Blazers @ Miami Game Thread: Greg Oden's Debut Do-Over

On Aldridge

Anyone that misses like 3pointblank dunks in one game...did not have a great game.

 

Who needs Durant when we've got Roy AND Rudy taking the shots from the perimeter down the stretch. I'd rather have those guys who've proven to be clutch than Durant who hasn't yet.

 

Yeah I'm a huge LMA fan but he didn't have a very good game. He was active around the basket but couldn't seem to hold on to the ball tonight.

 

Yup!

 

Rudy.... he took 11 shots (3 Blazers took more), but he led the team with 25. What an absolutely beautiful line!

iWatas

 

Aldridge's neck must be bothering him...at least he wwas fighting out there

 

Aldridge is playing a bit like a very tall Sebastian Telfair...able to get to the rim, unable to finish when there.

My biggest worries about Aldridge aren't about rebounding...they're about his touch on shots near the hoop and his free throw shooting.

The good news is that he clearly has touch, which he shows on his fade-aways, so there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to finish near the hoop. And he clearly can shoot the ball from mid-range, so there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to shoot free throws. The evidence is there that he can solve both deficiencies.

 

Crazy that on the +/-, the only player who had a minus on our team was Greg, but oh well, who cares.

 

That was a great win I thought. Miami played well, especially D-Wade. We withstood their flurries and then took over at the end. Good job!

 

LMA will normally finish better then he did tonight. I think his neck must still be bothering him. Last year LMA shot I think 76 percent and over 72% his rookie year. I think he will end up at least 75% this year.

 

My thoughts:

I'll start with Oden, since that's the story of the night.

I’m pretty disappointed in how we played when Oden was in the game. The offense stagnates, we try to do the same little bounce pass inside to Oden every time, and it takes the defense only a few minutes to learn how to guard it. I’m disappointed because they did exactly what Nate said he didn’t want to happen. Everyone starts to solely look to Greg just because he’s in the game, and there’s no movement, the other players don’t get in a flow, and Greg isn’t comfortable down low, yet anyways… I just don't get it (I will say we did better at this in the second half).

There are many other ways to get Greg involved. Several times Greg had the inside on his defensive man and our players didn’t lob it over the defense to Greg. We seriously need to watch the Lakers and how they set up Bynum. Drive and dish to him. Have Greg cut. Do something else! Man that was frustrating to watch.

All I can imagine is that he does have a lot of moves in practice and was just moving too fast since it’s his first game. But still, it was obvious from the get go that he was nervous, so I don’t know, change your game plan... That said, once he gets more experience, works with Luke on his post moves, gets his conditioning in game shape, and gets on the same page with his teammates (I'll guess it'll take 15 games), he will be the real deal. I was so happy for the guy when he tore down that offensive rebound and dunked it with one hand. That had to be 14 months of frustration getting thrown down.

Aldridge, man... 3 missed dunks... Jumpshots that just about missed everything... Numerous missed free-throws... He worked hard, had that huge 3-point play, but he had a rough night. Roy did too for long stretches... Dumb turnovers, airballs, missed free-throws (I see a trend). But we won, so I'm happy.

Sergio earned his minutes tonight in the fourth. Down the stretch we had five straight possessions with zero points, but I don't really think that was his fault. Outlaw missed some shots he usually hits down the stretch, but also hit some huge shots. Blake with the dagger... !!! Huge shot.

I'm forgetting someone... RUDY!! Wow, this guy is a star, baby. The guy has ice-water in his veins, and just flat-out comes through in a huge way... We may be young, but with Roy, Outlaw, Rudy, and company, we have guys that can step up when it matters.

5-3 - Fuck yes.

 

Too much information.

 

Miami had a great record at home coming into tonight...either 3-0 or 3-1. So this was a very quality road win.

 

Protecting Roy's ego?

 

To put this in perspective: if the whole team had shown the same shot efficiency as Rudy tonight (2.3 points per shot attempt), the team would have scored 178 points!

iWatas

 

I'm glad Marion didn't play tonight btw.

 

Miami was 3-0 and Orlando was 4-0 at home before we beat them. Two quality wins!

 

5th seed ftw. Dallas and SA struggling FTW.

 

1 game behind Utah for first place in the NW Division. Very nice considering the start.

 

I am glad we won and he had a bad game. He always comes back strong after a poor showing. We need him against West on Friday.