The Blazers are in anybody's league...at the Rose Garden. On the road, they just show their youth and inexperience with lack of confidence.
Neither, I'm content that we're consistently improving game to game, season to season. I though we played pretty tight D tonight, except for Blake and Roy, and I'd say we're as good or better than SA overall right now. They are getting ready to make wholesale changes personnel-wise, as they are old and gimpy compared to us. We lost back-to-back road games against 2 tough teams with 2 of the best coaches in the league. So what?
I hope he plays too, but I don't expect him to impress anyone with his D, which is nothing special even for a rookie. I want him out there because he goes strong to the hoop, and because Blake and Roy seem to have hit a wall due to big minutes. If we are doing any damage in the playoffs it will be because our bench is ready for war, so Nate better take them out of the box and dust them off.
In the "meaningless" stat department, Sergio was our only + (+1) tonight. http://www.nba.com/games/20090225/PORSAS/boxscore.html
Live by the 3, die by the 3. Unfortunately, when Blake is the PG on the team, the Blazers are a jump shooting team. No penetration=no breakdown of the defense. No ability to finish at the rim=no threat to score at the rim.
I'm disappointed, but we went into a top 4 teams house and got beat handily. Wasn't expecting much more. I know Duncan was out, but still (Yeah, Manu was out, but I think there is a gap between Duncan/Parker and him). They are very good and extremely well coached. They are where we strive to be. Same type of system and defense I think. They got the three stars and role players, something we hope to have (maybe 4 is Bayless evolves into a star which I think he is capable of). We just gotta take this Minny game and protect our home court. We will be ok. I think we will probably finish 7th in the playoff race (I know I change this all the time, LMAO).
