Veteran feel = Marcus Camby and Andre Miller. I agree that Roy and Aldridge aren't young guys anymore, but it takes a while to get that calm, cool, and collected attitude. I think Camby has really imprinted his style on the team. You can just see it when hes' on the floor. I'd say Camby has had a better effect on the team than Miller has though.
Indeed the team feels different this year. I would agree with Nate though that B-Roy and especially LMA aren't quite there yet, especially when the double team comes! Were in the Zone, lets get it done. Championship. I said it, its possible.
I really need to see more from this team before I'm ready to start patting them on the back. We've got a really tough stretch of games coming up and I want to see how we handle it. If we go 8-2 or 9-1, I will be VERY impressed. I think we might go 7-3, which is also fine.
I think the Camby/Miller imprint is unmistakeable. You can tell these guys are comfortable in their own skin and it's finally starting to rub off on the 'new vets'. When we get all our bigs back, that elusive combo of youth, depth and experience = likely deep run in the playoffs. It may be a bit too soon for the backpatting, but I can't help feeling optimistic about the mix we have out there. I see A LOT of 8-2, 7-3 stretches on the horizon.
You and me both I think we also have to attribute this to Batum though. If he hadn't caught fire against Phoenix, we might not have won that game. We've had some very timely contributions from guys and we can only hope that it's going to be a trend.
The biggest positive I have seen, and granted, it is two games against borderline playoff teams, is that, while we have needed a good fourth wuarter each game to get the win, the fourth quarter wasn't Roy iso-ing at the top of the key for half the quarter. It was lock down defense leading to turnovers, mistakes and bad shots by the opponent, and decent offensive execution. We all know Roy can take over a game when needed. For us as a team to take over a fourth quarter without him needing to do that, to me, shows there's still another level we can turn it up to, IMO.
Man, no doubt. We talk so much about Roy and Aldridge, but Batum is a key cog and certainly deserves more credit for what he brings to the table. Comparisons to Tayshaun Prince during the Piston's run are becoming more and more justified. I hope we can keep him. I also feel that we're approaching the "we don't need another hero" level of collective team talent, maybe a lot like the aforementioned Pistons of yore.
I still worry about our bench, however. Granted, we are still awaiting a return of two big men, which will help. But I'm not a fan of the disappearing act in game 2. A big issue of ours has been consistency off of the bench, and not knowing when we'll get a contribution from that unit. I think a healthy Oden and Przybilla obviously helps that, because if you are actually able to slide Camby to the bench, it's another stabilizing force. Still, the next 10 or so games, I'd love to see consistent production from them. I have liked seeing one of Aldridge or Roy almost on the court at all times.
Miller and Camby haven't ever really been known as veteran leaders, but they are both smart players. Roy has played like a vet since his first game as a Blazer. Batum plays like he's 28. I think these players are finally getting comfortable with one another and the coaching is better this year. This group has always had grit; now I think we have confidence.
Miller definitely, but I've noticed Camby really leaving an imprint on this team since day one. He calls out plays on defense, gets the guys going, and provides a calming force on the court. I think he really sets the tone on defense, in much the same way that Pippen did when he got here.
I noticed that too. I was talking with a co-worker and mentioned that in the Clippers game, even when they went down by 4 in the last quarter, I never felt like the game was in jeopardy. They never looked even slightly stressed. When they walked back on the court after timeout I saw a calm intensity on their faces. It was like they were pacing themselves through the game and when it came to crunch time it wasn't about trying not to lose, it was about going in and taking that game. Showing the young Clippers exactly who they are and that they can't hang with them. It was funny because it reminded me of a game against Phoenix about 3 seasons ago. I remember the Suns taking the court and thinking they looked like men and our guys looked like boys. Now it's our guys looking like men compared to the other team! I like this way better.
Also my opinion. reptt. If your defense is that solid it takes loads of pressure off the offense because you create more opportunities for the offense. Hopefully in our case more faast breaks!
They've lost that rookie feeling.... whoa whoa that rookie feeling.... They've lost that rookie feeling and it's gone... gone... gone... Whoa... whoa... whoa-whoa whoa...
Well, to be fair the Blazers have looked like the pinnacle of composure against the Clippers and the Suns. The Suns are trying to deal with the post-Amare reality. They're bread-and-butter play (Nash/Amare pick and roll) is gone. Nash was logging huge minutes, which he doesn't really do. That's a tough transition for them. The Clips are trying to figure out just how awesome Griffin is, and were probably taken off-guard when he collapsed in the 4th from rookie exhaustion. So Baron Davis did his usual three pointer bullshit, and the rest of the sad-sack clippers followed suit. So far the Blazers have shown me they are a lot more mentally tough than those two squads. Which is great. It's kind of what I expect, but just because I expect it doesn't mean I shouldn't be happy to get it. But I'll feel more confident about this team when it does so against a playoff squad that is notoriously tough minded and isn't in the midst of major transition.
