tlongII
11-20-2012, 12:22 PM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2012/11/blazers_identity_starting_to_emerge_--_that_of_a_h.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/11885571-large.jpg
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the Blazers' 102-94 win over Chicago
The Trail Blazers’ 102-94 victory Sunday over Chicago was their third win in a row. Know how many times the Blazers won three straight last season?
Once – in winning the season’s first three games.
Which is not to minimize how well Portland actually started last season. The Blazers won seven of their first nine games and created a nice buzz around the league. But, of course, things started to unravel soon after that.
That unraveling prompted a complete makeover of the franchise, which now has a new president, general manager and head coach and eight players who were not involved in that first win streak. The makeover is so complete, even the players who are holdovers have all but deleted last season from their internal hard drives.
“Last year was such a debacle, I’d rather not talk about that for the rest of my life,” guard Wesley Matthews said.
Fair enough. Instead, let’s take stock of the 2012-13 Portland Trail Blazers, who got back to .500 with Sunday’s win. What is this team’s identity?
You can point to two things. First, there’s a nice, competitive spirit here. We’ve seen these Blazers get close to being blown out by elite teams – the Thunder, Clippers and Spurs – but hang in there to make games of it late. We’ve seen them come back from a 15-point deficit against Atlanta and nearly win, and overcome a 16-point deficit versus Houston and win in overtime.
The other thing that stands out about the Blazers: They score points. Sunday’s game was their fifth in which they scored 100 points or more. Last season’s team hit 100 points 23 times in 66 games, and eight of those came in the first 12 games. Heck, in 17 games in the month of March, they hit 100 points just three times.
There’s no question that under coach Terry Stotts, the Blazers’ offense is running more efficiently and at a higher pace. After years of complaints about a stagnant offense, maybe the only people in Portland unhappy with the increased scoring are Taco Bell employees who have to cash tickets for chalupas.
How dramatic is the scoring increase? Well, the Blazers last averaged 100 points in a season in 1994-95, in P.J. Carlesimo’s first season as coach.
Stotts says he’s not so much interested in raw statistics (rule changes and points of emphasis can alter numbers season to season) , but rather where his teams rank in the league. Well, Portland entered last night’s game ranked No. 6 in scoring at 100.2 points (they ticked up to 100.4 after the game).
The Blazers last finished that high in scoring average in 1999-2000, when the were No. 5 while averaging 97.5 points. Since that season (when they reached the Western Conference Finals and last won a playoff series), Portland has ranked no higher than 14th.
The Blazers still have a lot to improve on, starting with defense. They were 29th in the league in field goal percentage defense entering last night’s game, and would have given up 50 percent or worse field goal shooting for the sixth time this season if Chicago’s Nate Robinson had made the three-pointer he attempted with 7.9 seconds left. Instead, they just barely got under, at 49.3 percent (37 for 75).
It’s also no great secret that the Blazers’ bench just does not provide many points. Ronnie Price had 10 points last night, the first double-digit scoring game by a Portland reserve this season. So far, the starters have been so good – all scored in double-digits last night, with four getting 16 points or more – that Stotts has been able to ham-and-egg enough productivity.
The problem is margin of error. An injury to a starter could be brutal. Given Portland’s recent history, it’s been a blessing to avoid the injury bug so far. Think of all the top-flight players who are out right now – Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, just to start.
The Blazers entered Sunday’s game last in bench scoring at 12.4 points, a full 8.3 behind the No. 29 Lakers. Bench scoring can be deceptive, though. Such teams as Charlotte, Washington and Sacramento are in the top 10 in bench scoring, and I would guess few Portland fans would swap rosters with those teams.
Having strong reserves was one of Portland’s biggest strengths in recent seasons, when injuries were a constant plague. In the rush to turn the page, many Blazers fans have dismissed McMillan as some kind of inferior coach, when in fact he had to repeatedly remake the team to deal with the constant slew of injuries that befell his teams. He still got them in the playoff three consecutive seasons.
But that’s in the past. The present is this new version of the Trail Blazers – a team that can score and battle.
http://media.oregonlive.com/blazers_impact/photo/11885571-large.jpg
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds in the Blazers' 102-94 win over Chicago
The Trail Blazers’ 102-94 victory Sunday over Chicago was their third win in a row. Know how many times the Blazers won three straight last season?
Once – in winning the season’s first three games.
Which is not to minimize how well Portland actually started last season. The Blazers won seven of their first nine games and created a nice buzz around the league. But, of course, things started to unravel soon after that.
That unraveling prompted a complete makeover of the franchise, which now has a new president, general manager and head coach and eight players who were not involved in that first win streak. The makeover is so complete, even the players who are holdovers have all but deleted last season from their internal hard drives.
“Last year was such a debacle, I’d rather not talk about that for the rest of my life,” guard Wesley Matthews said.
Fair enough. Instead, let’s take stock of the 2012-13 Portland Trail Blazers, who got back to .500 with Sunday’s win. What is this team’s identity?
You can point to two things. First, there’s a nice, competitive spirit here. We’ve seen these Blazers get close to being blown out by elite teams – the Thunder, Clippers and Spurs – but hang in there to make games of it late. We’ve seen them come back from a 15-point deficit against Atlanta and nearly win, and overcome a 16-point deficit versus Houston and win in overtime.
The other thing that stands out about the Blazers: They score points. Sunday’s game was their fifth in which they scored 100 points or more. Last season’s team hit 100 points 23 times in 66 games, and eight of those came in the first 12 games. Heck, in 17 games in the month of March, they hit 100 points just three times.
There’s no question that under coach Terry Stotts, the Blazers’ offense is running more efficiently and at a higher pace. After years of complaints about a stagnant offense, maybe the only people in Portland unhappy with the increased scoring are Taco Bell employees who have to cash tickets for chalupas.
How dramatic is the scoring increase? Well, the Blazers last averaged 100 points in a season in 1994-95, in P.J. Carlesimo’s first season as coach.
Stotts says he’s not so much interested in raw statistics (rule changes and points of emphasis can alter numbers season to season) , but rather where his teams rank in the league. Well, Portland entered last night’s game ranked No. 6 in scoring at 100.2 points (they ticked up to 100.4 after the game).
The Blazers last finished that high in scoring average in 1999-2000, when the were No. 5 while averaging 97.5 points. Since that season (when they reached the Western Conference Finals and last won a playoff series), Portland has ranked no higher than 14th.
The Blazers still have a lot to improve on, starting with defense. They were 29th in the league in field goal percentage defense entering last night’s game, and would have given up 50 percent or worse field goal shooting for the sixth time this season if Chicago’s Nate Robinson had made the three-pointer he attempted with 7.9 seconds left. Instead, they just barely got under, at 49.3 percent (37 for 75).
It’s also no great secret that the Blazers’ bench just does not provide many points. Ronnie Price had 10 points last night, the first double-digit scoring game by a Portland reserve this season. So far, the starters have been so good – all scored in double-digits last night, with four getting 16 points or more – that Stotts has been able to ham-and-egg enough productivity.
The problem is margin of error. An injury to a starter could be brutal. Given Portland’s recent history, it’s been a blessing to avoid the injury bug so far. Think of all the top-flight players who are out right now – Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, Andrew Bynum, Danny Granger, just to start.
The Blazers entered Sunday’s game last in bench scoring at 12.4 points, a full 8.3 behind the No. 29 Lakers. Bench scoring can be deceptive, though. Such teams as Charlotte, Washington and Sacramento are in the top 10 in bench scoring, and I would guess few Portland fans would swap rosters with those teams.
Having strong reserves was one of Portland’s biggest strengths in recent seasons, when injuries were a constant plague. In the rush to turn the page, many Blazers fans have dismissed McMillan as some kind of inferior coach, when in fact he had to repeatedly remake the team to deal with the constant slew of injuries that befell his teams. He still got them in the playoff three consecutive seasons.
But that’s in the past. The present is this new version of the Trail Blazers – a team that can score and battle.