Game 54: Thunder 89, Blazers 77
Written by Sheed   
Wednesday, 10 February 2010 12:35

That was not fun.

That was the main thing I kept thinking about last night as I drove home from the game and even when I woke up this morning. Now that much of the season is in the books, I can reflect on how tough it has been this season for the players, and how frustrating it has been for the fans. It doesn't seem like anyone is having fun.

This game was another example, in a string of games, that showed why Brandon Roy and our two big men are so important to this team. With no closer/go to guy and no interior defense, the Blazers look like a bunch of guys with no purpose on either end of the floor. The Thunder made extra passes, including passing out of the double team for easy buckets, while Portland stood stagnant shooting jumpers time after time. Andre Miller tried to break the bad behavior by driving to the hoop but guys were off, not cutting, not moving and basically Oklahoma City handled Portland for most of the game.

Getting back to reflecting on this season and last, one difficult thing to get over is how well Portland always played, and finished, at home last year in the regular season. 19 of the 21 games I attended last year were wins. It was fun, they played more free with less to lose. A lot like the Thunder are playing this year. But once expectations, extensions and injuries crept in, the happy Rose Garden has been different.

Individually, Kevin Durant is a freak of nature and a scoring machine. He's a guard in a lanky, sometimes awkward, forwards body and he can shoot over anyone he wants. He's already getting the benefit of calls and going to the line. I'm amazed by his output but still not completely impressed overall. I think a lot of NBA players could be plugged into the position of shooting 25+ times a game and put up big scoring numbers. The NBA and it's fans seem to obsess over guys who can score the ball. The NBA also changed every rule so scoring is easier. Durant will probably continue to progress, and be an amazing player, but we should be able to beat them even when he scores 30+.

For Portland, the focal point of the offense was LaMarcus Aldridge. Most of the time the offense went through him and he didn't always make the most of his opportunities. For him to only attempt 10 shots is a travesty. He should be moving towards the hoop looking for the ball at all times. There were a few times where he literally faded away from the hoop while his teammate went into the paint looking for a bail out. LA could bail guys out and get easy buckets, but he won't. The 15 rebounds is great, but against a somewhat undersized team like OKC, LaMarcus should be licking his chops and looking to put up 25 himself.

Portland has a game tonight against Phoenix, a chance to pick up a win before the All-Star break. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I'm also not going to feel too terrible if we lose. The Blazers need Brandon Roy and hopefully he'll return next week. This team is an awkward shell of themselves without Roy, and without any offensive creatiivity or defensive committment, the losing will just continue. Let's hope not.

Box Score



Digg! Facebook! Technorati! StumbleUpon! BallHype: hype it up!
Comments (10)Add Comment
...
written by Sophia Brugato, February 10, 2010
gah, turrible game turrible game smilies/sad.gif
...
written by krizzikinz, February 10, 2010
"Not fun" was definitely the term I used to describe last night too. Watching Dante Cunningham have a good game was the highlight, but then he didn't play in the 4th quarter...

This season has been a rough adjustment after last year, when I expected every RG game to be a win.
...
written by KneeJerkNBA, February 10, 2010
Not impressed w Durant???? Huh. I agree that many players in the NBA can score a lot given 25 shots a game to work with BUT not many players can do it shooting 48% from the floor. Or being the focus of every team's best defensive player and scheme every night. He also shoots 87% from the line and grabs 7 plus boards a game.
...
written by KneeJerkNBA, February 10, 2010
And about LA's ineffectiveness, that's on Nate. OKC was fronting LA the whole game and Nate didn't adjust his game plan.
...
written by Matt Scheelar, February 10, 2010
I'm not as impressed as some people who are ready to give him best player ever acknowledgment. He's extremely good, but his all around game isn't out of this world. When I think about high scoring individuals besides the obvious superstars like Kobe, I think about Stackhouse, McGrady, and Iverson. They didn't win anything when they were scoring 30 ppg.
...
written by KneeJerkNBA, February 10, 2010
TMac's first season for the Magic, he shot 45%, a career high. At his apex, TMac was a pretty good Durant comparison. Stackhouse and Iverson were/are low percentage chuckers.
...
written by Scotty B!, February 10, 2010
24 turnovers. Something like 2 for 20 on threes until Martell's garbage 3 with less than a minute left (his only points I believe). Horrid games from Rudy, Martell, Blake, and Bayless. The middle was fun. The beginning and the end were not.
...
written by Billy Hoyle, February 10, 2010
I'm with Scotty, it just boils down to missed shots and turnovers. We had a ton of good looks that didn't go down. During our 1 for 9 start at least 4 or 5 of those were clean, wide open looks.

KneeJerk, its easy for you to blame Nate but how do you know he wasn't telling LA to seal off his defender? Or how is it Nate's fault that half of the entry passes to LA were lame/misplaced and eventually turnovers. I put it on the players in this one.
...
written by CVD, February 10, 2010
A lot of players can score. Durant is very good at it, but like Matt I'm not that impressed with him overall. He's a 6-10 jump shooter. In my opinion, a guy like Carmelo is a better scorer because he can do it in more ways. Durant also leads the league in turnovers, which is usually a category dominated by point guards. He also averages less than 3 assists per game. Not saying he's not a really good player, but I agree that scoring is obsessed about way too much in this league. A guy like B-Roy scores less, but in my opinion does way more for a team than Durant because he is a playmaker.
...
written by Replica Rolex Watches, August 28, 2010
Our shop offers many famous Best  Replica Watches. for example:Franck Muller Replica Watches,Franck Muller The Crazy Hour Replica Watches, They are all wrist watches and you can buy one for your father to show your love ,moreover. no one could know it a replica one.

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. Here are some of our high-priority areas that we're specifically looking to grow. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

  1. NBA/Basketball Blogs
  2. NFL Blogs
  3. Major League Baseball Blogs

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!