Blazers Sweep Through Florida
posted: 11/13/2008 at 12:28 AM
It shouldn’t have been so nerve-wracking for all of us. The Trail Blazers always win in Miami. That’s just the way it is. So, to see them improve to 16-5, all time, in South Florida, shouldn’t have surprised anyone. For that matter, they don’t lose often in Central Florida either. The Blazers are now 27-14, all time, in the state.
This win was similar to Monday’s win in Orlando. In that game, the Blazers absorbed a big night by the Magic’s superstar player, and finally put the win away late. On Wednesday night, Dwyane Wade did his best to carry his team, and did, but couldn’t put them over the top. Wade had 36 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, and shot 15 free throws. Even the final scores were the same. It was 106-99 in Orlando, and 104-96 in Miami.
It was a night where Brandon Roy fought through a sore back, took another pounding, and scored 22 points. He showed a national TV audience he once again belongs in the NBA All-Star game. LaMarcus Aldridge fought through a difficult shooting night (6-17), but scrapped his way to 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Travis Outlaw told me before the game, during pre-game warm-ups, that his personal goal for the night was 10 rebounds. I told him I was hoping for 15 from him. After we had signed off the air, and I walked into the locker room, Travis was the first person I saw. I had forgotten about our quick exchange before the game. He hadn’t. “Well Barrett, I almost got to 10,” Travis said, and laughed. He grabbed 8 on the night, and played great defense. What impressed me the most is that he wasn’t thinking at all of his offense. That’s why he’s been so good lately.
Greg Oden returned, and quickly showed his explosiveness is just fine. He had two impressive blocked shots, a big throw-down jam, and moved very well. It may have been less than you were expecting, but on this night, just to get him back in there to get his feet wet, went exactly as planned. Nate McMillan told me before the game the plan was to play Greg between 15-20 minutes. He played him 16:22.
Steve Blake had a huge three-pointer, after coming into the game ice cold, and really put the game away. Sergio Rodriguez played 19 minutes, including some crunch-time minutes. He deserved it, and finished with 5 assists and 1 turnover.
But, this night simply belonged to Rudy.
Last week ESPN ranked him as the number-one rookie in its updated ratings. Playing on ESPN Wednesday, he dazzled, dunked, buried threes, and hit a massive fade-away, foul-line jumper at the shot clock buzzer with 45 seconds left that made the score 98-92. Rudy scored a new career-high 25 points, and simply took over the game in the 4th quarter. He was 7 for 11 from the field.
To get 25 points on just 11 shots is efficient basketball. For being a flashy player with more moves than Ex-Lax, Rudy is efficient. Those things don’t usually go together. Rudy was part of a bench unit that scored 40 points in Orlando on Monday, and backed that up with 47 points in the win over the Heat. He’s missed only two free throws this season, and is now shooting over 45 percent from behind the three-point line.
We always talk about setting the tone- in a game, in a quarter, in a half, whatever. Rudy set the tone for the Blazers to start the fourth quarter. It was an emotional lift the team badly needed, especially seeing how Miami had charged from behind late in the third to take a lead to the final quarter. In the first possession of the fourth quarter, Rudy hit a three pointer. Seconds later, at the other end, he took a charge. Seconds later, back on the offensive end, he set up Oden at the rim, and Greg got free throws.
We’re in New Orleans now (arrived at about 2:30 am), and have a day off for practice on Thursday. Friday night, the Blazers take on the Hornets, and will look to stay perfect on this trip. A 5-3 record, following the difficulty of the early-season schedule is a very positive step for this franchise. They’re just now getting healthy and are learning to play together. Every game we see something we haven’t seen before.
More later. Time for bed.
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Well, this is what a call a game! Yes, things are going well.
Now, you can see that Rudy is really the MAN. When Roy let him to shoot as much as Roy does, he will go to 40 points a game! ;)
Great game!
I was hoping we would at least go 2-3 on this road trip and we've already won 2 right off the bat!
Can't say enough about Rudy! He's ROY material for sure!
Oden got tired quickly, but that's no surprise. He still showed when he had his wind what a great player he's going to be once he's in game shape!
5-3! Wow! And we started out 1-3! Then we run off 4 straight wins! Hope this stops all the trade talks! Just let this team play together for a bit and we will have something special!
GO BLAZERS!!
love it! its just good to see oden out there. rudy is such a team player and thats why i love him! he is giving everyone one high fives and brings a positive attitude to the team.
Oh, just wanted to mention that the next to games I'll miss because Comcast still hasn't made a deal with Directv. Just BS! I know you are just as frustrated as anyone, MB, so don't think I'm directing this at you.
been waiting up for this.
thanks so much for the late night posts. best blazers coverage period.
every time i see this team play i get more excited. it's great Sergio got some playtime; the ESPN feed i was watching was all over the "Spanish Armada".
plus they were throwing around what i've been thinking from the start: Rudy for Rookie of the Year!
cheers for now
simon
MB, you're a soldier. Its past 2:30 and you're posting blogs about the game tonight. We were jumping out of our chairs at every highlight, and watching the NBA's top 10, portland should have had 5 of them. Good luck to us on friday, keep it up mb, you're the best.
Thanks for always putting it in perspective, Mike. We appreciate the frequency of your updates -- I know I love reading them.
I am very excited for this season. With the cool smooth calm of Brandon Roy keeping this team in control; with the absolutely explosive energy (and hair) from Rudy Fernandez; with the soon to be realized dominance of Greg Oden and the already awesome Pryzbilla and Aldridge, and with Travis leading the league from behind the line -- oh and let's not forget Batum who has earned this fan's total respect in just 4 games!
And Sergio is earning his minutes everyday.
We got something special brewing here, something really special, and I'm so proud of our team.
I'd like to see a little more of Bayless, but I'm sure the coaching staff knows what's best and when. He'll get his chance, I have no doubt, but maybe it's best for him to just take it all in right now.
The Hornets should be a tough one to sting, but I know our guys are up to it!
RIP CITY!
I think a lot of Oden bandwagoner fans expect a lot but I enjoy watching the team with Oden on the bench. I don't expect any thing out of him right now, especially since he is not anywhere near in the condition he was at the end of his college career. I'm so happy Oden is coming off the bench. He will be a star eventually but people need to just enjoy this amazing team we have. I love Rudy's fearlessness, Roy's playmaking, Batum's defense and offensive rebounds, Aldridge post game. If Oden gets 5 rebounds a game and 2 points a game I'm happy as long as the Blazers win.
That being said, I enjoyed seeing him out there too. Man it was nice seeing him grab rebounds and dunk the ball. If he didn't shuffle his feet that second basket would have been nice. One step at a time for him, I believe he will be get way better over the coming months.
Thanks Mr. Barrett. That was a swell report.
2:30am and you still update us. thanks MB!
Mike:
take it easy in the big easy, I thank you for the update.
You said everything there is to be said. The Big Fella did get his feet wet and walked (not limped)to the lockers. He looked like a bull in a china closet, but you don't need grace to win games. He did just what I was hoping for. "Let his presence be felt".
I thought the whole team did great. Batman is a defensive specialize, but when his outside shot gets polished he will be a total force to be reckoned with.
Four in a row I adore, but let’s keep it alive and go for five.
G.O. Blazers.
hg
Thanks for staying up late Mr. Barrett and giving the fans your quality writing! Nice win...you're right about Oden. It was nice to just see him play tonight, knowing that he will play in NO on Friday. Running with the second unit for a couple weeks should do the trick as far as game shape goes. Rudy is cluch 2.0! Not sure how Pritchard grabbed him so late in the draft two years ago...amazing! Good luck against CP3 and company-I'll be cheering loud here in Albuquerque.
Thanks, as always, MB. Great stuff.
What a great game last night. Thank God for ESPN! As much I would have preferred to be watching/listening to you and Rice!
It was great to see Oden out there with the second unit getting his feet wet. How BRoy played with a bad back was amazing. And, Rudy, what can you even say ... amazing. That DWade guy ain't bad either ...
Please, please, please Blazers ... get Comcast and Directv together ASAP!!! If I have to hear another one of those disingenuous "call your provider" commercials from Comcast, I'm going to scream!!! My provider doesn't care, Comcast doesn't care, and the Blazers seem not to care (about loyal season ticket holders) ... the trifecta!
Hey Mike - one question. As I look forward to one day being able to see the CSNNW games on Directv, is there any way to tell which games will be in HD and which ones will not? Is it as simple as road games are not and home games are?
Thanks again, MB!
Hey MB,
What a great win ! One of the keys for the Blazers is getting contributions from everyone, and that's what's happening right now. Everyone who's coming in is doing something positive.
What's fun to think about is that as good as the Blazers are playing right now, they're far from where they should be. Martell hasn't played a game yet, and I think he's going to end up being a very important piece for this team. Greg is still getting his feet wet, and you know that he's going to be a force.
What's also fun to think about is that just about the time the Blazers are going to be at full strength, they're going to hit the "easy" part of their schedule. By the time January comes around, look out !
Phil
Great game. Just throwing this out there, but any chance Portland might go after Gerald Wallace in exchange for Raef's contract?
Hey Mike, nice recap.
I love the more "intimate feel" to your writing which gives us insight to the team that we just can't really get from other sources. For us fans, you help us feel that we actually know the team we love to follow.
Our team is coming together... Step at a time, piece by piece.
Oden is a guy that you love to root for and I'm so happy that he could finally break the ice, score, and finish a game. Now he can get over the jitters, clear his mind of doubt and play. I wish him the best.
Next notch in the belt: New Orleans.
Hey MB,
Great post as always.
I love Nate, but I think tonight was the first game I've seen where he actually had a rational substitution pattern that reflected the game that was happening on the court.
Also, playing Sergio in the 4th was smart. So was taking him out at the end to put Blake in. Blake's a better free throw shooter. Plus he ended up making that nice 3.
Batum played GREAT last night except for those brick 3s. I guess he'll learn. The ESPN guys really liked him too.
Aldridge was playing with his head in the clouds as he so often does. Missing dunks, airing layups, geez.
Roy and Rudy were awesome as always. Good to see Roy finish with a decent shooting percentage tonight too.
Oden looked like the rookie he is. Maybe this will quiet down some of the ridiculous expectations. That being said, his presence on the defensive end was definitely noticeable. The Joel the Thrilla Vanilla Gorilla should keep getting the minutes (he's playing well) until Oden earns them.
I wonder how Martell is going to fit back in once he's healthy.
More moves than Ex-Lax?! hehe. That's fitting as Rudy has a filthy game of hustle and hustlin'.
Sergio was solid, Channing's touch looked good, Greg got his feet wet, Nik guarded Wade(!), Travis and Blake continued to play lights out and the Blazer big three or Roy, LA, and Rudy were waaaay too much for Miami to handle. Great win.
Speaking of Miami, do they run any offensive sets? It looked like Wade 1 on 1 or Beasley from the outside were their only plays. Both of those are good options, but they looked rather one-dimensional on offense much of the time. The Blazers scrapped and caused Miami to make 4 turnovers in a row and the Heat didn't even adjust? I don't get it. Adding Marion's poorly arcing jumper to the fold might make it worse too. It just looks to me like the Heat are going to have a difficult time competing in the East, considering the beating Wade has to take just to keep his team in a game, much less an entire series.
And how about that 'small' lineup at the end of the game?! No offensive rebounding, but thankfully they didn't miss much.;) For people who criticize Nate, you need to watch the 4th quarter of last night's game and take note of Nate's brilliant timeouts (one of them between two Wade free throws) and lineup changes. He's got this team playing hard and can obviously X and O with the best of them too.
Barret, Rudy's role on this team is huge. A lot of people looked at him as the replacement for James Jones, but he does so much more than James did. He's able to break people off the dribble, curl off screens, hit big shots. He's a rookie but he plays like a veteran and were blessed to have him.
Greg looked good. In my opinion, coming off the bench is so good for him. There's less pressure coming off the bench. He's able to watch how the game is unfolding and analyze what his role is going to be. I know he will be starting later in the year but for now this is exactly what he needs. How sweet was that alley-oop Serg threw to Rudy. Those two definitely have a connection
Where would we be if we didn't have Joel Pryzbilla? This guy get's the hidden hero award. 10 boards, a block, 7 pts, all in 22 minutes. Not flashy, just solid like always.
Go Blazers!
Great win for the blazers. Rudy was great. Roy was good. However, Oden was dissapoinment. I couldn't believe how out of shape he was. I mean he is just 20 yrs old and he gets out of breath after few minutes in the 4th qtr? Wade played 38 minutes, while Oden only 16 minutes, and he gets tired.
How long did he play in college? One year? 15 pts average? I wonder how (and why) was he selected as #1 pick.
I just hope all this is not just hype.
Anyway, I think the Blazers will do well with Roy, Rudy leading the team
adapmmem: All you need to do to answer all your questions is to watch the national championship game between Ohio State and Florida. The center he is playing against was Al Horford, the starting C for the hawks who just threw up almost 30 pts/ 20 boards in a game. He made Horford look like a little kid out there.
His cardio is awful due to coming back from injury, that seems to be pretty well understood and I find it silly to expect otherwise at this point.
Most of my thoughts have already been expressed by others, but let me pitch in my two cents anyway...
1. I think Oden off the bench for now is a great idea. Joel plays well with the first unit and perhaps this will take some pressure off of the big fella while he adjusts to the NBA game.
2. Sergio, who I have had serious doubts about in the past, looks really good these days. He's carved himself out a nice spot in the rotation and wiil hopefully thrive in that position. I'm content to wait on Bayless to see what Sergio can deliver. If he can take care of his business, all the better for everyone. I especially like the minutes he got in the 4th quarter. He brought good energy at at time when the Blazers could have laid down and wilted when Miami made their runs. Come to think of it, we've got a whole roster full of these energy guys: Sergio, Rudy, Batum, Outlaw...
3. Rudy is a stud. No rookie transition going on here. As the year goes on, it gives me goosebumps to think of him doing his thing, opening things up even more for Roy, with GO in the middle, which also opens up things for Aldridge. Throw in the nightly production from Outlaw, Webster, Sergio, Blake (who should never be forgotten or under-appreciated), and you can start to see the makings of a dominant team.
As for the Comcast/direct tv/dish issue, I hold my head in shame as I tell you all that I sold out and switched to Comcast back in August. And I've hated it every single day since. The only solace I take (and the main reason I switched at all) is that I can watch all of the games.
I made sure I read all the fine print though to make sure I was under no contract of obligation with them and you can bet every nickle you've got that when they finally do get around to offering it on the dish services, I'll be switching back.
Sacrifice my friends...it can be painful...
+ one quick 'Comcast Saga of 08' update: I watched the game last night at Hopworks on SE Powell. It was the soggiest of bike rides but generally worth it. The TV situation at the bar is what I would diplomatically describe as 'wonky'---one TV is at the end of the bar where nobody can see it (unless they're sitting in the stairwell) and the other is in the middle of the back of the bar (yes, good) but at seated eye level. Basically, if you're in one of the sweet spots at the bar you're covered. Otherwise, you see the backs of thirsty patrons' heads---little else.
Fortunately I was sitting at the bar in one the of the aforementioned sweet spots. The beer was awesome and the food was, well, about as average as Miami's play in the paint (Beasley? 3 rebounds? wha?).
Quick question: why isn't Friday night's game on channel 8? Um---if not THIS game, then when? It's a weekend game featuring a top team and one of the game's best players. I know the only answer is 'because the Blazers hate the poor' (just kidding), but just thought I'd ask anyways.
Thanks, MIKE!
I just read the coach's comments about Rudy: "he still needs to learn the NBA...made 2 turnovers...". What a moron of a coach. Is he racist? It seams he hates European players.
Without Rudy we would be 0-8 or at best 1-7. Rudy is the most consistent player, more than Roy.
This team is a lot better now with Rudy and Batum too, too much for Coach Mac. WE NEED A NEW COACH that can lead this team to greater hights. Mac was an agerage player in his days, and even less than an average coach.
Is Pat Riley available?
I am still furiuous on his comments about Rudy. Is this how you encourage a new player. BTW, Roy had 3 turnovers, less points, however Mac did not say anything about it. Pick on Rudy, the best player on this team. What a coward of a coach
I'm sorry Mike. to see Greg Oden looked explosive. . .I don't know what team you were watching at Craig looked more like Jamaal McGloire (sic) and dunk monster that played in the NCAA championship game against Florida.
It's great to have a sports psychologist that he's working with? You see him on the bench and he never expresses any joy at what his teammates are doing positively on the floor. It's like he's not even part of the
team emotionally.
I really hope that his play becomes more energetic as his endurance comes back and know it's been hard to lay off in the injury. But I'm not the only one saying that the 'emperor has no clothes'. . .
MB: Let me fall in line and thank you for the post. As always, great stuff!
Thankfully, most people are looking at the Oden situation sensibly now. The man is not in game shape, he is still recovering, he is a rookie, and he has only played a handful of minutes.
adapmmem: What were your expectations with respect to Oden? I am pretty certain that most b-ball fans understood that we were not drafting an offensive beast a la Olajuwon (and hey...Ewing averaged under 15 pts during his senior year at Georgetown). He was taken for other reasons: true centers are a rarity and a key piece to winning games; he is a freakin' monster on the defensive end with excellent skills; and he has tremendous potential to continue to develop in all aspects of his game. Is he a slam dunk, of course not. Draft picks are always risky.
In my opinion, now is not the time to be putting him under the microscope in order to decide whether or not he was worth the pick. Thankfully, most people are looking at the Oden situation sensibly now. The man is not in game shape, he is still recovering, he is a rookie, and he has only played a handful of minutes.
His conditioning was in question even as a college player and I hope that he will improve in this aspect as the season continues. In the off season, I pray that he will have the opportunity to work with a recently retired and highly skilled veteran center or power forward.
2 road wins this early in the season = awesome!
Rudy showed he was more than worth the effort to get him. It's almost hard to see where his potential can take him. He is well schooled in the basics and has the ability to "see" the game. Sergio showed he is a true point gaurd, and a darned good one at that. He really justified his time on the floor.
When Roy takes over point late in the game he dribbles too much and I was glad when he put the ball back in Sergio's hand.
Oden made it up and down the floor 3 times then looked winded and confused. He seems uncomfortable in the post (2 travels in 3 times with the ball) and not be able tojudge rebounds. I also noted that he cogs the lane on defense but unfortunately does the same thing on offense and brings the game to a crawl.
Once again we see Rudy look fantastic. I watched the espn telecast last night, (sorry mike I like to hear what the opinions of the national reporters are of our team as we're a litlle rosy glassed here) and Jon Barry went on and on how much he liked this team, Brandon, Rudy, Travis, and Oden.
I am still concerned we are going to have to streamline the team a bit. With Greg back Fryes minutes will be going down and when Martell gets there someones minutes will be in jeopardy. Maybe we can make it work but it will be difficult to keep everyone happy and focused. I say this liking everyone on our team.
5-3 after this start and adding new guys to gel with, the Blazers are looking very good.
This looks to be the Lakers year so maybe Pritchard stands pat and lets things work themselves out over the season but with all of our young guys and Raefs contract I don't see that happening.
Anyhow another great win. We are so talented and deep. with a litlle seasoning this team could be the class of all sports
Rip City!
What is it with people saying Oden was tired?
The whole point of him playing limited minutes tonight was to slowly work him back into the lineup, and relieve some of the absolute pressure the media and fans have put on him. By the end of December he will be solid, or at least as solid as you'd expect from a rookie. Probably soemthing laong the lines of 10 points and a bunch of boards per game, with a couple assists when he has to dish out to Webster, Roy, or Fernandez from a double (or quadruple) team. And of course a few blocks thrown in for good measure.
OJ Mayo is the Rookie of the Year, so prepare yourselves for that eventuality, Blazer fans, but I think Rudy has a GREAT shot at 6th man of the year...
Rudy being a 7th year pro will lose him enough votes to tip the ROY award to "Kobe II," I think...
timbo
Good post there MB.. this team is so inspiring, if you get the chance, make sure to tell them how much we fans appreciate how good they are on and off the court.. keep it up!
KOBE II???????????
lol
Hey Mike,
Walk yourself down to Cafe du Monde and get 3 Beignets in a sack with a carton of milk(or chickory coffee). If nothing else, it will make you forget the stench of Bourbon Street.
Today we talk about America and the Economy and the CHANGE that needs to happen. Tommorow we talk about what the new president will do for CHANGE in our country. We talk about how CHANGE would affect immigrants,gays, and abortion in our country. How about sports and the CHANGE that has needed to happen. We talk about the CHANGE that needs to happen in steroids for MLB, We talk about the CHANGE that needs to happen In the NFL, for stealing plays to rig the game. How about all the medals taken away from Medalists after they are tested for taking steroids to win in the Olympics. Oh yes we are working on CHANGE for that. Betting on NBA games, we are working on CHANGE for that. We can't forget about all the new ways collegiat teams are recruiting students in highschool legal,but not really, but that is going to CHANGE to. CHANGE has already come to america. Good idea Barack Obama and congrats on becoming the first African Amercan President in history, But the Idea for CHANGE in this country has been given and as you can tell the CHANGE has yet to make in impact on proffesional sports.
Change
Has
Always
Never
Given
Excuses
Feel free to pass this on and feel free to give me your thoughts. Oh yea It is a great day to be A TRAIL BLAZER
Andre Matteson
rentasquid,
Way ahead of you, my friend.
Andyblazer,
That could be the deepest thing ever posted on this blog (including my meaningless chatter). Thanks for taking it to another level.
MB
As Homer Simpson would say "Mmmmmmmmm....Freeench Dooonuts" Half the fun is trying not to get half a sack of powdered sugar all over you.
RAJ,
Be glad. At least you have the option to switch to Comcast. They don't even exist in my part of Oregon.
Andyblazer,
No offense man, but your post....
The one thing, in my opinion, the one thing the one thing the one fricking thing that this blog does not need, is anything political. Please don't push me away from a blog I love with Obama and Change and all the BS that's satuated my life for the past two years....Please.
Man, I can't wait for the game tonight. This is a big one!
I had a dream last night that Rudy Fernandez, after dunking and hanging on the rim, put a pot of soup over the rim, took a sip, smiled and said "This is good soup". I have no idea what that means but I know it says something about how much the Blazers are on my mind.
Go Blazers!
thedanman: I had the same dream, except Rudy was eating a sandwich. There has to be something to it.
I'm not too much a fan of "Przyoden", it sounds like an depression drug. I favor Ozilla, much better with the Japanese monster connotations,
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