The Blazers square the series
A few thoughts about Tuesday night’s Blazer win over Houston:
– Brandon Roy can’t score 42 points every game. Well, actually maybe he can. But he made a real statement about the defensive prowess of Ron Artest — which isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
– LaMarcus Aldridge was terrific, back to his old self of mixing in some low-post activity with the 20-foot jumpers.
– A little too much one-on-one by Portland in the fourth quarter. Would like to see more ball movement because it appeared Roy was tiring down the stretch.
– Greg Oden made two great plays before fouling out in the fourth quarter — the put-back dunk of a Roy miss and knocking away the entry pass to Yao Ming that led to a Portland bucket.
– Yao was very reluctant to contest any of Oden’s shots. It’s a shame Oden didn’t get more touches in the regular season because he isn’t ready yet to be a go-to guy on offense. The team went into him three straight times in the second quarter — something that probably didn’t happen very often all season. NOW, they realize how important it is to get low-post scoring.
– When Yao was on the bench, Portland didn’t take the ball to the basket enough. It’s a must. I’m positive that will be emphasized as the series continues.
– When Dikembe Mutombo hit the floor with that knee injury, a very critical dynamic changed in this series. Either Yao is going to have to play much longer minutes or the Rockets are really going to struggle for about 15 minutes a game without a backup center. Often in the playoffs, 15 shaky minutes is enough to get you beat. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry aren’t big enough to fill in at center and when Yao’s out Portland is going to punish the smaller Rockets.
– Portland has three chances to steal a win in Houston, but very often the first game is the best chance. The Rockets are trying to put a string of six straight first-round playoff exits behind them — jumping out to a lead on them Friday night would cause a lot of reminders of previous playoff failures.
– Nate McMillan really shortened his rotation. That’s fine, I just hope Roy and Aldrige can hold up.
– I fully expect Portland to get better and better as this series unfolds. At a certain point, the Blazers are going to wake up and realize that talent isn’t their problem against the Rockets. Execution is the only thing keeping them from winning the series. If the Blazers play the game the right way, bring the high energy level and don’t do stupid things, they’re going to win this thing.
– The Twin Towers, Oden and Przybilla, appeared for a couple of stretches. It worked fine, but I’d like to have seen more of it during the regular season. Sometimes you do things over the 82 games just for the sake of experimentation. Just to see whether it can work. More time could have been spent doing that and it would have paid off now.
– McMillan was using his coat to hide his play calls from the Houston bench most of the game. You don’t see that very often. Pretty soon in this league, we’re going to see players wearing wrist bands with plays on them, matched with numbers — and coaches will call numbers that players can check on their wrist bands for corresponding plays. Blue-32, red-44. . . HUT, HUT!
– A shame to see Mutombo’s career end that way. A great player, a great leader, a great teammate and by all accounts, a great man.
– Playoffs or not, the Blazers need to move that merchandise. I think that’s why we saw the team come out wearing those drab, gray, long-sleeved “Uprise” T-shirts instead of the usual warmup tops. When people see the players wearing them, they run to the counter and buy them. I guess.
– Portland must guard against a big emphasis on getting Yao in foul trouble. He’s probably not going to foul out of a playoff game, anyway. And seriously, if you just take the ball at him, he’ll often just throw his hands straight in the air and let you shoot it — he doesn’t want to foul. But a preoccupation with getting those fouls can lead to Portland getting away from what it needs to do on offense — spread the ball around and go to the boards hard. I think, over the course of this series, the fear factor of Yao’s defense will decrease.
– Something else related to that: It appears Rick Adelman didn’t want to play Yao long minutes, anyway. Even without foul trouble, he was on pace to play only about 34 minutes or so Tuesday. That will likely change with Mutombo out, but you have to wonder if there isn’t some concern about Yao’s ability to play big minutes.
– At the start of this series, Adelman said, “Portland knows where it’s going to get its points in the fourth quarter. Brandon Roy will do that for them. We don’t have a guy like that. We don’t have anyone we can rely on to get his own shot. We’re never quite sure who that guy is going to be in the fourth quarter.” Man, so far they have that guy — it’s Aaron Brooks. Can he keep making those shots? I think he can if Portland keeps going underneath those screens and giving him open looks. That runner of his in the lane has been deadly, too.
– That was not a spring wind blowing through Portland last night around 10 o’clock. It was the entire population breathing a deep sigh of relief.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | April 22, 2009
Brandon Roy, Dikembe Mutombo, Dwight Jaynes, Greg Oden, Houston Rockets, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nate McMillan, NBA playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers, Rick Adelman, Yao Ming
I was mad earlier tonight when I wrote this. I still think there’s a point but it’s nice to see your kind words for Mutombo in this post. Here’s what I wrote earlier:
When Mutombo was injured he staggered backwards and went on trying to defend Oden for a second before falling to the ground. Even badly hurt he went on playing for another few moments – one of the great defensive players the league has ever seen, not to mention a true ambassador of the sport.
Sitting at home, I knew it was over for his career. 42-year-olds who spend 5 minutes writhing in agony and pounding the court do not come back. You never want to write someone off, but I was not surprised to read just now that he says it’s over.
After the game, I watched “Talkin’ Ball” and was extremely unimpressed with how you acted, saying he better not be hurt just a little – like a soccer player faking it. At one point, Dwight, you even wagged your finger – his signature move – at the thought of him coming back.
It was bush league. If the media wants to lecture the fans for not having enough class during games, you guys should show some class afterwards. Mutombo played in the NBA for 18 years. It ended tonight, and you guys showed little respect. Serious injuries are never an occasion to giggle like little kids. Yes, it was a big win, but you should act like you won a playoff game before.
(Like I said…I was mad…Go Blazers.)
Bill — we gave Dikembe plenty of respect later on. And really — wagging the finger is a tribute to him. We did the show before we knew the extent of the injury — the media update we got said this: “Mutombo out for the remainder of the game. Left knee strain. Will be evaluated further on team’s return to Houston. He will remain at the arena.” The implication was that the injury was not as serious as it looked at the time (knee “strains” don’t usually end your career — and usually with serious injuries, players are taken directly to a hospital). Apparently the Rockets just didn’t want to give away the seriousness of it — which is fine, I guess. But he then went ahead and told everyone after the game. Over at The Agency, we’re not able to interview everyone in the locker room.
– Dwight
By the way, I love that “Sitting at home, I knew it was over for his career.” Great. We all thought the same thing until we heard the diagnosis of “knee strain.” But you probably knew that was bogus, sitting there at home, right?
– Dwight
And one more thing, Bill — I have NEVER won a playoff game. And neither have you.
The rockets are a nightmare matchup. I would be shocked if we can win a game in houston.
I had the league pass one season and I happened to be watching when Livingston of the Clippers broke his leg at the knee. That’s the only time I saw a pain reaction to a knee injury like that where they bring out a stretcher. Broken bones, yes, but not the knee. Hell, Tom Brady walked to the locker room and he was out a year.
I knew this was damn serious and like I said, I don’t want to write anybody off, but I believed I was seeing the last play of Mutombo’s career. Especially when they came back from commercial and he was still in so much pain. I thought I could be seeing the last play of Livingston’s career too – he’s back with Oklahoma after a 2-year recovery. But Livingston wasn’t 42.
Saying it was a knee strain wasn’t bogus. It was just the type of thing teams say sometimes when something really serious happens and they don’t want to face it right away. Maybe more like wishful thinking mixed with denial.
I’ve watched this guy since he was at Georgetown. I didn’t think he was being overly dramatic like a soccer player as you suggested. Anyone who saw him in agony on the ground knew this was real.
I was at the game and only a couple hundred feet away when Deke went down. Seeing him grab his knee like that and knowing his age… I wanted to cry. For me, it was almost as scary as when Rudy got hit, but it felt way worse because I knew I had just seen his career come to an end.
Yeah, that’s what’s driving this for me. I was upset by seeing a great player and great person get hurt and leave the league. Dwight, I apologize if your show set me off. I know you guys are just kidding around.
Mutombo was a class act. A great man with a great laugh. I’ll miss watching him play. Remember when Denver beat Seattle in that 1-8 seed?
Brandon Roy scoring 42 pts and leading the Blazers to a solid win = WOW !!!
Dikembe Mutumbo sadly ending his long and great NBA career with a knee injury= Terrible….
Dwight Jaynes disrepecting one of the good guys of the league who went down with a knee injury and most likely ended his career = Typical….
Dwight, lest you forget… you were banished from the tunnel and locker room…..
I agree with your comment about the danger of getting too involved in getting Yao in foul trouble. I think the same thing can be said about getting to hyped because Motumbo is out–how many times in the NBA have we seen a team play better when a key player goes down? I think it’s possible the injury may actually help Houston’s intensity on Friday.
I do think the longer the series goes the more important Motumbo’s absence will be. I hope Nate doesn’t completely change his strategy because of it, that’s all, because it can backfire in a hurry. I hope he makes a few adjustments and let the team keep playing the way they were playing until the hiccup last Saturday.
A thoughts I have on the game.
– Aaron Brooks is a nightmare matchup when he is on offense so why not make the Rockets PAY FOR IT ON DEFENCE. When Brooks is guarding Rudy or Blake let’s post him up!! It will cause the defense to have to react and open up some shots. MAKE THEM PAY ON THE OTHER END!! Do the coaching staff not see this?? Am I missing something??
Another thought on the game.
Lamarcus got the numbers but I see a disturbing trend in the way he has been plaing this season. It appears he really wishes he was born a perimeter player (just like Rasheed Wallace and Cliff Robinson). Many of the shots he made last night were tough fadeaway shots – not good shot selections – and he made them on talent. The nights he seems to disapear are the nights he misses those same shots. Lamarcus gets pushed off the block so easily. When he does get the ball and tosses it back out he does not reposition. Rather he just drifts to the perimeter. Also please please Lamarcus just roll to the hoop once in a while after setting a screen. “Pick and roll” is usually the better play than “pick and pop”. Brandon gets a double and Lamarcus has a wide open lane!
Before anyone gets too bent out of shap from my comments here – watch the next game and focus on Lamarcus when he does not have the ball. I like the guy but I am sorry – he is a soft player. I hope that changes one day because he has unbelieveable talent.
Go Blazers!!
gotta say you called it last week regarding emotional swings from game to game. spot on.
I didn’t catch much of the game, but unfortunately was briefly in the house watching the game when Dikembe went down. The guy is the same age as me and he was still playing in the NBA?!?! That alone was enough to make him my hero. I was very bummed and immediately had the feeling that it was all over for him.
A Dikembe anecdote: I have a buddy who attended Georgetown contemporaneously with Dikembe. A local TV news show was trying to do a story about graduation rates and Georgetown athletics. They made the mistake of sending what must have been a rookie reporter to interview Dikembe. She asked him some stupid question regarding athletics versus academics that inferred that he was just a dumb jock. He proceeded to answer the question in three different languages. Don’t know if it’s true but I still love it as a good story.
“McMillan was using his coat to hide his play calls from the Houston bench most of the game. You don’t see that very often. Pretty soon in this league, we’re going to see players wearing wrist bands with plays on them, matched with numbers — and coaches will call numbers that players can check on their wrist bands for corresponding plays.”
Remember when “coach Klop” used to flash those cards from the Sonic’s bench to set the team’s defense? You’d think the other team would be able to figure out his system and anticipate the play, right? (I wonder if he ever used an “indicator” like the 3rd base coach does in baseball?)
Red Auerbach used to use the same 5 numbers for his offensive plays during the Celtic’s glory years. Eventually, the players complained that “everybody knows our plays” and that the opponents were anticipating the calls and stacking the defense against them. So Red told them OK, for this game play 1 is really play 2, and so on. Well, the predictable happened. One player would go the wrong way and screw up the play. After a few turnovers Red called a timeout and went down the bench and slapped all the players on the face and said “we’re back to normal, play 1 equals play 1″ etc. And the players went out and performed well and won the game.
The lesson: Keep it simple, stupid. Most plays have options A,B,C and the players have to freelance anyway, depending on what the defense does
Robby — I was “banished” from the tunnel and locker room? When did that happen? I’ve been there this season.
– Dwight
“When Brooks is guarding Rudy or Blake let’s post him up!! It will cause the defense to have to react and open up some shots. MAKE THEM PAY ON THE OTHER END!! Do the coaching staff not see this?? Am I missing something??”
Perhaps. You assume that Blake/Rudy have “back to the basket” moves and would be comfortable passing out of the inevitable double team. Not all guards know how to post up, or are used to doing it in game situations.
A better choice would be to run a pick-and-roll so that Brooks has to switch off on Roy, then clear the side and dump the ball into Brandon. We know he has the complete post game to make the Rocket’s defense pay
Some people still think Oden will never be an offensive presence. But everything I’ve seen from him leads me to believe the exact opposite. Yes he is very raw, but I think he will be a HUGE offensive weapon. And I agree it’s too bad we haven’t established that more this season. But I think next season we will see a lot more of this.
I also think that Mutombo’s injury could be the turning point of this series. I just don’t see how they can stop our second unit now, especially with Oden.
I guess I am one of the believers who think the Blazers can win in Houston. If you look at the improvement from game one – and perhaps we get some more improvement for game three – we can do it. It felt like three of our players broke out in game two (BRoy, LMA and Rudy). If Steve and Travis join the party – we can be a force in Houston. I’ll be happy if Houston wins game 3 – but we figure out what adjustments to make to take game 4. Get enough of a lead to get Sergio in there in game 5 – and perhaps this team comes together out of the series ready to take on the Lakers.
Very sorry to see Mutombo’s injury – but I won’t feel bad about exploiting the opportunity not having him in the lineup will provide. We have played a whole season without Martell.
Marc, I like your comments on Greg Oden. He’s big, athletic and he’s a better offensive player than he gets credit for. I mean, he scored 9 points per game in only 21 minutes per game and they hardly ever ran plays for him this year. Nate will make him more of a focal point next year. Considering he’s only going to get better as he plays more, his averages will increase greatly. If he plays 30+ minutes per game next season, he’ll get 14-16pts per game easily. As the years go by I think he’ll be even better than that. I believe he’ll be a big factor vs. Houston before the series is over.
Well said Tree!
If Steve and Outlaw join the party, we could have something.
In the meantime, I hope somebody figures out that Von Wafer, Lowry and Brooks can score 20 points every night….ahem… cough… to Blake, Outlaw.
“If you look at the improvement from game one – and perhaps we get some more improvement for game three – we can do it.”
Well, with all the trouble the Blazers have had down in Houston during the last decade, perhaps the law of averages will swing in their favor? (I wouldn’t bet the farm on it, though…and yes I know this year’s version of the Blazers is much improved over the last 5+ seasons, etc)
Basically, the Rockets will need to have a game 3 or 4 like Portland had in game 1…no shots falling…panic sets in…Yao starts limping…Artest implodes…but if both teams play their “normal” games we have seen the result in games this season: Houston is 10+ points “better” than Portland on their homecourt.
Here’s hoping, but I don’t expect to see “more” from the Blazer role players who have tended to freeze up when on the road against a quality opponent
Blazers scored 40 points in the paint and held Houston to 28…
If they continue to be that aggressive offensively and keep them out of the paint defensively, the blazers will win this series
Dwight, you were banned sometime in the mid 90′s.
Dwight:
Why can’t you ever admit when you make a mistake? I didn’t watch “Talkin’ Ball” (personally, I think the show is terrible) but if you did talk like these people say, I think it was very disrespectful of you, whether you knew the extent of the injury or not.
Come on, Dwight, you always talk about how you’ve seen it all, did you honestly watch a 42 year old man could crumble to the floor in pain like that and not think that there’s a good chance he won’t play again? Even if it was “only a strain” there’s no way he comes back this year, which would’ve probably been his last anyway.
I’ve noticed that you never, ever, ever say or admit when you are wrong on this blog, all you ever do is make up some sort of excuse or try to spin in a different way (like when you write articles that come off like you are claiming to have predicted the Blazers season correctly by saying they would win the division, but they didn’t even win the division?)
Please Dwight, you have a lot of good insights, but you come off as having insecurity issues or something. It’s ok to admit a mistake or make an apology, people will still read your blog, probably more than if you keep acting like this
To Arvydas: What does Blake have to do to get a little credit for defense? He kept Brooks under control the entire game until he nailed a three with a hand in his face, a three when Aldridge didn’t get a hand up (trying not to foul in last minute of game), a lay up (again no one wanted him to shoot a three or foul him) and a three from 30 feet. He responded to Brooks’ explosion in Game 1 by staying in front of him all over the floor. If he keeps playing like that in Houston, Brooks will be kept in check.
I also think that losing Mutombo is big. Chuck Hayes and Carl Landry will be called on to rise to the occasion. I don’t know if they will be able to contain Oden when Yao is on the bench.
Dwight what is the deal, not a word on Steve Blake and his pick and roll defense in game 2. Our pick and roll D in game one was abysmal, but Blake played absolutely inspired defense in game 2. Fought over the top of the pick time and time again. Brooks had what, 4 points going into the fourth. He scored easily against Brandon, and then was shooting 3′s down the stretch when it was effectively over. I thought Blake was a huge difference maker in game two, like Brooks was in game 1.
Joel and Greg worked very hard on Yao as well. I liked how we changed things up, and sent double teams at him over and over.
Artest was blistering in the first 1/4, but I thought Travis worked real hard defending him, and eventually Artest no longer had good open looks, and his shot stopped falling. It helped as well that he fired up a lot of BAD shots.
I believe the loss of Mutombo will hurt Houston and help us more than one would think. One of our greatest strengths is our rebounding advantage, especially our offensive rebounds. In game one Mutombo grabbed 5-6 defensive rebounds, and when he was in they stretched their lead. No way Hayes and Landry will have the same impact on the boards, and that is big for Portland.
I have seen people roll an ankle and you think they’ll be gone for 3 weeks and they’re right back after it “quiets down” as the great Bruce Smith used to say.
I’ve also played soccer, been kicked in the shin and had an unbelievable pain that goes away after a minute or two. Not all soccer quickie injuries are fake – although God knows there is too much fake drama in the game.
But I cannot see how two people like you and Jim could watch a century or so of sports between you, and not know Mutombo was seriously hurt. He was down on the floor clutching his knee – his knee, not his ankle – and rolling around in agony for minutes before leaving on the stretcher.
You can say you weren’t aware, but I give you guys way too much credit for brains than to buy that.
I also know you, Dwight, as perhaps one of the more cynical people in the biz so to hide behind the club’s statement that it was a strain or whatever…well, I don’t think you bought that either. Even if you had just lived through the Dennis Dixon injury you would know that not every sports team rushes to tell the truth – especially when they don’t know. I believe the Rockets knew it was worse but they put out a statement almost to buy time to get over the shock.
Issac and Zuke just got through saying the entire audience got it about Mutombo. The entire crowd got that the career had just ended.
I tell you what. I believe your show is replaying again at 6pm on Channel 37 – based on a schedule they flashed on the screen. If I got a false impression the first time, I will cop to it. I’m particularly curious about this respect you said you gave Mutombo later in the show. Let’s see how that went.
Maybe the finger-wagging good-bye stuff was as you say, a tribute, but let’s see how that holds up upon a second viewing, too.
I maintain you didn’t show enough respect for the magnitude of what had just ended in front of our eyes. I’ve heard a lot about lack of class from the fans in the Rose Garden – but what about this?
The one thing that’s already in doubt is your claim that you didn’t know how serious it was. If so, you and Jim were the only two people watching either there or at home who didn’t get it.
I will say you got me on one point. You never won a playoff game and neither have I. In fact, the next time the team calls the fans “the 6th man” I’m going to demand a share of playoff money.
“McMillan was using his coat to hide his play calls”
I missed that, though I did notice Battier watching the Blazer bench before a Blazer inbounds play and then calling out the play to his teammates.
I didn’t have a problem with the comments on Mutombo – I too thought he was seriously injured, but when the “strain” was mentioned I thought it was odd.
But this is a sideshow.
The real quesiton I have is did Outlaw look this bad as a rookie highschooler (I’m relatively new to PDX)? He looks like a kid from Starkville that has never seen the big city before – starry eyed and scared as hell. I thought he might miss that break-away…..
Bill McDonald: I mean no offense here, Bill, and you may very well have a fantastic point, but it seems like you are putting way too much time and energy into proving that Dwight was insensitive.
I have great respect for Mutombo as a player and as a person, but he’s not dead. He simply injured his knee. His playing days may be over (one could argue they’ve been over for a while now), but he very well could still be part of the league in some other capacity for many years to come. Let’s not get overly emotional or angry about perceived slights, real or otherwise.
In addition, let me add that yes, I have won a playoff game (fantasy online league), and it feels amazing!
HutHut!! Pretty funny dude. I disagree to an extent that the team shouldn’t make a concentrated effort to go at Yao and try and get fouls on him. It works on big guys. Not always; but it does work. Chris Paul makes a living at the foul line by doing little more than going at the bigs, jumping into them and pretending it’s a shot attempt. I realize Paul gets away with it cuz he is “Paul the great” in the eyes of the refs. (Oh I forgot we are to pretend the refs don’t play favorites) Yea,I know our guys won’t get most of the calls. But if they get just an extra one or two on Yao. Especially now with the bigs shortage with the absence of Deke. It could help buy the guys that extra 15 minutes or so you speak of that can help take control of a game. It will also maybe teach some of our winged softies to go to the rack and go like you mean it. Travis, just for one, can jump so high and hang so long. If he would go at Yao, jump into him, hang and shoot, Yao will take a swipe or two. Travis is rarely in foul trouble and shoots too many jump shots anyway. Pass up one or two off balance, fade away jump shots and learn how to do something else with all those hops.
Dwight. On the refs. I agree that people get too bent over the stupid refs. It does no good. But last night in the 3rd when Artest first fouled Roy. Wheels on the radio side commented that it was the first foul of the series called against Artest. As physical as Ron Ron is on Roy. It was the 3rd quarter of the 2nd game before he got his 1st foul call. Is Artest really such a great defender that he committed no fouls until the 3rd q of the 2nd game ? Had Roy been so absolutely passive that he had put no pressure on Artest up to that point to cause the need to foul him ? No, no, no. NBA refs are so inconsistent in their calls to the point of being absurd. So it is easy to accuse them of all manner of conspiracies and favoritism. NBA refs have earned their reps. In every NBA city there is. There is no other sport where the average fan knows the name of every stinkin’ ref. That is not a good thing. The refs have too much of an impact on NBA games.
At Jon. Yes, Blake played better but he hasn’t yet played anywhere near the level that he’s capable of.
I was at the game, and I noticed Kyle Lowry blowing by him quite frequently, but they contained Brooks somewhat better.
Blake is capable of more, I bet he is chomping at the bit to play better because he’s a competitor.
Hi Dwight,
Been away from the blog for awhile… seems like you have some nut jobs on your back. Well, we still love you in Eugene.
Thanks for your perspective on Blazer basketball. Go Blazers!
BBIQ, I agree with you on the posting up of Brooks. On Monday, I was telling my colleagues that they need to make Houston pay for using such a small player. 6′ is generous. I’ve watched him since he was a Freshie at Oregon and he’s always struggled defensively against big PG’s. Did anybody else notice Artest while Mutombo was writhing on the floor in pain? All of the Rocket players were up over near midcourt watching, obviously concerned about their teammate. All except Artest. Classless. Just another reason Portland will win this. Artest is in a contract year and is playing for stats to get that cashola. The Blazers are playing for each other. He’s a bigger version of Allen Iverson, in terms of his attitude toward winning and teammates. Blazers in 7!
Robby — was NEVER banned… and Bill, honestly — if you don’t like the blog, please take a hike… same with everyone else here… I explained the whole Dikembe thing and if you don’t like the explanation, fine… think of me whatever you wish… it doesn’t matter to me… i’ve been out there on the limb for 30 years in the sports business and there’s really nothing you can say that’s going to bother me a whole hell of a lot — i’ve heard it all before… but if what i’m providing here for you doesn’t live up to your expectations, PLEASE feel free to leave…
thank you!
dwight
Dwight,
I apologize. I get a big kick out of you and I love the blog especially the old school stuff. It was a great night Tuesday. I even got an email from Bill Walton at halftime and that was cool. I went outside and my wife was still out gardening and I said to myself, “You know…these are the new glory days in Portland. This is exactly how it felt only I just have to work harder as I get older, to get that old time magic going again.”
Later that night I had a joke on the Tonight Show and it rocked the house pretty well, so I was grateful for that too.
I usually just vent and move on, but I saw what I had written earlier and decided to send it in. Maybe that was a mistake.
I love the old time players. I have nothing but respect for Mutombo – what he’s done with his life. I hated seeing him go out like that. He should be celebrated as one of the greats. 18 years in the league. I thought you were wrong to say what you did, I reviewed it and I stand by that: “I’m going to tell you this right now, as long as he was down, he better not be back in this series.”
I’m going to count it as a bad attempt at humor – and God knows that can happen. Sorry if I vented but I thought that’s what you did here.
On to Game 3. Go Blazers.
look at how Pritchard got us the 2,8 pick of this years draft (and a 2nd next year) for omar asik this years 2nd. Work that Magic Kevin >>
http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2009/
let us, let alot of us, eat alot of lettuce.
thought i would break the bad ju ju directed at the host blogster.
remember the old “i want to be like Mike” slogan? (BORING!)
Well, after Brandon’s 42 points, i would like to submit a new slogan, this time for Roy.
Okay, ready? Brace yourselves.
Drum roll, please.
“I want to B. Roy”.
get it?
Iam so proud of myself.
send money to me people.
send LOTS of money!
“Houston, you have been B. st’roy’ed!”
OMG! I did it again!
=)
We have been in Virginia and NC last 10 days. took me a couple of days to fond out about first game. but I did not try hatd.
I was really curious about 2nd game cause two losses at home can mean real trouble,
It was not on TV there, and if it had been would have been quite late. morning paper did not give score, next evening local news did not. I have hard time using the several intrenet scoreboards since I can not remember which is best and quickest.
So I checked in here to see how they did on Weds evening.
So now I know i can get score of Blazers game when traveling.