Mavericks at Blazers 12/25/2008 Game Thread

boxing out doesnt equal rebounds. i cant see why people are blaiming oden

 

Why would be want to do something smart like that?

 

That is partially true, yes.

But I wasn't referring to only the fourth quarter.

Edit: there were numerous instances earlier in the game where Greg just lacked focus and let guards grab the ball off long rebounds.

 

21-32 FT shooting

Terrible.

 

The heartbreakers fall into the "Crap happens" category.

The Clippers were just plain hot and the Blazers were tired on a back-to-back.

This one sucks the worst, IMO, because the Blazers had the game in hand and then let a scrub midget PG beat them and give a win to a team that the Blazers are going to have to beat out for a playoff spot.

 

These losses hurt because we don't seem to learn anything from them. It's all isolation plays that lead to the opposing team running a fastbreak on us in the 4th quarter.

We simply need smarter players at some positions and maybe, just maybe a play making PG that doesn't stink on D.

 

A PG that can finish would be nice. It's so annoying to watch Steve Blake have a clear path to the basket and all he does is drive, jump in the air and throw it to the other team. Lay the fucking ball up.

 

The rebounding had nothing to do with any of our bigs.

 

jerryd bayless

 

If Steve Blake isn't shooting a 3pter he's basically useless.

 

Awful fourth quarter. I really thought we had the momentum at the end of the third. Terrible pick and roll D, awful foul shooting the whole game, no help for Greg on the boards, and Mr. Fourth Quarter Brandon Roy didn't show up at all.

Kind of a rotten cherry on my Christmas sundae, but I think we'll get it turned around. I predict many many defensive drills in the next practice.

 

A veteran SF, a defensive PG, and a banger backup PF as well as a new coach is our list of needs right now IMO. I think some different offensive and defensive schemes would help greatly in addition to those things.

 

A team with play-off aspirations can't lose games like this on their home floor.

The Mavs were the more experienced team - that can't be helped. The Mavs also out-hustled the Blazers tonight - and that CAN be helped.

As for Penknife, the "patience" argument is wearing thin. It would be one thing if he was inconsistent....but he is just consistently mediocre. This goes beyond the after effects of the knee injury. I am becoming convinced that his problems are from the neck up.

 

I don't know why people don't see the real problem. It is the coach and the lack of a quality point guard. Steve Blake is a shooting guard as far as I am concerned.

Dirk can't guard your momma and he gets four fouls and NOBODY goes after him on offense. Put Channing stupid Frye in there and go to him and MAKE him go to the whole five or six times in a row. Dirk WILL foul or Channing will score....Channing! I don't care if Channing got 5 offensive fouls either, you still have to take advantage of this stuff.

I am starting to think that Nate's first word was switch. Whaddya gonna do on defense Nate? Switch.
Hey Nate, you want a Coke? Switch
Hey Nate, merry Christmas. Switch.


Hey Nate, what do you call that thing you use to turn lights on and off? Television.

Do the Blazers have a real classroom to sit down in and learn some fundamentals? I watch guys on other teams follow their own shots, yet I see Travis launch a brick three from the corner and he looks lost but kinda wants to run back on D. If he had taken two steps toward his own basket, the ball would have come directly to him and he probably could have had a dunk.

I guess that would be fine if it translated into the team not giving up easy baskets on fast breaks, but somehow our team doesn't follow their own shots AND we give up layups. Good combo.

I think I am going to have to cut back on watching these games, not because I don't like the team and don't want them to do well. Only because there are some real growing pains left ahead. Oden doesn't know which way is up these days and I blame Nate for getting his head messed up. It started with Nate opening night when Batum got benched despite being told he was starting. Nate is like the boss you have who is always changing his mind for no reason. You can't win with a guy like that.

A new coach and a new pg will make a world of difference.

 

nate is getting a little tiresome, we dont seem to play the right style to match our line-ups these days.

 

we are a horrible, horrible defensive team. poor greg keeps having to take on guys who have burned our guards on the perimeter. we never find shooters in transition. we can't defend the pick and roll. we can't deal with a screen without switching. and we always go zone at the wrong time.

i find it laughable that nate is considered to be a defensive coach. he's been a head coach for 8 years. he's never, ever had a decent defensive team.

 

Ask yourself . . . why is it so "easy"?

Because he hasn't played well. Do you realize he has 20 fouls and 12 rebounds in the last 4 games? Are you kidding me? How can you NOT blame him?

He looks confused & demoralized. I can't believe how bad this guy is. It is WAY too early to call him a bust - so anybody that does that at this point is an idiot. But I don't see even the makings for an All Star. I don't even see Jermain O'Neal type of talent (more or less Bill Russell) and that guy played TERRIBLE here. At least he'd "Wow" you with his athleticism from time to time. In addition to playing with no emotion and not executing for crap, he doesn't show the raw athletic ability I thought he had. His knee? Sure, probably slowing him down a bit. But he doesn't look hurt - he's not limping, or even favoring it. I'm adjusting my expectations for him - at this point I HOPE he PANS OUT to be a solid Elden Campbell type. Hell, I'd settle for a Joel Pryzz clone. I'm throwing my Bill Russell dreams out the window - Bill Russell never played like this. I was cracking up at how Reggie Miller was shocked at Oden's Offense . . . "Greg is EXTREMELY limited on offense right now". Yeah, no kidding. And his defense isn't much better.

I'm not going to say that I wanted Durrant either - b/c that would be a lie. I'll go on record now though. I wish we had picked KD. Geez, how nice would it be to have KD/Roy as a 1-2 punch?

 

No doubt. Our guards can't keep guys out of the paint even when they sag off of them, and people expect a rookie who had MF surgery to leave his man and block the shot or force a miss and get the rebound himself? Greg might as well grab the ball and run the fast break himself too. During timeouts he should sell popcorn in the stands and act as security for any rowdy fans too.

Nate is considered a defensive coach because his offensive schemes are worse than his defense. Gotta pick one or the other I guess.