Honestly I dont recall much from you from my days at O-live... Not saying that as a sleight to you.. just thinking it might be after you were done there, and more my time.
yeah I was there those times.. maybe you just werent as "loud?" back in the day? I was there up until early 2009.. might have been around that time.
My stint in O-live was from 1999-Present with time off during all the losing seasons.... Pun on your "band wagon" theory.
Sorry to change the subject back to the original post but I know exactly what he is talking about. They looked different. Not in the actual play but in their demeanor and body language. Two things really stood out to me. First, it was a close game and even when Miami would hit a clutch shot (that would have demoralized the young Blazers) they just kept coming back and calmly answering with their own clutch shot. In past seasons you would've seen them get all excited about hitting the shot and then briefly lose focus. You didn't see any Blazer out on the court in the last few minutes of that game even crack a smile after a big shot. They were just concentrating and focused. Don't hate me for saying this but, they looked like Lakers (that confidence)... the were convinced they were going to win. Not nervous, not scared to lose... multiple players willingly stepping up to take the risk of shooting with the game on the line and hitting clutch shots The second thing that really stood out is that by the fourth quarter (with the Portland offense looking like a well oiled machine) LaMarcus didn't even look like he was working up a sweat. It looked downright easy for him, like he was just unguardable. It seemed effortless for him in a Tim Duncan kind of way. I understand why the media are all obsessed with them, they're a much more interesting storyline. But if they'd really watched the game they'd have realized that losing to the Blazers that particular night was nothing to be embarrassed about. I think any team that had to play Portland that night was going to lose. The Heat didn't play poorly against Portland, Portland really did put together an exceptional game. I really hope it wasn't an anomaly and I think the Heat are going to beat the Lakers tonight.
This is a "tough" Blazer team. Wallace and Matthews and Miller are all physical, tough players. I think this team is developing an "edge" to it that we haven't seen before. Even Aldridge is no longer the softie he was previously perceived to be. If we ever get a healthy Oden in the fold I don't think teams will want to play us.
Not just physically, but mentally too. Roy and Andre are calm under pressure, and it rubs off on the other players. Matthews plays more mature than a 2nd year player normally does, and LMA is starting to act like the Veteran Go-To Guy. Marcus has seen it all too, and is steady. We aren't the 2007-08 Blazers that won 13 games on duct tape, bailing wire and emotion. That 4th quarter (heck, the whole game) was a Team In Charge taking shots from an opponent and Responding In Kind.
I had basically the same feeling watching it. It's almost like I trust this team to not completely collapse or wilt under pressure. In the past, Roy was the only consistent performer at the end of games, and I'd get nervous if he didn't have the ball. Now, it's a veteran team, with the right amount of youth sprinkled into increasingly specific roles. I like it, and it's just plain fun to watch the different parts coming together. Now, they just need Oden next year, and let's see what happens! Nice to see you, Spud!
I'm still shocked in the Miami game that they chose not to put Wade onto Miller towards the end. Would have done a better job of harassing the two man game Miller and Aldridge were running, and Chalmers would have been ok on Matthews, passable at least. Was really surprised. The biggest thing for us, matching up with a team like Miami, or other teams with a couple of big scorers is, we never have to go without a solid defender in the game on them. With Matthews, Wallace and Batum, we can always have two of the 3 out there. Even better, we have seen both Batum AND Matthews cover PGs for stretches of games this season. So when we face, say, OKC, you get a 3 man rotation on Durant, and a 2 man rotation on Westbrook. And Miller could cover Sefolosha just fine. And there's the bonus of their defense being different styles. Length and finesse of Batum, and strength and aggressiveness of Wallace and Matthews. I just really, REALLY wish we had one more big. I do like our small ball lineup, primarily because we're not stuck with someone who is a liability on offense, like we are often with Joel. But would be nice to have those fouls in a playoff series. We still have an open roster spot, right?
Very nice post SPUD! I couldn't have said it better myself. One thing that really stood out was how quick they were defensively. It almost was suffocating to the other team. No wonder why only their superstars could score!
To daydream about a healthy Blazer team next season during the lockout shortened season: Miller; Wes; Wallace; LA; Oden That's our "knock you around and bruise you up good" lineup.
