Plus, instead of going to see if Rudy is OK, Ariza immediately starts taunting the Blazer players like a god damned lunatic. Eff that guy. I have a new player to hate, and he's a scrub on the Lakers.
Actually the thing I was happiest about was how the team responded after that cheap shot. Aldridge, Roy, and Outlaw all jumped right into it. The physical beat down our front line put on them tonight was exceptional. Considering they were double teaming Aldridge all night before he even got the ball, I thought he had a pretty successful offensive night. Roy was Roy. Enough said. Now if they can just carry this aggressiveness to the next game, and beyond.
Travis Outlaw is making me eat my words lately. He looks so much better out there on the court. It's like he knows what he wants to do and then he does it. He's simply a very good scorer.
Something I have just been thinking about. Bayless just became very important to this team. With Rudy down, there is no doubt in my mind that the Blazers are going to need Bayless to play very solidly down the stretch. Especially with Martell out too, otherwise he would step in. Here's to throwing another rookie into the fire!
Be careful what you wish for. Portland matches up well with LA. They don't have a speedy point guard to torment the Blazers with the same way NO, SA and Dallas do. LA hasn't beat Portland at home since Roy came into the league. Not sure if that is what I would hope for. Game seven is a crap shoot no matter where it is played.
Travis really gets props for mixing it up tonight. 3's, dunks and mid-range jumpers were all in the mix. Keep it up TO!
haha.. that was great. And they showed it on SportsCenter, and replayed Nicolas posterizing Pau in LA. That is one smart Frenchie.
Anyone else think Roy was the guy who looked like the 2nd best player in the NBA tonight (behind King James, of course)?
wbahahewafjwe;ifjiw;ejafai jwe;ifjwie Fucking hell. My internet connection died with 8 mins to go in the fourth, and I had to call some friends in PDX to turn on the speakerphone and put it next to a radio so I could follow Wheels. Too bad I missed the game from the 8 min mark in the fourth to the 1 min mark. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
I'm not sure if he is the kind of guy to put up the stats required to be MVP. Especially once Aldridge and Oden become bigger threats on offense. However, I do think he will win a few Finals MVPs in his career.
Brandon is amazing. The perfect superstar to lead our team. I still remember people thinking he was expendable at the beginning of the year when Rudy was tearing it up.. no offense to Rudy, but people who thought trading Roy was a good idea... ouch.
In a way, I hope he's reached it. Part of him increasing his scoring has been a decrease in assists. In particular, he almost never drives and dishes anymore, once he gets near the rim he's shooting it, for better or for worse. I'd hate to see him up his shot attempts even more because that'd likely decrease his efficiency, and his efficiency as a scorer is what makes him such a special player.
Nicolas with attitude + a refined game in a couple of years is going to be a seriously scary player ... assuming his offense comes along (which I'm sure Monty will make sure of).
