tlongII
10-19-2009, 11:00 AM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/blazers_98_denver_96_oden_spar.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/-cbf7c44675ac909e_medium.jpg
Greg Oden is double-teamed by Kenyon Martin, and Anthony Carter, right, of the Denver Nuggets, during the second half at the Rose garden Sunday night.
A sputtering Trail Blazers team that has spent much of the exhibition season trying to find itself got a welcome sign Sunday night in the fourth quarter: It came alive.
Greg Oden started swatting shots, igniting the fast-break.
Brandon Roy started spinning and finishing at the rim.
And Juwan Howard kept doing what he has done throughout this preseason: the little things that help a team win.
Sure, it was just a 98-96 exhibition win over the Denver Nuggets at the Rose Garden, but boy did it feel like oh-so-much more to the Blazers. Bottled up with the pressures of expectations and hotly contested playing-time battles, which have translated into sloppy and tight exhibition performances, the Blazers finally felt good about themselves Sunday.
"I think we know we gotta get better before the regular season, but I think tonight was a good step," said point guard Steve Blake, who was one of several Blazers who struggled offensively.
The feel-good atmosphere was created by a 22-5 run in the fourth quarter that turned an 84-72 deficit into a 94-89 lead.
The star of the run, and the emerging force on the entire team, was Oden, the prized center who continues to show improvement in his second NBA season on the court.
In a six-minute flurry during the decisive run, Oden had 12 points, six rebounds, two emphatic blocks and a series of moves providing evidence that he is quicker and more confident than ever. He once again pulled off a baseline spin move that left his defender grasping for air, and he punctuated one move with a duck-under, left-handed layup while being fouled.
Throughout the stretch, which awakened the Rose Garden from its summer slumber, Oden showed flashes of emotion, including a curled lip in anger, a hop-step in celebration and a shoulder shimmy for flair.
"There was a couple of plays when that (emotion) happened -- a couple of defensive plays, when that happened -- bringing that intensity for the entire team," said Oden, who finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks before fouling out in 16 minutes.
The Blazers also saw a glimmer of the old Roy, who turned on his fourth-quarter magic with a collection of spinning drives that resulted in two baskets and eight free throws. Roy, who entered the game shooting 31.6 percent from the field, struggled again (3 for 10), but he scored nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.
McMillan said he will play his main players in Tuesday's home exhibition game against Utah, then will probably rest much of the team in its preseason finale Thursday against the Phoenix Suns in Vancouver, B.C.
While Sunday's game hinted that things might be coming together for this deep and talented team, there are still unanswered questions about who will make McMillan's rotation.
One player whose stock is nose-diving is forward Travis Outlaw, who continued a forgettable preseason Sunday. He went 1 for 7 from the field, sometimes hesitating so badly to take a shot that the opportunity disappeared, and other times hoisting an ill-advised shot. He continued a trend of puzzling passes, which on Sunday resulted in three turnovers.
"He hasn't found his rhythm," McMillan said.
While Outlaw is struggling, Howard is surging, to the point where McMillan admitted that the 36-year-old veteran has entered the picture in his vision of the regular-season playing rotation. A heady player, Howard had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. In the preseason, Howard has made 15 of 22 shots, most of them mid-range baseline jumpers.
Another player making a huge push is second-year guard Jerryd Bayless, a player McMillan singled out before the game as an example of a player who is making the most of his opportunities. Bayless was a bundle of energy Sunday, streaking to the basket on drives or in transition, resulting in seven free throw attempts. He finished with 11 points in 15 minutes.
http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/-cbf7c44675ac909e_medium.jpg
Greg Oden is double-teamed by Kenyon Martin, and Anthony Carter, right, of the Denver Nuggets, during the second half at the Rose garden Sunday night.
A sputtering Trail Blazers team that has spent much of the exhibition season trying to find itself got a welcome sign Sunday night in the fourth quarter: It came alive.
Greg Oden started swatting shots, igniting the fast-break.
Brandon Roy started spinning and finishing at the rim.
And Juwan Howard kept doing what he has done throughout this preseason: the little things that help a team win.
Sure, it was just a 98-96 exhibition win over the Denver Nuggets at the Rose Garden, but boy did it feel like oh-so-much more to the Blazers. Bottled up with the pressures of expectations and hotly contested playing-time battles, which have translated into sloppy and tight exhibition performances, the Blazers finally felt good about themselves Sunday.
"I think we know we gotta get better before the regular season, but I think tonight was a good step," said point guard Steve Blake, who was one of several Blazers who struggled offensively.
The feel-good atmosphere was created by a 22-5 run in the fourth quarter that turned an 84-72 deficit into a 94-89 lead.
The star of the run, and the emerging force on the entire team, was Oden, the prized center who continues to show improvement in his second NBA season on the court.
In a six-minute flurry during the decisive run, Oden had 12 points, six rebounds, two emphatic blocks and a series of moves providing evidence that he is quicker and more confident than ever. He once again pulled off a baseline spin move that left his defender grasping for air, and he punctuated one move with a duck-under, left-handed layup while being fouled.
Throughout the stretch, which awakened the Rose Garden from its summer slumber, Oden showed flashes of emotion, including a curled lip in anger, a hop-step in celebration and a shoulder shimmy for flair.
"There was a couple of plays when that (emotion) happened -- a couple of defensive plays, when that happened -- bringing that intensity for the entire team," said Oden, who finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks before fouling out in 16 minutes.
The Blazers also saw a glimmer of the old Roy, who turned on his fourth-quarter magic with a collection of spinning drives that resulted in two baskets and eight free throws. Roy, who entered the game shooting 31.6 percent from the field, struggled again (3 for 10), but he scored nine of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.
McMillan said he will play his main players in Tuesday's home exhibition game against Utah, then will probably rest much of the team in its preseason finale Thursday against the Phoenix Suns in Vancouver, B.C.
While Sunday's game hinted that things might be coming together for this deep and talented team, there are still unanswered questions about who will make McMillan's rotation.
One player whose stock is nose-diving is forward Travis Outlaw, who continued a forgettable preseason Sunday. He went 1 for 7 from the field, sometimes hesitating so badly to take a shot that the opportunity disappeared, and other times hoisting an ill-advised shot. He continued a trend of puzzling passes, which on Sunday resulted in three turnovers.
"He hasn't found his rhythm," McMillan said.
While Outlaw is struggling, Howard is surging, to the point where McMillan admitted that the 36-year-old veteran has entered the picture in his vision of the regular-season playing rotation. A heady player, Howard had 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes. In the preseason, Howard has made 15 of 22 shots, most of them mid-range baseline jumpers.
Another player making a huge push is second-year guard Jerryd Bayless, a player McMillan singled out before the game as an example of a player who is making the most of his opportunities. Bayless was a bundle of energy Sunday, streaking to the basket on drives or in transition, resulting in seven free throw attempts. He finished with 11 points in 15 minutes.