at <font size="1">by Wave</font> Portland (18-24) @ Memphis (25-18) Wednesday, Jan. 28 7:00 pm TV: FSO, NBALP Radio: WHBQ-560AM Previous Game Trail Blazers 94 @ Wizards 83 Nuggests 88 @ Grizzlies 106 Head Coaches Maurice Cheeks/Hubie Brown Probable Starters Rasheed Wallace/Lorenzen Wright Zach Randolph/Pau Gasol Darius Miles/James Posey Derek Anderson/Mike Miller Damon Stoudamire/Jason Williams <u>Injured List</u> Trail Blazers N/A Grizzlies Theron Smith - Back - (Return Date: Uncertain) Ryan Humphrey - Concussion - (Return Date: Out For Year) Shane Battier - Left Rib - (Return Date: Questionable ) Troy Bell - Knee - (Return Date: Uncertain) Key Injury: Shane Battier Battier hurt his left rib in the win against Sacramento on Friday night, and he sat out for the game against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Battier is listed as day-to-day. He?s questionable for tonight, but according to the radio, he?s going to play; he just won?t see as much action as he usually does. Not having Battier doesn?t hurt as bad as it would on any other team, since the Grizzlies have developed the ten man rotation. Still, Battier did more than most people realized. He?s a clutch player, which is something Dahntay Jones, his replacement, can?t provide the Grizzlies with. I would look for Mike Miller to play the majority of the game with both Dahntay Jones and Shane Battier playing in the five to ten minute range. Bonzi Wells? Reunion With ?Blazers Tonight will mark the second reunion between Bonzi Wells and his former team. Just to refresh everyone?s memory, Wells isn?t on the best of terms with Maurice Cheeks and several teammates. Since Bonzi Wells has joined the Grizzlies he?s been viewed as a nice guy with little or no temper. He?s accepted a bench role and has been nice to the media. However, this is a complete turnaround for Wells. Earlier this season, Wells had the duties of his co-captaincy taken away, and he was also suspended two games for cursing at his head coach, Maurice Cheeks. Other career offenses include being fined last month for making obscene gestures at fans following a bad loss to Philadelphia and being suspended one game for displaying conduct that was considered ?detrimental to the team?. The last time Wells faced his former team he recorded sixteen points on 8-18 shooting in thirty minutes. He was probably nervous, because recently his shot selection has been a lot better. Against the Nuggets on Sunday, Bonzi Wells shot 7-11 from the field including 1-1 from the three-point line. Once you consider his minutes per game in Memphis compared to his minutes per game in Portland, these following stats show Bonzi?s vast improvement. Now Bonzi Wells is known for his on the court play rather than his on the court problems. <u>Stats In Portland:</u> MPG - PPG - RPG - APG 31.10 - 12.2 - 4.70 - 2.7 <u>Stats In Memphis:</u> MPG - PPG - RPG - APG 23.60 - 12.8 - 3.30 - 1.9 Wesley Person?s Reunion With Grizzlies Wesley Person is the former Grizzlies sharp-shooter that came to Memphis for Nick Anderson shortly after the Grizzlies obtained Nick Anderson and Jason Williams by trading Mike Bibby to Sacramento. I felt bad after the Jason Williams for Mike Bibby trade, but indirectly getting Wesley Person in that deal made the trade actually tilt in our favor. Eventually, the end product of that major trade would be Jason Williams and Bonzi Wells after Jerry West traded Person and a draft pick for the Portland troublemaker. Just as tonight is the second reunion between Bonzi Wells and the Trail Blazers, it is also the second reunion between Wesley Person and the Grizzlies. Wesley Person played eighty-two games in Memphis over the span of a little more than one season, and he averaged just about ten points per game; however, he?s missed just about as much as Tony Massenburg is. Although Person helped the Grizzlies win many games with his last minute three-point heroics, he was a quiet guy who shied away from the media, so the Grizzlies? fans weren?t exactly sad when they heard he was traded. They barely knew him. It looks like the trade benefited the Grizzlies, but these stats are pretty decent considering the drop in playing time for Person. Also, the Trail Blazers didn?t bring in Person for instant offense. They brought him in for veteran leadership that they lost when Scottie Pippen left for the Bulls. They also brought him on to have a guy that could step up in the final minutes of the game and hit big time shots. <u>Stats In Memphis:</u> MPG - PPG - RPG - APG 29.40 - 11.4 - 2.90 - 1.7 <u>Stats In Portland:</u> MPG - PPG - RPG - APG 19.80 - 6.60 - 2.10 - 1.2 Key Matchup: Grizzlies? Front Court vs. Trail Blazers? Frontcourt vs. In this key match-up you will likely see Pau Gasol and Lorenzen Wright in different match-ups on defense than they are in on offense. This is because of the odd heights, weights, and shot selections of both team?s big men. Rasheed Wallace and Lorenzen Wright have almost identical bodies. Wallace is a bit undersized for a Center at 6-11 and 230 lbs.; however, Wright is no bigger at 6-11 and 240 lbs., which makes you think this match-up is even. So what sets Wallace aside from Wright? Wallace has a range that extends beyond the three-point line, and he?s quicker than the average Center. Since Wright will most likely be unable to keep up with Rasheed Wallace, you?ll probably see Pau Gasol guard him on defense. This also works out for the better because Zach Randolph is a beast in the post, while Pau Gasol is a stick figure. Pau Gasol was largely responsible for Randolph?s thirty point and twenty rebound game against the Grizzlies last year. Randolph?s style of play is almost dirty. He makes up for his lack of height by pushing people around with his weight, while Gasol makes up for his lack of weight by using his height and long arms to his advantage. To avoid another explosion by Randolph, it would be wise for the Grizzlies to fight fire with fire and put Wright on Randolph for the majority of the game. On offense, you?ll see Zach Randolph guarding Pau Gasol because Gasol doesn?t really have a great shooting range, so Randolph will be able to keep up with him. It would be wise for Gasol to rely on his hook-shot and make advantage of his super-human wingspan. Wallace will obviously be guarding Wright. Wright doesn?t have range or a hook-shot. In fact, Wright rarely scores. He averages just above nine points a game, and it wouldn?t hurt the Grizzlies very much if Wallace squandered his offensive productivity. Old Faces In New Places Darius Miles Miles came in his first season and averaged 9.4 points along with 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.2 turnovers per game. Because these are excellent stats for a rookie, everyone predicted a bright future for Miles. Two years later these are his numbers - 9.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 2.66 turnovers per game. Is it just me or has Miles gotten worse since his rookie season? Miles was an okay rookie, but that's it. He hasn't gotten any better. This year is no exception. His points per game average has dropped again. However, this is supposed to me a clean start for the youngster from East Saint Louis. He may have said all he?ll bring to the team is flashy dunks, but subconsciously he knew this was a fresh start for him. It?s tough for Miles. He?s the ultimate tweener; he?s too small to guard the big guys and too slow to keep up with the guards. Miles has played two games for the Trail Blazers so far. In his first game Miles recorded twelve points on 6-10 shooting. Sadly, the man he was supposed to be defending, Jason Richardson, scored thirty-one points. Miles? most recent game he got ten points and five rebounds on 4-6 shooting. Again, the man he was guarding, Juan Dixon, scored a career-high thirty points. Miles needs to turn it up a notch if he wants to compete with the Grizzlies tonight. Mike Miller and Bonzi Wells, the two players he?ll be guarding, pretty much take every shot they get a good look at. If Miller or Wells has a thirty-plus point performance tonight then Maurice Cheeks should sit Miles down and not put him back into the lineup until he learns defense. Jail Blazer Of The Night: Dale Davis Apparently, Dale Davis went ?AWOL? on the Blazer staff when he was fined for not making the team flight to Minneapolis on Friday. Davis? excuse was that the snow storm caused him from leaving his house to go to the airport. For a moment, I felt sorry for him. Then I realized he?s getting paid millions of dollars to play basketball and he couldn?t borrow a car from one of his rich neighbors or just slowly backed his car down the driveway. Not only that, there?s no excuse for going crazy in front of impressionable teammates like Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. Davis is a veteran of the NBA, and he should know better. Another thing that crossed my mind when I heard this story was Davis? credibility. As you?ll learn in the following quote I took out of the article, Davis has missed several practices in the past. This isn?t a new experience for him. ?In 2000, his first season with the Blazers, Davis skipped a team practice in Salt Lake City and flew to Las Vegas in protest of playing only five minutes during a Christmas Day game in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Last season, Davis was fined for missing the team's practice in Chicago after staying out late on New Year's Eve. This season, he was fined and taken out of the starting lineup for being late to the team's morning shootaround before last Saturday's game against Dallas.? Whether or not he deserved to be fined, he is not on good terms with the Blazers and we might just see some unexpected turmoil involving him tonight. History In The Making The Memphis Grizzlies have already set a franchise-record for most consecutive wins with their eight straight wins. The Grizzlies are continuing their six-game home-stand and they?ll try to continue this winning streak as well. The most impressive part about this winning streak is the competition they?ve faced. The Grizzlies haven?t just been beating up on the likes of the Hawks, Wizards, and Bulls. The Grizzlies have beaten Sacramento, Los Angeles (Lakers), Houston, Philadelphia, and Denver. The Grizzlies also have the fifth best record in the Midwest Division and the seventh best record in the league. Nearing All-Star break, this is the first time the Grizzlies have ever been in the playoff picture. Why are the Grizzlies so successful? Well, their ten man rotation has received a lot of praise, but I don?t think people realize how successful it really is. The Grizzlies now have five players who average ten points per game (four of them start), along with two players who average more than nine and a half points per game. Those are extremely well-rounded stats, especially if you consider that their franchise player, Pau Gasol, is only getting thirty-two minutes per game. Prediction: The Grizzlies will extend their winning streak to nine games, and come away with the victory by five or six points. They?ll win this game, it?ll be closer than most people think. Portland is underrated. The Trail Blazers have a bad record, but if they were in the rest, they?d be in position to become the third or fourth seed in the playoffs.
I really wonder just how much better Miles is going to get now that he is in Portland. The preview hit it on the head - Miles D is absent. I wish him well but he is not surrounded by top notch mentors!
The Trail Blazers took this game by a dozen points, 88-76. Bonzi Wells scored twelve points on 7-18 shooting, but I am sure he'd rather have the win. The Grizzlies played an uncharacteristic game. They had no intensity. Up to this point the thing that has kept the Grizzlies going has been the homecourt crowd. However, tonight the crowd just wasn't into the game, mostly because there wasn't as many dunks or fastbreaks as there usually is. The Grizzlies looked in good shape early on because they got Zach Randolph into foul trouble, but they failed to exploit his absence. Instead, Jason Williams and Mike Miller kept the ball on the perimeter and shot a combined 4-19. This game wasn't a must-win game for the Grizzlies, but it was certainly a confidence killer.
Hahaha... Jail Blazer of the night. Classic. Lenghty preview man. Blazers took this game? Against a streaking Grizzlie club? ON THE ROAD?! Wow. I am shocked for one to say the least. With Zach going out it would make more sense for them to pound the ball down in the middle. Where was the coach on this?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post">Where was the coach on this?</div> Well, when Mike Miller and Jason Williams get in that zone, they don't pay too much mind to coach Brown. I'm sure they both respect him, but if Mike Miller has the ball with his defender a good two feet back then he'll hack it up instead of taking his man off the ball. Also, Gasol had a poor shooting night as well. The man they should have given it to, in my opinion, was Lorenzen Wright.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Wave:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, when Mike Miller and Jason Williams get in that zone, they don't pay too much mind to coach Brown. I'm sure they both respect him, but if Mike Miller has the ball with his defender a good two feet back then he'll hack it up instead of taking his man off the ball. Also, Gasol had a poor shooting night as well. The man they should have given it to, in my opinion, was Lorenzen Wright.</div> I totally agree. I respect both of their games, but when the Grizz first got Miller I was doubtful about him playing with Williams in the backcourt. You've gotta have one disciplined back court guy, and as the Grizz showed, they really don't have one. Coach Brown can only do so much. I was a little disappointed that Gasol didn't seize the opportunity to lead by just calling the ball each time and demanding his shot. He should have taken the game by the horns in order to put the game back in control for Memphis. But you can't blame this all on the Grizz. Portland played with heart, and hopefully it'll keep up and rub off on Miles.
Well, the game was a suprise. I agree with purehoops, it seemed like the odds were against the Blazers, yet they managed to pull through. The Blazers came in and played with emotion and were able to keep the crowd out of the game. As for the preview, very nice. Except that I hate when people make extremely long specialized previews because it makes mine almost seem pointless and incompetent. Maybe I'll have to make some specialized ones for important games. The Pistons are playing Memphis on January 31, so that should be an interesting game. Hopefully by then the Grizzlies will lose all of their confidence and come in and just drag their feet the whole game.
Portland are the kind of team who can really surprise you on any given night.They have the talent to hurt you inside,yes It was a surprise to see Grizzles lose tonight but the Blazers when they are on are dangerous.Looks as if even though Randolph was in foul trouble still dominated making 9 of 11 shots. Blazers always seem to play well against the good teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AllNet:</div><div class="quote_post">Blazers always seem to play well against the good teams.</div> Exactly... the Blazers seem to play down (or up) to their competition all the time. Its terrible testement to their desire to win. Wave... if Brown was smart... he would take Miller and/or Williams out for a while and pound the ball in deep... What is up with Stromile... I think he is the perfect to put in against the lower enegry players (back ups) because he seems to play with some much passion and high enegry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting purehoops:</div><div class="quote_post"> Wave... if Brown was smart... he would take Miller and/or Williams out for a while and pound the ball in deep... What is up with Stromile... I think he is the perfect to put in against the lower enegry players (back ups) because he seems to play with some much passion and high enegry.</div> Brown is smarter (basketball wise) than you or I will ever be. I do not question his judgement. He doesn't substitute players like most coaches do. Unless a player gets into serious foul trouble, Brown will usually sub five players at a time. So, you won't see Earl Watson and Pau Gasol on the court at the same time. Stromile is inconsistant. He's also undersized. However, he in fact does go up against lower energy backups every night. The Grizzlies aren't denying him playing time. He gets plenty of it. He just doesn't do anything with it some nights.
Blazers never cease to amaze me, they have such an individually run team and lineup but still manage to pull in some pretty amazing wins. I was sad to see Memphis lose, they're one of my favorites and one of the best underdog teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Wave:</div><div class="quote_post">Brown will usually sub five players at a time. So, you won't see Earl Watson and Pau Gasol on the court at the same time.</div> You really think that's smart? The only team that can really do that is Sacramento, and even they don't have that kind of depth this year. I lost all respect for Hubie when he murdered White Chocolate.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I lost all respect for Hubie when he murdered White Chocolate.</div> He looked like White Chocolate last night throwing behind the back passes for turnovers and missing a lot of 3's. I like playing J-Will and Mike Miller together because when they get it going they are a dependable duo that feed off each other.Miller was hurting last night and J-will and Pau were just plain not playing well so with that fact in mind I think it shows how well off the Grizzlies are that they even stayed in the game at all. Think to last year if those 3 would have stuggled what the result would have been. The Blazers have a win at Arco Arena that just shows how well they can play when they get their act together.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Trail_Blazer76:</div><div class="quote_post">You really think that's smart? The only team that can really do that is Sacramento, and even they don't have that kind of depth this year. I lost all respect for Hubie when he murdered White Chocolate.</div> What are you saying? The Grizzlies are the only team in the league that can do that because their backups are just as good as their starters. Earl Watson, Shane Battier, and Stromile Swift could start on five or six teams right now, and Bonzi Wells could start on most teams right now. Most of the time the second team actually outplays the starters. Don't question Brown because he's been one of the winningest coaches in ABA, NCAA, and NBA history. You lost respect for him when he killed "White Chocolate". Wow, I don't know where to start on that. You think that Jason Williams would be better if he were still throwing the ball around the gym like he did versus the Trail Blazers rather than running the offense? Amazing.
