Game 4 is ours

[alex42083]

We ended the 4th quarter with some momentum. Our guys aren't just going to lay down and give up. GO ZERS!

I agree. I did not think we would win Game 3, as much as I was hoping we would. Once we got into the flow of the game and the hoopla of our first road playoff game, we played better. Not great, but better.

I think we take Game 4 and take back HCA. All we need is one.

 

[KingSpeed]

On the not so bright side, Yao had a lousy game, and Artest was held in check, yet the Rockets still won. The Blazers still can't seem to stop Aaron Brooks, even if he did miss more shots tonight than in Game One..

Brooks shot 3 of 11. How is that not stopping him? Blake thoroughly outplayed Brooks tonight.

 

[KingSpeed]

It should be noted that Joel & Oden didn't do as great a job on Yao as everyone is saying. Yao grabbed 13 rebounds.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

I thought they held their ground nicely, defensively. The problem is that on the blazers offense, Nate has the Centers start at the top of the key, not actually Center the offense and then they are in terrible rebounding position.

 

[KingSpeed]

Jitters happen, especially to the 2nd youngest team in the NBA in their first playoff experience. To act like the Blazers would handle it like the Lakers is foolish thinking. .

Like the Lakers? They lost Game 3 also.

 

[KingSpeed]

Blake and Outlaw? I honestly think they're lost causes in this playoff series.
.

Outside of one bad decision, Blake had a great game tonight. 16 & 10. He got Oden and LMA easy baskets. And he shut down Aaron Brooks.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

Outside of one bad decision, Blake had a great game tonight. 16 & 10. He got Oden and LMA easy baskets. And he shut down Aaron Brooks.

He did not run a good offense in the first half. Its his job to control the tempo of the game, get good shots out of the guys and run some good plays. Did not do. He did not have a "great game". If you look at the box score, maybe...but just watching the flow of the game, he did not.

The offense was stagnant, players were just running their own isolations for themselves and the ball distribution was bad.

 

[Sinobas]

Some here are complaining about Roy controlling the ball on offense too much, but during the season you complain that he's not assertive enough until the 4th quarter. Look at who Roy is playing with! Steve Blake, a guy who's only good at launching up 3s, Joel butter fingers Pryzbilla, Nicholas the 19 year old Batum, and LarMarcus who hasn't brought his marbles to every game this series.

Brandon likes to defer to his team-mates, but right now only a few of his team mates are stepping up.

If you want to put a lot of stock in the playoffs, to evaluate who we can count on to step it up with the time comes so far I'd have to say we can count on:
Roy, Oden, Rudy

The Losers:
Outhouse

Everyone else is kinda iffy.

 

[MrJayremmie]

We gotta split, so we must win game 4. I don't like our chances of having to win 3 in a row to take the series if we lose Sunday... Looks like my Houston in 6 predicition might come true sadly.

Minus game 1 I feel we have played pretty good considering that we are 1-1, with taking Houston to the edge in Houston with our team playing like utter shit. All we gotta do is play Blazer basketball... ball movement, rebounding, limit mistakes, noone dominating the ball, unselfish, push when neccessary, and make sure Roy and LMA bring their A-game. We can definitely do it, but damn, game 4 is huge for us. We take that and all the sudden we become the favorites again... that is how fast it can change.

LETS GO BLAZERS!

 

[alex42083]

Winner of Game 4 wins the series now.

If Houston goes up 3-1, that's going to be a TOUGH uphill battle to climb.
If we tie it up 2-2, we're going to put doubts in their mind again and maybe take it in Game 6.

We need that confidence that we can beat these guys in their building, much like how we did in San Antonio. It's just a mental thing and a monkey on our back.

 

[Public Defender]

They aren't learning. That's the point.

I don't understand how you can say this.

The difference between Game 1 and Game 2 was day and night in terms of effort, team defense, execution, and overall focus. Likewise, the difference between the first and second halves of Game 3 was enormous. The Blazers are learning, and appear to be accelerating up their learning curve.

The Blazers lost Game 3 because they were unprepared for the playoff atmosphere of a ROAD game. It's entirely different from a HOME game, and if weren't teams wouldn't care so much about getting home court advantage. Yet, the Blazers responded by the second half - learned how to play in that hostile atmosphere by the second half.

Game 4 will be a HUGE test. I think it'll be close throughout, and whoever wins it, may well win the series.

 

[BlazerBeav]

It should be noted that Joel & Oden didn't do as great a job on Yao as everyone is saying. Yao grabbed 13 rebounds.

I don't know what your issue is with them, but our centers outscored Yao Ming last night. If that isn't a great job, I'm not sure what your definition of great job is.

 

[alex42083]

It should be noted that Joel & Oden didn't do as great a job on Yao as everyone is saying. Yao grabbed 13 rebounds.

He only went 2 of 7 from the field? And 11 of those 13 boards were defensive, which means we missed a lot and he grabbed them. Joel and Greg did a great job.

 

[Rodolfo]

I think we can all agree that game 4 is a must win. Think we've got a great shot at winning it. Gotta' come out strong.

 

[jwhoops11]

It should be noted that Joel & Oden didn't do as great a job on Yao as everyone is saying. Yao grabbed 13 rebounds.

It should also be noted that Yao, at 7'6 and arms raised closer to 10 feet tall should get 13 boards when the Blazers shoot near 40%. His rebounds aren't what will kills us, his points come so easy when he's scoring that it's demoralizing for a defense. To hold Yao to 18 points the last two games is outstanding work by our centers. Anytime the ball stays out of Yaos' hands 5 feet from the hoop and Scola or Landry or even Battier are taking 18 foot jumpers it's a win for our defense. Lastnight Scola and Landry made those shots, I'm willing to take the chance over 7 games that they'll miss more than they make. Continuing to make the supporting cast beat us is Key, as they are, for all intents and purposes, the "supporting cast".

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

I don't understand how you can say this.

The difference between Game 1 and Game 2 was day and night in terms of effort, team defense, execution, and overall focus. Likewise, the difference between the first and second halves of Game 3 was enormous. The Blazers are learning, and appear to be accelerating up their learning curve.

The Blazers lost Game 3 because they were unprepared for the playoff atmosphere of a ROAD game. It's entirely different from a HOME game, and if weren't teams wouldn't care so much about getting home court advantage. Yet, the Blazers responded by the second half - learned how to play in that hostile atmosphere by the second half.

Game 4 will be a HUGE test. I think it'll be close throughout, and whoever wins it, may well win the series.

The Blazers came out sluggish to start the 3rd and 4th quarter out. It was a barrage of 3s, not particularly good basketball which brought them back in the game. Execution down the stretch was still bad.

 

[jwhoops11]

The Blazers came out sluggish to start the 3rd and 4th quarter out. It was a barrage of 3s, not particularly good basketball which brought them back in the game. Execution down the stretch was still bad.

I think that barrage of 3's came via the fact that they finally were starting to spread the Rockets defense out, and moving the ball. Portland is a very good 3 pt. shooting team and those are shots that they haven't had open looks at all series...until the 3rd and 4th quarters.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

they were still forcing up bad shots, a few shot clock and/or rushed shots. I liked them getting LMA and Oden involved on the low block. it still wasn't that pretty of basketball, at least compared to what the blazers usually can do.