Blazers Vs. Clippers Preview

Since it is Friday, and I hold Fox and his gorilla like body hair in the highest regards, I am going to implement what we here at the Rip City Report call “Frye-Day”. Since Channing hasn’t exactly been burning up the nets lately, I thought I would put a link to his blog, which is part of the reason Fox has a man crush on Frye. Please check it out and bask in the ambiance of our first (and possibly last) Frye-Day

http://www.channingfrye.com/blog/

Game Preview

Tonight’s game vs. the Clippers is a tricky one. For one, the Blazers are on the second game of a back to back and the Clips have had the last three days off. Second, the Blazers did not get into Portland until almost 1:45 AM after the late start last night in Utah along with some in climate weather. Lastly, I there has been much hype in City of Roses about the Blazers first 24 games and difficulty of those games, and last night at Utah happened to be game #24. I am betting that the Blazers are well aware of the fact that they not only survived the gauntlet of difficult games, but came out smelling like, you guessed it, roses (Boom. How do you like that analogy?). Furthermore, after tonight’s game the Blazers have 3 days off. If all of that does not spell let down, then I suck at spelling.

I don’t want to come across all doom and gloom about this game, because there are a lot of factors that are in the Blazers favor. Our depth is really going to be an asset for us tonight as both Aldridge and Roy played 43 minutes plus last night. It also gives us the luxury to search and find somebody who will bring the energy required to get a win tonight. In stark contrast the Clippers have one of the, if not the, most garbage bench in the NBA (their 6^th man is Jason Hart). Another factor is the fact that the Clippers are 4-17 and tied for the second worst record in the league. I feel their record is deceiving of their talent, as they have been hit with a barrage of injuries. One injury that will factor into tonight’s game is Chris Caveman (seen to the above left) who is out with a foot injury. But with a starting lineup of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Zach (I’m in Luv Wit a Strippa) Randolph, and Marcus Camby, they are definitely a threat. But let’s move onto to see what I think the Blazers need to do to pull out a win tonight.

Keys to the Game

1. Keep Baron Davis Out of the Key.
1. A lot of offense in generated through Davis, as he has the rock in his hands most of the time. If we can keep him from getting easy looks for him and his teammates it will go a long ways in securing a Blazers win.

2. Play With Some Energy/Focus
1. It is going to be very difficult for the Blazers not to look ahead to their 3 days off, but someone is going to have to be a spark for the Blazers tonight. These are the type of games that separate young teams from veteran teams, and it would be nice to see yet another sign from our Blazers that they are ahead of schedule.

3. Find Our Shot/Score 100 Points
1. After two games of subpar shooting it is essential that the Blazers find their shots. As noted prior the Utah game the Blazers are 8-2 when scoring over 100 points. The Clippers in turn are 0-10 when giving up 100 points.

4. Roy and Rudy Should Have a Big Game
1. With rookie Eric Gordon guarding him, Roy and Rudy should have a hay day. What’s even better is the fact that the Clippers contain absolutely no depth at the 2 guard position (Mardy Collins & Mike Taylor). Roy will undoubtedly see double teams all night, so it is up to him to find the open man so they can get an easy shot.

5. Aldridge Must Bring His “A” Game on Both Ends
1. In a matchup vs. his former teammate ZBo, Aldridge must do his best at containing the jumpshot happy Randolph. On the reverse side, he must also shoot over the short and un-athletic Randolph, who has fewer blocks then players such as: Aaron Gray, Anthony Carter, Randy Foye, and Nick Young.

In conclusion, this is gut check time for the Blazers to see if they can dig down deep and pull out a win when they are tired and worn out, playing a scrub team. Let’s hope the Rose Garden gets rocking tonight to help give them a boost.

Gambler’s Corner

First off, from now on I will keep a tallies’ of mine and Gooses picks, and show it below so you guys are able to figure out if you should trust me or him. I will keep two separate tallies’, one for the spread and one for the over/under, hope you enjoy!

The spread at the current time is Blazers +8.5 with an Over/Under of 189. As a rule of thumb I usually steer clear of spread’s this large, and I am not too wild about the Over/Under. It is hard to predict how the Blazers will come out tonight. But if I had to choose I would take the Blazers and the over. To confuse you even more, Goose has come through and taken the Blazers with the under. That being said if you gave me money to wager for you, then tonight I would not wager.