NateBall Is Again Winning Games With Lesser Talent

[PapaG]

Slow it down and get high efficiency shots.

1 second left on Miller's shot there.

 

[Natebishop3]

Nateball? Really?

 

[illmatic99]

This isn't Nate ball. It's DRE_LMA ball.

 

[HailBlazers]

if ball player movement is Nate ball I'm all for it. Wesley's post game interview eluded to Sarge preaching that

 

[bodyman5001]

Matt Harpring said something to the effect of "These alley oops are getting out of control."

If an opposing team's announcer ever said that in a game Brandon was playing in, I want to see a video of it.

 

[e_blazer]

Matt Harpring said something to the effect of "These alley oops are getting out of control."

If an opposing team's announcer ever said that in a game Brandon was playing in, I want to see a video of it.

I don't get what your point. When Roy was playing and was Portland's best player, Nate ran the offense through him. Now that Aldridge is the best player, he's changed things up and is running through LA. Seems like a pretty good thing for a coach to do.

 

[KingSpeed]

It's only "NateBall" when we lose. When we win, it's our "style of play" which seemingly has nothing to do with the coach.

 

[Natebishop3]

Nate is the coach, so I guess you could pretty much attribute anything the team does to him. However, the definition of "Nateball" is running a bunch of iso's for Brandon Roy.

 

[KingSpeed]

Matt Harpring said something to the effect of "These alley oops are getting out of control."

If an opposing team's announcer ever said that in a game Brandon was playing in, I want to see a video of it.

Camby and Miller have been throwing those alley oops all season, whether Roy was there or not. Aldridge is #4 in the league in dunks and 23 of our 33 games have been witH Roy in the lineup.

 

[KingSpeed]

I don't get what your point. When Roy was playing and was Portland's best player, Nate ran the offense through him. Now that Aldridge is the best player, he's changed things up and is running through LA. Seems like a pretty good thing for a coach to do.

Exactly.

 

[Pinwheel1]

I feel sometimes like I was watching a diiferent Blazer team than some of you the last month and a half of the season last year. No one saw the alley oops to LMA from Miller when Brandon was in the game?

Anyway great defensive effort by the Blazers tonight. Wesley must be happy to get away from "Sloan Ball". He never scored 30 with the Jazz.

 

[bodyman5001]

I don't get what your point. When Roy was playing and was Portland's best player, Nate ran the offense through him. Now that Aldridge is the best player, he's changed things up and is running through LA. Seems like a pretty good thing for a coach to do.

My point is what I thought was obvious. I thought of Nateball as slow the team down and ISO Brandon every damn play. If Brandon got cut off he would kick it out to Blake for three.

I would bet 10-15 bucks that the players realized that Aldridge could spin off his defender and get open for an alley oop almost every time down court. I seriously doubt that Nate McMillan was the impetus behind this.

I also doubt that Nate told Wes Matthews to try and lead the league in 1 on 5 fastbreaks.

My main point is that if Nateball is defined as running your offense through your best player, there must be a lot of us like me who didn't know that.

I just thought that strategy was common sense.

PS, I do know that you realize that Aldridge doesn't handle the ball like Roy did. I would hope that would sort of make it obvious that this isn't the same offense that it was with Roy dominating it.

 

[bodyman5001]

Camby and Miller have been throwing those alley oops all season, whether Roy was there or not. Aldridge is #4 in the league in dunks and 23 of our 33 games have been witH Roy in the lineup.

I am sorry I didn't literally type PRE bone on bone knee Brandon Roy. I mentioned it before, but this year's Roy got smoked going after a loose ball by 99 year old Jason Kidd.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'll step up and say it...Well done to Nate for doing what he has with this team post-Roy. I like seeing cutters going through the lanes, and not having two of the three guards/wings sitting on the 3pt line. If he's the man behind LMA getting his butt inside of the free-throw line and finishing shots TOWARDS the rim rather than fading away from it, he should be in the Coach of the Year running. He hadn't demonstrated that he had the ability to proactively take it to the opponent, and seemed confident in his long jump-shot heavy offense. But now, contrary to what Rice asked for today (more LMA on pick-and-pop...doesn't he see the guy's playing the best ball of his career now that he's attacking the hoop?!?) he's shooting (and finishing) more around the basket. When he's doubled, there are actually cutters for him to pass to and 3pt threats opposite spotting up.

Bravo to Nate for changing.
Bravo to LMA for listening.

Although I think we're seeing that Camby is a vital cog in this...we simply can't rely on LMA being our only rebounding threat. I just wish Marcus was 28.

 

[bodyman5001]

Rice said that?

 

[BrianFromWA]

yes, and I wished at the time that I could strangle someone through a TV.

LMA gave him his wish a couple of minutes later with two long jumpers that weren't close in the 2nd quarter.

 

[bodyman5001]

yes, and I wished at the time that I could strangle someone through a TV.

LMA gave him his wish a couple of minutes later with two long jumpers that weren't close in the 2nd quarter.

Well, if Rice suffered a bad but not fatal stroke about 5 minutes ago then I might be the first person on Earth with real telekinetic powers.

 

[bodyman5001]

Gotta go to bed, but Rice must be scared of the LaMonster. Rice, if you're scared get a dog!

Heard that from some NBA announcer this year, like that saying.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I'm not sure I'd go that far, it was more of a wish to do the Homer Simpson Bart-strangle with the tongue lolling out for a couple seconds to shut him up, then go back to regularly scheduled programming.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

I don't think it would be a bad thing for LaMarcus to take jumpers too. I mean, he was pretty darn good at that too and it could open up the middle for him even more.

 

[barfo]

I am sorry I didn't literally type PRE bone on bone knee Brandon Roy. I mentioned it before, but this year's Roy got smoked going after a loose ball by 99 year old Jason Kidd.

You're wrong. Kidd doesn't turn 99 until February.

barfo

 

[BrianFromWA]

I do think it's a bad thing. Long jumper are THE MOST INEFFICIENT SHOT IN BASKETBALL. Couple that with he being our only durable rebounder (and only big man PERIOD if Marcus isn't on the floor) and it's pretty dumb to keep your big man 20' from the hoop.

Having shooters making shots opens up the middle. So do cutters taking defenders with them. You know what else does? Getting the opponents' big men in trouble.

Other teams are begging us to have a guy shoot a long jumper at a 40% clip. Especially if he's one of our primary rebounders.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

I do think it's a bad thing. Long jumper are THE MOST INEFFICIENT SHOT IN BASKETBALL. Couple that with he being our only durable rebounder (and only big man PERIOD if Marcus isn't on the floor) and it's pretty dumb to keep your big man 20' from the hoop.

Having shooters making shots opens up the middle. So do cutters taking defenders with them. You know what else does? Getting the opponents' big men in trouble.

Other teams are begging us to have a guy shoot a long jumper at a 40% clip. Especially if he's one of our primary rebounders.

You're right, I was wrong. I just like Rice for some reason.

 

[Minstrel]

However, the definition of "Nateball" is running a bunch of iso's for Brandon Roy [with a healthy, elite Brandon Roy as the team's far and away best player].

Added something to your definition for completeness. Now we'll get to see what "Nateball" is defined as without an elite Roy.

 

[oldmangrouch]

A team can play at a slow pace, and still have good ball movement. It was the combination of Nate and Roy that made the two mutually exclusive.

 

[Minstrel]

A team can play at a slow pace, and still have good ball movement.

As an example, the Jazz under Jerry Sloan. While lately they've played at a pretty fast pace, for the vast majority of Sloan's career, the Jazz have played at below average pace and often 20th or below. But their ball movement has been pretty uniformly excellent.

 

[THE HCP]

I think Nate is doing great. I know I'm in the minority here, but he gets the most out of these guys!

 

[VanillaGorilla]

I think Nate is doing great. I know I'm in the minority here, but he gets the most out of these guys!

So you agree that Roy was holding him back?

 

[THE HCP]

People just always crack on him. It's easy to blame the coach for everything. I just wonder what more he has to prove to get some respect. We have nobody.....no bench whatsoever. He get the more from less then any coach in the league. Wish he didn't have to, but he does.

 

[Blaze01]

a little too much running & motion to be described as "Nate Ball"......................