Clippers Game Recap

I’m starting to get tired of this. The Blazers dropped yet another close game to the Clippers tonight in double overtime 120-112. Although it was a different game, it was a similar story for the Blazers. Poor defense combined with poor 3 point shooting, negated an otherwise brilliant performance from Brandon Roy. Roy posted a career high 38 points on 15-30 (50%) shooting from the field. He also contributed 4 boards and 9 assists a night after having his first game of the year without one. The Blazers allowed the Clips to shoot 47% from the field (normally 42%) and were dominated inside by Zach Randolph who matched Roy’s 38 points.

After watching this game (and during) I found myself asking “is anyone besides Roy going to do anything?” At the end of regulation and both overtimes the Blazers, as they always do, leaned on Roy heavily on offense. The only difference between this time and every other time we go to Roy is that no one was contributing in other areas (i.e. defensive stops, big rebounds, or hitting open shots). As amazing as Roy is, he can only do so much. I will concede that at times, Roy gets the ball and everyone in the gym knows that he is going to shoot it no matter what.

My biggest concern after tonight is who is going to be the Blazers #2 option in crunch time? It’s not Aldridge because he cannot create his own shot. Outlaw it seems cannot be relied on as a viable option as of late. Blake, who had opportunities to close tonight’s game with his free throws missed his last 4 of 5 attempts, and last night missed a few open three’s that would have potential gotten us back in the game. Which makes me wonder if he is regressing back to his mean 3 pt. percentage of 38.4%. Maybe I am overacting, but it seems like we have had the same exact problems the last three games and no one is evolving to fix those problems.

Although the above paragraphs having me reaching for the razor blades in my bathroom drawer, I feel there is an upside to be taken from the last few games. We have lost two out of the last three games on last second hail mary threes. How often do you see a player bank in a fade away three? Or hit a last second three with nothing left on the clock? I would say not very often. Also the fact that these three losses came in four days at the end of a grueling 25 game stretch makes the losses a little easier to swallow. So assuming our bad luck (or possibly the karma of Brandon Roy’s three against the rockets) is over, we have nothing but blue skys ahead, especially considering the fact that nine of our next eleven games are at home. Now the Blazers have their first three day rest of the season which could not come at a more opportune time.

A somber Kyle and Goose signing out…

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.

Jazz Game Recap

First off, I want to announce my new co-author of this blog Ryan Gossett. He will be assisting me and game summary’s and previews, along with covering for me when I have too many dates to blog. When you get a chance give Goose a shoutout.

Well, it looks like we are on the opposite end of a streak. The Blazers lost to the Jazz 97-88 for their second consecutive loss. The story of the game was our poor shooting from downtown, and their points in the paint. Blazers shot 6-27 (22.2%) from the 3 pt. line. Even if they make 33% from three that is another 12 points, which in theory would have given us the win. It was an unusually off night for the Blazers from 3, where they normally shoot 41%.

The other story of the game was Utah’s points in the paint advantage. Utah had approximately 56 points in the paint to the Blazers 30. What was also peculiar was the fact that most of the points in the paint were generated from dribble penetration then dishing when we came over to help. Another disturbing fact is that Carlos Boozer, who can usually be counted on for a fair amount of points in the paint, did not even play tonight.. Millsap continued his outstanding job of filling in for Boozer. Millsap had 17 points and 12 boards (7 offensive). In the first half Okur burned the Blazers for 21 points. At halftime the Blazers did a good job making an adjustment and held Okur to just 2 points in the 3^rd quarter, and six in the entire 2^nd half.

Bottom line, the Blazers are a jump shooting team and our shots just weren’t falling tonight for whatever reason. They were getting good open looks, just not cashing in and making Utah pay for doubling Roy and Aldridge who both had stellar games. Roy ended with 33 points and 9 boards and Aldridge, who scored 12 points in the first quarter alone, ended with 22 points and 6 boards.

Individual Performances

Brandon Roy: Roy tied a career high in points with 33. You could tell he was trying to throw the entire team on his back and carry them to victory, but was unable to get enough help from the rest of the Blazers. What I found interesting (and a little disturbing) was that Roy had no assists for the first time this season. Overall, great effort from Roy, but he couldn’t do it all by himself.

Lamarcus Aldrdige: Aldridge came out like a man possessed, ripping the Jazz for 12 points in  the first quarter, made up of not only jump shots, but tough post moves as well. Aldridge again had a stretch in the 4^th quarter where he scored 6 points in a row, and started our comeback. However, the Jazz quicklyadjusted and began sending double teams his way, and as we already noted we could not capitalize on the open shots. Overall another strong game for Lamarcus.

Greg Oden: Oden continues to look very weak with the ball, as he got stripped multiple times by smaller players. He did however have a few offensive boards that helped keep possessions alive. Oden found himself at a big disadvantage on the defensive end, as he could not stay with the quickness of Okur or Millsap. Oden continues to be the most inconsistent Blazer on a night to night basis.

Steve Blake/Sergio Rodriguez: Both of our point guards played poorly this game, and might have combined for our worst effort out of the point guard position all season. Blake who has been on fire as of late, went 2-7(28.5%) from 3 even though most were wide open looks. Blake’s defense on Deron Williams was above average, but he could not counter on the offensive end. In stark contrast Williams gave Sergio fits all night. Not only could he not hang physically, but Williams quickness was also a problem for Sergio. It is somewhat ironic that the game after what was possibly Sergio’s best of the year, he came out and posted 0 assists and 4 turnovers in just 18 minutes. Which raises the question once again, is he our future at the backup point guard position?

Rudy Fernandez: Rudy also had a rough night shooting. He was 1-6 (16.6%) from 3, and it is also notable that 6 of his 7 shots were from deep. It would have been nice to see Rudy adjust and get to the rim a little more to hopefully gain his rhythm and also capitalize on his great free throw shooting.

Frye & Outlaw: Both of these guys were also ineffective all night. What hurts the most with these two is if their jumper’s are not falling they fail to bring anything else to the table. Granted both have shown the ability to put up other stats when given ample time (especially Frye), but unfortunately there is no minutes to be found on this deep team.

Joel Pyzbilla: The vanilla gorilla did not get much time tonight despite Oden’s less than impressive outing as he has a tough time extending out on centers who can shoot (i.e. Okur). Pyrz was mostly a non factor.

Game Summary in One Sentence:

Poor jump shooting, and poor defensive rotations, leading to layups, combined for a Blazers road loss.

Well, it’s never easy to write after a loss, but here’s to our next 10 of 12 games at home. Let’s start another streak.

Fire & Rice out (Goose & Kyle).