tlongII
12-28-2011, 02:12 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/12/portland_101_sacramento_79_blazers_bench_gets_cred .html
About an hour before tipoff Tuesday night, LaMarcus Aldridge sauntered into the Trail Blazers locker room shivering with a damp towel wrapped around his waist.
He had just taken a lengthy soak in a tub full of ice, something he did last season to help his aching body heal, but something he's never tried that close to the start of a game. The good news?
Aldridge scored 24 points, had eight rebounds and the Blazers overcame a sluggish start to pulverize the Sacramento Kings 101-79 before a sellout crowd of 20,350 at the Rose Garden.
The bad news?
"I was tired when the game started," Aldridge said, laughing. "I was in quicksand. I felt like dirt."
No doubt, the Blazers will try a variety of new tricks to ease their tired joints and sore muscles as this lockout-shortened season presses on. But, when it's all said and done, the remedy that figures to provide the most relief as they play 64 more games over the next 121 days is something modern medical advances cannot provide:
Depth.
As coach Nate McMillan balances playing time and minutes in a season that features 17 back-to-backs -- including two back-to-back-to-backs -- the Blazers will have to rely on nearly every player on their 15-man roster if they are to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
"Look, we've got to play," McMillan said. "Depth is going to be important for everybody. We've got guys that can play (and) they were ready to play tonight."
Gerald Wallace was a one-man wrecking crew against the Kings, and without his sensational effort, the Blazers would have been toast Tuesday night. But, also, the Blazers' dominant victory revealed that depth will be as crucial as ever.
Because while Wesley Matthews endured his second consecutive dreadful shooting night (4 for 14) and Raymond Felton had a sub-par outing (six assists and five points on 2-for-8 shooting), there was a collection of role players there to pick up the slack.
McMillan played 11 players before mop-up time and while their final statistical lines won't wow, everyone from Chris Johnson (two points and two rebounds in 8 minutes) to Nicolas Batum (15 points, five rebounds) had a hand in the win. The Blazers' bench contributed 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith, who combined to play nearly 26 minutes, were particularly important, relieving Aldridge and center Marcus Camby and providing a boost to the front-court. Thomas filled his usual role of doing the dirty work, drawing two charges and blocking three shots and he added six points. And Smith had four points and three rebounds, all in the second half.
From McMillan to Aldridge to Wallace, the Blazers were eager to praise the bench in the postgame locker room.
"I felt like, tonight, our depth came through for us," Aldridge said. "Craig got in the game tonight and he played big minutes, had some big finishes, got on the floor for some hustle balls. (Johnson) got in the game tonight; he played big. I feel like our depth really came through."
That's not to say Wallace wasn't the linchpin behind the Blazers' lopsided victory. "Crash" was all over the Rose Garden on Tuesday night, tossing alley-oop lobs on fast breaks, recording timely backdoor blocks and running the floor with reckless abandon in the Blazers' new uptempo style.
He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks and made 8 of 11 field goals. When he checked out with 1:22 left in the game, the crowd serenaded him with an appreciatory chant: "Ger-ald Wal-lace. Ger-ald Wal-lace."
He also provided some comic relief. During the final play of the first half, as officials were reviewing a call, Wallace took a seat in the front row of the Rose Garden and crossed his leg, taking a quick breather before halftime.
"Trying to play an uptempo game kind of gets to you sometimes," Wallace said after the game, smirking. "As soon as a break (starts) you try to find the first seat you can."
Fortunately, for Wallace and the Blazers, it was a relatively easy victory Tuesday night against a Kings team that defeated the Lakers on Monday night. After a forgettable opening quarter-and-a-half, in which the Kings led by as many as 12 points, the Blazers were in control. The Kings led 46-37 with 2:34 left in the first half, but they scored just 33 points the rest of the way as the Blazers ramped up the defense and attacked the Kings from all angles.
So it didn't matter that Aldridge took that pregame ice bath -- something he says he'll never do again before a game -- because with depth and a heavy dose of Wallace, the Blazers (2-0) opened the season with back-to-back wins.
Camby joked that he was ready to play again Wednesday night. Aldridge?
"He can play by himself," Aldridge said. "I need a day off."
Notes: Matthews left the game with 10:42 left in the third quarter holding his lower back. He was diagnosed with a mild back strain and returned at the start of the fourth quarter, playing just over 22 minutes in the game. Matthews has made just 8 of 28 shots over the first two games. ... Matthews, Jamal Crawford and Batum combined to shoot 10 for 37 Tuesday night. ... The Blazers have won 10 of their last 11 against the Kings. ... Sacramento shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but just 21 percent in the third quarter, when they were outscored 28-19.
About an hour before tipoff Tuesday night, LaMarcus Aldridge sauntered into the Trail Blazers locker room shivering with a damp towel wrapped around his waist.
He had just taken a lengthy soak in a tub full of ice, something he did last season to help his aching body heal, but something he's never tried that close to the start of a game. The good news?
Aldridge scored 24 points, had eight rebounds and the Blazers overcame a sluggish start to pulverize the Sacramento Kings 101-79 before a sellout crowd of 20,350 at the Rose Garden.
The bad news?
"I was tired when the game started," Aldridge said, laughing. "I was in quicksand. I felt like dirt."
No doubt, the Blazers will try a variety of new tricks to ease their tired joints and sore muscles as this lockout-shortened season presses on. But, when it's all said and done, the remedy that figures to provide the most relief as they play 64 more games over the next 121 days is something modern medical advances cannot provide:
Depth.
As coach Nate McMillan balances playing time and minutes in a season that features 17 back-to-backs -- including two back-to-back-to-backs -- the Blazers will have to rely on nearly every player on their 15-man roster if they are to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
"Look, we've got to play," McMillan said. "Depth is going to be important for everybody. We've got guys that can play (and) they were ready to play tonight."
Gerald Wallace was a one-man wrecking crew against the Kings, and without his sensational effort, the Blazers would have been toast Tuesday night. But, also, the Blazers' dominant victory revealed that depth will be as crucial as ever.
Because while Wesley Matthews endured his second consecutive dreadful shooting night (4 for 14) and Raymond Felton had a sub-par outing (six assists and five points on 2-for-8 shooting), there was a collection of role players there to pick up the slack.
McMillan played 11 players before mop-up time and while their final statistical lines won't wow, everyone from Chris Johnson (two points and two rebounds in 8 minutes) to Nicolas Batum (15 points, five rebounds) had a hand in the win. The Blazers' bench contributed 37 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
Kurt Thomas and Craig Smith, who combined to play nearly 26 minutes, were particularly important, relieving Aldridge and center Marcus Camby and providing a boost to the front-court. Thomas filled his usual role of doing the dirty work, drawing two charges and blocking three shots and he added six points. And Smith had four points and three rebounds, all in the second half.
From McMillan to Aldridge to Wallace, the Blazers were eager to praise the bench in the postgame locker room.
"I felt like, tonight, our depth came through for us," Aldridge said. "Craig got in the game tonight and he played big minutes, had some big finishes, got on the floor for some hustle balls. (Johnson) got in the game tonight; he played big. I feel like our depth really came through."
That's not to say Wallace wasn't the linchpin behind the Blazers' lopsided victory. "Crash" was all over the Rose Garden on Tuesday night, tossing alley-oop lobs on fast breaks, recording timely backdoor blocks and running the floor with reckless abandon in the Blazers' new uptempo style.
He finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks and made 8 of 11 field goals. When he checked out with 1:22 left in the game, the crowd serenaded him with an appreciatory chant: "Ger-ald Wal-lace. Ger-ald Wal-lace."
He also provided some comic relief. During the final play of the first half, as officials were reviewing a call, Wallace took a seat in the front row of the Rose Garden and crossed his leg, taking a quick breather before halftime.
"Trying to play an uptempo game kind of gets to you sometimes," Wallace said after the game, smirking. "As soon as a break (starts) you try to find the first seat you can."
Fortunately, for Wallace and the Blazers, it was a relatively easy victory Tuesday night against a Kings team that defeated the Lakers on Monday night. After a forgettable opening quarter-and-a-half, in which the Kings led by as many as 12 points, the Blazers were in control. The Kings led 46-37 with 2:34 left in the first half, but they scored just 33 points the rest of the way as the Blazers ramped up the defense and attacked the Kings from all angles.
So it didn't matter that Aldridge took that pregame ice bath -- something he says he'll never do again before a game -- because with depth and a heavy dose of Wallace, the Blazers (2-0) opened the season with back-to-back wins.
Camby joked that he was ready to play again Wednesday night. Aldridge?
"He can play by himself," Aldridge said. "I need a day off."
Notes: Matthews left the game with 10:42 left in the third quarter holding his lower back. He was diagnosed with a mild back strain and returned at the start of the fourth quarter, playing just over 22 minutes in the game. Matthews has made just 8 of 28 shots over the first two games. ... Matthews, Jamal Crawford and Batum combined to shoot 10 for 37 Tuesday night. ... The Blazers have won 10 of their last 11 against the Kings. ... Sacramento shot 50 percent from the field in the first half, but just 21 percent in the third quarter, when they were outscored 28-19.