Another one of those NBA games when a single point changes the mood of Portland sports fans. I mean, can you imagine — if Brandon Roy can’t get to the basket and convert that looping layup, the whole town is depressed over back-to-back miserable losses to lousy teams.
This near-fiasco showcased what’s good and bad about the team right there in one afternoon. And in a game with more runs than a kindergarten class having prunes for its mid-afternoon snack.
The Blazers opened the game as determined to go inside as they have in any game all season. It was amazing. Greg Oden, so nervous about what he knew should be a big game for him, turned the ball over the first two times he touched it and LaMarcus Aldridge followed with a turnover of his own. But Oden steadied down for the rest of the game and showed everyone that even though he wasn’t brought here to be an offensive force, and even though his game at that end of the floor has miles to go, he can still be dominant because so many teams — this one, especially — have NOBODY capable of guarding him.
Seriously, this was a game where Oden could have scored 40 if his team had gone into him — OR, drawn enough double-teams to guarantee wide-open shots for everyone else. But, of course, Oden had foul trouble eventually — but not before it was clear he wasn’t going to get 30 minutes on the court, anyway, and that his team would not consistently take advantage of his edge inside. Guys, is there something wrong with watching your big man dunk in people’s faces all game long? Do you have to inevitably settle for those 20-footers in EVERY game? Yes, of course. The answer is always yes.
On defense, it was yet another nightmare. You take a team that is the 28th worse shooting team in the NBA and let it flirt with 50 percent shooting all afternoon and you’re going to have problems. The Blazers got six blocks from Oden — including a miraculous one on David Lee that was a game-saver in the final minute — but otherwise just allowed, again, too many wide-open, uncontested shots.
To be fair, New York caught one of those spurts in the second half when it was raining threes and some of them were rather incredible. And there are tough matchup problems for the Blazers, since New York doesn’t play with a post man. But man, you have to get a hand in people’s face when they shoot the ball. And — if they’re going to give you a matchup dilemma on one end, you’ve simply got to turn around and make it hurt them on the other end.
They have no post guy — make them pay for it!
There is some anxiety around the Trail Blazers right now. You can just feel it. It’s the uncertainty of not really understanding why they’re struggling and yes, the inevitable mystery around the trading deadline. It’s funny how people who have been saying for months the team should stand pat are now begging for a deal — as if that will somehow shape up the team’s defense. Which, of course, it won’t.
We’ll talk more about trades soon and I’m not necessarily against a deal. But I’m just saying if you think it’s going to suddenly help Portland understand its defensive rotations I believe you’re mistaken.
At one point, against the New York freaking Knicks, Sunday afternoon the Blazers were outscored 37-7. The Knicks just weren’t quite good enough down the stretch to seal the deal.
If you’re looking at the big picture, you’re still asking the same questions you’ve been asking for a while now — at what point will this team get better on defense? When will it really show it understands the benefits of playing from the inside out?
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Tags: Brandon Roy, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers
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