tlongII
11-01-2012, 09:03 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/10/rookie_damian_lillard_sparkles_in_nba_debut_as_bla .html
New Team? New Dream?
Maybe.
At the very least, there seems little doubt the Trail Blazers finally have themselves a legitimate New Point Guard.
In his first NBA game, against Rip City’s biggest rivals, Damian Lillard was equal parts dynamic and dazzling Wednesday night, leading the Blazers to a 116-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers before a sellout Rose Garden on opening night.
The rookie from Weber State recorded a double double in his debut game, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists, as he flashed polish and poise beyond his years.
“Damian played well,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “On the whole, for his outing, for him to have 23 and 11 in a game like this; it was pretty impressive.”
So impressive, in fact, that by the end of the night, the No. 6 overall pick from June’s NBA Draft earned at least one reason to be compared to the game’s best player, LeBron James. Lillard became the first player to finish with at least 21 points and nine assists in his first NBA game since James did so nine seasons ago on Oct. 29, 2003. He also joined Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in their NBA debuts.
More: Box score | At a glance | Photos | Canzano | Blazers Insider: Special opening night
Lillard’s first career field goal came three minutes, 19 seconds into the game, when he swished a step-back three pointer. He didn’t let up all night, driving to the basket to create free throw attempts and hitting midrange jumpers, all while directing the Blazers’ brand new fast-paced and fun offense. He made 7 of 17 shots, 8 of 8 free throws, and added three rebounds.
There were some rookie moments for the electric rookie. Lillard’s first NBA shot attempt — a swished three pointer from the left corner — was waved off because he stepped on the out of bounds line before launching it. Then, a couple possessions later, Lillard breezed past Steve Nash on the perimeter and raced to the hoop for what he thought was a wide open layup attempt.
But as Lillard elevated, Dwight Howard intervened and emphatically blocked the shot. To add insult to injury, as Lillard fell to the floor and out of bounds, the ball landed on him, giving the Lakers the possession. It was one of his six turnovers. But these moments were few and far between as Lillard looked every bit like a Rookie of the Year candidate.
“I felt real comfortable,” Lillard said. “It’s a lot easier when L.A. is making shots, Wes is making shots and Nic is making shots. I gotta give credit to them, they made shots, and it made it easier for me.”
Indeed, the rest of the Blazers’ starting lineup was impressive. Nicolas Batum had one of his most aggressive and assertive performances in a Blazers uniform, collecting steals, nailing three pointers and scoring at will. Batum, who seemed to be all over the court, finished with 26 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Wesley Matthews was hot from the start and determined on defense. He made 7 of 11 shots, including 4 of 6 three pointers, and finished with 22 points — all while going toe-to-toe all night against Kobe Bryant on defense and collecting four steals. LaMarcus Aldridge made his first five field goals and finished with 19 points.
The Lakers (0-2) rolled into Portland about 3 a.m. last night a mess, having looked lost and lethargic one night earlier in a season-opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks. And they didn’t look any better Wednesday night. Howard was dominant, finishing with 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but the rest of the vaunted lineup was hit and miss.
Steve Nash had to leave the game early in the third quarter with a bruised left leg and played just 16 minutes. And Bryant finished with 30 points of 10 of 20 shooting, but most were hard-earned as he was harassed all game by Matthews, who bumped and annoyed Bryant throughout. Bryant became so frustrated early in the fourth quarter — after Matthews stripped the ball away from him on a drive to the hoop — Bryant drew a technical foul.
“Wes was into his defense all game,” Stotts said. “I thought Wes took a lot of pride in that matchup and made Kobe work.”
And while it’s far too early to predict whether the Blazers’ new marketing slogan — “New Team, New Dream” — materializes, at least one-half of it was apropos Wednesday night. There’s no question it was a new team roaming the Rose Garden. From the opening tip, the Blazers played fast, free and the result was often exciting.
The offense was littered with movement and crisp passing — as Stotts has promised — and the Blazers routinely pushed the ball in transition. At the end of the first half, when the Blazers led 62-57, the Blazers held a whopping 15-4 edge in fast break points. Indeed, these are not those old grind-it-out Blazers.
The Blazers scored 30 or more points in every quarter but the fourth and they crossed the century mark with more than nine minutes left in the game. Their 116 points were the most they’ve scored in a season opener since 1994. Stotts has only had a one-month training camp to install his new offense and tempo, but the early results were impressive, if not surprising.
“I think we have a lot of good basketball players who have a good sense for the game,” Stotts said. “They pick up the sets pretty well, but they play off of each other pretty well. Even though we do have sets ... we ask them to make basketball plays, rather than having plays run. They’ve done a nice job with that.”
So, if for only a night, there was no talk about the Blazers’ potential, no need to imagine what might be in a couple seasons.
It was: One Game. One Win.
Notes: The Blazers improved to 2-3 all-time in season openers against the Lakers and 32-11 all-time in home openers. ... The Blazers have sold out 193 consecutive games at the Rose Garden. ... Backup point guard Ronnie Price did not play because of a sprained left ankle. He was replaced by Nolan Smith in the rotation. ... The Blazers have won 17 of their last 21 against the Lakers at the Rose Garden. ... Blazers starters scored 103 of their 116 points. ... The Lakers committed 25 turnovers. ... Blazers’ starting center J.J. Hickson finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
New Team? New Dream?
Maybe.
At the very least, there seems little doubt the Trail Blazers finally have themselves a legitimate New Point Guard.
In his first NBA game, against Rip City’s biggest rivals, Damian Lillard was equal parts dynamic and dazzling Wednesday night, leading the Blazers to a 116-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers before a sellout Rose Garden on opening night.
The rookie from Weber State recorded a double double in his debut game, finishing with 23 points and 11 assists, as he flashed polish and poise beyond his years.
“Damian played well,” Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “On the whole, for his outing, for him to have 23 and 11 in a game like this; it was pretty impressive.”
So impressive, in fact, that by the end of the night, the No. 6 overall pick from June’s NBA Draft earned at least one reason to be compared to the game’s best player, LeBron James. Lillard became the first player to finish with at least 21 points and nine assists in his first NBA game since James did so nine seasons ago on Oct. 29, 2003. He also joined Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in their NBA debuts.
More: Box score | At a glance | Photos | Canzano | Blazers Insider: Special opening night
Lillard’s first career field goal came three minutes, 19 seconds into the game, when he swished a step-back three pointer. He didn’t let up all night, driving to the basket to create free throw attempts and hitting midrange jumpers, all while directing the Blazers’ brand new fast-paced and fun offense. He made 7 of 17 shots, 8 of 8 free throws, and added three rebounds.
There were some rookie moments for the electric rookie. Lillard’s first NBA shot attempt — a swished three pointer from the left corner — was waved off because he stepped on the out of bounds line before launching it. Then, a couple possessions later, Lillard breezed past Steve Nash on the perimeter and raced to the hoop for what he thought was a wide open layup attempt.
But as Lillard elevated, Dwight Howard intervened and emphatically blocked the shot. To add insult to injury, as Lillard fell to the floor and out of bounds, the ball landed on him, giving the Lakers the possession. It was one of his six turnovers. But these moments were few and far between as Lillard looked every bit like a Rookie of the Year candidate.
“I felt real comfortable,” Lillard said. “It’s a lot easier when L.A. is making shots, Wes is making shots and Nic is making shots. I gotta give credit to them, they made shots, and it made it easier for me.”
Indeed, the rest of the Blazers’ starting lineup was impressive. Nicolas Batum had one of his most aggressive and assertive performances in a Blazers uniform, collecting steals, nailing three pointers and scoring at will. Batum, who seemed to be all over the court, finished with 26 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Wesley Matthews was hot from the start and determined on defense. He made 7 of 11 shots, including 4 of 6 three pointers, and finished with 22 points — all while going toe-to-toe all night against Kobe Bryant on defense and collecting four steals. LaMarcus Aldridge made his first five field goals and finished with 19 points.
The Lakers (0-2) rolled into Portland about 3 a.m. last night a mess, having looked lost and lethargic one night earlier in a season-opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks. And they didn’t look any better Wednesday night. Howard was dominant, finishing with 33 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but the rest of the vaunted lineup was hit and miss.
Steve Nash had to leave the game early in the third quarter with a bruised left leg and played just 16 minutes. And Bryant finished with 30 points of 10 of 20 shooting, but most were hard-earned as he was harassed all game by Matthews, who bumped and annoyed Bryant throughout. Bryant became so frustrated early in the fourth quarter — after Matthews stripped the ball away from him on a drive to the hoop — Bryant drew a technical foul.
“Wes was into his defense all game,” Stotts said. “I thought Wes took a lot of pride in that matchup and made Kobe work.”
And while it’s far too early to predict whether the Blazers’ new marketing slogan — “New Team, New Dream” — materializes, at least one-half of it was apropos Wednesday night. There’s no question it was a new team roaming the Rose Garden. From the opening tip, the Blazers played fast, free and the result was often exciting.
The offense was littered with movement and crisp passing — as Stotts has promised — and the Blazers routinely pushed the ball in transition. At the end of the first half, when the Blazers led 62-57, the Blazers held a whopping 15-4 edge in fast break points. Indeed, these are not those old grind-it-out Blazers.
The Blazers scored 30 or more points in every quarter but the fourth and they crossed the century mark with more than nine minutes left in the game. Their 116 points were the most they’ve scored in a season opener since 1994. Stotts has only had a one-month training camp to install his new offense and tempo, but the early results were impressive, if not surprising.
“I think we have a lot of good basketball players who have a good sense for the game,” Stotts said. “They pick up the sets pretty well, but they play off of each other pretty well. Even though we do have sets ... we ask them to make basketball plays, rather than having plays run. They’ve done a nice job with that.”
So, if for only a night, there was no talk about the Blazers’ potential, no need to imagine what might be in a couple seasons.
It was: One Game. One Win.
Notes: The Blazers improved to 2-3 all-time in season openers against the Lakers and 32-11 all-time in home openers. ... The Blazers have sold out 193 consecutive games at the Rose Garden. ... Backup point guard Ronnie Price did not play because of a sprained left ankle. He was replaced by Nolan Smith in the rotation. ... The Blazers have won 17 of their last 21 against the Lakers at the Rose Garden. ... Blazers starters scored 103 of their 116 points. ... The Lakers committed 25 turnovers. ... Blazers’ starting center J.J. Hickson finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.