tlongII
11-27-2008, 01:04 PM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2008/11/miami_at_portland_slideshow.html
It was a sea of oohs and aahs Wednesday night at the Rose Garden, where the Trail Blazers steamrolled another opponent, this time 106-68 over Miami, the sixth consecutive home win to open the season.
If it wasn't Joel Przybilla blocking shots, it was Sergio Rodriguez throwing alley-oops to Rudy Fernandez. And if it wasn't Nicolas Batum hitting a three-pointer, it was Travis Outlaw dunking a lob pass from Fernandez.
"It was beautiful basketball from start to finish," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
But before the fun really started, the tone was set by two of the Blazers' most important, yet struggling, players -- LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden.
And it was long before Aldridge and Oden got the team off to a 12-0 start that the seeds for this victory were planted.
It happened in a quiet gym at the Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin, where McMillan held two separate meetings with his young big men. Sitting in chairs on the court, McMillan and Aldridge faced each other and talked. Later, in McMillan's office, Oden sat across from the fourth-year coach and listened.
The message to both was to forget about their recent struggles and get back to basketball basics. Start concentrating on setting good screens. Start getting deep post position. Think about moving your feet on defense. Talk on defense.
"There's been so much talk about how they are playing and how they are not doing this, and that they are thinking that," McMillan said. "But I wanted them to focus on doing those things. Set screens. Get post position. Talk. Those things will help the rest of your game, and once you do that, you'll get back into your rhythm."
It worked, as both Aldridge and Oden were major contributors to a blowout 37-17 first quarter over a smaller Miami (7-8) team that was playing without star Shawn Marion.
On the Blazers' second offensive possession, Aldridge worked for that low post position for which McMillan has been pining. It drew a foul on standout Miami rookie Michael Beasley. On that same possession, Oden hit a jump hook. On Miami's ensuing possesion, Oden blocked Udonis Haslem's shot and controlled it, which eventually led to Aldridge making a turnaround jump shot.
Within minutes, the Blazers were free-flowing, seamlessly blending from offense to defense, which even included a short jumper by Oden to make it 12-0.
Aldridge finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. He made 7 of 10 shots, ending a string of nine consecutive games shooting under 50 percent, during which he was 47 of 122 (38.5 percent).
Oden recorded his fourth double double of the season, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a block.
Both said their morning sit-down with McMillan played in their head.
"It helped," Aldridge said. "If you just think about doing the basics, everything else comes easy. If you just focus on getting somebody open, all of the sudden you are open. It's like going back to Basketball 101."
Oden, who shaved his beard after his meeting with McMillan, said the talk cleared his muddled thinking.
"It got a lot off my mind; I was thinking a lot," Oden said. "It made me just go out and play ball. I felt like I needed to do something. I'm going to keep learning every game."
The Blazers (10-6) are off to their best 16-game start since the 2000-01 season, which also matches the last time they won nine games in November. It's the first 6-0 home start in 10 years, since the 1998-99 team started 9-0.
The big win ruined the homecoming of Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who attended Jesuit High School and the University of Portland. Midway through the first quarter Spoelstra was shaking his head, and by the third quarter he was openly talking to himself while rubbing his hands over his face. In the fourth, he merely hung his head.
"From the beginning of the game, all the way through, they outclassed us and outplayed us," Spoelstra said. "They just buried us."
The Blazers were efficient in nearly every category except turnovers, where they had 17. They shot 49.4 percent, grabbed 55 rebounds and had a season-high 31 assists -- 11 by Rodriguez, who had just one turnover.
The sharp passing was evident early, when Steve Blake penetrated, kicked to Aldridge, who zipped a pass across the three-point line to Brandon Roy. Roy then swung the ball to the corner to Batum, who nailed a three-pointer to give the Blazers a 17-4 lead. Batum hit 3 of 4 three-pointers and scored a career-high 15 points, while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
For the first time as a Blazer, Channing Frye led the team in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Fernandez also broke out of a mini shooting slump, ending a 2 of 13 string by hitting 5 of 10 -- including three three-pointers -- to finish with 13 points.
The Heat's night was typified by star Dwyane Wade, who entered the night second in the NBA in scoring average at 28.5 points. He was held to 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting from the field, which included a 2 of 10 first half.
It was a sea of oohs and aahs Wednesday night at the Rose Garden, where the Trail Blazers steamrolled another opponent, this time 106-68 over Miami, the sixth consecutive home win to open the season.
If it wasn't Joel Przybilla blocking shots, it was Sergio Rodriguez throwing alley-oops to Rudy Fernandez. And if it wasn't Nicolas Batum hitting a three-pointer, it was Travis Outlaw dunking a lob pass from Fernandez.
"It was beautiful basketball from start to finish," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said.
But before the fun really started, the tone was set by two of the Blazers' most important, yet struggling, players -- LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden.
And it was long before Aldridge and Oden got the team off to a 12-0 start that the seeds for this victory were planted.
It happened in a quiet gym at the Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin, where McMillan held two separate meetings with his young big men. Sitting in chairs on the court, McMillan and Aldridge faced each other and talked. Later, in McMillan's office, Oden sat across from the fourth-year coach and listened.
The message to both was to forget about their recent struggles and get back to basketball basics. Start concentrating on setting good screens. Start getting deep post position. Think about moving your feet on defense. Talk on defense.
"There's been so much talk about how they are playing and how they are not doing this, and that they are thinking that," McMillan said. "But I wanted them to focus on doing those things. Set screens. Get post position. Talk. Those things will help the rest of your game, and once you do that, you'll get back into your rhythm."
It worked, as both Aldridge and Oden were major contributors to a blowout 37-17 first quarter over a smaller Miami (7-8) team that was playing without star Shawn Marion.
On the Blazers' second offensive possession, Aldridge worked for that low post position for which McMillan has been pining. It drew a foul on standout Miami rookie Michael Beasley. On that same possession, Oden hit a jump hook. On Miami's ensuing possesion, Oden blocked Udonis Haslem's shot and controlled it, which eventually led to Aldridge making a turnaround jump shot.
Within minutes, the Blazers were free-flowing, seamlessly blending from offense to defense, which even included a short jumper by Oden to make it 12-0.
Aldridge finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. He made 7 of 10 shots, ending a string of nine consecutive games shooting under 50 percent, during which he was 47 of 122 (38.5 percent).
Oden recorded his fourth double double of the season, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and a block.
Both said their morning sit-down with McMillan played in their head.
"It helped," Aldridge said. "If you just think about doing the basics, everything else comes easy. If you just focus on getting somebody open, all of the sudden you are open. It's like going back to Basketball 101."
Oden, who shaved his beard after his meeting with McMillan, said the talk cleared his muddled thinking.
"It got a lot off my mind; I was thinking a lot," Oden said. "It made me just go out and play ball. I felt like I needed to do something. I'm going to keep learning every game."
The Blazers (10-6) are off to their best 16-game start since the 2000-01 season, which also matches the last time they won nine games in November. It's the first 6-0 home start in 10 years, since the 1998-99 team started 9-0.
The big win ruined the homecoming of Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who attended Jesuit High School and the University of Portland. Midway through the first quarter Spoelstra was shaking his head, and by the third quarter he was openly talking to himself while rubbing his hands over his face. In the fourth, he merely hung his head.
"From the beginning of the game, all the way through, they outclassed us and outplayed us," Spoelstra said. "They just buried us."
The Blazers were efficient in nearly every category except turnovers, where they had 17. They shot 49.4 percent, grabbed 55 rebounds and had a season-high 31 assists -- 11 by Rodriguez, who had just one turnover.
The sharp passing was evident early, when Steve Blake penetrated, kicked to Aldridge, who zipped a pass across the three-point line to Brandon Roy. Roy then swung the ball to the corner to Batum, who nailed a three-pointer to give the Blazers a 17-4 lead. Batum hit 3 of 4 three-pointers and scored a career-high 15 points, while adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
For the first time as a Blazer, Channing Frye led the team in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting. Fernandez also broke out of a mini shooting slump, ending a 2 of 13 string by hitting 5 of 10 -- including three three-pointers -- to finish with 13 points.
The Heat's night was typified by star Dwyane Wade, who entered the night second in the NBA in scoring average at 28.5 points. He was held to 12 points on 5 of 14 shooting from the field, which included a 2 of 10 first half.