tlongII
01-11-2012, 10:45 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/01/blazers_insider_in_the_end_felton_was_a_bit_sloppy .html
http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/01/-ea54949e7b0b074c.JPG
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton (5) passes as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden.
So far for the Trail Blazers, Raymond Felton has been great as a tempo-setter, good as a playmaker and solid as a teammate.
His ability to finish off a game in the fourth quarter?
A little suspect.
For the second time in this young season, Felton on Tuesday got a little sloppy with the ball late in a close game. And for the second time this season, he missed some crunch-time free throws.
So understand then, while everyone else was high-fiving and smiling, Felton was grimacing and swearing as they went through the tunnel on the way to the locker room after a 105-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers ran the Blazers' record to 7-2.
For a point guard, late-game situations are when reputations are earned. It's when money is made. And it's when trust is cemented with teammates, coaches and fans.
So as the Blazers begin to take the early form of a conference contender, how do you feel about Felton?
His teammates, predictably, aren't worried. Gerald Wallace, his teammate for five seasons in Charlotte, said Felton was always good in late game situations, both with the ball and at the free throw line. He growled that the media, right now is trying to make too much of an early trend.
And hey, when Gerald Wallace snarls, you back off.
The only thing is, the guy sitting next to him -- Felton -- won't allow it. He's just as hard on himself as any scribe, radio shock jock or buzzed fan. But he doesn't take it too far. I remember when a young Jarrett Jack had the reins to this team years ago. After a bad game, he would be so inconsolable that coach Nate McMillan worried he could be hurting the confidence his teammates had in him.
Felton, on the other hand, appears to have a perfect blend of being hard on himself and forgetting about the past.
"It definitely bothers me as an individual," Felton said of the late-game turnovers in the season opener and Tuesday night. "But both of those situations we won the game."
In the opener against Philadelphia, the 76ers had a chance to force overtime at the buzzer in part because he missed free throws first with 15.8 seconds left and then with 1.2 seconds left. He also had two turnovers in the fourth quarter, including one on a behind-the-back pass in a half-court set.
Then on Tuesday, after playing a superb all-around game against Chris Paul, Felton made had two unsightly turnovers in the final minute -- both steals by Paul -- although he said the one at halfcourt was a foul on Paul, which caused him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds. He also missed free throws with 46.1 seconds left and 14.2 seconds left.
"It happens. I'm human. I'm not perfect," Felton said for at least the third time this season. "I try to be, but I'm not."
All told, it was a stellar game: Felton had 17 points, eight assists, three steals, three turnovers in 38 minutes. He flat-out outplayed Paul, who had 11 points, three assists, two turnovers in 31 foul-plagued minutes.
And to be fair, he has had his share of fourth-quarter successes too: He hit the game-sealing three-pointer against Denver with 1:45 left. And in the fourth quarter this season he has made 16 of 20 free throws (80 percent).
But shiny statistics won't mean squat if the final minutes are marred by boo-boos. And Felton insists he is conscious of being this team's caretaker down the stretch of games.
"You have to take care of the ball ... but you have to be more conscious of your shots, more conscious of your turnovers, more conscious of running your sets, running a money play," Felton said.
The Blazers have their money plays. And their money roster. Now they need a money finisher.
Felton says he is that man.
"I've made bad plays and I've made good plays down the stretch. And I've also made free throws," Felton said. What will it be next? Only the season will tell. But Felton is anxious to prove the caretaker of this team is not in question.
http://media.oregonlive.com/oregonian/photo/2012/01/-ea54949e7b0b074c.JPG
Portland Trail Blazers point guard Raymond Felton (5) passes as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Los Angeles Clippers at the Rose Garden.
So far for the Trail Blazers, Raymond Felton has been great as a tempo-setter, good as a playmaker and solid as a teammate.
His ability to finish off a game in the fourth quarter?
A little suspect.
For the second time in this young season, Felton on Tuesday got a little sloppy with the ball late in a close game. And for the second time this season, he missed some crunch-time free throws.
So understand then, while everyone else was high-fiving and smiling, Felton was grimacing and swearing as they went through the tunnel on the way to the locker room after a 105-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers ran the Blazers' record to 7-2.
For a point guard, late-game situations are when reputations are earned. It's when money is made. And it's when trust is cemented with teammates, coaches and fans.
So as the Blazers begin to take the early form of a conference contender, how do you feel about Felton?
His teammates, predictably, aren't worried. Gerald Wallace, his teammate for five seasons in Charlotte, said Felton was always good in late game situations, both with the ball and at the free throw line. He growled that the media, right now is trying to make too much of an early trend.
And hey, when Gerald Wallace snarls, you back off.
The only thing is, the guy sitting next to him -- Felton -- won't allow it. He's just as hard on himself as any scribe, radio shock jock or buzzed fan. But he doesn't take it too far. I remember when a young Jarrett Jack had the reins to this team years ago. After a bad game, he would be so inconsolable that coach Nate McMillan worried he could be hurting the confidence his teammates had in him.
Felton, on the other hand, appears to have a perfect blend of being hard on himself and forgetting about the past.
"It definitely bothers me as an individual," Felton said of the late-game turnovers in the season opener and Tuesday night. "But both of those situations we won the game."
In the opener against Philadelphia, the 76ers had a chance to force overtime at the buzzer in part because he missed free throws first with 15.8 seconds left and then with 1.2 seconds left. He also had two turnovers in the fourth quarter, including one on a behind-the-back pass in a half-court set.
Then on Tuesday, after playing a superb all-around game against Chris Paul, Felton made had two unsightly turnovers in the final minute -- both steals by Paul -- although he said the one at halfcourt was a foul on Paul, which caused him to dribble the ball off his leg and out of bounds. He also missed free throws with 46.1 seconds left and 14.2 seconds left.
"It happens. I'm human. I'm not perfect," Felton said for at least the third time this season. "I try to be, but I'm not."
All told, it was a stellar game: Felton had 17 points, eight assists, three steals, three turnovers in 38 minutes. He flat-out outplayed Paul, who had 11 points, three assists, two turnovers in 31 foul-plagued minutes.
And to be fair, he has had his share of fourth-quarter successes too: He hit the game-sealing three-pointer against Denver with 1:45 left. And in the fourth quarter this season he has made 16 of 20 free throws (80 percent).
But shiny statistics won't mean squat if the final minutes are marred by boo-boos. And Felton insists he is conscious of being this team's caretaker down the stretch of games.
"You have to take care of the ball ... but you have to be more conscious of your shots, more conscious of your turnovers, more conscious of running your sets, running a money play," Felton said.
The Blazers have their money plays. And their money roster. Now they need a money finisher.
Felton says he is that man.
"I've made bad plays and I've made good plays down the stretch. And I've also made free throws," Felton said. What will it be next? Only the season will tell. But Felton is anxious to prove the caretaker of this team is not in question.