-2013" target="_blank">Oklahoma City view of this game</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a></p>
<div style="text-align: left;">Your <a href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/scoreboard.php" target="_blank">Jersey Contest Scoreboard</a> and the<a href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/gameform.php" target="_blank"> form for the next game</a>.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)</div>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/3/24/4143452/portland-trail-blazers-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder-2012-2013Dave Deckard2013-03-24T18:16:00-07:002013-03-24T18:16:00-07:00Final: OKC Bounces Portland, 103-83
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<p>The Portland Trail Blazers fought valiantly in the final game of their road trip, but came up short tonight in Oklahoma City. This was a close game until the final minutes.</p> <p>The Blazers were led by Damian Lillard (19 points, 6 assists) and Nicolas Batum (13 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds). JJ Hickson (12 points, 7 rebounds) had a solid night, but LaMarcus Aldridge (10 points on 3-14 shooting, 12 rebounds) struggled to find his shot against OKC's defense.</p>
<p><b>First Quarter:</b> Well, the Blazers started out with a very early lead, but then the shots stopped falling. And it didn't take long for OKC to take advantage, using their superior running and shooting to dominate the second half of the quarter with a 13 point run. But as the clock wound down, the classic Lillard step-back three swished, and the Blazers felt lucky to be within 5 as the horn sounded. <b>Score: OKC 24, Portland 19.</b></p>
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<p>Meyers holding his own against Thabeet.<br>by <b>MiledAnimal </b></p>
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<p><b>Second Quarter:</b> This was one of those "Every time you thought OKC would pull away, Portland did something to stay close" quarters. Down only 4 at the halfway point, Batum's nice pass to Hickson led to a dunk and a 2 point deficit. Eric Maynor followed it up with a jumper to complete an 11-2 run to tie the game. OKC tried to surge ahead, but again the Blazers stayed close, led by Batum's passing and shooting. As the clock quickly ran down, the Blazers sent the ball to Hickson, who launched a jumper at the horn. It banked in. He didn't call it, but we'll let it slide. <b>Score: Portland 47, OKC 45.</b></p>
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<p>I keep thinking "dang we are getting killed" and then look up and we are only down 4.<br>by <b>Ball-Dont-Lie</b></p>
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<p><b>Third Quarter:</b> A surprisingly tense game developed, as both OKC and Portland played to a standstill, neither team able to get an advantage. Portland tied it at 65, but that was where the good times ended. OKC's defense reappeared, right as Portland's shot mojo vanished. OKC scored 8 straight points, and only Eric Maynor's three-pointer slowed them down. They led by 7 after three. <b>Score: OKC 75, Portland 68.</b></p>
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<p>Tone told a story the other night about when he played for the Hawks, and one night, as usual, the arena was empty for the 1st half. Halfway through the 3rd, fans started trickling in until it was filled at the end of the game, which they won. People cheered, they did their post-game interviews and went into the locker room. While they were finishing up they heard huge cheering from the arena and it turned out that all those late arrivals in the second half of their game were actually just early arrivals for a concert taking place afterwards.<br>by <b>annthefan</b> <br><i>[I know it's not about this game, but I found it entertaining in the GDT]</i></p>
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<p><b>Fourth Quarter:</b> Lillard opened with 5 quick points to keep the Blazers within single digits. However, OKC kept pressing, and Portland struggled to get good shots. They started focusing on three's to stay in it, and Lillard and Maynor hit back to back to cut the deficit down to 6, forcing an OKC timeout. And coming out of the timeout, they refocused and shut the Blazers down. In short order, the OKC lead was double-digits again, and they didn't look back.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278763">Box score</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a> via TiqIQ</p>
<p>Stay tuned for more analysis from Blazer’s Edge later tonight. In the meantime, check out the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.blazersedge.com/#schedule_tab">upcoming Blazers schedule</a>. -- Tim</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/3/24/4143006/final-okc-bounces-portland-103-83Timmay!2013-03-24T15:00:03-07:002013-03-24T15:00:03-07:00Day game! Chat about OKC Here
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<p>I'd call this a sure loss, but you never know anymore.</p> <p>Welcome to the Gameday Open Thread at Blazer’s Edge! This is a place to hang out and enjoy tonight’s festivities with your fellow fans. Treat it as if you’re watching a game at the local watering hole, but hopefully without the language. Like any passionate fan base watching a game, expect some disagreements, and a fair amount of changing emotions. But with some fun and some mutual respect, we'll get through it together.</p>
<p>Details for tonight’s game:</p>
<p><b>Tip-off: 4:10pm</b></p>
<p><u>How to watch</u><br> Portland: <b>Comcast Sportsnet Northwest, </b>or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nba.com/blazers/stream-games-live">Blazers streaming</a> if CSN is unavailable to you.<br> National: <b>League Pass</b>, <a target="_blank" href="https://account.nba.com/leaguepass/broadband">League Pass Broadband</a>.</p>
<p><u>How to listen</u><br> Portland: <b>KEX </b>(1190 AM and 102.3 FM; 1190kex.com does not air the game)<b><br></b>National: <a href="http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html" target="_blank">NBA Audio League Pass</a><a href="http://www.nba.com/broadband/alp_schedule.html" target="_blank"> </a></p>
<p>The usual rules apply:</p>
<p>1. Please don't discuss non-sanctioned game streaming<br> 2. No swearing, pictures, or spoiler tags please.<br> 3. Please be cool to each other and don't be "that guy"!</p>
<p>Hang out and enjoy the game! -- Tim (blazer.timmay@gmail.com)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a><br><a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/2012-coverage" target="_blank">View complete season game coverage</a><br><a href="http://www.blazersedge.com/gameday-threads-2" target="_blank">View previous Gameday Threads<br></a></p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/3/24/4140852/gameday-thread-portland-vs-okcTimmay!2013-03-23T20:49:25-07:002013-03-23T20:49:25-07:00Blazers Give It the Old College Try vs Thunder
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<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder are the cream of the crop in the Western Conference. The Blazers have won two straight games on the road against playoff-level teams. What will happen when the slightly-convincing-in-the-right-light force meets the immovable object? </p> <p>The Portland Trail Blazers finish out their 5-game road trip today with a 4:00 p.m. game against the 51-19 Oklahoma City Thunder, televised on CSNNW.</p>
<p>Unlike most of the opponents on this road trip, the Thunder are on a little bit of a downswing as the Blazers catch them. Of course "downswing" is relative. They've only won 4 of their last 6 games. (This would qualify as a hot streak for the Blazers.) The two losses were legitimate: Denver and Memphis. In fact the Thunder have only lost to sub-.500 teams twice all year, neither one at home. Even carrying a brace of upset road wins into this game, the Blazers have their work cut out for them.</p>
<p>Rehearsing the Oklahoma City lineup is like reading an awards-show playbill. Kevin Durant: 28 points, 8 rebounds, 50% shooting, 40% from distance. Russell Westbrook: 23 points, 7.5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals. Serge Ibaka: 13 and 8 with <u>57%</u> shooting from the field. Thabo Sefolosha: the usual good defense and three-point shooting. Kevin Martin: 14 ppg off the bench and the best three-point shooting on the team. The weak link is the center position. Kendrick Perkins defends pretty well but his rebounding and scoring have never picked up in OKC. The Thunder rely on heavy doses of Nick Collison. He's about the same level rebounder as Perkins but his scoring is more reliable...a semi-hidden glue guy on the roster. Their skills, levels of experience, and dedication all mesh together to form a cohesive whole, as that .730 winning percentage demonstrates. San Antonio has a better record but the Thunder are still the flagship of the conference and its scariest team.</p>
<p>Oklahoma City's offense is a sight to behold. They score more points than anybody outside of Houston. They're more efficient than every team but Miami. Elite shooting percentage, great three-point percentage, #1 overall in foul shots drawn per game...you can't name a way they <i>don't </i>score. The paint is their weakest area. Perkins isn't a huge threat. Durant and Westbrook take plenty of jumpers and even Ibaka falls in love with the perimeter game. But hey, it works for them. Besides, that "weakness" still leaves them 10th in the league in points in the paint scored per game. A propensity towards turnovers and lack of offensive rebounding are the only dull facets on this gem of an offense. Most games they don't matter.</p>
<p>Length and smarts also allow the Thunder to negotiate the defensive end well. They're 2nd in the league in field goal percentage allowed, 9th in three-point percentage allowed, 6th in defensive efficiency. They're the best shot-blocking team in the league (length again). Their defensive rebounding is slightly sub-par (bigs again) but as with everything else, it's a relative rather than absolute weakness.</p>
<p>Add this all together and you have a league-leading +9 point differential per game. That's not all-time-great territory but it's head and shoulders above the rest of the league. By comparison the Thunder are as far above the Spurs and Heat in this category as the Heat are above the Clippers. People will talk about Miami's amazing winning streak (and really, Miami will probably end up winning the title again) and San Antonio's ageless excellence but in many ways Oklahoma City is still the standard for elite in the league.</p>
<p>Teams that beat the Thunder score a ton of points on them. They've only lost 3 games all year to teams scoring fewer than 100. The Blazers are going to have to follow the recipe they've employed in their last two games: hot start, exploit rebounds, win the turnover battle, hope a couple starters go on huge streaks. Defensive rotations have long been an issue for the Blazers against OKC. The Thunder stars mandate help defense but anybody you leave open outside of Perkins can light you up. Serge Ibaka has made a mini-career out of burning the Blazers for just this reason. Before that Westbrook regularly sliced apart the Portland defense and rebounders. Pushing Durant outside and getting a hand in his face on the jumper goes a long way towards making Portland's defense look sound. You also hope Damian Lillard gives as good as he gets against Westbrook. And watch out for Mighty Meyers Leonard off the bench...a potential difference-maker on the offensive end.</p>
<p>Nobody in their right mind would expect a win, or even a close game, here. But nobody would have expected Portland's last victory against the Hawks either. You never know. But I must say, these road games against Oklahoma City make me miss the Roy Era more than any other single event. Everybody has moved on and bid goodbye to those dreams, of course, but I can't help but get a pang when I imagine what this game <i>could </i>have meant for both teams if the Blazers were bringing Roy, Oden, and Aldridge into town...easily the marquee matchup in the West and one of the season's best games. Instead the Thunder take the marquee and the Blazers will hope to sneak in and rearrange some of their letters for a day.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.welcometoloudcity.com" target="_blank">Welcome to Loud City</a> is a nifty Thunder site.</p>
<p>Your<a href="http://blazersedge.urbanishment.com/gameform.php" target="_blank"> Jersey Contest Form </a>for this game.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tiqiq.com/nba/portland-trail-blazers-tickets?pubid=1011040">Portland Trail Blazers tickets</a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)</p>
https://www.blazersedge.com/2013/3/23/4139938/portland-trail-blazers-vs-oklahoma-city-thunder-2012-2013Dave Deckard