07 Blazers (9-9) Blazers Shoot Down Hawks / 5th Straight Win

BLAZER'S GAME 9

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 15th @ 830pm
Where: The Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Blazers Record: 3-5
Cavs Record: 3-4

Cavaliers Scouting Report -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: PF Donyell Marshall (19.4)
Rebounding: PF Donyell Marshall (10.3)
Assists: SF LeBron James (6.0)
Steals: PF Donyell Marshall (2.71)
Blocks: C Zydrunas Ilgauskas (1.43)

The King has definately struggled this year, along with the rest of his Cavaliers though 4 of the 5 starters (Marshall: 19.4 ppg, James: 17.8 ppg, Hughes: 16.3 ppg, Ilgauskas: 14.9 ppg) are putting up some numbers. Outside of James' all around ability, the Cavaliers roster is stout inside .. with a bit of shooting ability here and there beyond. They're a talented team, as big men Ilgauskas, Marshall (recently slowed with an injury but able to dress/play) and Gooden can all pound the boards, play Defense and score. Guards Larry Hughes, Eric Snow and rookie Shannon Brown are slashers who like to shoot inside the arc mostly. Shooters Damon Jones, David Wesley and Aleksandor Povlovic are the team's range.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Brandon Roy (18.0)
Rebounding: Magloire/Randolph (7.4)
Assists: SG Brandon Roy (4.0)
Steals: SG Brandon Roy (1.00)
Blocks: C LaMarcus Aldridge (0.63)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a team that can put points on the board in heaps from just about anywhere on the floor, and so the Blazers #1 priority when visiting The Quicken Loans Arena will be to get stops, rebound to reduce 2nd chances, and get the ball up the floor in a rush. The Cavs are a relatively solid with their inside presence, especially with the ability of James to drop down and play the #4 position at times Defensively, so scoring in the paint won't be as easy. Portland will look to capitalize off the Cavs mistakes/missed shots by running and getting on the board quickly. This game will be about possession and time, mostly. Smart shooting and carefully controlling the 24 clock. However as always, rebounding will be key. (and the Cavs have four fierce rebounders in the Big Z, Gooden, Marshall and Lebron James.

Look For:

The Blazers to allow Darius Miles to run the point at times, not because of what he'll bring on Offense or with scoring, but because he'll be a 5th tall body on the floor to help out on the glass on both ends of the floor.

Last edited by ThaSpecialist on Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

wow, you are on a nice streak. hope you can get the record back up to .500

Roy had a great game, but i love how darius is playing atm. Almost a triple-double is pretty damn good!!!

ScoopDoggyDogg

Both Miles and Roy are doing there thing, although efficiently .. I think they could improve. Roy's inside game is killing me (missing a lot of easy stuff) and Miles turns the ball over a lot.

The Rose City Sports Page Report

The King's Cavs Hold Off Blazers


King James predictably guided his Cavaliers to victory in front
of a sold out home crowd, as Cleveland would hang on to a last
shot victory this past evening at the Quicken Loans Arena. LeBron
scored 43 on an impressive 19 of 26 shooting from the field, while
grabbing 8 rebounds as well.

98
100

Box Score: (Click here for Full Team/Player Statistics)

Game Summary:

Similar to their last few games did the Blazers get off to yet another poor start, this time against the Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena, where they'd commit 4 fouls (2 on Randolph), turn the ball over twice, and clank 3 shots in the opening 2:31. Finally a Fred Jones lay-up fell to put the team on the board. Yet progress from there was a struggle, as the Cavs continued to run ahead .. until finally Portland Coach Nate McMillan signalled for a timeout with 7:39 to play, the away team down 12-4. The pep-talk would do little as the Blazers would find themselves in quicksand, down 20-6 before an Aldridge tip-in finally gave them their 4th bucket of the 1st Q with just 4:37 to play. Darius Miles gave the Blazers their 5th basket of the Q at 2:23 (down 23-10). Magloire with the 6th at 1:02 (down 28-12), then a 7th at around 30 ticks. There the first 12 minutes of action would finally end .. with the struggling Trailblazers connecting on a mere 24% of their shots, while King James of the Cavs would score 14 pts by himself to match the Blazers team out put. (CLE 32-14)

Looking to start fresh and at least respectable, the Blazers would come out firing in the 2nd Q, and through the first 5 minutes of action actually manage to outscore the Cavs 11-10. Unfortunately a lack of calls and a frustrating (failing to) time boxing out the Cavs rebounders would swiftly result in the contest shifting back in Cleveland's favor entirely. The home team would storm back ahead by 15+ .. up by as much as 21 at one point before the Blazers down the stretch would finally pick up some momentum (mostly off tough Defense, forcing turnovers and clearing the glass) and steam into the half down by a more reasonable, and astonishing (few thought after the 1st Q they'd of even climbed back into this one) 9 pts. Center Jamaal Magloire accounted for 12 of the team's 45 pts scored at the half. For the home team, forwards LeBron James (24 pts) and Drew Gooden (13 reb, 7 offensive) stood out as the Cleveland playmakers of the first 24 minutes. (CLE 54-45)

Through the start of the 3rd Q the Blazers would have multiple opportunities to cut the lead to 7 yet come away with nothing. The Cavs instead would run away and back up by 10+ pts. Shooting 1 of 8 in the first 3 minutes certainly did not help the Blazers. Continued sloppy play (charges, missed lay-ups, failing to get the ball off before the 24) would see the Cavs climb up to a 15 pt lead by the 6 minute mark of the Q. Yet the Blazers with a fresher line-up down the stretch eventually burst (led by F.Jones and M.Webster) for points, looking to finish out the quarter strong. Rebounding, releasing and getting up the floor for Portland would result immediately in the weary Cavs lead disappearing, until finally a Fred Jones lay-up cut the score down to 70-63 .. before a Brandon Roy three from deep with 1:08 to play narrowed the gap even further to just 4 pts. Then a momentum-shifting three from Eric Snow, followed by a fast break dunk by Martell Webster for the Blazers would leave the score at 73-68 .. before King James in the closing seconds hoisted his 22nd shot of the contest .. knocking it down as the quarter expired to put his team back up by 7 heading into the final period. (CLE 75-68)

Visibly playing with far more enthusiasm and determination now than they had in the previous three quarters, the Blazers would come out slinging in the 4th, and after trading baskets for the first few minutes, once again release and run with quick baskets by Webster and Roy to slice the Cavs lead down to 3 (79-76) with 8:31 in the game. Despite fighting hard to remain in the game, Portland fell behind again through the middle of the final period, before another late spurt of buckets (Miles, Randolph, Roy) once again brought them to within 3 (89-86) with 3:30 remaining. Cleveland scored consecutively to jump back up, but the Blazers again executed .. with a 6-0 run to chop the Cavs lead to the smallest yet .. only ahead by a point (93-92) with 1:27 left in the contest. Only one of a pair of Cavs free throw attempts (Hughes) would fall next, while the Blazers Darius Miles at the other end would penetrate and hoist a ball for rookie LaMarcus Aldridge to slam -- an alley-oop to tie the game (94-94) with 1:02 to play, with the Cavs quick to call a timeout shortly after. Unfortunately a King James three to follow would fall, and Fred Jones attempt from beyond the arc on the other end to tie the game would brick with 30.8 left on the clock .. the Blazers down by three and only able to foul Larry Hughes with 28.7 to go. Reluctantly Hughes would miss both free throws, and at the other end of the floor guard Brandon Roy penetrating hard would draw a whistle and head to the line to try two himself with 18.9 ticks to go. Roy would drain both to narrow the lead back to a point (97-96) and the Blazers again would foul with 17.2 ticks, sending guard Eric Snow to the line. Following Snow's free throws (both good, and both his first pts of the game) Portland would push the ball over mid-court before calling a timeout to talk over the situation, down 3 with roughly 15 seconds to play. Rookie Center LaMarcus Aldridge would get the feed, draw the foul and head to the line to drain two of his own late-game free throws .. the score back to a point differential (99-98) with guard Eric Snow of the Cavs once again getting fouled and sent to the line with 7.8 on the clock at the other end. This time around he'd only hit one of the two free throws (the second) .. before the Blazers across court would use their final timeout with 5.7 seconds to play, time enough for a play while down just two points. The call would go to Roy, who'd get the final shot from the baseline from around 12 feet away .. and he'd clang it at the sound of the buzzer, giving the Cavs their 4th win of the season and the Blazers there 6th loss. (CLE WINS 100-98)


Reality's of the Game:

LeBron James of the Cavs was simply unstoppable en route to scoring a game-high 43 points on a stellar 19 of 26 shooting. James also registered 8 rebounds and a pair of steals.

Although he shot the ball poorly (only 7 of 23 fieldgoals made) Blazers rookie guard Brandon Roy once again led Portland in scoring with 21 pts. Roy made all 6 of his free throw attempts, and grabbed 7 rebounds to go along with his 6 assists on the game.

The Gatorade Baller of the Game honors went to Cleveland's Drew Gooden, who scored 19 pts for the Cavs while grabbing a game-high 21 rebounds, 10 of them on the Offensive glass. Gooden simply dominated the paint on both ends of the floor with 3 steals and 3 blocks registered as well. He was 9 of 10 from the free throw line. 13 of his 21 rebounds came in the 1st half.

Blazers forward Darius Miles had another pretty productive game outside of the scoring sheet, with 10 assists (tops for the team) 8 rebounds and 6 points. Center Jamaal Magloire in the mean time missed out on a double double (18 pts, 9 reb, blk) while scoring 18 pts .. a season high for him.

Despite scoring 26 pts, Cavs guard Larry Hughes played absolutely terrible with only 11 field goals made out of 37 attempts. Hughes was also 2 of 11 from beyond the arc, with 7 rebounds.

Six Blazers scored in double digits against the Cavs. Aside from Magloire and Roy, the others were rookie Center LaMarcus Aldridge (12 pts, 6 reb, a steal) forward Raef LaFrentz (10 pts) forward Zach Randolph (10 pts, 8 reb, a steal) and 2nd year guard Martell Webster (10 pts).

Cavs Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was a terror for the Blazers. The Big Z piled up 5 blocks and 10 rebounds by the end of the game. In the mean time starting point guard Eric Snow (3 pts, 11 assists) dished out dimes the entire night since he couldn't hit a bucket (0 for 9 from the field, but 3 of 4 from the charity stripe) if his life depended on it.


Game Photos:


Forward Darius Miles (#23) struggled to find points against the likes of
LeBron and the Cavs interior Defense, but his 10 assists on the game
clearly showed his knack for finding others. The 6'9" forward also
tied for second on the team with 8 rebounds to go along with his 6 pts.


Cleveland's interior Defense was staggering, as big men Zydrunas
Ilguaskas and Drew Gooden (both pictured) recorded a combined
eight blocked shots on the Blazers. The pair also pulled down a
combined 31 rebounds, 16 of which were Offensive.


One Blazer not afraid to brave the paint against the Cavs was young
guard Martell Webster (pictured). Webster put up a solid 10 pts off
the bench in limited action, with several of his baskets coming amongst
Cleveland's hulking giants in the lane.

BLAZER'S GAME 10

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 17th @ 730pm
Where: The Boston Garden, Boston, MA
Blazers Record: 3-6
Celtics Record: 4-4

Celtics Scouting Report -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Wally Szczerbiak (23.0)
Rebounding: PF Al Jefferson (11.3)
Assists: PG Delonte West (4.4)
Steals: SF Paul Pierce (2.50)
Blocks: PF Al Jefferson (1.88)

The Celtics are a team that has seen better times, but some recent offseason moves may of been the necessary upgrades to get this team back out and rolling. Led by scoring guards in Wally Szczerbiak (23 ppg) and Paul Pierce (19 ppg) the Celts don't have much of an inside presence beyond iffy scorers in Al Jefferson and Michael Olowokandi, but the two along with reserve Centers Kendrick Perkins and Theo Ratliff can definately play Defense and clean the glass. Guards Delonte West and (undrafted out of Villanova) rookie Allan Ray are both jump shooters with some range. And if guards Sebastian Telfair and Gerald Green (both former highschoolers) are on the floor it's a safe bet that Boston is planning to run.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Brandon Roy (18.6)
Rebounding: C Jamaal Maglore (7.6)
Assists: SG Brandon Roy (5.0)
Steals: SG Brandon Roy (0.80)
Blocks: C LaMarcus Aldridge (0.56)

Albeit getting man-handled on the boards (the Cavs grabbed 20 Offensive rebounds two nights ago) the Blazers played a pretty solid game against Cleveland, and came back from being down by as much as 17. And so the main priority for Portland heading into Boston will be to stay focused and move the ball around. The Celtics are a pretty young team outside of their Centers, so they'll make mistakes -- especially with over-pursuing the ball. Ball movement, knocking down jump shots and staying aggressive on the glass should be enough to get the competitive Blazers that much closer to .500 .. providing they can keep the Celtics big men from dominating, as the Cavs big men did. But it's unlikely that any real effort will be needed, since the Celtics interior is not nearly as young, athletic or strong as the Cavs. The Blazers should be able to score all day inside. Good ball movement and entry passing will be the key.

Look For:

Centers Jamaal Magloire and LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers to take the floor at the same time in order to thoroughly capitalize off the Celtics serious lack of an interior presence.

To bad the streak ended.. Boston is a beatable team.. Do your best..

Overall, a good looking dynasty.

Good luck!

To bad the streak ended.. Boston is a beatable team.. Do your best..

Overall, a good looking dynasty.

Good luck!

Definately a beatable team. Very young back court, and that means turnovers and missed opportunities!!

The Rose City Sports Page Report

Miles Leads Blazers Past Celtics


Blazers forward Darius Miles (#23) left the mark of a dominant
player in the Boston Garden following Portland's 109-90 beating
laid on the Celtics this past evening. Miles led all scorers with 29
points, all rebounders with 17 and even led all participating players
in assists with 9 dimes dished out. He fell one assist short of his
first triple double of the season.

109
90

Box Score: (Click here for Full Team/Player Statistics)

Game Summary:

Focused and determined from the tip off, the Blazers would come out aggressive against Celtics are first, until a hard foul by Center Michael Olowokandi on Portland guard Brandon Roy would result in a flagrant, as the injured Roy would leave the court .. incapable of shooting his free throws. Instead 2nd year guard Martell Webster would convert both to give Portland a 6-2 lead, while their floored leader received an examination on the sideline. The Blazers continued their aggressive play, led by studs Darius Miles (9 pts, 3 reb) and LaMarcus Aldridge (10 pts, 4 reb) while the entire team would shoot a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line, and ultimately turn in perhaps there best quarter of basketball all year. Up by 10 at the end of the 1st with two Celtics (West, Szezerbiak) already in foul trouble. (POR 29-19)

Portland would stay aggressive throughout a majority of the 2nd quarter, and keep the pressure up on the young, foul-troubled Celtics, who would find themselves shooting from behind on all occasions. At the 6 minute mark, with half the quarter still to go before the half the Celtics would use one of their time outs for a short pep talk and rally attempt, down 10 (40-30). Brandon Roy for the Blazers would return, cleared to play again after what was considered a light bruise early in the contest only to leave the game for the half with his 3rd personal foul with 4:59 still to play. Several minutes later Boston experienced a scare of their own as forward Paul Pierce fell hard on a foul attempt, rolling his ankle and needing help in reaching the bench to be examined. At the free throw line forward Darius Miles would convert a pair to give the Blazers a 12 pt lead with 2:38 remaining. The Blazers wouldn't finish up the half as well as they'd of liked, as the Celtics would out score them 10-4 in the final minutes. After 24 minutes of action, guard Sebastian Telfair of the Celts surprisingly led Boston with 16 pts scored (7 of 9 from the FT line) in just 15 minutes of action, while Blazer forward Darius Miles' 13 pt, 6 reb, 4 assist effort stood out the most for the visiting team. (POR 52-46)

With players Roy (foul trouble) West (foul trouble) and Pierce (injury) all returning to start the 2nd half, the Celtics would noticeably gain some momentum following a pair of baskets (including a West three) that'd cut the Portland lead to just 3 (54-51) just 55 seconds into the third period. But with forward Darius Miles rebounding aggressively on the Defensive glass and leading the break, the Blazers would pull back ahead with a sudden 10-4 run, up 64-55 with 8:38 to play soon enough. Running and playing Defense, Portland would keep a 6+ pt lead throughout the remainder of the quarter, while the Celtics would struggle to find someone consistent enough to score outside of guards Delonte West and Paul Pierce (20 of the team's 26 pts scored in the Q). Portland would remain up by 10 at the end of 36 minutes after a solid and efficient quarter, similar to their first. (POR 82-72)

The Blazers play from the previous quarter would transition smoothly into the final period of the contest. In fact the Celtics attempts to chip away at Portland's lead simply ceased, as the Blazers would dominantly run away with this one down the stretch .. out-scoring Boston 19-7 in just the first 6 minutes of the quarter (101-79 with 5:56 to play). Led by Darius Miles (8 pts on 4/4 FT, 5 reb in the Q) Portland would turn out their best 4th quarter of basketball yet in holding the Celts to just 18 pts (on 7 of 20 shooting, 35%) while forcing 4 turnovers, and drawing 5 fouls. (POR WINS 109-90)


Reality's of the Game:

Blazers forward Darius Miles simply destroyed the Celtics single-handedly, while displaying a single-game dream of what his future was forecasted to be at one point, providing he ever fulfilled his potential. Miles dropped 29 points, 17 rebounds and 9 assists on the young Celtics, thoroughly stomping a mud hole in the Boston Garden before leaving with the Gatorade Baller of the Game honors as well. He made 9 of 20 field goal attempts, drained a three pointer early in the contest, and went a perfect 10 of 10 from the free throw line en route to leading the Blazers to their biggest margin of victory this year.

Surprisingly enough the Celtics top scorer, despite foul trouble most of the game, was young guard Delonte West .. who scored 20 pts on 7 of 17 shooting, including 4 of 9 from down town. West also registered 7 assists and a pair of steals as Boston's top player.

Portland rookie Center LaMarcus Aldridge had another stellar game against a weak interior presence. In 28 minutes of action Aldridge scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Although they both played 48 minutes and combined for 23 (of the team's 35) rebounds with 4 blocks, Boston big men Michael Olowokandi and Al Jefferson were simply non-existent in the scoring department (12 pts combined) and a total liability otherwise. The two combined for 6 of the Celtics 10 turnovers on the game.

Though he still scored 18 pts, Portland rookie guard Brandon Roy battled injuries, foul trouble and what hopefully is not the norm or what's to be expected from him .. poor shooting (6 of 18 FGs, 33%).

Celtic guards Wally Szczerbiak (16 pts) and Sebastian Telfair (16 pts) both put points on the board when on the floor, but not nearly enough for the win down the stretch. All NBA forward Paul Pierce also struggled to score (18 pts on 9 of 25 shooting) as he'd only play 29 minutes due to injuries and foul trouble.

Game Photos:


Rookie center LaMarcus Aldridge had another great game despite
playing reserve minutes (28). During limited action Aldridge
recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds. The former Texas stud
dominated the paint against the Celtics.


Boston guard Wally Szczerbiak (#55) tried desperately to start
something up for his team after starters Paul Pierce (injury) and
Delonte West (foul trouble) wound up sidelined. Instead he
turned out a horrid 4 of 13 shooting performance, owing most of his
points to the charity stripe where he at least connected on 7 of 8
free throws. Szczerbiak finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds.


Portland forward Zach Randolph was surprisingly quiet against the
Celtics weak interior. Randolph only knocked in 3 of 7 shots on the
night en route to scoring a mere 6 points. He did grab 8 rebounds
though.

The Rose City Sports Page Report

Roy Sits / Jones Starts


Despite finishing out the game, Portland
guard Brandon Roy later learned he would
not dress for the Blazers next game.

November 18th, 2006

Portland rookie shooting guard Brandon Roy likely will not play against the New Jersey Nets tonight at the Continental Airlines Arena, where the Blazers will visit their fourth and final opponent on a road trip that has seen them play in four different states in five days.

The news comes as a shock to many, considering how Roy (who took a hard hit from Paul Pierce early against Boston last night) finished out the game with the Blazers around him defeating the young Celtics by 19 points.

Initially the young shooting guard claimed the injury (to his non-shooting hand) did not bother him as he continued to play, while sitting here and there to escape foul trouble. However later on after the game, Roy complained that his hand and wrist hurt.

Early this morning tests revealed little, but the swelling that had accumulated overnight told a different tale.

"There's no doubt that it's a sprain," a Blazers Medical Staff Official told the press early in the morning, "And swelled enough that he won't be practicing with it."

The injury comes at perhaps one of the worst of times, considering the Blazers have won their last 4 of 5 games, with some serious momentum built during the blow out in Boston. Yet losing a player like Roy could mean a real loss of chemistry on the floor, or what had been built thus far this season.

"I'm confident that we can still win ball games without him in the line-up," Coach Nate McMillan reassured fans in a statement released around noon, about seven hours before the tip off in New Jersey.

It appears that the Blazers are set to start guard Fred Jones in Roy's place. Very ironic, considering how Jones' role up to this point in the season (Webster started earlier in the year when Roy was injured) was to come off the bench and spark the Offense with fast breaks and quick shooting. Will Portland give Jones starter minutes that could ultimately reduce the energy and occasional jolt that he brought as a reserve?

It remains to be seen.

As it stands, second year guard Martell Webster (7.1 ppg on 34% shooting) has disappointed the Portland Coaching Staff to the point of remaining a reserve in Roy's absence this time around. Shooter Dan Dickau (5.2 ppg on 31%) has thoroughly struggled throughout the entire season, and reserve guard Ime Udoko is known more for his Defensive presence (around the perimeter) than anything else. Former Georgia Tech stud Jarrett Jack (5.5 ppg on 34%) has struggled immensely while starting all year.

All this leaves Fred Jones (6.2 ppg on 53%) as the favored guy to step in for the former Washington baller. But with Jones' initiation to the starting line-up do the Blazers lose their energetic high-jumper from the bench who often came in before to lead runs when Portland was either down, or struggling to remain ahead.

One thing is for certain, though. The fact that this team has a major gap at point guard .. nor any real solid guards at all. And that Roy's inability to stay healthy certainly is not helping the scenario.

Post Injury Depth Chart & Progression

BLAZER'S GAME 11

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 18th @ 730pm
Where: The Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
Blazers Record: 4-6
Nets Record: 3-4

Inside The Nets -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Vince Carter (19.4)
Rebounding: SF Richard Jefferson (8.1)
Assists: PG Jason Kidd (4.6)
Steals: SG Vince Carter (2.29)
Blocks: SF Richard Jefferson (1.71)

The Nets are a very guard-oriented team that likes to run, which isn't the least bit surprising considering who's in charge of the Offense (Jason Kidd) and who is running on the wings usually (Carter and Jefferson). Clearly they are the Nets big three playmakers. However outside of these guys, there isn't much of an interior presence. Jason Collins (7' 250lbs) is a monster in the middle, but not much of a scorer. Power forward Cliff Robinson in the mean time is a seasoned shooter, but not much of a defender or rebounder. Reserve big men Nenad Krstic and Mario Kasun have a decent mid-range jumper, but don't offer much substance on the glass or defensively. Guards Bernard Robinson, Antoine Wright and Marcus Williams are all built to run and fly. Shooters Eddie House and Bostjan Nachbar are the only real consistency from beyond the arc for this team.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Brandon Roy (18.5)
Rebounding: SF Darius Miles (7.7)
Assists: SF Darius Miles (5.0)
Steals: SG Brandon Roy (0.67)
Blocks: C LaMarcus Aldridge (0.50)

The loss of Roy once again hurts the Blazers scoring, as well as their rotation. The Nets are a team that can run and put up points if Defenses slip on getting back to defend the break. Without Roy, Portland stands no chance of outscoring the Nets in a shoot out. This means the main focus for the Blazers in this contest will be to get back and play Defense. New Jersey is a streaky shooting team, and the Blazers perimeter Defense is one of the finest in the NBA this season. If Portland can keep the Nets in half court sets and shooting, than this is a very win-able game. As always, Centers Aldridge and Maglore, and forwards Randolph and LaFrentz must stay aggressive on the boards once the Nets shooters release. If Portland can keep the Nets in half court sets, yet still lose this game, it'll be due to rebounding in the end.

Look For:

Portland to go with Udoko/Miles to guard Carter/Jefferson with Jones at the point if Carter proves too much for Jones to harrass

oh man!! too bad for roy again, it sucks having him out all of the time, atleast this injury wont be for too long.

TAKE IT TO THE NETS!!!

The Rose City Sports Page Report

Carter Soars Over Blazers For 49


New Jersey guard Vince Carter (#15) pretty much shot over
dribbled through and jumped over double teams all game long
en route to scoring 49 .. the highest point total of the 2006-07
NBA season thus far for any player. Carter's Nets destroyed
the Blazers: 109-92

92
109

Box Score: (Click here for Full Team/Player Statistics)

Game Summary:

The Blazers final road game (of a four game trip) against the Nets started off like any game would against a team that had been to four different arenas in five days .. with the home team dominating and going up 12-4 in the first 160 seconds of play. But Portland with a changing of the guard (players) at around 7 minutes would battle back through tough Defense and finally getting the ball underneath on the other end. Rookie Center LaMarcus Aldridge would dunk two consecutive balls to cut the Nets lead to just 3 (17-14) with 4:31 still to play. And it would be Aldridge's rebound and instant push up court that would lead to forward Travis Outlaw's fast break dunk, the third consecutive Blazers dunk, that would lead to a New Jersey time out. Two Portland trips up the court later guard Martell Webster would hit forward Raef LaFrentz for a lay-up and foul, and even before LaFrentz's 3 pt play .. Portland would have their first lead of the game with 3:38 to go in the quarter. (ahead 19-17) Both teams finished up strong scoring 25+ with the Nets Carter and Kidd combining for 22, and the Blazers Miles and LaFrentz combining for 17. (POR 31-27)

The game remained interesting throughout the start of the 2nd, as the Nets tied it up (33-33) on a Carter dunk at the 10 minute mark exactly. And they wouldn't regain the lead until a Richard Jefferson slam at 8:31 put them up (38-36) by a pair. New Jersey would never look back, quick to pump the score up to 45-36 before an Aldridge lay-up would finally put the Blazers back on the board. It mattered little as Portland would wind up out-rebounded, out-hustled and out-ran by the end of the quarter, with the unstoppable Vince Carter accounting for 28 of his team's 62 points at the half. (NJ 62-51)

Portland didn't show much of a change (or a desire to) through the third quarter. The Nets, who'd continue to run hard and rebound well despite some shooting complications, would still keep a 10+ pt lead throughout the expanse of the quarter, until a Fred Jones three for Portland would cut the lead down (Nets up 76-69). Unfortunately that'd be the last bucket for the Blazers, who'd turn in a comical 5 of 21 shooting, and 18 pt performance for the third .. while the Nets Half Man Half Amazing busily dumped in 12 pts himself, including 4 baskets straight .. bringing his game total to a staggering 40 at the end of three quarters. (NJ 86-69)

Surprisingly the Blazers of the fourth quarter would seem like a completely different team that had played in the first three quarters .. at least in the first few minutes. Tough Defense, rebounding to clear the glass and a pair of buckets (Randolph, Magloire) leading up to a clutch Udoko three would suddenly turn New Jersey's field day into a game, while cutting their lead lead to just 8 pts (88-80). But complete failure to hit open shots, lack of getting back on Defense and sharp shooting by the Nets would once again plunge the struggling Blazers into a hole. Led by Carter, New Jersey would pull away once again .. up 98-84 with 5:46 to play. And by the 2 minute (remaining) mark Richard Jefferson will of buried a three to put the Nets up by nearly 20 pts (109-88). Portland would succeed in keeping the Nets at 109, but fail to even come close to touching the figure by the game's final horn. (NJ WINS 109-92)

Reality's of the Game:

Although most who watched the game could of predicted this with his 28 pts scored at the half, Nets guard Vince Carter earned the Gatorade Baller of the Game honors after a 49 point, 7 rebound performance against the Blazers. The point total ranks as the highest scored by any NBA player this year. Carter lit up the Blazer double teams with a 20 of 32 shooting performance, including a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc .. and a near perfect 6 of 7 from the charity stripe. He also logged a trio of assists and a pair of steals.

Leading the way for the Blazers once again was forward Darius Miles, whose 20 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists (along with 4 turnovers) led all Blazers in all categories. Miles also led a very exhausted (after four road games in five days) Portland team with 30 minutes played.

Nets guard Jason Kidd had one of his better shooting nights with a 12 of 20 performance, including an effective 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. Kidd scored 30 (not a season high) and dished 10 times as well for his 5th (of a possible 8) double double of the year.

Blazer big men Jamaal Magloire (10 pts, 9 reb) and LaMarcus Aldridge (6 pts, 8 reb) were active on the boards but otherwise non-existent against the Nets weak interior presence.

Nets Center Jason Collins was a force on the glass, as he led all the game's rebounders with 16. Collins however scored only a single basket.

Portland reserve Forward Raef LaFrentz had a season high 18 points to go along with his 4 rebounds. LaFrentz, despite shooting just 5 of 15 from the field, actually drained a three as well as going a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line. He was second on the team in scoring in a game where points were hard to come by for the Blazers.

Game Photos:


Nets guard Vince Carter flew (literally) over the Blazer Defense
time and time again down the court for one highlight reel dunk
after another. 49 pts later Portland was simply powerless to the
one once known as Half Man, Half Amazing.


During a game where Portland baskets were just hard to come by,
there was reserve forward Raef LaFrentz pouring in points from
the free throw line of all places. LaFrentz led the Blazers with a
perfect 7 of 7 performance en route to scoring 18 points on the
game .. a season high for the former Kansas star.


Nets forward Richard Jefferson (pictured) had a rough night shooting
(8 of 26) but still managed to get down the floor and get up at the
end of several nicely-placed Jason Kidd passes. Thanks to this style
of play, Jefferson was still able to tally up 18 pts by the game's end.

BLAZER'S GAME 12

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 20th @ 9pm
Where: The Rose Garden Arena, in Portland, OR
Blazers Record: 4-7
Spurs Record: 9-1

All About The Spurs -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: C Tim Duncan (21.9)
Rebounding: C Tim Duncan (10.0)
Assists: SG Manu Ginobili (5.0)
Steals: SF Bruce Bowen (2.20)
Blocks: PF Robert Horry (2.00)

Hands down, the Spurs are one of the most competitive teams in the NBA year in and year out, and there's a reason for it. Naturally Duncan (21.9 ppg, 10 rpg, 1.75 bpg) is the leader, but it's the cast of role players around him that play both an aggressive style of Defense, and show up at the other end of the floor equally. San Antonio definately has their share of shooters (Barry, Ginobili, Finley, Horry, Udrih) but if there's a looseness to their style of play, it lies on the boards where All NBA forward Tim Duncan remains the loan threat. Big men Francisco Elson (16.1 mpg, 3.7 rpg) and Matt Bonner (4.5 mpg, 0.9 rpg) aren't scaring anyone once Horry and Duncan have taken a seat. Neither is center Melvin Ely (12.1 mpg, 1.7 rpg). San Antonio's weakness lies on the glass.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Brandon Roy (18.5)
Rebounding: SF Darius Miles (7.9)
Assists: SF Darius Miles (5.2)
Steals: SG Brandon Roy (0.67)
Blocks: C LaMarcus Aldridge (0.46)

After four road games in five days Portland is finally coming home for the next two games. Up first on the list of teams to host .. the 9-1 San Antonio Spurs. A team that has only lost a game, but also a team that is beatable if the Blazers can stay aggressive enough on the glass (Offensive). Portland is still without Roy, so they won't score a lot .. especially on the Spurs stout Defense (should be interesting to see how well Bowen does against the Blazers' Darius Miles). Portland's only hope in this game is to keep the Spurs in the lower 90s via tough Defense, while putting in baskets of their own on the other end of the floor and capitalizing on all 2nd chance put-backs that using a tall line-up may lead to. San Antonio's half court set is one of the finest in the game. Perimeter Defense to force the missed shots that the Blazers need to clean up will be key as well.

Look For:

Blazer Coach Nate McMillan to go with bigger line-ups such as Magloire (at C - 7') Aldridge (at PF - 6'11") and LaFrentz (at SF - 6'11") all on the floor at once in an attempt to get at the Spurs on the Offensive glass throughout this one.

too bad loss to nets!! VC with 49 that is crazy!!!

sorry, but i dont think you will be able to beat the spurs. 9-1, would be a fair effort to cause an update, but you never know

The Rose City Sports Page Report

Blazers Comeback Falls Short


Portland Center Jamaal Magloire (#20) had a monster
night against the Spurs, with 14 points, 17 rebounds
and a pair of blocked shots. Unfortunately his lay-up
at the buzzer never fell, giving the Blazer's their 3rd
loss in the last 4 games, and the 8th on the season.

100
99

Box Score: (Click here for Full Team/Player Statistics)

Game Summary:

Rested up after a five day road trip that included four games, the Blazers would come out with nothing but tough Defense for the Spurs, as All NBA forward Tim Duncan would find his shot rejected not once, but twice (Magloire on a lay-up, then Miles on weakside help .. almost a goal tend) in the opening minutes by the NBA's worse shot-blocking team (1.1 a game) this year. But Duncan (7 pts, 3 reb, 3 assist, 2 blocks) would have his revenge by the end of the Q, as two blocks of his own in the final minutes would lead to the Spurs 8-2 break to finish up the first period. With Miles for the Blazers leading the way (6 pts) Portland remained down a few. (SAS 28-23)

Cutting the Spurs lead away in the beginning of the second quarter with more great Defense and rebounding, the Blazers would convert and sit behind by a point (30-29) before a sudden run by the Spurs, and sharp shooting (Ginobili, Parker) would lead to a massive 12-4 run with the Blazers bricking 8 consecutive shots somewhere in the middle of it all. With 6:46 to play Blazer Coach Nate McMillan would call a time out (the third in the 1st half) with Portland re-taking the floor afterward with guards Jack and Jones in the line-up, clearly intending to run back into this one. It didn't work, as the team would continue to shoot poorly throughout the quarter (barely 40%, 10/25) while turning the ball over 5 times to the Spurs much-more efficient zero. At the half Spurs Tim Duncan (14 pts, 7 reb, 3 blk) and Bruce Bowen (10 pts) would remain the hot hands, while the Blazers Darius Miles would be the only player in a Portland uniform to reach double digits (16 pts, the next closest being Aldridge with 6 pts). (SAS 56-45)

Portland's poor shooting would extend into the third quarter, where they'd put up their most disappointing numbers yet .. connecting on just 10 of 26 field goal attempts to shoot below 40% from the field. But the Spurs (7 of 20) would have a tough time of their own. Led by big men Jamaal Magloire (5 pts, 7 reb) and Raef LaFrentz (5 pts, reb) the Blazers would manage to cut San Antonio's lead down a few by the end of the quarter. For the Spurs it would be Ginobili's 12 minutes, though over half of his 10 pts scored in the quarter came at the free throw line where he was 6 for 6. (SAS 79-70)

Aggressively getting into the lane and getting some guys out of the game were the Blazers top priorities heading into the 4th, and they'd succeed in just that as All NBA Spurs forward Tim Duncan would pick up his 5th foul with about 8 minutes still to play in the contest. It'd prove to be the move to get the Blazers back into the game, as a LaFrentz bucket would finally tie the score up at 84-84 with 7:12 to play. Portland would stay aggressive, and finally with 2:34 to play capture the lead off a Joel Przybilla Offensive rebound and dunk put-back (94-92) that'd bring the Rose Garden Arena crowd to their feet .. a standing ovation. However down the line a Tony Parker three with 1:48 on the clock gave the Spurs the lead again. Portland took it back (98-97) off an Aldridge lay-in in traffic, and with 1:05 to play San Antonio Coach Greg Popovich would bring the boys in for a time out and a game plan. After a Duncan miss, rookie LaMarcus Aldridge of the Blazers wound up at the line at the other end .. converting on 1 of 2 free throw attempts to give Portland a 99-97 lead with 46.4 ticks left on the clock. Less than 10 seconds later Parker for three would sound good again .. with San Antonio back in the lead (100-99) by a point. At the other end of the floor Center Tim Duncan blocked (his 7th of the game) a Darius Miles dunk attempt to re-gain the lead. Then, back on the Spurs Offense forward Bruce Bowen would heave a 15 footer with around 8 seconds left in the game .. only for Duncan to grab the rebound, attempt a put-back, and miss with Portland grabbing the rebound and getting a timeout acknowledged with 4.6 left in the game .. down by a point still. LaFrentz inbounded to Webster, who hurriedly fed underneath to Magloire .. and he'd attempt a lay-up that would roll out with forward Robert Horry there to clear the glass as the game clock expired! Portland falls again! (SAS 100-99)

Reality's of the Game:

Portland forward Darius Miles played hard for the Blazers in 31 minutes of action, but managed only to come away with a team high 20 points scored and 7 dimes dished. Surprisingly enough Miles, who finished with 4 rebounds, a steal and a block, went the entire first half without grabbing a single rebound. Miles connected on 10 of 19 field goals but turned the ball over 5 times.

While battling foul trouble, Spurs Center Tim Duncan still managed to put up 20 points and 16 rebounds (6 offensive) on the Blazers. But more punishing were the 7 blocks that Duncan had. TD was voted the Gatorade Baller of the Game for his efforts.

Center Jamaal Magloire of the Blazers had a great game with 14 points scored and a season high 17 rebounds (7 offensive) snagged. Magloire also blocked a couple of Spurs shots. However it was up to him to give the Blazers the win in the end, as his lay-up with just seconds to play would roll in and out of the hoop to give San Antonio their 10th victory of the year.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili had a hell of a game with a team high 24 points scored, 6 rebounds and 5 assists dished as well. Though he did not shoot to well from the field (7 of 22) he still converted on all 10 of his free throws.

Blazer big men Raef LaFrentz (9 pts, 5 reb) LaMarcus Aldridge (15 pts, 8 reb) and reserve Center Joel Przbyilla (6 pts, 2 offensive rebs in 3 minutes) all had solid games against the Spurs interior.

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker scored 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting, including an absolutely-catastrophic (to the Blazers) 4 of 5 from down town. Parker, who also dished 8 assists throughout the game, knocked down a pair of big threes late in the game to give the Spurs their lead that won them the contest.

Portland guards Jarrett Jack (10 pts, 3 assist) and Fred Jones (5 pts, 7 assists) were effective with their passing at the absolute least.

Game Photos:


Known for his shooting mostly, Spurs forward Robert
Horry (#5) instead was busy on the glass where he
snagged 10 rebounds to go along with his pedestrian's
9 points.


Blazers Center LaMarcus Aldridge seems to only get
better with each game, as he'd score 15 points and
grab 8 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action against
the Spurs and Tim Duncan.


Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (#20) led all San Antonio
scorers with 24 points on the night. Ginobili also
grabbed 6 rebounds and dished 5 assists to go along
with his team high in scoring.

Last edited by ThaSpecialist on Thu Mar 22, 2007 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

too bad you lost, great comeback though. nice to see magloire having a good game

BLAZER'S GAME 13

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 22th @ 7pm
Where: The Rose Garden Arena, Portland, OR
Blazers Record: 4-8
Nets Record: 5-4

Blast From The Past

November 18th @ New Jersey: Vince Carter scored the highest point total for any player in the NBA all year, with 49. Guards Jason Kidd (30 pts, 10 assist) and Richard Jefferson (18 pts, 9 reb) played their roles accordingly. Shooting 50% from the field the Nets as a team demolished the Blazers by 16 at the Continental Airlines Arena.

Inside The Nets -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Vince Carter (22.3)
Rebounding: C Jason Collins (8.4)
Assists: PG Jason Kidd (5.3)
Steals: SG Vince Carter (2.00)
Blocks: SF Richard Jefferson (1.44)

The Nets are a very guard-oriented team that likes to run, which isn't the least bit surprising considering who's in charge of the Offense (Jason Kidd) and who is running on the wings usually (Carter and Jefferson). Clearly they are the Nets big three playmakers. However outside of these guys, there isn't much of an interior presence. Jason Collins (7' 250lbs) is a monster in the middle, but not much of a scorer. Power forward Cliff Robinson in the mean time is a seasoned shooter, but not much of a defender or rebounder. Reserve big men Nenad Krstic and Mario Kasun have a decent mid-range jumper, but don't offer much substance on the glass or defensively. Guards Bernard Robinson, Antoine Wright and Marcus Williams are all built to run and fly. Shooters Eddie House and Bostjan Nachbar are the only real consistency from beyond the arc for this team.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SG Brandon Roy (18.5)
Rebounding: C Jamaal Magloire (8.0)
Assists: SF Darius Miles (5.3)
Steals: SG Brandon Roy (0.67)
Blocks: C LaMarcus Aldridge (0.42)

The Blazers were trampled four days ago when they traveled to East Rutherford, and there's no two ways about it. The top focus when hosting the Nets this time around will be to get back on Defense and get stops. Vince Carter will need to be double teamed, triple teamed, whatever it takes. What Portland needs to do is get back on Defense and refrain from letting the Nets run to their heart's content. Forcing the ball into the hands of Jefferson (streaky shooter) and Kidd (not much of a shooter at all) will also be a priority, as those two don't wield half the ability to score that Carter does.

Look For:

Portland to shrink their line-up (LaFrentz at Center, Miles/Udoko at the #4 position) in order to get back on Defense quicker if the Nets continue to run the court.

too bad you lost, great comeback though. nice to see magloire having a good game

yeah .. it was rough. Surprised we nearly pulled it out though. Playing at home may of had something to do with it.

Looking back on the first 12 games .. we dropped 126 to beat the Hornets at the Rose Garden Arena. Turned around and killed Dallas by 22 at the Arena!

Next up .. a rematch with VC and the Nets

.... and it's at the Rose Garden Arena, where at this point I'm convinced anything can happen lol

I like the way you are playing at the Rose Garden. hopefully you can shut down VC, teach him a lesson lol

The Rose City Sports Page Report

New Jersey Too Fast For Blazers


The Nets trampled the Blazers for the second time this season.
Led by former Arizona forward Richard Jefferson who scored
17 of his 31 points in just the second quarter, New Jersey pretty
much had this one wrapped up mid-way through the fourth.

124
103

Box Score: (Click here for Full Team/Player Statistics)

Game Summary:

Portland would do their best to slow down the New Jersey Nets right from the tip off, but aggressive Defensive play seemed only to translate into fouls committed down the stretch. The Blazers struggled to convert on plays of their own until finally a timeout (called by McMillan) would bring the team to the sideline, down 21-14 with 5:29 still to play. But failure to capitalize (missed free throws, missed wide open three pointers, shot clock violations, Offensive fouls) on Nets errors only led to a New Jersey lead as broad as 10+ before the end of the quarter. In the final minutes Portland would battle back to cut the lead to 10, with New Jersey's Vince Carter predictably accounting for 14 of the Nets 34 pts thus far. (NJ 34-24)

The second quarter wouldn't be any kinder for the Blazers at first, as Nets forward Richard Jefferson instead would explode for 13 pts in just the first 5 minutes of action, including knocking down three consecutive three pointers to lift the Nets to a destructive 52-31 lead. Yet Portland after one more time out would finally come out running, playing Defense and stirring up trouble .. with forward Darius Miles and guards Martell Webster and Jarrett Jack leading what would evolve into a 19-4 break .. one of the Blazers' most impressive all year. Down 56-50 with 3:14 still to play, both teams would finish up the high-scoring first half a little sluggish. After 24 minutes, the hot-handed Richard Jefferson would lead all scorers with 27 (17 in the last Q) while forward Darius Miles (11 pts, 4 reb, 4 assist) represented Portland. (NJ 62-54)

Heading into the third quarter Portland would noticeably slow down, although rebounding Offensively would keep them alive early on. With both Miles and Magloire putting up the bulk of the scoring (13 of 23 pts) the Blazers unfortunately wouldn't have an answer to this quarter's sharp shooter in the Nets Jason Kidd, who'd blow up for 15 of his 22 scored thus far. Kidd would lead a New Jersey run through the quarter that would open the lead gap further, leaving the Blazers to either put up some record numbers in the fourth, or for the Nets themselves to totally collapse and give this one away. (NJ 95-77)

Unfortunately the Nets would keep their speed with the pedal to the floor .. and thoroughly wrap this one up well before the buzzer with a 29 pt effort in the final quarter. Perhaps the only bright spot in this beat down suffered by the Blazers .. the fact that guard Martell Webster would score 9 of his 18 pts (season high, game high for Portland) in the fourth, along with rookie Center LaMarcus Aldridge registering 8 of his 13 pts on the game, and a staggering 8 of his 9 rebounds in the final 12 minutes of action. (NJ WINS 124-103)


Reality's of the Game:

The Nets Jason Kidd turned in the game's finest performance, as Kidd took home the Gatorade Baller of the Game honors this time around. Kidd scored 23 pts on a servicable 10 of 23 shooting, dished 13 times and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Portland guard Martell Webster displayed flashes of glory down the stretch, as he'd end the game as the Blazer's leading scorer with 18 pts on a decent 6 of 15 shooting. Webster, who scored 9 of his 18 pts in the final quarter, also dished 4 dimes, grabbed a couple rebounds, and stole a pair of balls on top of registering one of the Blazer's three blocks on the game.

New Jersey guard Vince Carter scored 29 pts this time around. The last time these two teams met VC blew up for the NBA's highest scoring game yet by a single player, with 49.

Forward Darius Miles of Portland continues to play well on all fronts. His latest stat sheet valuables: 17 pts (7 of 13 FGs) 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Richard Jefferson was the game's high-scorer this time, as Jefferson would score 31 pts in 37 minutes on a stellar 12 of 16 shooting, including 5 of 7 from down town. The hot-handed Jefferson actually scored 17 of his 31 in the 2nd quarter, where he also hit 3 of 3 three pointers. Jefferson also grabbed 7 rebounds.

Portland got some good production out of big men Zach Randolph (10 pts, 6 reb .. 5 of them offensive) LaMarcus Aldridge (13 pts, 9 reb) and Jamaal Magloire (11 pts, 7 reb, blk). Guard Jarrett Jack (11 pts, 4 assist) also had a solid game in 25 minutes.


Game Photos:


Though not to the degree of when they first met on November
18th, the Blazers still spent the night against the Nets and Vince
Carter (#15) looking up and watching them fly. Carter scored
29 this time on Portland.


Portland Center Jamaal Magloire was one of six Blazers to score
in double digits against the Nets. Magloire had 11 points and
7 rebounds, including this powerful dunk following an Offensive
rebound.


Point Guard Jason Kidd of the Nets (#5) stole the Gatorade
Baller of the Game honors from team mate Richard Jefferson
down the stretch. Kidd was electrifying with 26 points, 7 rebounds
and 13 dimes dished out on the game.

BLAZER'S GAME 14

Pre-Game Report

AT

When: November 25th @ 10pm
Where: ARCO Arena, Sacramento, CA
Blazers Record: 4-9
Kings Record: 5-6

Within The Throne Room -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (22.1)
Rebounding: PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim (10.8)
Assists: PG Mike Bibby (5.2)
Steals: SF Ron Artest (2.36)
Blocks: SF Ron Artest (1.64)

The Kings have really evolved into an interesting team down the line, since the days of Webber, Divac and Stojakovic. They're more of a half court team now, led by scorers Ron Artest (14 ppg, 9 rpg) and veteran Shareef Abdur-Rahim (22.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg). At Center even Brad Miller (16.1 ppg, 9.5 rpg) has evolved into a threat. And at point guard veteran Mike Bibby (17.4 ppg, 5.2 apg) will always remain as one of the game's top mid-range shooters. A recent injury to starting SG Kevin Martin (10 ppg, 4.7 rpg) has since introduced shooter Quincy Douby (8 ppg) into the line-up. And while forwards Maurice Taylor, Corliss Williamson and Kenny Thomas pound away at the boards, you can bet that guards John Salmons, Jason Hart and especially Francisco Garcia will be be looking to light it up from outside.

Portland's Priorities -

Team Leaders:

Scoring: SF Darius Miles (13.8)
Rebounding: C Jamaal Magloire (7.9)
Assists: SF Darius Miles (5.5)
Steals: SG Martell Webster (0.69)
Blocks: Magloire/Aldridge (0.39)

So worried about the team losing two straight at home was Coach Nate McMillan, that he actually asked Assistant Head Coach Wesley Collins to change the team's event schedule for the two days leading up to Portland's trip to ARCO. This is a win-able game for the Blazers. Guarding the Kings shooters (Bibby, Garcia, Artest) at all stages and pounding the boards to keep hawks such as Miller and Abdur-Rahim off them (they've combined for 20+ rpg this year) will be priorities. The Kings aren't expected to run much, so Portland shouldn't have much of a problem getting back on Defense. It's a shame that guard Brandon Roy's wrist is still bothering him, since the Kings Defensive weakness no doubt lies in guard Quincy Douby, whom the Blazers will look to take advantage of as much as possible. Guard Martell Webster a few days ago had a solid outing against the Nets. He could be Portland's go-to-guy in this one, though he will not start ahead of Fred Jones.

Look For:

Portland to really go at Sacramento guard Quincy Douby if he does play the bulk of the SG's starting minutes.

too bad loss to Nets. should beat the kings.

how many more games do you think you will be out??

Scoop

Looks like another 2 or 3 days (2 games at the most)

Some of these games get real ugly without him lol

some good reading here, nice dynasty

darren

thanks for the comments. This dynasty's off a console, so it's pretty much the best that I can do.

Focusing on writing (the journalism part of it all) and the story of it all will hopefully make up for the lack of other stuff being on a console does not allow.