OK, you lost . . . so get over it!
Geesh, what a lot of verbal hand-wringing (by the Blazers, by the media, by the fans — everyone in town!) over losing the first game of a playoff series. Boston lost at home. Orlando lost at home. San Antonio lost at home. Now granted, none of them got clobbered to the extent the Blazers did, but so what? — scores don’t carry over to the next game. All those teams are down 0-1 in their series. But it’s a seven-game series.
If you are a team that has all that character everyone talks about, put it behind you! Man, there is too much at stake to get mentally down after just one game.
What killed the Blazers Saturday night was a lack of preparation. They weren’t ready for what they met in Game 1. So just make your adjustments, prepare better and go get them. If you’re going to run off with your tails between your legs after just one game, you weren’t really going to do anything in the playoffs, anyway.
This is what it’s about, folks. It’s about adversity, toughness and preparation. We’ll talk more about preparation tomorrow — there are many things Portland can do, or do better, against the Rockets.
I would just hope that massive psychiatric intervention isn’t going to have to be a part of that preparation. You got punched in the face, guys, but you didn’t get knocked out. Now go punch back.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | April 20, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, Houston Rockets, NBA playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers
I am fully supporting the Blazers and will till they get knocked out.
Facts are Facts 79% of the teams that win the first game win the series. Just a little bit of reality.
I am a big believer of never being too up or down so I still believe but this was not the match up in the first round for the Blazers to have the best chance. Learn from it, show some character, gain the experience and take the lumps that have to come, but don’t give up.
Damn right, and why exactly do you seem uptight? What are we really talking about here? You win and you get to keep playing basketball. You lose and you’re millionaires on a 6-month vacation just as the good weather returns.
So where exactly is the pressure coming from? You’re not about to lose your house like a lot of people. You’re not going in for some serious life-saving medical procedure. If you succeed you play on, and if you lose you’re on vacation.
Pressure? What pressure?
So play hard with joy. You’re young, you’re rich, and you’re having great lives. Now, go kick some ass!
Great point Dwight. We’re down 0-1. Simple as that. Time to get a W and square the series.
Yup. Frankly, winning this series isn’t that important. The Blazers are not going to win the championship this year anyway. It’s time to get better as they go and learn what it is to play in the playoffs.
It’s hard to win in the playoffs until you’ve lost in the playoffs no matter what the ’77 team did.
I think they’ll be fine Tuesday and I fully expect a big win. Yet, I have my doubts about our success on the road.
Valuable experience. As tough a pill as it was to swallow, I’m glad they got blown out. Now, it’s time for them to learn from it and get better.
These guys are quick learners and habitual over-acheivers. A bitter loss in Game 7 may be just what B-Roy and Co. need to mold them into contenders.
I like all the posts before mine.
I’m thinking of it this way: If Brooks keeps playing at the level he played in game one the Blazers will lose this series, but we’ll get to see an ex-Duck become a star right before our eyes. And he seems like a good kid too.
I don’t think he can do it and I think the team can contain Yao enough to win.
If I have to hear another blazer fan whine about the officiating I’m going to vomit. Every homer in my office can’t stop talking about how the blazers got jobbed.
“I’m not saying the officiating is why they lost, but those officials….”
No, what you’re doing is making excuses…and so what if oden scored 15. It didn’t matter.
Nate wants to run on Houston, but they can’t do that if Houston is shooting 60%+. I don’t believe Houston can play that well again so I think the Blazers have a great chance to even the series tomorrow. Greg Oden needs to play more. He rarely (if at all) played against Yao on Saturday. He can put Yao on the bench with foul trouble or at least nuetralize him by making him work on D. Losing a game that bad at home should open the blazers’ eyes as to how they need to adjust mentally. As you have said Dwight, the blazers have more talent and that is a big advantage. I just hope it’s enough of an advantage to overcome the mental part of the game because they looked confused and shell shocked. They can’t afford to have a slow start tomorrow or the Rockets will bury them.
I just dont want a quick exit because this is the time we get to see what the players are REALLY made of.
We have some very tough off season decisions to make and each playoff game helps us evaluate those decisions. Thats why I hope this series goes to 7 or we make it to the next.
There is a bright side should the Blazers lose this series. There are still many people out there who believe the Blazers can win a championship with THIS team. Losing in the first round would do a lot to open their eyes to the fact that the Blazers will need to add a few pieces in order to become a contender.
I also think that there is something far worse than all of the talk surrounding this loss, and that is the comparisons to the ’77 team. Let’s not get too excited, Blazers fans. They call things like that “once in a lifetime” for a reason.
I just want to see the guys battle. The last game there was very little battle in them. I agree with what Dwight said in one other post in that the Blazers need to go right at the Rockets. Go right at Yao, right into the chest of Yao and force the refs to make calls. If need be put Bayless in for 10 minutes and and have him use his 6 fouls and go right at Yao. Bayless is strong enough he could get shots up at the rim and put the pressure on Yao and the refs. Same with Rudy, Travis. Sergio. All the wings need to play like wings and run and attack. Get movement on the offensive end and go to the rim. If you lose then at least you can say you battled.
I would bet that there has been a “run” on Immodium AD…..
It’s just one loss, the Rockets have to beat the Blazers three more times.
As long as the Blazers get production from Blake, Lamarcus, Rudy and co…they can still win this series.
Couldn’t agree more! The rockets are a terrible matchup for the blazers but who cares they better come out swinging the next game. I’m so sick of hearing about how the blazers have no chance now. Give me a break. Step it up blazers the Rockets are no world beaters.
I think it is better psychologically to play badly and lose by 30 than play well and lose by one. In any typical 7 game series you will have 3 blowouts and 4 nail biters. The team that gets blown out usually plays better in the next game and wins (unless they are hopelessly outmanned like the Jazz).
A couple of you have mentioned the 77 Blazers but that was a completely different situation. The ABA merged so we picked up 2 starters: Maurice Lucas and point guard David Twardzik right before the championship run.
One other difference that I really respected Bill Walton for was being more than just a pro athlete. Imagine at the rally the other day if Brandon Roy had taken the opportunity to speak out about the war in Iraq. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Brandon Roy. He’s a tremendous individual. But it just highlights the vast differences in the times and the teams.
This team is still learning how to take on another team in the playoffs. Walton took on the political establishment of the entire country.
I think they were prepared to play, but they weren’t (and you can’t be) prepared for what it would be like to play in the playoffs. You cannot be prepared for a moment like that until you are in it.
Dwight I got a question for you. What did you think of the fans at game 1? I was in section 205 and during player intros, Aaron Brooks got a louder applause than did Blake. WTF is up with that? I was just wondering what you thought of people cheering an opposing player in the playoffs just because he went to UofO. I think it’s crap and one of the main reasons Brooks didn’t seem timid at all.
What killed the Blazers was lack of experience period. They have never been here before and their ‘green-ness’ showed…glaringly
With that said, this isn’t a team that stays down for long. I believe they will come back and win game 2
Remember this is all new to them, atleast at this level. However, they have proven time and time again to be quick learners
keep the faith