GAME THREAD: ROCKETS @ BLAZERS - 12/12/13, THURS, 7:30 PM (PST), TNT

True. McHale's best coaching strategy is to stand in front of the apposing team's best player to interfere with an inbounds pass. You know you're reaching deep down and finding nothing when you start playing Kidd games to get an edge.

 

Hahaha I knew it

 

There's your thousands mags!

 

Yes!

 

It does worry me who Houston is going to get for Asik. They will be adding someone decent to their roster in another week.

 

In the beginning of the game, David Aldridge was saying he'll be traded no later than the 19th, and IIRC, Milwaukee and Philly were interested teams, along with Cleveland (Where Vareajo would come to Houston)

 

We broke their back tonight. Even their best defender had no answer for Aldridge. It was a thing of beauty

 

Lopez was beast. Maybe his acquisition is akin to the Buck Williams trade after all?

If there is one thing I take away from this game, it's our defense and how it's improving. We had many series where we played really solid halfcourt defense. There was one possession in particular around the 8:30 mark in the 4th. Harden and Howard working a two man game where Matthews was making it hell for Harden to enter into Howard and Lopez bodying Howard and Aldridge shading the key. It was great team defense with guys in sync truly anticipating what Houston wanted to do. I think they eventually found Parsons cutting down the middle, but he threw up a wild shot which we corral ed and away we went.

 

Our second half scoring is just ridiculous

vs HOU: 68-60
@ UTA: 54-49
vs DAL: 53-53
vs UTA: 63-43
vs OKC: 63-45
vs IND: 61-56
vs LAL: 61-58

Our defense seems to allow quite a few points as well, but we're consistently at or around 60 in the second half. Our pace seems much faster as well

 

I've been saying we've been a second half team. Play defense when it matters. It's a thing of beauty

 

Awesome game! My throat is kind sore from shouting MVP starting on LA's 3pt play midway through the 3rd and several times in the 4th. No issue with typing though - MVP! MVP! MVP! Took a while for the crowd to get into the game cause the shooting was so bad in the 1st half, but the Rose Garden was rocking by the 4th.


31/25/2/2/2 and just 1 turnover. Simply amazing!

Batum's turnovers seem to always end up being a 4pt swing. Really want him to clean that up, but 15/6/6 and 2 blocks did the trick.

Was SO happy to see Wright hit some threes.

Lopez with a pedestrian 16/10 He and LA played really solid defense all night, and didn't have any serious foul trouble till the game was decided. Freeland finally got dunked on, but watching top 3 plays on ESPN when I got home, they said it was Lopez who got dunked on. So, I'm gonna pretend it didn't happen.

That scene between Howard and Parsons, where they were fighting over a rebound reminded my of Hickson last season without the overt attitude. LA got an offensive rebound and lay in. We were all laughing. Houston coach needed time. That's the kind chemistry issues that separates good teams from the best of teams.

Asik in a suit made me happy inside. Idk why, but it felt like a metaphor for why Houston and Howard aren't leading the West in wins. A team of babies.

Lillard struggled, and I think Beverly had everything to do with that. He's so annoying on D. They both got into it at the end of the game. Dame's gotta find a way to be effective. I think he's seen the best the NBA has to offer so far, and it's time to learn from it and adjust.

Great TEAM win! 19-4 GO BLAZERS! LA FOR MVP!!!!

 

About to read the game thread. Curious how negative people were about Dame's night. One thing I want to point out is he was an amazing +20!!!

 

It was suprisingly not that bad. More concern than anything.

 

They we fronting and doubling Aldridge. They did not want Aldridge to get his and their plan worked in the first half.

 

SlyPokerDog passed on a lot of good info from Blazer PR.

Only the 3rd 30/20 game this season in the NBA, and LA has 2 of them.
LA with career high 25 boards.
Only the 4th Blazer to have 4 or more 20/20 games.
Lopez with a career high 10 double doubles in a season... after 24 games!

Not mentioned was team Rebounding: Portland out rebounded the #1 rebounding team in the NBA tonight. Silly Dave Decker and his pre-season opinions.

 

This was key. And Portland refused to double Houston. Stotts played the percentages, and even on a poor shooting night, it still smelled like victory in the Rose Garden after the game.

 

Shockingly, in 15 games, Robin's brother Brook hasn't had a single double double at all this year. I think we have the better Lopez.

 

Yeah, I agree as well, but its a little disheartening to see him get abused that badly by an average PG. Also needs to develop a drive+step back

 

Physical point guards give him trouble; Beverly is the platonic ideal of a physical point guard (and is imho better than his reputation), and it's something Lillard does have to work through. I hope that, during every practice, Earl Watson just lays into him, is allowed to foul without whistles, and just forces Lillard to adapt.

 

Also, is it just me, or did we really get the benefit of the whistles last night? Houston is used to flopping around and getting any whistle they want. Usually the game plays to their reputation. But our reputation is that we play defense correctly and don't foul often (see Joel Freeland). Last night, the refs played the game to our reputation, and it really paid off for us. This is just an eye test, not based on stats.