Blazers, Roy Make History in Game 4

I didn’t get to watch this whole game as I had to work in the morning, I did catch the last half, which included the 4th quarter, which was all that was important on this night. How about Brandon Roy, this guy went from 2 bad games, to one good and followed it with a great performance. After game 3, there was a lot of doubters out there that didn’t think Roy could do it again. Well, he did you one better.

The first half was atrocious, they were shooting 11 of 30, and also had 4 assists to their 8 turnovers. On any other night, that would be amazing to overcome. It got worse though, in the middle of the third, they were shooting less than 25% from the floor and seemed to put the nail in their own coffin. I don’t know what Nate told them in the huddle when he called at this point, but he finally got through to them that we need to see more effort and a desire to win. That is what we saw, they roared back with a fury and showed the defiance in the face of defeat we have seen all season.

This comeback was only the 3rd time an NBA team has come back from more than 18 when entering the 4th quarter. It was also the biggest comeback in Blazers playoff history, and with the win, they have put all of the pressure back on to the Mavs. The Blazers are going to need another great effort from B-Roy and also get a good night from Aldridge if they want to take the game in Dallas, not to mention they need the whole bench to keep up with the Mavs bench.

It’s just an hour before the tip of game 5 so I’m going to keep this short and end it here. Important game tonight, and could possibly set up the close out of the series in the Rose Garden. Go Blazers!!!

~C. Temple

Blazers Hold Off Mavs in Game 3

First things first, I don’t think Charles Barkley is the brightest crayon in the box and mostly you spend more time trying to figure out what the hell he is talking about than anything, but one thing he said that I completely agree with: “if you don’t like this years playoffs you just don’t like good basketball.” All around the NBA there have been upsets, great comebacks and many great games and it’s still the first round. I’m not going to talk about them all, I just wanted to note that this is, in my opinion, one of the best playoffs in years, at least so far.

On to game 3. How about Wes Matthews, this guy can light it up and he showed it in this game. After helping the Blazers run out a 9 point lead, he stayed aggressive all game and was a big spark for them. The Mavs bounced back after that big punch and kept it close, but that set the tone for the Blazers all game, being at home and having the Rose Garden rocking behind them also helps. The other guy that really kept the blazers a step ahead of the Mavs, Brandon Roy but as I did in my last post, I want to come back to that in a minute. Overall, this team finally played with some heart and the desire to win, but I do have to call them out for the last few minutes in which the Mavs almost came back. 48 minutes boys, 48. Not 45, not 47, but 48 full minutes of gritty in you face, intense basketball is what we should see.

Not much need be said about L.A. and his game as it speaks for itself. 24 point on 9 of 18 shooting, you can’t ask for much more, but I am of course going to. I love his game, his shot is pure, he is aggressive in the post and is the anchor for the Blazers. I’ve got to ask though, why does this guy never turn over his right shoulder for easy layups when the defense over plays his left side. He has an easy lay-up over his right shoulder, yet he drops his left, charges into the lane and throws a hook. He has a great hook shot, but a point blank lay-up would be preferred, at least in my book. I know now I’m being nit picky, but at this point we need to be, because every point and every shot counts.

As far as the Mavs, I do want to give some credit to Jason Terry. This guy can flat out ball, and just watching him do small things like change the angle of his jump on his shot to draw a foul was impressive. Do I think they could lock him down a little better, absolutely. They should lock him down better, him and kidd. Why are the Blazers switching on screens at the top of the key when kidd is coming off the top. Miller should come under the screen and close out, he won’t beat you with quickness, he doesn’t have any quickness these days. Yes, he bombarded the Blazers with 3′s in game one, but they were wide open. Don’t switch, keep Aldridge on Nowitzki, and close out on Kidd after going under the screen. He’s not going to shoot a 3 even with a few feet of a buffer, he shoots them when he is wide open. They need to make Dirk beat them, and I mean really beat them with a 50 point game, because against this team, I don’t think he is capable of it. The guy scored 33 in the last game, but most of that was from the free throw line. He went 9 of 22, he is missing a lot of shots because the length of Aldridge is obviously throwing him off of his game. Make Dirk make plays, as past years have shown, he’s likely to crack under the pressure. The other thing, Miller needs to stop being lazy and close the distance on Kidd. If they can do this, the game shouldn’t be close, it should be a runaway, because the Blazers have far more talent on their team when it comes down to half court offense and guys that can get their own shot or create off the dribble. The other thing I want to see them do is continue to run on offense. The Mavs have a much older team, and it’s obvious they are feeling some fatigue, especially kid. The guy was huffing, puffing and spitting up whatever it is he was spitting up on the sideline because he was so tired. The Blazers should keep having an easier time winning games as the series goes on against this older Mavs team, but they still have to play with desperation to win.

Now on to Roy. I wish this guy was a little less humble, because after all the hate from the so called “Blazer fans”, I was half hoping for him to find a reporter, look right in the camera and say “how ya like me now bitches!” The Blazers need this guy if they want to win in the playoffs, even if he’s not 100%, because the Mavs and any other opponent still have to respect him. He showed flashes of the old Roy in this game and it was great to see, and even surprised me with how much like his old self he was playing. Roy has never been considered a really “fast” player. He beats you by changing speeds and directions with a mean crossover. Watching him leave defenders as they scrambled to stay with him was, well, like old times. I’m not too worried about game 4, It’ll be a battle, but the Blazers should be able to hold serve. If they want to win game 5 in Dallas though, they need B-Roy to step up again, and play the way he did in this game. All the talk at the beginning of this game was how Gerald Wallace was going to be the wild card, I say it’s B-Roy. The 3 time all-star had a bounce in his step we haven’t seen in a while. He was actually jumping on jump shots and as I just mentioned, changing speeds and breaking defenders like we’re used to him doing. Congrats Roy, I hope all the haters realize what a mistake they made by writing off this guy, and that congrats extends to all the real fans that knew, even if he can’t be the all-star we’re used to, he can and will still be an impact player.

Game 4 is tomorrow in the Rose Garden where the home crowd will keep it rockin and the home team will pull out the expected win.

Go Blazers!

C. Temple

Blazers Have To Want It More

This was a blog I was hoping to start before game one, but since it is now past game two that is where I’m going to start, with a very short look on the first game. Looking back,  I thought the Blazers played about 2 full quarters of good, hungry, aggressive basketball in the first game in Dallas. Other than that, they were passive, stopped playing defense and stopped pressing on offense. In game two, they stepped up, but not enough, playing what I would say was about 2.5 to 3 quarters of good basketball. There are multiple issues you can credit the loss to, some are saying it’s the officiating, some say B-Roy, which I’ll get to in  a minute. I say it’s effort, and a mental toughness and a fight to want to win these games.

This blazers team can flat out play. They have got great speed, length and size, and have legitimate shooters that can play the perimeter. Those elements should and do on most nights create a defense that stuffs the opposing offensive sets, and sets up fast breaks on the end. On offense, they can be as explosive as any team in the league and frustrate and send opposing defenses scrambling to keep up. So what is missing? Intensity, and the hunger to not let this series even get to game 5 (yes I know, by game 2 that’s not even an option, so let’s say game 6 then). The team is saying all of the right things after a shoot-around or practice, and before the game’s, but doesn’t it seem like they couldn’t wait to get out of AA Center? 3/4 through the game, when only down by 4 to 6 points they seemed to cut their losses and looked to be mentally ready to leave and get back home. This is not the energy or effort they need or can even get away with, obviously. In the playoffs you simply can’t build a 6, 10 or even 20 point lead and then coast. That’s when you have to play with an urgent patience, press the ball up the court as if you are down by 10, but do so wisely without making errant passes or just leaving the ball when driving which a couple different players did in this game. The excuse of playoff jitters isn’t available, they don’t get to use it, most of these players have been in the playoffs before and if any haven’t, the players that have should have them ready. The Blazers have had both of the last 2 games in their grip, but bad passes, a passiveness on offense and lapses on defense have let the Mavs right back in. (why is L.A. going up for layups 2 feet out from the rim, that’s how you do and he did get stuffed by Nowitzki, dunk that and posterize whoever is in your way!) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Mavs are a bad team. They’re a great team, Portland is just better, they aren’t playing like it though.

So what do they do? How do they get back on track? It’s simple, play a full 48 minutes. If they don’t, it won’t matter if the game is played in the Rose Garden, AA Arena, or on some street court, they will lose if they don’t play the whole game with a hunger and intensity that any team in the playoffs needs to win. I don’t think the Mavericks as a team have that hunger or eagerness to win either, but they have more than Portland does. The Blazers need every player, and I mean every player to have the urgency and aggressiveness that G-Wallace has. The Mavs have wanted it more, and that’s surprising because they don’t even seem to be playing like they truly want it either.

Now on to the officiating. No, I am not going to sit here and say they gave the game to the Mavs, the Blazers did a fine job of that themselves. Have there been some really bad call? Oh yeah, some really really bad calls have been made, but that’s basketball. I coach youth sports and luckily we have the luxury of asking them to be honest and tell us if the ball went out off of them and we missed it and called it the other way (we are also down one official so it is even tougher to get all of the angles). The best part is, they do it! I could count at least 3 times we as refs missed the call and the players spoke up and reversed the call for us. This is the NBA though, and the refs are going to miss calls, but here, the players aren’t going to reverse it for them. What I’m getting in a round about way is, the Blazers need to make it so that isn’t even an issue. They need to have an intensity and a drive that pushes them to another level, and makes it impossible to come back, even with some bad calls. Go for blood, when your up ten in the first, act like your up ten in the fourth and close them out right then and there, step on their throat and don’t let them back up. As we’ve seen when you don’t, you take the game out of your own hands and leave the door wide open for the opposing team, help from the refs or not.

Lastly on this post I want to talk a little bit about Brandon Roy. This is a player who has been the face of the franchise for years, had carried  this team on his back and has given everything he has got in blood, sweat and probably tears. I myself can be a harsh critic, on a night of bad shooting is it too much to ask for him to make his free throws and move his feet on defense instead of reaching? I know he is trying to find his “groove”, and he feels uncomfortable in the offense as he has slipped from a starter to the fourth or even maybe fifth option. This guy is feeling the heat, from fans especially, but I would say almost as equally from himself though. I would encourage everyone to stick with this guy though, because he is not done, not by a long shot. He hears all of the criticism though, and I think what has hurt him most is the fact that a fan base that is supposed to be so loyal and so devoted has turned their back on him. I have what I would at least think could be a viable solution: instead of letting B-Roy run point and Rudy at SG, swap the two. Roy can hit 3′s, we all know he can. Rudy, well, just hasn’t been the Rudy we know that can drop three’s whenever, wherever. What Rudy can do is handle the ball and make great passes, which in my opinion is what we need on this team. Dre is great at the point, but he doesn’t have a drive and kick game that the Blazers desperately need to get open shots on the perimeter. Roy likes the ball in his hands more than anyone, but that’s not what the Blazers need and that, at least now, is not going to help them win. I get it, he’s out of it mentally, but does Nate get that also? He is not in the frame of mind to play the same game he used to, so why are we asking him to? Even in the short time he does play now, his role when he is on the floor needs to change, at least for now until he can get the confidence and bounce back in his step. Maybe this should even be a permanent adjustment, only time could tell.  Just like any recovery from injury, it’s a slow process, mentally and physically. So lets take it slow, get him some good looks outside and not ask him to get in the paint and create. Rudy also likes playing that way, we just never needed him to because Roy did. Well now we need him to, and I think he would be open to the idea, I’m just not so sure Nate is… Will this “solve” the Blazers issues? Who knows, but what we are trying isn’t working, at least not in regards to Roy so it’s time for an open mind. Personally I don’t think it can be any worse than what they’ve got going now when those two are on the floor though.

This probably bounced around a lot and if you had trouble following along with my scattered thoughts I apologize. As this is my first blog, I am open now and on any future posting to idea’s of how this blog could be better.

It’s back to Portland for game’s 3 & 4, games they desperately need to win to stay in this series.

More to come after game 3! Thanks for reading!

-C. Temple