Yes, the Trail Blazers are young . . . but where’s the youthful enthusiasm?
Honestly, I thought Portland defended decently Tuesday night. Oh, there were some uncontested jump shots, but for the most part it was a better-than-average defensive game for the Trail Blazers.
Problem was, the Blazer offense kept getting its defense into trouble. Portland’s rush to shoot long-distance jumpers got the Rockets out into transition and led to some easy baskets. A stretch toward the end of the first quarter and most of the second quarter was not pretty and left the Blazers shaking their heads.
Then, of course, came the obligatory second-half rally. In the NBA, you take no solace from such things — the trailing team makes up ground almost every time. If you don’t come all the way back and win, it means nothing — so let’s forget about it.
I also don’t buy into any of that, “Oh, if Yao Ming didn’t get into foul trouble, we’d have been fine” stuff. Come on, folks — Von Wafer, multiplied by 10, isn’t as good as Yao. If the guys off the Houston bench torched your team, then your team wasn’t playing very well.
Portland needs to stay focused on offense. This was another night when it appeared that the game plan was fine and when the team came out and executed it, the Rockets were kept under control. But the team loses focus, the ball quits going inside and then bad things happen.
There’s one other thing that keeps bugging me about this season. We keep hearing how young the team is and I understand that. But the fact is, if there are 100 reasons why being a young team is a disadvantage, there really should be three or four reasons why it’s not. And one of those is energy and enthusiasm for the game.
At this point of the season, Portland’s youth should be translating into better energy than some of the veteran teams they play. For the most part, the Blazers should be buzzing around these teams like new puppies chasing a toy. They should keep coming, no matter the score or the situation. They should be bouncing around, even late in games, at the defensive end. Where is that energy and enthusiasm????
We’re not seeing it. And we should be seeing it.
Tonight, both Portland and San Antonio will be playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Spurs are old and Portland is young. It’s possible San Antonio will be playing without Tim Duncan and certainly without Manu Ginobili.
The Blazers NEVER win at San Antonio but this, because of the circumstances, should be a great time to pull one out. However, if we don’t see, at the very least, Portland looking quicker, more active and energetic than the Spurs, I think we all have a right to be very disappointed.
NBA, Trail Blazers | Dwight Jaynes | February 25, 2009
Dwight Jaynes, Houston Rockets, Manu Ginobili, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Tin Duncan, Von Wafer, Yao Ming
I saw energy…..it just doesn’t always translate into good basketball. And we did come back from almost 20 points down again to win the game. That takes energy.
A team like the Nuggets, who just got beat by 30+ points on its home floor, may have just given up at half time. The one thing you can count on is that this Blazer team will never give up. I think that is an important attribute that takes energy.
And there was plenty to be happy about in this game. Our starters clearly outplayed theirs, especially in the 2nd half and with Roy and Aldridge not having the best of games.
I’m usually not one criticize substitution patterns, but when the team was making its run in the 3rd to get within 5, wasn’t it Nic Batum who was leading the charge…at both ends of the floor. What does Nate do? He pulls him and puts in Trout. I’m a firm believer in stick with a player when he is hot and Nic was hot. I realize you want Trout in at the end of games to hit big shots, but this was with 14 minutes to go in the game. Nic made it back in midway through the fourth, but by then it was back to double-digit deficit. Take +/- numbers with a grain of salt but Nic was +22 and Travis was -17.
Dwight,
Do you think the lack of energy and intensity is a result of Nate?
He stresses that all the games are equally important and that they want to come out the same for every one.
To me that seems wrong. Sure, you always want to win, but some games carry a different meaning and require a different level of intensity than others.
For example, every time we play Denver and Utah we should bring a playoff type intensity because those games are so important to our playoff position. How can you treat those games the exact same as say the Clipper game on Sunday?
Last night was a very important, playoff level game, and Portland needed to bring playoff level intensity and they didn’t.
Nate seems too calm about it and I wonder if that’s why the team doesn’t have a fire or an intensity behind them. I still think some of the guys on the team (Outlaw) need a coach to get in their face and instill that intensity. Nate doesn’t seem to do that.
Very good point with regard to the comeback that
fell short. The Blazers have been digging themselves a hole all year on the road in the first half against good teams. Then the comeback and the loss. If they lose the comeback means nothing. In fact, it is even more frustrating because if they played with that kind of energy in the first half they wouldn’t have to make a huge comeback.
On a side note, I can’t remember the last time I saw a player lose his confidence this season the way Channing Frye has. He can’t even make basic plays anymore. He is a shell of a player right now. I find myself hoping for Shavlik Randolph to get more playing time. Amazing.
Totally agree with you, Dwight. Where is the spirited play of old? These guys are YOUNG and should have the fire power to stay competitive throughout the tough stretches. Let’s hope that they take it to the Spurs! Go Blazers!
You know, the ’77 Blazers were pretty young too. Walton, third season. Lucas, third season. Hollins and Gross, second season. Johnny Davis, rookie season. All core players, all producing at a championship level.
One big difference between now and 1977: the Blazers had a GREAT coach then. And in 2009, they do not.
Hi, Dwight.
While the Blazers made enough mistakes on their own to cost them yesterday’s game, IMO, Houston seems to be a team we don’t match up well with, physically. I hope we don’t play them in the playoffs…if we get to the playoffs.
Oden would have been a big help, which brings brings up another item…have you read yesterday’s Oregonian story about Oden actually having medical clearance to play and essentially opting not to? I was listening to an FM radio program this morning and the hosts and callers were really berating Greg as lacking toughness and having no heart. Do you think Oden is being overly cautious?
I haven’t given up on him yet, but his plight has been frustrating to endure as a fan. I sure wish he would surprise us tonight with an inspiring, unexpected appearance, a la Kevin Duckworth in the 1990 semi-finals with the Spurs.
Hire Bobby Knight!!
Thud,again.
Wow if that game doesn’t jolt one down to earth.
They didn’t look or play like a playoff team.
The reason the players dont have any enthusiasm is because Nate McMillan has taken it from them. He shows no confidence in players even when they’re playing great (case and point Batum last night was the catalyst for why we started to come back, but Nate HAS to put Travis in so he does and we lose) unless it’s his man like Travis or Roy. I think Nate McMillan is the problem for a lot of deficincies this team has. The fact we play at the slowest pace in the league just goes to show Nate McMillan doesn’t understand what he has in the players he has. We’re the youngest freakin team in the league, can we run a little bit please.
Plain and simple (and I’ve said it a million times) Nate is the problem. Until we get rid of him, we win nothing. I don’t think making the playoffs is a big accomplishment personally. Get rid of Nate, get rid of the problems. Keep Nate, continue to lose like Seattle did for years with him as their PG and their coach.