Hollinger giving Nate props

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MickZagger

MickZagger

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http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/20703/blazers-prevail-behind-late-lineup-change

Trailing the Suns by two with just under six minutes left, the Blazers removed Marcus Camby and slid Nicolas Batum up the four spot, rendering Phoenix’s strategy of immediately double-teaming post-ups far more problematic. Batum promptly started raining jumpers, scoring eleven points in the final five minutes, as the Blazers used an 18-4 game-ending run to avenge last year's playoff defeat to the Suns.
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All told it was a positive opener for Portland, especially at the defensive end. The Blazers held the Phoenix juggernaut to 11 points in the fourth quarter and harassed Steve Nash into nine turnovers, with newcomer Wesley Matthews and rookie Armon Johnson proving particularly meddlesome pests.
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Hollinger was hobbling around on crutches tonight. Said he hurt it playing ball. Zags I missed you down there, you should come back!
 
A[B said:
ll told it was a positive opener for Portland, especially at the defensive end. The Blazers held the Phoenix juggernaut to 11 points in the fourth quarter and harassed Steve Nash into nine turnovers, with newcomer Wesley Matthews and rookie Armon Johnson proving particularly meddlesome pests[/B].
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Harassed? I guess I remember it a bit different. Nash fumbled the ball out of bounds twice in his own backcourt, threw a no look behind the back pass out of bounds, and threw a couple of more (would be easy) passes to the wing into the seats. The majority of Nash's t/o's were unforced.

If anybody got harassed it was our defense. Up until the last 4 minutes of the game, Nash was KILLING it.
 
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So he gave props to Nate for playing Batum? A player who he constantly under plays?...........ok?
 
I heard Dwight grilling Nate on radio this morning because he was supposedly incredibly upset with Nic when he shot that heat check open three in the fourth.

It's just the sort of thing that most good NBA coaches don't care about. I hate Nate's anal attitude about turnovers or quick shots.
 
I hear what your saying yuyuza, but that was a pretty ill advised shot with just over a minute left and the game almost in the bag


I'll give props to Nate for picking AJ out as the newest backup PG, and his 2, 3, 4 guard rotations working well and are fun to watch.
 
Mediocre Man said:
So he gave props to Nate for playing Batum? A player who he constantly under plays?...........ok?
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Nate could play Nic 48 minutes and you'd still find something to complain about. :lol:

When it comes to McMillan, I swear, you're MIXUM-lite. Not even sure about the lite part as far as that's concerned.
 
ABM said:
Nate could play Nic 48 minutes and you'd still find something to complain about. :lol:

When it comes to McMillan, I swear, you're MIXUM-lite. Not even sure about the lite part as far as that's concerned.
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So Batum plays enough for you, or do you think he deserves a few more minutes?
 
Mediocre Man said:
So Batum plays enough for you, or do you think he deserves a few more minutes?
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He could use a few more minutes. But playing devil's advocate..............the season is long. It is a back to back. He and Wes do exhurt a lot of energy on D. AND he did log a lot of minutes this summer playing for France.

Once Joel and Greg get back I hope to see LMA get a few less minutes. Broy also needs to get closer to the 35 minute mark. But they had to have the W last night.
 
I suspect he's going to get plenty of minutes this year. I also suspect that you'll always be able to find something to grouse about when it comes to Nate.
 
The way I look at it, I don't mind guys who want to step up and take shots, because the last few years, we have had a lot of guys who really didn't want to shoot the ball. Portland needs a second scorer to take pressure off of Roy. Don't hold them back. The fact that Batum was ready to throw a dagger to finish the game off doesn't both me at all. It shows me he has confidence to hit the shot. Let him hit them. It will just build more confidence.
 
Mediocre Man said:
So Batum plays enough for you, or do you think he deserves a few more minutes?
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Definitely deserves more minutes. That said, when he delivers as he did last night, I'd probably not still pound on Nate.
 
yuyuza1 said:
I heard Dwight grilling Nate on radio this morning because he was supposedly incredibly upset with Nic when he shot that heat check open three in the fourth.

It's just the sort of thing that most good NBA coaches don't care about. I hate Nate's anal attitude about turnovers or quick shots.
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I doubt that Nate was incredibly upset as Dwight suggested. No reason for Nate to stop coaching with 90 seconds left. He encourages Nic to shoot, and shoot the 3. The last one he took was too soon in the shot clock. The others were the right shot to take, the last one was not. No big deal, but it's his job to point it out so he doesn't do it again in that situation.
 
Pinwheel1 said:
I doubt that Nate was incredibly upset as Dwight suggested. No reason for Nate to stop coaching with 90 seconds left. He encourages Nic to shoot, and shoot the 3. The last one he took was too soon in the shot clock. The others were the right shot to take, the last one was not. No big deal, but it's his job to point it out so he doesn't do it again.
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I've never seen Phil Jackson pull one of his players aside and deride their play.
 
ABM said:
Nate could play Nic 48 minutes and you'd still find something to complain about.
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Thats because how much Batum plays is about #11 on the list.

Congrats on playing one of your best players last night McDills.
 
OddEnormous said:
Thats because how much Batum plays is about #11 on the list.

Congrats on playing one of your best players last night McDills.
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Turn that clown town frown, upside down. We won the game, and Batum played nearly 30 minutes and had a double double.
 
HCP said:
Hollinger was hobbling around on crutches tonight. Said he hurt it playing ball. Zags I missed you down there, you should come back!
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I might make a comeback, not sure yet. Just trying to get my bowels under control right now.
 
yuyuza1 said:
I heard Dwight grilling Nate on radio this morning because he was supposedly incredibly upset with Nic when he shot that heat check open three in the fourth.

It's just the sort of thing that most good NBA coaches don't care about. I hate Nate's anal attitude about turnovers or quick shots.
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I'm sure Jaynes was exaggerating about how pissed Nate was. Batum was one of the key reasons we won that game with his shooting at the end. Plus, a double-double in 25 minutes? I'll take it. His defense didn't look that good last night though.
 
e_blazer said:
I suspect he's going to get plenty of minutes this year. I also suspect that you'll always be able to find something to grouse about when it comes to Nate.
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I wonder where Batum's 10 extra minutes should have come from last night. Matthews? Roy? Miller? Rudy? Johnson?
 
OddEnormous said:
Yeah I know.

I'd also like to congratulate Phil Jackson for playing Pau Gasol last night.
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Phil wants to be like Nate. There is a reason he diagrammed the last play of the game for Blake. All these years, Phil sitting there, seething and plotting. How can I be like Nate. How. How. and then - Boom. The sky open, the violins sing, the fat ladies are, well fat - and KP sends Blake to Phil, only, because of a mistake he ends up a Clip instead of a body of water. It's magic, you know.
 
ABM said:
I've never seen Phil Jackson pull one of his players aside and deride their play.
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With respect, and I've watched a lot of L*kers games since moving back to SoCal 8 years ago, but he does do it. You must not have seen it. But I would argue he doesn't do it as often since his team as currently constructed doesn't have the kids we do that need it. But I agree that Phil's style is largely different in that he largely let's guys go out there and make mistakes and pay for it, then goes back in practice and let's them know if they keep doing that they'll keep paying for it. He does chew asses in game as needed though. And I'm not recommending you watch more L*ker games.

Nic shot that ball wayyyy too early in the clock, even if it was open, and missed. Against the Suns that could be fatal. He needs to use better judgement and he needed to hear it. I've got no complaints about Nate in that situation but I also think comparing his style to Phil's style is unfair based on that one incident.
 
andalusian said:
There is a reason he diagrammed the last play of the game for Blake.
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I watched the slo-mo replay of that pass and I'm still not sure who Kobe meant to send that ball to, Blake or Gasol. It did look a bit like it was for Gasol but was off target and sailed to Blake. Blakey made good. Yay for him. Phil's a hero. All is good in Lala land.
 
I know a lot of folks that are Blazer fans aren't used to seeing it, but there are guys in the league, when they get going, who can just come down and hit a shot in your face, even from several feet outside the free throw line. Portland has not had such a player in many years. Nic's shot was questionable. But sometimes, a heat check is needed. Because if the heat is on, you need to cook before it is gone.
 
I Can't imagine nate came down very hard on Batum for taking that 3 since Batum took another one shortly thereafter.

Unless the story is Nate ripped into Batum after the game . . . I'm guessing, giving Dwight's stance on Nate, that Dwight is exagerating.

What is being missed is one of the biggest "Nater-haters-rant" is Nate is inflexible, yet this thread is about Nate adjusting his roster to what the other team had out there. Is Nate really that inflexible?

Also, talking about Phil, seems like he might have his own love affair with Blake playing him 21 minutes and at the end when the game is on the line. Nate has a love affair with Blake, Phil has a love affair with Blake . . . maybe Blake actually deserves PT?
 
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hasoos said:
I know a lot of folks that are Blazer fans aren't used to seeing it, but there are guys in the league, when they get going, who can just come down and hit a shot in your face, even from several feet outside the free throw line. Portland has not had such a player in many years. Nic's shot was questionable. But sometimes, a heat check is needed. Because if the heat is on, you need to cook before it is gone.
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You don't think Roy can do that?
 
George Karl had a love affair with Blake as well - and for a good reason. He is a good role player. He knows what he can do, what he can't do - and tries to stay within these parameters.

The constant bitching in the forum is really no indication of anything other than the forum's prowess at bitching.
 
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