Why on earth would Roy drag Battier along behind him by hooking his arm??? He was already ahead of him and running to the basket. All holding Battier would do is slow him down AFTER he already had the advantage. It doesn’t make any sense.

Those arm-hooking plays were done by John Stockton out on the perimeter trying to free himself to get the ball because he was too slow to get open honestly, so he would try to get free throws. That play is not done by Roy who has a lane to the basket, or for that matter by any other Blazer because we don’t even have a wily veteran that has learned to pull those moves off yet (like Yao has).

They are going to need a 10 point cushion…to bring it home”

This is the NBA, even in the regular season you’ve gotta be 10 points better than the home team becuase they’re going to get the calls down the stretch.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the Blazers play in Utah and have a nice little lead heading into the 4th quarter, only to have the Jazz get a few cheap fouls early in the quarter, then be “in the penalty” early and march to the FT line and outscore Portland by 15 points down the stretch and win the game going away

(But you know what “they” say…the agressive teams get the calls and the refs don’t decide the games?)

The road team just has to be 10 points “better” That means the Blazers will have to be firing on all cylinders, shoot the lights out and not have mental lapses from any of their young players

Sure, it can be done. But like I said at the beginning of this series, don’t bet the farm on it

I normally am a big Danny Crawford fan, but he missed several big calls. Just about every time, Leon Wood made the right call – and they were BIG calls – from outside….or so I saw it. Never thought I’d be saying, “thank God for Leon Wood.”

In his defense, Crawford didn’t make a lot of bad calls.

I was impressed with the heart of the Blazers, down 68-64, it was all but over. Except they put their foot down, pedal to the medal, on both ends and finished the game strong.

Great rally. I think if they are within striking distance in Houston going into the fourth quarter, it won’t be good enough.

They are going to need a 10 point cushion…to bring it home.

So long as the Blazers push the tempo, even if it’s not a true fast break, they do well against the Rockets. They seem more likely to do this at home. If they can make themselves do it in Houston they have a great chance. If they don’t, if they let Houston rest and set up their defense, they have almost no chance.

I think Houston has been a perfect opponent for the Blazers’ first playoff series in a long time. They’ve shown the fellas how to play hard, play smart, and keep playing for all 40 minutes. Win or lose this has been a real growth experience for them. I’d be happier winning, though.

Maybe because he was fatigued and frustrated–it happens to pros too.

I don’t think the call was bad–he put his head into Joel’s chest and tried to plow by him. That’s a no-no.

I watched that play multiple times in slow motion because I was curious why Battier was so upset.

BTW, one thing I’ve always been confused about in basketball is what happens if you set a solid pick, but the person you pick knocks you off balance and you stumble backwards but not enough to be an offensive call.

This happens to me in pick up games on occasion and when it does, I feel both like I’m moving and fouling a bit because the person can’t get around me. But the reality is that I’m stumbling backwards a bit because the offensive player tried to go through me instead of around me.

Anyways, watching the play that Battier was upset about, I saw Joel falling back and sticking with Battier more than normal. It certainly looked to me like he lost his balance a little because of Battier running into him, but I can’t tell for certain.

Regardless, it sure seemed like Battier was arguing about Joel, not Brandon.