Suns @ Blazers game thread

[cdub503]

im pretty sure at one point in time during the second half a ref changed his mine which way the ball was gonna go.... never heard so many boos since the rudy incident

 

[THE HCP]

Also......

Martell took it to the rack and tried to throw it down on Amare'! He got hammered, crashed to the floor and hopped right back up. No joke, Webster's cock was on Stat's shoulder! He was that high! I have never seen him get up like that before. He is back!

Greg gave Channing a titty twister in the first half and they both couldn't stop laughing!

 

[PapaG]

Also......

Martell took it to the rack and tried to throw it down on Amare'! He got hammered, crashed to the floor and hopped right back up. No joke, Webster cock was on Stat's shoulder! He was that high! I have never seen him get up like that before. He is back!

Greg gave Channing a titty twister in the first half and they both couldn't stop laughing!

That's awesome, other than hearing about his cock. Marty has his hops back!

 

[PapaG]

I haven't read ahe entire thread because I quickly realized it was dominated by two posters, one of which argues frequently with a lot of people and is never wrong. However, it appears the issues being discussed tonight have to deal with Oden, Roy, Miller, and Outlaw. Since I was at the game, I'll provide my thoughts with what I saw, tonight.

Oden: He had a nice game. Finished around the rim, stayed out of foul trouble, and cleaned up the glass. Didn't show near as many offensive moves (if any) as he did against Sacramento. The team didn't go to him at all in the 4th quarter, at least that I can think of.

Roy: Was so-so tonight, for Roy. He doesn't appear to be in rhythm on either end. I noticed two specific instances on defense where he was late rotating on the weakside during pick and roll defense, giving up a wide open dunk. I can only assume it was Roy's fault based on the way they play pick and roll defense when he is on the strong side or off the court all together.

Outlaw: Typical Outlaw. Made some tough shots that some would consider bad shot selection and others would say show how talented he is. He also made some mental errors dribbling, passing, and on defense. If you didn't like Outlaw going into the game, you wouldn't like him anymore leaving the MC tonight.

Miller: Clearly is becoming a lightening-rod around here. He was no better (or worse) than Blake when it came to slowing down Nash; both failed miserably. I'm not sure how many assists he had, but I'm certain he setup a lot of baskets. Miller seemed to have a few "hockey assists" where he passed to someone who quickly passed to Greg or LMA for an easy bucket. Those things don't show up on the box score, but they have major value in my book. Miller is very crafty and knows how to score.

Hey now, I'm just asking for a few examples on how Miller improved the perimeter defense and fed Oden the ball.

I'll admit that the criticisms of Roy set me off a bit.

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

Great game, but am happy we play at the RG. Was interviewed by Bob Akamian before the game and was not prepared. Not for sure what they were filming for.

Not worried about the outcome. PHX is not going to shoot that well from 3 pt range every night and we had some lineups that probably never get used during the regular season. Blake and Miller together as well as Batum, Outlaw, and Webster. Brandon was also very quiet.

 

[Tince]

im pretty sure at one point in time during the second half a ref changed his mine which way the ball was gonna go.... never heard so many boos since the rudy incident

That reminds me:

I keep saying it over and over, and tonight is even more confirmation. Those of you who think these replacement refs are better for the NBA are sorely mistaken. The officiating in the two games I've seen has been horrible and way more inconsistent than before. The officials appear to be easily influenced by players and coaches bitching about non-calls on previous plays and making it up to them on the other end.

In the two games I've seen 3 missed resets of the shot clock. How 3 officials and miss the ball hitting the rim is beyond me. We also got a phantom goal-tending call in our favor late the game. The ref under the hoop called the foul, must've looked up late, and assumed there was a goal-tend. For one, that is not is call; the ref under the basket should never be looking if a ball goes is or is goal-tended, that's what the other two refs are responsible to do.

I really hope we get the regular refs back before the season starts.

 

[PapaG]

Great game, but am happy we play at the RG. Was interviewed by Bob Akamian before the game and was not prepared. Not for sure what they were filming for.

Not worried about the outcome. PHX is not going to shoot that well from 3 pt range every night and we had some lineups that probably never get used during the regular season. Blake and Miller together as well as Batum, Outlaw, and Webster. Brandon was also very quiet.

That is AWESOME! Well done, sir! Rep to you, Disco Stu!

 

[THE HCP]

Great game, but am happy we play at the RG. Was interviewed by Bob Akamian before the game and was not prepared. Not for sure what they were filming for.

Not worried about the outcome. PHX is not going to shoot that well from 3 pt range every night and we had some lineups that probably never get used during the regular season. Blake and Miller together as well as Batum, Outlaw, and Webster. Brandon was also very quiet.

Dude, I talked to you before the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Dude, I talked to you before the game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quick Charcoal, Purell your hands!

 

[julius]

That reminds me:

I keep saying it over and over, and tonight is even more confirmation. Those of you who think these replacement refs are better for the NBA are sorely mistaken. The officiating in the two games I've seen has been horrible and way more inconsistent than before. The officials appear to be easily influenced by players and coaches bitching about non-calls on previous plays and making it up to them on the other end.

In the two games I've seen 3 missed resets of the shot clock. How 3 officials and miss the ball hitting the rim is beyond me. We also got a phantom goal-tending call in our favor late the game. The ref under the hoop called the foul, must've looked up late, and assumed there was a goal-tend. For one, that is not is call; the ref under the basket should never be looking if a ball goes is or is goal-tended, that's what the other two refs are responsible to do.

I really hope we get the regular refs back before the season starts.

Didn't the players hand hit the net? I thought that was an automatic goaltending call.

 

[Tince]

Hey now, I'm just asking for a few examples on how Miller improved the perimeter defense and fed Oden the ball.

I'll admit that the criticisms of Roy set me off a bit.

Miller didn't improve the perimeter defense tonight. He wasn't worse than Blake, but he wasn't better either. As I noted, it appeared Roy made some mental errors on defense as well, so nobody escapes blame.

Miller did setup plays that led to Oden scoring; I call them hockey assists. I do not recall Miller and Oden running a single pick and roll like many thought we would see all season.

I think Roy can be criticized, but he clearly is still our best player. I have seen two games and I've been less than impressed with his shot, decision making, and team defense. I thought he made a couple great passes tonight, one to Greg.

 

[Tince]

Didn't the players hand hit the net? I thought that was an automatic goaltending call.

I was right behind the Phoenix bench and that was not the explanation he gave Gentry and Nash. He kept saying, "I had a clear goaltend." over and over.

 

[cdub503]

That reminds me:

I keep saying it over and over, and tonight is even more confirmation. Those of you who think these replacement refs are better for the NBA are sorely mistaken. The officiating in the two games I've seen has been horrible and way more inconsistent than before. The officials appear to be easily influenced by players and coaches bitching about non-calls on previous plays and making it up to them on the other end.

In the two games I've seen 3 missed resets of the shot clock. How 3 officials and miss the ball hitting the rim is beyond me. We also got a phantom goal-tending call in our favor late the game. The ref under the hoop called the foul, must've looked up late, and assumed there was a goal-tend. For one, that is not is call; the ref under the basket should never be looking if a ball goes is or is goal-tended, that's what the other two refs are responsible to do.

I really hope we get the regular refs back before the season starts.

as much as i hate those regular refs they suck a whole lot less than these replacements..... we need replacements for the replacements!

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

Quick Charcoal, Purell your hands!

That would have been good to know BEFORE I ate nacho cheese with my fingers.

Good meeting you HCP and the other poster that was with you.

 

[Tince]

as much as i hate those regular refs they suck a whole lot less than these replacements..... we need replacements for the replacements!

I'm positive that officiating NBA games is extremely difficult, and I hate Joe Crawford and Steve Javie (two of the most respected officials) as much as anyone, but I'd rather have them back that watch this crap.

A friend of my spoke with Javie down at the Presidents Cup and he was optimistic that a deal would be reached. He also made some anti-Dick Bavetta comments that got a chuckle out of me. Again, this is all 3rd person, but I have no reason to believe it is made up.

 

[cdub503]

i remember hearing something that all the refs were ready to accept what stern had offered them but stern said no or something? i havent been really paying attention to it does anyone have any semi recent updates?

 

[THE HCP]

That would have been good to know BEFORE I ate nacho cheese with my fingers.

Good meeting you HCP and the other poster that was with you.

That was my wife and my good friend Jeff who is a producer on our broadcasts! He recognized you from the picture you posted of yourself on here earlier!

 

[B-Roy]

Woah.

 

[PapaG]

Woah.

So ... a charge that fell short of a dunk?

 

[THE HCP]

Woah.

THAT IS THE DUNK I WAS TALKING ABOUT BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MARTY IS BACK!!!!!!

 

[julius]

Woah.

looks like Kemp

 

[Tince]

THAT IS THE MISSED DUNK I WAS TALKING ABOUT BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MARTY IS BACK!!!!!!

Fixed.

It was awesome though.

 

[Natebishop3]

Thanks for the recap Tince. Much appreciated.

 

[THE HCP]

Fixed.

It was awesome though.

I don't care if he missed it or not. He got free from his defender and his eyes lit up! The fact that he has the ability to attack like this again shows he is ready to help this team. He looked really good tonight.

 

[Fender]

What I got from going to this game was that Dwight Jaynes doesnt wash his hands after going to the bathroom.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

What I got from going to this game was that Dwight Jaynes doesnt wash his hands after going to the bathroom.

*shudder*


I'm writing this post to remind myself to call my friend (journalism major) and remind him "Never shake hands with Dwight Jaynes... EVER!"

 

[chris_in_pdx]

Thoughts about last night's game:

- The real star of the night, The old Memorial Coliseum, looked fantastic. I remember as a kid that they used to play games with the ring curtains down so you could see the city lights, I'm thrilled that they did it again. It was also amazing that, even with mid-court nose-bleed seats, we still had a better, closer view than the Lexus seats in the RG. Okay, nostalga trip over with. Tear the place down.

- Bill Schonley. Yes, he's old, and he didn't keep up with the game action very well, but he still had a MUCH MUCH better grasp of what was going on than Harry Carey or Chick Hearn near the end of their careers. IMHO, he could pick right up and call games again for the Blazers if need be. It was surreal to hear him call action with the current group of players. You can tell he's got a hard-on for Greg Oden, too. It was an honor to listen to him call a Blazer game again. Glad that Wheels is secure in his own abilities enough to let Schonz have the spotlight one more time.

- Andre Miller is good... really good. What he does, he does great. That being said, I don't think his style of play meshes with Roy AT ALL. One of them is going to have to adapt, and quickly, or this experiment will be a bust.

- Greg Oden. He's back, bitches. He was DOMINATE for stretches of the game. A rebounding machine. Still needs to work on finishing near the rim strong, not getting blocked or stripped, but that will come with experience. Was VERY impressed by the big man.

- Travis Outlaw. Schonz said there were a few people playing their way right out of the rotation (damn, Bill, been gone for 12 years, and pull out insightful shit like that? You da man!), and Trout was one of them. He had a horrible night. Looked like he wants to be traded.

- Steve Nash, holy shit, so that's what an elite point guard looks like? 35 years old, and seems better than ever. Wow, he and Barbosa just MURDERED the Blazers in the 2nd half. Phoenix is back with an attitude.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I posted it earlier, but can somebody find me a Miller-to-Oden assist in tonight's game?

That said, Roy needs to feel comfortable. A young team won 54-games last season, and they added a veteran who has bounced around the league.

I give my Blazer vets the benefit of the doubt over an NBA journeyman like Miller. I do hope he delivers, but at this point, wow, I can't say I'm happy about what I've seen or heard.

A journeyman is Beno Udrih, Chris Duhon or Steve Blake. Miller has been a top ten point guard in the NBA for almost a full decade -- not necessarily an all-star but a very very good player -- as far as you being disappointed in him, what exactly is it about his performances so far that has you so distressed? All of the first hand accounts I've read about his play and just glancing at the boxscore make him sound exactly like the Andre Miller I know from the past ten years; a guy who gets it done and knows how to play the game of basketball.

It's so easy to point the finger at the new guy as a way of explaining away the struggles of Brandon, but since none of us has actually watched the two of them play together, maybe just maybe, we should wait until we can lay eyes on this team before we make up our minds about what's going on with B-Roy.

 

[hasoos]

The offense was ok last night except when the bench was in. The problem was defense, as it has been the last several games. Teams are running on Portland and the Blazers are not getting back. It is as simple as that. This team has never been a running team, and right now it looks to me like they are trying to turn that corner. I don't expect that corner to be turned overnight. I expect them to struggle.

You will also note that Phoenix pulled out their lead in the 2nd half. Good running teams wear you down and open up the lead in the 2nd half when you run out of gas. They know Portland has a lot of players who do not make good decisions in the open court game (Outlaw and Blake being 2 of the major open court boneheads) and they took advantage of it. What do you expect when you play into their hands.

The Blazers played at the tempo PHX was comfortable at and they lost. This is a no brainer. You control the tempo to your comfort level, you win.

 

[Boise Blazer]

The offense was ok last night except when the bench was in. The problem was defense, as it has been the last several games. Teams are running on Portland and the Blazers are not getting back. It is as simple as that. This team has never been a running team, and right now it looks to me like they are trying to turn that corner. I don't expect that corner to be turned overnight. I expect them to struggle.

You will also note that Phoenix pulled out their lead in the 2nd half. Good running teams wear you down and open up the lead in the 2nd half when you run out of gas. They know Portland has a lot of players who do not make good decisions in the open court game (Outlaw and Blake being 2 of the major open court boneheads) and they took advantage of it. What do you expect when you play into their hands.

The Blazers played at the tempo PHX was comfortable at and they lost. This is a no brainer. You control the tempo to your comfort level, you win.

Agreed. When you let a team like the Suns get their 2 strengths (fast breaking and 3 pointers) at ease, then Im not sure how you can except any other result but a loss. With that said Im actually surprised that the game was that close.