A Reversal of Fortunes

Basketball has always been a circular sport, from the balls and the rims to the storylines and emotions. The Blazers started a down slide early in the year when they lost a commanding 25 point lead to the 76er's and ended up losing 88-92. This time the Blazers came full circle on the 76er's and had there own come from behind victory. The ironic thing about that is the final margin for today’s game was...you guessed it 25 points.

During the pre-game the Blazers continued to honor influential people and highlights of Blazer past. Today they honored Harry Glickman who was one of the co-founders of the Blazers. It was also against this same Philadelphia franchise that Portland, which Glickman was the architect for, won its only championship. Glickman made a very heartfelt speech about the Blazers that was highlighted by him talking about the character of the Blazer players and how now the team is one everyone can cheer for.

The game started out well for the Blazers as they had a five point lead at the end of the first period. The Blazers were playing together as they had 7 assists on 8 made baskets. They were playing good defense and were being aggressive. Then the second quarter started. As the second unit began to come into the game the flow was beginning to be controlled by Andre Miller and the 76er's. Miller was 5/6 for 11 points in the second period. Meanwhile the Portland bench minus Frye shot 1/8. The 76er's entered halftime up by nine.

When the second quarter started you could tell that McMillan let the Blazers know that the 76er's were imposing their will on the Blazers as Brandon, as he has done in the past, came out with more fire. Roy had nine points in the quarter and was getting to the free throw line. Portland aided by some timely three point shooting from Blake made a run at the end of the third quarter and it ended with Portland trailing by only 1.

The forth quarter was like watching the forth quarter of the last meeting between these two teams only this time the roles were reversed. Portland opened the forth by going on a 20-0 run which got the crowd at the Garden rocking and blew the game wide open. Outlaw put an exclamation point on the game when he threw down a thunderous dunk with Rodney Carney in his face. So the Blazers got their 13th win in a game filled with irony, but as you enjoy this run think back to the team that Harry built and think about coming back around. It feels like that circle is almost complete.

Outlaws Dunk

Here is the video from Outlaws dunk on Rodney Carney. As Jarett Jack said I don't think Carney will try that again.

1st half observations

A couple of first half observations

First quarter
Blazers were agressive in the first quarter and were moving the ball around. Tey had 7 assists on 8 made baskets. Martell had the hot hand ad buried two three pointers. Blazers need to attack Dalembert more to try and get him in foul trouble.

Second quarter
The Blaers were setteling for a lot of jumpers and they were not hitting. Outlaw needs to be more agressive since he is not hitting his jump shot. He needs to get to the basket and the free throw line. Roy disappeared in the second quarter with only one strong move which resulted in a charging call. Roy need to take control in the second half and control the tempo.

Quick on the Turnaround

Jason Quick did a great article on the turnaround for the Blazers. He credits the tough play and teamwork to a practice on December 1st in which several of the players were getting very testy wth each other. The most noticeable altercation was between Przybilla and Webster. If I had to guess one player who would be in the middle of physical play and an altercation it would definitly have to be Przybilla. I think his attitude is helping this young Blazer team from backing down from more physical opponents.

I also think this was a good experience for Webster because Przybilla basicly told Webster to stop crying about calls all the time. This will help Webster concentrate on the things he can control and not focus on things outside of himself.

Preview for Sunday

When the Blazers take the court on Sunday there will be no lack of motivation or storylines. Portland comes into the game riding a twelve game winning streak. The 76er's, who the Blazers will be facing, are on a three game win streak of their own. Philly last played on Thursday and defeated the Sacramento Kings 92-80. Philly was lead by 19 points and 11 rebounds from Samuel Dalembert. If you remember the last matchup between Philly in Portland, Dalembert didn't play much because of foul trouble and that forced Philly to a very small lineup which sparked that huge 25 point come from behind victory. It will be interesting to see how Mo Cheeks game plans for the Blazers given the last game, will he stay with his current rotation that has won three strait or will he try to go small and expose the Blazers like the last game.

Speaking of rotation one person we know that Cheeks won't have on his bench will be Kyle Korver. Korver was traded on Saturday to Utah for Gordon Girieck and a protected first round pick.

I would look for Portland to use the zone defense more against Philly since they will be without Korver. Miller, the point guard, is not a good outside shooter and Iguodala likes to be agressive and tries to get into the paint. On the offensive end I would expect that Lamarcus will be a big part of the game plan to try and force Philly to go with a bigger lineup. If Philly tries to press early look for Brandon to take over and control the tempo.

Keys to the game

Transition defense
Rebounding

Making thirteen a little easier

It came down today that the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76er's made a trade. The Jazz aquired Kyle Korver in exchange for Gordon Giricek and a protected first.

This does have some impact for the Blazers as they play Phily on Sunday. Korver was a starter for Phily and this will take away an outside threat from the 76er's.

Also given that Utah is right behind Portland in the division this could have a long term impact on Portland. It became apparent the first time Portland beat Utah that the Jazz were vulnerable to the zone because they lacked a consistant outside shooter. Korver brings that deadly 3 point threat that Utah was missing. It will be interesting to see if Korver plays on Monday and if he can add that element to the Jazz. Keep an eye out on this to see if it gives them a spark to help them get out of the slump they are in.

Twelve is nice

That was a great win last nigt for the Blazers. The game had a lot of people nervous beforehand because it was a game that the Blazers should win most nights. It was good to see that the Blazers are not takng anything for granted during this streak. I had a couple of observations and then I want to hear what you guys thought about the win, the streak or the Blazers in general.

Lamarcus Aldridge
It was good to see Lamarcus come out and be aggressive after the poor showing against Seattle. I think that this continues to show the character of this team. Lamarcus spent Christmas night working on his shot, I don't think that it is a coincidence that he was hitting his shots last night. It was also good to see he was more aggressive on the boards which helped the Blazers grab more rebounds then Minnesota.

Offensve rebounds
The last two games the Blazers have been hitting the offensive boards very hard. I know that those games have been against two of the weakest teams in the conference but it is good to see that the recognized that there were issues there and have been working to improve.

Nate McMillan
I have to give a tip of the hat to Nate during this streak. He has been making all of the right rotational moves, including sticking with some people (Outlaw) when they are not shooting well but are doing other things. I also think you have to give credit to Nate for realizing that the ball needs to be in Roy's handsall game. It wasn't working in the beginging of the year to have Roy play off the ball, but he made the call (with help from Roy) to let Roy control the game.

Jarrett Jack
Jack was looking like mini Roy last night. He did a good job of filling up the stat sheet last night. I know that Jack is struggling right now to find his identity on this team and it's good to see him play well.

Comical Oden Mix

Someone had to much time on their hands to make this but it's kind of comical.



It's funny when I think about this current win streak I get all excited about everyone who is playing, then I see these videos of Greg from earlier and I think WOW the Blazers are going to be so good.

Roy rising

Jason quick has a good article about Brandon Roy. He talks about Roy's reluctance to take the glory for this current streak.

"Every time I step on the court, I play to win," Roy said. "I'm not trying to elevate myself, or my status as a star. I think at this level, some players do play that way -- to elevate themselves. But really, I hate being the center of attention. I just play to win, and I think people have grown to appreciate that."

You say it every time you hear Roy talk but he just comes across as a very likable guy. It is easy to see why all his teammates rally around him.

Also an interesting tidbit at the bottom of the article.

"The Blazers' nine-game winning streak is beginning to reap national attention. Cable station TNT has picked up three Blazers games for national audiences: The Jan. 3 game at Chicago, the March 18 home game against Phoenix and the March 27 game at Golden State. At the beginning of the season TNT was scheduled to air the Chicago game, but they dropped it once Greg Oden became injured. After the Blazers won their ninth in a row on Wednesday, TNT decided to put it back on their schedule."

So Roy = MJ

So at least one person is comparing the shot of Roy from last night to the famous MJ shot vs the Lakers.






I will say that Roy's shot was very impressive. I don't know if it's fair to compare his shot to MJ's at this point because MJ is such a legend. When you are considered the best player to ever play you best shots are always going to be considered better then other players.

Did we Just Witness the Future

There has been a lot of talk about the future free agency plan for 2009. I have heard talk of trying to get Chris Paul or Deron Williams, but a lot of this seems lke it could be a pipe dream. Last night we witnessed a point guard who may fit in well with the Blazers future, Jose Calderon. As you watch Calderon you see why he leads the league in assist to turnover ratio. Calderon played very smooth through the whole game. If you look at what the Blazers have you see that Brandon will have the ball in his hands a lot whether he is playing the point or the off guard. What the Blazers are going to need is a guy who doesn't make a lot of mistakes and can hit the open shots, this would be a role similar to what Kerr played for the Bulls. I am not saying Roy is the next MJ but he will dominate the ball and create for himself and teammates.

Here is where it gets even better for the Blazers, Calderon is a unrestricted free agent next year so he can sign anywhere that has the room for him. Now Calderon is playing behind TJ Ford in Toronto, and Ford has a large multi-year contract. So will Toronto be willing to pay the amount of money that Calderon will want? We don't know for sure but it could make for an interesting plan B.

Also Calderon plays on the same national team as Sergio and Rudy Fernandez which could help team chemistry even more.

Make it 9

It's amazing how every game in the Blazers current streak has been coming in different ways. There are games where they are shooting lights out and games where they can't buy a bucket. It seems the most satisfying games are the ones that the Blazers have no business winning. Toronto was shooting well over 50% in the first half of the game but yet the Blazers, even though they had shot 8 less shots were only down 5. Nothing was going right for the Blazers in the second quarter as Jones and Outlaw combined to shoot 2-10. But as the second half started the Blazers kept it close thanks to the incredible play making ability of Brandon Roy. Webster hit 3-4 from behind the arc in the third.

It made for a big decision in the forth quarter from Coach McMillan, should he go back to the second unit led by Outlaw and Jones or should he try to keep the hot hands in there. McMillan decided to go with his normal rotation and it paid of in a big way. Outlaw was pivotal in the final period making several big shots and coming up with a key offensive rebound at the end of the game that helped seal the victory 101-96.

Here is just a little magic from Roy

Article by Joe Freeman of the Oregonian

Joe Freeman wrote a good article about the resurgence of the Trailblazers during this current win streak.

"Attendance is up 20 percent over last season, and TV ratings and Web site hits are up as well. The surprising success has sparked a surge in players' confidence and provides evidence that the franchise is on schedule -- if not ahead -- in its rebuilding plan.

In recent years, the Trail Blazers' on-court failings have been equaled only by their off-court troubles, documented in police blotters across the Northwest. But the glory days -- when the team won an NBA championship and was known for its stylish, unselfish play -- are within the memory of many Portland fans who hope and believe they are seeing the nascent return of Blazermania."

A preview of Toronto

I will try to work in a preview of the team that the Blazers are facing before each game to see what the opposition is doing before they play the Blazers . So here is the Toronto scouting report:

I watched the Toronto-LAC game last night and I wanted to post a few observations about the Raptors and what Portland needs to do and what Toronto may try to do.

Toronto had a tough game last night and had to come from behind to beat the LA Clippers 80-77. It was a game similar to the Portland’s last game against New Orleans in that neither team was shooting particularly well and it came down to who was going to fight for it more. Toronto was led by 24 and 9 from Chris Bosh. Most of Bosh’s points came from the free throw line where he shot a game high 16 free throws. The thing that stuck out to me the most about Chris Bosh is how he affected the offensive flow, he reminded me of a former Blazer. When Chris would get the ball at the top of the key his teammates would stand around and wait for him to do something and Bosh would give a couple of jab steps then take and 18’ jumper or drive to the left to the basket.

The Raptors got a big spark in the first half from a relatively unknown player in Jamario Moon. Moon is a 27 year old rookie who has played in several of the lower basketball leagues including stints in the NBADL and the Harlem Globetrotters. Moon is a very active player who likes to play off the ball both offensively and defensively, he has a block in each of the last 18 games. He is very effective coming from the weak side to block shots. The best way to attack Moon is to go directly at him. Last night Cory Maggette was able to get good position on Moon in the paint, and that lead to easy buckets.

Toronto is playing without starter TJ Ford who was injured on a freakish play against Atlanta. Ford was running the break and Al Horford went to block the shot of Ford but instead hit Ford’s head and Ford was knocked unconscious. Ford had surgery on his neck recently and there is concern that there could be some damage to Ford’s spine. In Ford’s place Jose Calderon (Sergio’s Spanish teammate) has been starting. Calderon is a very efficient player who leads the league in assist to turnover ratio. Calderon is not known for his defense so the pick and roll should be very effective tonight.

The Toronto bench is primarily a more up and down unit that likes to get out and run. They also shoot a lot of jumpers which means that there will be a lot of long rebounds. Toronto is not very strong at transition defense as Chris Kaman was beating the Raptor defenders down the court for inside position and easy buckets.

The thing that the Blazers need to be very aware of is the outside shooting of Toronto, #1 in the NBA in 3 point %. The Blazers have been running a lot of zone defenses lately and that could really hurt them against the Raptors. They need to stay aggressive on defense and not let the Raptors get into a offensive rhythm early.

On offense the Blazers need to run the pick and roll and make Toronto play tough defense. Ball movement will be a key so the Blazers need to make the extra pass to the open player.

An Outlaw turned good

There is a great article about Outlaw on the front page of the Yahoo basketball page. It talks about Outlaw during his senior year and how unsure he was when he was playing in All-Star games.

"The look in the poor kid's eyes told Bob Hurley that the long, spindly kid out of Starkville, Miss., was lost. Drills? Offensive sets?

Just a blank stare."

It then goes on to talk about what the Blazers have done to help Travis.

"Through it all, Pritchard has delivered a blueprint on how to transform a raw basketball specimen into a productive professional. He cleansed the Blazers of the malcontents, assigned a bright assistant coach, Monty Williams, to work with Outlaw and 2005 prep draftee, Martell Webster, and measured progress over the long run. Pritchard decided that the Blazers weren't going to invest all this time and work and have them finally prosper somewhere else in the league.

Once McMillan arrived in 2005, everything changed for Outlaw. All the reads, all the options, Outlaw struggled to learn the system. He would get lost on the floor, end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. When his mind was racing so fast trying to keep up with his teammates, it was impossible to play basketball with instinct, with reaction.

On the surface, perhaps, Williams' background had little in common with Outlaw's. He had been a 4.0 student in high school, a Notre Dame graduate, on his way to a 10-year NBA career. Yet, Williams' life had taught him that everyone learns in different ways, and part of coaching, part of teaching, had to be adapting to the student."

There have been so many people (me included) that wanted to give up on Travis, but they people that really matter had something that none of us have, patience. It is great to see that the Blazers are tking there time to teach this young team how to play. I get a sense that there is loyalty throughout this organization now that has been missing in the past. I think this has helped the confidence of the players and helps the teams chemistry.

Virtual Oden

Here is a funny video clip of Oden, Mike Conley Jr.. and other rookies making a video game.

Virtual Greg

Roy audio from the Jim Rome Show

He is a link to the audio for the Jim Rome Show that featured Brandon earlier today.

Jim Rome Interviews Brandon Roy

Roy comes across as very likable, as always. With all of the publicity that Roy is getting it is good to hear that he is thanking his teammates for helping him out and giving him encouragement.

Roy the latest victim

According to Jason Quick on the Behind the Blazers Beat Blog, Roy arrived at practice today and Nate sent him to he doctor. Roy is the latest victim to the 24 our bug that Raef ,Martell and Bobby Madina (strength and conditiong coach). It doesn't sound like Roy will miss any time because of it.

One ting to watch is Roy's energy level tomorrow night, he has been playing with a lot of energy in the last few games and this could limit him somewhat. I would expect that we may need a big game from Jack tomorrow along with Jones, Webster, and Outlaw.

Aldridge Making a Comeback

According to Brian Hendrickson over at the Columbian Lamarcus Aldridge is going to be making his comeback on Wednesday vs the Raptors.

"LaMarcus Aldridge took the orthopedic boot off his right foot Monday and got in
a shooting workout before the Blazers' game against New Orleans, clearing the
way for him to return to the lineup Wednesday against Toronto.
Aldridge has missed the last five games with plantar fasciitis - an irritation in the tissue running from the heel to the base of the toes - which flared up during
Portland's win over Milwaukee on Dec. 9. Aldridge said he did not feel any pain
once he removed the boot, and he expects to practice today. If he does not
experience any recurrence of pain, Aldridge will be in the starting lineup
Wednesday."

It will be interesting to see how the chemistry of the team is altered by Lamarcus coming back. My guess is that they could be pressing at the begining of the game to show his return won't make a difference but that once the game gets going Lamarcus with just get into the flow of the game. I also think a key point in the game will be if Roy stays as agressive as he has been during this streak. If he lets up or defers to Lamarcus to much that will be the difference maker.

Roy for MVP?

Over at nba.com Roy has moved into the top 20 for the MVP race.

"The heartbeat of the leagues youngest team, Roy is a combo guard who can shoot the rock, has great handles and because of his size (6-6 230 pounds) and quickness, can defend multiple positions."

And I would of thought that only Blzer fans would have out Roy in the MVP race. It is amazing to see what Roy has done this year and I think there is a direct link between when Roy stated he wanted to play the point more and the better play of the team. Roy has been a major factor for this team going from the early season predictions that the Blazers would win less games then last year to a team over .500.

The Incredible Hulk

Kerry Eggers has some info on Greg and his rehab progress.

"I'm the strongest I've ever been," he adds "I hope I can stay that way, but that I'll be able to get my weight down after I'm able to start running again."

Kerry talks about how Greg weighs 40 pounds more then he did when the Blazers drafted him. It also sounds like Greg is getting close to the point where he can do some light running.

It sounds like he is comming along very fast but the only issue I see with this is that the way the Blazers are playing and if they extend the season will there be a temptation to bring him back this year.

Aldridge never an All-Star?

Just when you thought the Blazers had started to get the recognition from the national media, Simmons happens.

"Ray Felton, Danny Granger, Marvin Williams, LaMarcus Aldridge: All quality bargains because they're still on the rookie scale. Do you see any of them ever making an All-Star team? Me neither. Out of everyone on this list, I like Granger the most ... and I definitely like him more than Channing Frye, Ike Diogu, Fran Vasquez, Yaroslav Korolev, Rashad McCants, Antoine Wright and Joey Graham."

Wow Simmons must not watch much basketball because just before that comment he reminds everyone that he thought Orlando was crazy for taking Howard over Okafor. So I guess thiss means Aldgidge will be a 10 time All-Star.

The First

Well we all have to start sometime. This is the my first post to this blog.

I have been a Blazer fan for a long time and recently I have noticed a lack of information about the Blazers and a central area for all things Blazers. I would like to help fans have a place to find any information about the Blazers. I may not know everything about the Blazers but I, along with your help, can create a blog that will help find out all of the information you need about the Blazers. So if you have something that you would like to link to or something that has been written about the Blazers, let me know so I can post it on here. I will be very active on this blog to try and keep it updated as much as I have info for.

I also would like to discuss the state of the Blazers with other fans so I will be posting some of my own thoughts and observations to go along with the links to outside info. So feel free to comment on what I say because we may not agree but we are all hoping for the same thing, bringing an NBA title ( or 10) to Portland.