Subscribe Feed (RSS)A few items before looking ahead to the playoffs:
– An incredible season, all in all. Congrats to Paul Allen, Kevin Pritchard, Tom Penn, Larry Miller, Nate McMillan and the dozens of dedicated Trail Blazer employees who make it a very special organization. My hat is off to them. The success they have had this season is well deserved.
– Wednesday night’s game was perhaps the weirdest of the season. Can you remember a game where the winning team’s starting lineup didn’t produce a single player who scored in double figures? How about a game where the starters combined for just 32 points — yet the team scored 104 and won by 28? That’s borderline ridiculous.
– Sergio Rodriguez had one of those games where you wonder just how good he could be for a team that wants to push the ball all the time. Man, he’d be good for the Knicks.
– Rudy Fernandez had a great night — but he looks awfully gimpy to me. His back was bothering him, big time, by the end of the game. And I also believe the two men from Spain are the only ones who really understand how to feed the ball to a big guy at the rim.
– The Blazers have had so much more energy than the teams they’ve been playing lately and Wednesday was no exception.
– Carmelo Anthony was worse, even, than his 3-for-18 shooting night indicated. The guy is easily distracted.
– LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy combined for 15 points on 6-for-17 shooting. And the Blazers won by 28 — that’s not likely to happen again for a decade or so.
– Man, New Orleans let Michael Finley get off a clear three-point shot to tie that game at the end of regulation down in San Antonio and it messed up the seeding all through the conference. Foul the guy.
Tags: Brandon Roy, Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, Dwight Jaynes, LaMarcus Aldridge, Michael Finley, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez
Note to Byron Scott: Foul on the floor before a 3-point shot that could possibly tie. They had plenty of chances to foul while dudes were dribbling around and not shooting.
The Blazers did the same thing (Baron Davis) and it’s cost us dearly this season.
I remember a column you wrote about Sergio Rodriguez several years ago that was positively giddy about his ability to distribute the ball.
Okay, Dwight Jaynes doesn’t really do “giddy” but it made an impression on me, and I believe we saw that Sergio last night. His game requires freedom and flair – yet when he gets into that zone, it makes fundamental basketball sense that is just brilliant. How many great passes did Sergio have last night? Ironically, some of them were no-look passes so he’ll have to watch a tape of the game to see them himself.
Anyway, good call in that column. The Memorial Coliseum isn’t the only aging sports institution in this town that’s worth keeping around.
But back to the Blazers:
This team doesn’t have disappointments. The undeniable progress everyone is showing just takes longer with some than others, but everybody is improving and the results are multiplying together.
You throw in the depth of talent and it’s 2 against 1 over most teams in the league. Often the bench rotations shrink in the playoffs, but we don’t have to, so the energy is going to be on our side.
If all of it meshes in the NBA playoffs, God help the rest of the league.
Dwight, I completely agree with you about Carmelo Anthony. That guy is “jailblazer” material. He reminds me of a more talented version of Bonzi Wells. If he would have been around in the late 90’s, he’d been perfect for the Bob Whittsit blazers! The Nuggets will implode before the playoffs are over. They are a team made up of wannabe thugs and ganstas. Melo is what he he is. He will shoot his team out of as many games as he wins for them. He’s a fantastic offensive player, but he will eventually melt down. Same with J.R. Smith and K-Mart.
One thing to add-
Much has been said about Rudy’s record. What I like most about it was how he sank his last shot. He knew he was one 3 away, and he could have jacked up a slightly contested one for the record. Instead, he made the extra pass and was rewarded with quick pass back and an open look. That is fundamentals. That is trusting your teammates. That is Blazer basketball.
I agree with the above post. I dont think Denver is as good as their record. Thank God (for them) they landed Billups. But they are a team full of thugs and I just get the feeling that they will indeed implode. They are almost the opposite of the Blazers. No character guys on the entire roster other than Billups.
Carmelo is truly an idiot.
As far as I can tell the Nuggets usually play very hard and they’re very talented. A 54-28 record isn’t achieved by accident, but by drive and desire. They’re not choir boys, but I think it’s a stretch to call them “thugs” and “ganstas” [sic]. Have you met a gangster? Those guys are hardcore and nothing like a pampered, professional basketball player. As far as Anthony, I believe he has represented my country very well in the Olympics and international play. I don’t understand the hate.
Jeff A.
While saying ‘truly and idiot’ might be a little harsh, have you been following his NBA career here in the states?
For the record Jeff A., I called them “wannabe” gangstas and yes I have met a ganster and that’s why I can call them “wannabes.” The Melo hate comes from his DUI, his sucker punch of Mardy Collins when he was a NY Knick (which afterwards, he turned and ran like a coward), he also refused to come out of a game this season when his coach attempted to make a substitution for him. He was later suspended for a game because of this by his own team. He got busted for having Marijuana in his backpack a couple of years ago. The charges were dropped because “it belonged to a friend”. He also had problems with Larry Brown and other coaches on the previous olympic team. Also, the guy is one of the most selfish NBA players in the league. I’m not knocking his talent just his character. I will agree with you that they are a terrific team. 54 wins happen because you are a talented team, but it happend in large part because of Chauncey Billups. Jeff A., I’m just not a Melo fan. I don’t have a problem with people who like him. I just don’t respect him for all of the crap he has pulled.
Jeff,
You bring up a good catalog of Carmelo’s transgressions and flaws. And you’re right about the qualifier “wannabe”, although another commenter said that they were a team full of thugs without any qualifier. I seem to have conflated the two, along with the “truly an idiot” comment. And I wouldn’t want him on the Blazers. But I don’t hate him. And I don’t hate the rest of the team.
Trevor Ariza, on the other hand, him I could hate. He injured one of my favorite players. And unlike Mardy Collins, Rudy was wholly innocent.
Jeremy,
I noted the same thing, a perfect microcosm of the Blazers
I don’t think these Nuggets will implode on cue like past teams did for one simple reason: Chauncy Billips. They need to send Joe Dumars a playoff check.
Rudy throws more post passes to Oden than the entire team combined.