This is gonna be a battle. We are dismal on the road and we always play down to our competition. This adjustment is something I would like to see tonight. 1.) Aldridge start at center vs. Hawes. I think Aldridge's reach and speed will work to our advantage. Aldridge always is playing offense against centers anyway; so that isn't the issue. This will force us to post up Aldridge more and use Hickson on the elbow. 2.) Hickson starting at PF. T-young is actually a SF playing out of position at PF. This will work to the advantage of Hickson. He will be a nightmare offensively, and positioning at PF will give him a better shot at offensive boards. 3.) Matthews being the designating trap player. R. Ivey is a "non-factor" offensively; so we can gamble more on him to stop or contain Holiday. I would ask Matthews to use less energy on the offensive end, and use all to try and get steals for easy fast break points. 4.) Lillard needs to be really aggressive right out of the gate. He needs to have Holiday play defense and fight through picks and screens. Defensively, I would use Matthews and Lillard to trap Holiday as much as possible.
The Portland Trail Blazers are well aware that they need to perform better on the road if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Blazers will try to start a five-game trip in winning fashion Monday night when they take on a Philadelphia 76ers team which has significantly dimmer postseason hopes. With 17 games remaining, Portland (31-34) has plenty of ground to make up to move into the Western Conference's top eight but is among six teams within 5 1/2 games of each other for the final three playoff spots. The Blazers have helped themselves lately with back-to-back home wins, but their next five games are on the road, where they've dropped 12 of 14. That doesn't bode well heading into a trip that features four teams currently in playoff position, not to mention two sets of games on back-to-back nights. "This is a make-or-break road trip for us. I keep saying we're right there. If we play good on this trip then anything is possible," said LaMarcus Aldridge, who had 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 112-101 win over Detroit on Saturday. Aldridge posted a third straight double-double, and J.J. Hickson recorded his 10th in 12 games since the All-Star break with 18 points and 15 boards. The solid play of those big men has helped Portland win six of 10, including double-digit victories in the last two. "Hopefully it's a little momentum for us going out on the road," coach Terry Stotts said. The lone opponent Portland will face on this trip that is not in position for the postseason is Philadelphia (25-40), which is eight games back of eighth-place Milwaukee in the East. The 76ers will try to boost their faint hopes by finishing with a winning record on a four-game homestand. After getting edged by red-hot Miami on Wednesday, they defeated Central Division-leading Indiana 98-91 on Saturday. "I think our guys are settling into a really good style. I'm really happy with the way they've responded," coach Doug Collins said. "Our guys want to win, and they want to build. This is not a situation where our guys don't want to do anything other than that "Just watching the tape, we're playing really connected basketball." Spencer Hawes had 18 points, a season-high eight assists and personal bests of 16 rebounds and seven blocks in Philadelphia's third victory in 16 games. Jrue Holiday provided 27 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. "I really like the nucleus we have here and what we've built here," Hawes said. "This year has been tough on everybody. I think if we can keep the right mindset going forward, and finish out strong, I think the future is bright." Holiday had 29 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in Portland on Dec. 29, but the 76ers fell 89-85. Nicolas Batum had 22 points and eight assists to lead the Blazers, who have won three straight in this series - all in Portland. Wesley Matthews missed that last meeting, but his 20.5 career scoring average versus Philadelphia is easily his highest against any opponent. The Blazers are playing in Philadelphia for the first time since an 88-79 loss Nov. 30, 2010. Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited
I missed the game. The box score shows a recent pattern--Aldridge is much improved at the expense of Hickson. When one goes up, the other goes down. Does anyone here keep track of their combined box score lines each game? Has it stayed pretty constant? You're all stat geeks so you probably all keep the combined stats each game for Aldridge and Hickson in your pocket penholders. To the left of the slide rule.
