The thing that remains obvious is that even if he can't cut as sharply as he once could, Roy still has fantastic moves to get his shot off. He's a born scorer, and needs to stay aggressive. Jason Terry couldn't guard him before, and still can't.
That double-crossover on Peja was flat-out ridiculous, and he can blow by Terry at will. It all comes down to defense at this point, but last night, Roy was as good as he's been all year, and the team couldn't score in the 4th when he was out and LMA was being doubled.
Well, he had it last night anyway. We'll see if he still has it on Saturday night. Go Blazers! (and go Roy!)
Aside from that crossover on Peja (and I'm still pissed that Wallace couldn't finish that play off), I think Roy looked most effective in the post last night. I would love to see him taking his man down low more often. Considering his physical state, that might be his best option
Did you noticed Barrera didn't get his typical offensive foul called on Roy? Roy is still respected by the refs. Roy should be exploiting Barrera any chance he gets on him.
i am satisfied looking at his entire season as a whole compared to one game, and knowing that he is an average player over the long haul. unfortunately that means when he has a good game, he needs to have a bad game to even it out. that being said, pleaase aliens, abduct roy and insert miracle healing space goo into his knees. because i really miss nights like last night go blazers!
Roy had 16pts and it seemed like his best game in over a month. I'll wait to over-react. If he can string together a few games like this I'll be estatic, but I fear most of those long jumpers won't regularly fall and the teams offense will stagnate when he's in the game and everyone stands around watching him. I've become more of a Roy hater this season but I hope he can prove me wrong. If Nate keeps a short leash on him maybe we can have the best of both worlds, ride him on nights like last night but park his butt on the bench if he has performances like game 1 or 2.
I'm thinking the same thing I thought before last night: put him in, and if he's effective let him keep playing. If he's not, then get someone else in there. I don't think the team has any obligation to run him out there for 26+ minutes a game if his shots aren't falling given that the other things he does (especially defensively) aren't all that great nowadays. Ed O.
Watching Roy play last night, I noticed he was playing with confidence and getting good elevation on his jump shots. Based on that single performance, I wonder how much of his recent poor play has been mental vs. physical. I realize he will never be the player he once was, at least consistently, but last night he was still clearly capable of competing physically. He has a tremendous size advantage over the Dallas guards. Last night he simply rose up and shot over them. I'd like to see him continue to do that. He hasn't complained about any knee pain in months. In the playoffs, there are no back-to-backs. He has time to rest and recover between games. If he can just focus on using his size advantage to score over the smaller opposition, and continue to play and shoot with confidence he can really help this team. He also seemed to get a big boost from the home crowd last night. They gave him a huge ovation when he entered the game. My only fear is, that like the rest of our bench (in general), he will only play well at home. He needs to be able to play the same way, on the road, in a less favorable environment. BNM
And Roy of Old used to be that guy that was able to be clutch on the road. He has it in him. Maybe these two games at home will help to boost his confidence. Maybe get the mental block out of him. Yes he will never be 100% physically, but he could mentally.
He was very tentative in game 1 in Dallas. He passed up several shots he should have taken (often resulting in a surprised teammate forcing up a rushed shot as the shot clock expired). He actually looked scared to shoot - which is so unlike "old" Brandon. Hopefully, last night will give him the confidence to take (and make) those shots when they are there - be it on the road or at home. BNM
Shades of the old Roy. [video=youtube;yxY4nzdB3Fo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxY4nzdB3Fo&feature=player_embedded[/video]
You are 100% right. Roy looked very tentative in both games 1 and 2. It was really hard to watch. Last night was so fun because Roy just looked confident. Every player looked confident on the floor.
Golf is a game of Concentration, Basketball is all about Confidence. That's why I don't get all the Roy bashing, he's so natural all he needs is a little confidence and away he goes
In fact, it seemed like the refs figured out Barea's game and decided not to reward him anymore. Brandon even had a play, may be the same one you are thinking of, where it legitimately could have gone either way (Brandon's arm came out) and the ref's just shook their head, no-no-no, as in, stop flopping you little wuss, you are making me look bad. Happened right in front of Carlisle, LOL.
