Thursday, March 19, 2009

Cavs Preview

The Cavaliers have lost one game at home all year. Man I haven’t heard that since I was sitting the bench senior year. Well unfortunately I am not touting the mighty Cavaliers of Clackamas, but the ones in Cleveland with arguably the most gifted athlete ever. Tonight’s game is going to be a tough one, especially since Nicolas Batum is out after spraining his ankle in last night’s game. Aldridge is considered questionable after suffering a minor concussion last night. For us to have any chance we will need Aldridge tonight. But I am not hinging on a win.


Keys to the Game


  1. Stop Everyone Else
    1. Lebron is going to get his. We need to make sure guys like Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Ilgauskes don’t kill us.
  2. Be Aggressive Offensively
    1. Everyone knows Cleveland is going to be aggressive on D, so we need to match that and get to the hole. Not settle for tough jumpshots.

It is going to take a Laker-esque type effort tonight to beat the Cavs.


Gambler’s Corner


Blazers +10.5

Over/Under 187


I think since this is our 4th game in 5 days, all in different cities, I am going to take the Cavs. They are extremely tough to beat and home and are a lot fresher then the Blazers. I am also taking the under.

Pacers Recap

Last night’s win versus the Pacers was a very encouraging one. For the second game in a row, the Blazers came out of the gate hot and got up early, then never looked back. This is a big deal, because our bug a boo in the past has been slow starts on the road. It also marked our first win in Indianapolis since 2003.


Bad news of this win was we lost Aldridge to a minor concussion, and Nicolas Batum to a rolled ankle. Both players are listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Cavs. Hoepfully they will both be good to go by Saturday’s game versus the Bucks.


Individual Performances:


Brandon Roy - Roy held it down with 20 points, 6 boards, and 6 dimes. He took a back seat because everyone was hitting. Roy plays NBA games like I would against a bunch of 6th graders. Just messing around and getting everyone involved, until it looks like we are going to lose, then I just cross up all those little punks. Game….Blouses.


LaMarcus Aldridge – LA had a rough shooting night and ended with 12 points on 5-14 shooting. It was too bad to see him go down with a concussion and he will likely be out for our game against Cleveland. That hurts.


Joel Przybilla – Przy continued his strong play with 10 points, 11 boards, and 2 swats in 33 minutes. While he still played a ton with Greg back, it was nice not to lose that huge defensive presence in the middle when Joel left the game.


Steve Blake – Blake was hot early, and ended with 14 points and 8 assists on 6-10 shooting. He did what we needed him to do and hit open shots and not turn the ball over. When he is hitting, he makes this team so much better.


Nicolas Batum – After a career high in scoring the game before, Batum was back to his regular, 5 points and 4 boards in 18 minutes. It will be tough to have our best parameter defender down against LeBron, but even more troublesome if he is out for an extended period of time.


Travis Outlaw – Outlaw didn’t shoot great, but ended with 15 points anyways. Big boost off the bench.


Greg Oden – Oden played good for his first game back. He had 4 points, 7 boards, and a block in only 12 minutes. Hopefully he keeps up his strong play off the bench, that would be a huge bonus for the Blazers.


Jerryd Bayless – Bayless was again a non-factor in his 17 minutes on the floor. He had a steal, and a board with 1 turnover. I hope he seizes this opportunity soon, because if not, Nate could yo-yo him right back to the bench.


Rudy Fernandez – Rudy playedgood, and finally found his shot. He was 5-13 from the field, but hit a couple 3’s and ended with 13 points. He is a very important piece of our bench.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Grizzles Preview



Just wanted to point out if you want a Hawks recap, check the side bar, and also I wanted to show you guys a pic of Martell Webster’s new shoes. How sweet are those?


Grizzles Preview


All of a sudden this Memphis game has become a lot more important. After a loss yesterday at Atlanta, the Blazers roll into Memphis and face their only opponent on this 5 game road trip that is below .500 at home. Basically we NEED this win tonight, and if any of you remember our game against Memphis in Portland, you will know that this will not necessarily be an easy task.


Good news for the Blazers is Memphis is also coming off a back to back from out of town. They won at Detriot yesterday, so hopefully they do not carry any of that momentum into tonight’s game. I think we will be able to tell what kind of game it is going to be tonight by the first 5 minutes of the game. If the Blazers come out and go up big early, Memphis will be ok with rolling over. If we allow them to hang around then it will be a tough one to win. So let’s hope the Blazers come out, guns a blazin’.


Keys to the Game


  1. The First 5 Minutes
    1. We need to establish our dominance early over this inferior team, and put them in their place.
  2. Do Not Dwell on Last Night’s Game
    1. We cannot sit around and think about our loss last night. We need to have goldfish memory tonight (shoutout to Snapple caps).
  3. Someone Else Besides Roy and Aldridge Needs to Step Up.
    1. Pretty self explanatory.

Gambler’s Corner


Portland -6

Over/Under 188


I am going to take Portland, and over. I think the Blazers realize the important of this game and will come out aggressive against Memphis’ broke defense, and score early and often.

Hawks Recap

Hey guys, I am back after a bit of a hiatus. I have been busier at work lately so I have been forced to work through my lunch and the time I usually spend writing the blog. I am going to still try to post stuff, but it may not be as long or as detailed, but I at least want to get something up! Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Hawks Recap

It was the same old story for the Blazers on the road. Lack of energy, and an overall lack of playmaking on both ends of the floor, led to a loss. Joe Johnson scorched us for 35 points, and looked as if he could score anytime he wanted. Brandon Roy had 16 points in the 2nd quarter and was the only reason we were even remotely in the game at halftime. But a combonation of shooting 15% from deep, and 15 points total from our bench was the end of us.

Individual Performances

Brandon Roy – Roy tried to do all he could to keep us afloat, but in the end his 29 points was not enough.

LaMarcus Aldridge – LA was taken out of the game early with aggressive double teams that the Blazers once again didn’t capitalize on. They need to learn to make teams pay for doubling Aldridge, because I guarantee it is going to happen a lot more in years to come.

Steve Blake – Blake was a disappointing 1-6 from behind the arc. His 3 assists were part of a total of 11 for the team, tying Blazer season low.

Nicolas Batum – It is obvious Batum can thrive when everyone else around him is playing good, but he is still very far from being able to shift the momentum of a game by himself.

Joel Przybilla – Joel came through with 14 boards, and 8 points, but a highly disappointing 5 turnovers. There is no excuse for a guy who touches the ball as few times as Przybilla to have 5 turnovers.

Rudy Fernandez – Rudy made his rusty comeback to go scoreless in 17 minutes on 0-4 shooting.

Jerryd Bayless/Sergio Rodriguez – I still hold firm that Nate needs to choose one of these guys and stick with them. They are both out there playing not to mess up, instead of playing to win. Anyone who has ever played organized sports knows the difference, and how much of an affect it has on your game.

Travis Outlaw – Travis couldn’t be our savior off the bench tonight. He ended with 10 points, but it was nice to see him grab 6 boards.