Nov 09 2009
Weekend in Review
Last week, this blog took issue with Andre, noticing how the numbers of the team dipped distinctively with him in, though still giving him a shot, considering that he’s trying to fit in with the guys. The other serious issue I had was with putting him in at the same time as Steve Blake. Well, there’s a reason I don’t coach, folks. Maybe we should just do the opposite of what I say all the time, just to see what happens. The modified RAMBO (which sounds like a particularly dangerous sex position) ran roughshod all over San Antonio and Minnesota, unleashing the speed and athleticism of the team, and deciding those games. Am I 100% on board? No. Is it a great way to steamroll less-athletic teams? Hell yes.
San Antonio
What’s there to say, we went for a run against the Spurs and they seriously could not keep up. The game looked like it was over after the first quarter, with the only question being whether we’d hold onto the lead. Professionally, we did. This is something the Blazers did so well last season, not losing a game after having the lead at halftime (the stat was something like 37-0), and it’s something that the current iteration of the team has to aim for, and remember.
Stars of the game included Greg Oden, who dominated the greatest power forward of all time, after Duncan was able to tag him with two quick fouls to begin the game. Blocked shots abound, good ball movement, and glimpses of Shaq, Orlando Edition in his post moves. Greg’s starting to emerge.
Andre Miller turned in his best performance of the season, despite the numbers of ten points and four assists not telling the story. He controlled the game and kept the team loose. He was everywhere on the floor. I hate to use the phrase he did the things that didn’t show up on the scoreboard, but he did the things that didn’t show up on the scoreboard.
Everyone else was pretty dece, as Martell continued to fuel the blog’s man crush with his dunk, Travis continued putting the demons of last season behind him, and Brandon put up the standard 24, 5, and 5.
One thing that I did not miss from the Blazers-Spurs meetings last year was Manu Ginobili. Despite his incredible natural talent as a bat slayer, he is still the worst player to watch in the NBA. Now that his running buddy Bruce Bowen is gone, it’s obvious that Ginobili is mostly responsible for everything that makes San Antonio so reprehensible. The constant flopping, the talking to the refs, the getting every call, the baldspot.
Timberwolves
Wow, that team was incredibly different. We decided that picking up the fast break scoring from 5 points to 12 wasn’t enough in the last game, so we upped it to 21. It was scary how athletic the Blazers were. This is the team we have all been hoping to see over the last two years, running with amazing outlet passes from our big rebounders. Everyone was committed.
Miller starred on the stat sheet, this time leading the team in scoring, but the biggest deal with him and the rest of the back court was rebounding. They weren’t letting Joel and Greg do everything. Andre had 4, Blake had 4, Brandon had 6, Rudy had 5. That’s nearly twenty rebounds from the back court. Compare that to the 5 total from Minnesota’s back court.
It’s unfair, though, to single out someone for individual praise in this game when it was so clearly a team effort. Everyone ran, and everyone passed. Sure, one player scored more than everyone else, but no one player was more important than the other. The +/- for each player (yes I’m using the stat again) bottomed out at +10 and topped out at +13. That’s beyond impressive. No let down from starters to bench, just everyone playing at the same sustained level. (I fibbed a bit with this, as Dante Cunningham -2′d in his debut.) Beyond that, we’re tough to beat when shooting 90% free throws.
By the way, I was looking to do a +/- post again, but 82games.com is back. You should all check it out. Martell is still our best in terms of the stat with a +30 and a +9.7 per 48, and Andre Miller is still at the back of the pack of the regulars with a -13 and a -3.9 per 48. Near Webster are Brandon, Greg, Steve, and Travis. Aldridge is a surprisingly low -3 for the season, considering he led the Blazers in the stat last year. Even more than last week, you have to take these +/- stats with a grain of salt, as we’ve radically changed our style, and we are about to go on a road trip against some bad teams after playing some of the NBA’s best (yes, even the Thunder).
One last stat-head stat: Oden has a PER of 18.5. His opponents average a PER of 6.6. That net of nearly +12 is total and complete domination. Anyone who still wants Joel Przybilla as the starter should see a therapist.
