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Spurs should roll tomorrow night, Blazers are unbelievably soft in the middle this year. Duncan, McDyess, Blair, and Theo would have a field day against Oden, White-Gorilla, and Aldridge.
Trail Blazers practice: Brandon Roy calls Friday's game against Spurs 'a great opportunity'
By Sean Meagher, OregonLive.com
You may remember the Trail Blazers' horrific season opener last year in Los Angeles. The one on national television, featuring Greg Oden's first start after a year-long hiatus due to knee injury. The one ending with Oden missing the second half with an ankle injury. And, ultimately, the one with the Blazers falling flat on their faces as the Lakers rolled to a 96-76 win. (You may also have blocked that game out of your memory, and for that no one will blame you.)
The Blazers rebounded nicely from that loss with a surprising win over Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs 100-99 at the Rose Garden the very next game.
After a frustrating, up-and-down start to the season, the Blazers (2-3) have a chance to repeat last year's performance, right the ship and build some momentum with a win against the Spurs Friday. The Blazers have not lost three home games in row since the end of the 2007-08 season.
Two days after the Blazers' effort, or lack thereof, was again questioned by head coach Nate McMillan after Portland's 97-91 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the team was back on the practice floor taking part in what appeared to be an enduring and exhausting practice.
Some comments from Brandon Roy after practice ...
What was the tone at practice today and the tone around the team?
"Practice has still been good and compe ive, guys are going at it. I think we did a good job competing. We went a little long today, just trying to work our way out of this. Just continue to try and find our offensive rhythm."
It seemed like a long, hard practice
"We had the day off yesterday, so we wanted to come in and get some work in today. Usually when we come off a day off we usually go pretty long and try to find our rhythm before the next game."
A win against the Spurs could really change the at ude pretty quickly
"I think it's how we win. If we're going to out there and play a really good basketball game I think it can set the tone for, hopefully, this long road trip we have coming up. Thing is we gotta come out, take it one game at a time and just look to do everything right out there on the floor and try to win this game."
Are you that much more motivated by the Spurs?
"I know the guys are excited. Any time you lose a game like we did you can't wait to get on the court, but I think the two days off have been good for us. We're definitely looking forward to getting out there and hopefully playing a much better game."
On getting back to winning:
"Only way we've been able to be successful in the past is playing together. It hasn't been one guy getting mad and taking over ... that's not why we've won. The important thing is just reminding guys the only way we're going to to it is if we do it together. I think guys understand that."
McMillan ...
On effort and intensity
"I think they played, and they played hard, but we gotta play harder. We've got to play with a sense of urgency ... don't ever allow yourselves to get outworked."
Andre Miller ...
On Thursday's practice
"It's good we had this type of practice. It was energetic; it was tough."
Is a win over the Spurs a nice opportunity to change things a bit?
"It is ... you can cure everything with a win. Hopefully the practice and the energy can carry over to tomorrow."
Do you leave feeling better than when you came in after a practice like this?
"You always want to put [a loss] behind you but you want to learn from it and that's what we did."
What's the tone around the team right now?
"It's all positive ... still working hard, no complaints. We're just trying to figure out how we're going to get into a rhythm, but the practice was solid today."
Spurs should roll tomorrow night, Blazers are unbelievably soft in the middle this year. Duncan, McDyess, Blair, and Theo would have a field day against Oden, White-Gorilla, and Aldridge.
Friday: Spurs (2-2) at Trail Blazers (2-3)
Time: 9:30 p.m.
TV: KENS, ESPN
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTERS - SPURS - TRAIL BLAZERS
PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 9th yr) - 2 Steve Blake (6-3, 7th yr)
Parker averaged 23.8 points and 7.8 assists vs. Blazers last season.
SG - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 15th yr) - 7 Brandon Roy (6-6, 4th yr)
Including playoffs, Finley has made 43 consecutive starts.
SF - 24 Richard Jefferson (6-7, 9th yr) - 23 Martell Webster (6-7, 5th yr)
Jefferson could have hands full in defensive matchup with Roy.
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 12 LaMarcus Aldridge (6-11, 4th yr)
Since signing lucrative extension, Aldridge has battled inconsistency.
C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 52 Greg Oden (7-0, 2nd yr)
Oden had eight points and eight rebounds in only career game vs. Spurs.
SPURS RESERVES
8 Roger Mason Jr., G, 6-5, 6th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 2nd yr
24 A. McDyess, C/F, 6-10, 15th yr
45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
10 Keith Bogans, G/F, 6-5, 7th yr
42 Theo Ratliff, F/C, 6-10, 15th yr
TRAIL BLAZERS RESERVES
4 Jerryd Bayless, G, 6-3, 2nd yr
33 Dante Cunningham, F, 6-8, 1st yr
5 Rudy Fernandez, G/F, 6-6, 2nd yr
6 Juwan Howard, F, 6-9, 16th yr
24 Andre Miller, G, 6-2, 11th yr
25 Travis Outlaw, F, 6-9, 7th yr
12 Joel Przybilla, C, 7-1, 10th yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Trail Blazers: Nate McMillan
INJURIES
Spurs: None.
Trail Blazers: Nicolas Batum (right shoulder), Patrick Mills (right foot) and Jeff Pendergraph (left hip) are out.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Ian Mahinmi, Malik Hairston, Marcus Haislip
Trail Blazers: Batum, Mills, Pendergraph
NOTABLE
Portland won the season series from Spurs 3-1 last year, the first time the Blazers had accomplished that since 1999-2000. The Blazers also claimed home sweep of Spurs for first time since 1996-97. ... The Spurs are 0-1 this season on the second night of a back-to-back, having lost 92-85 at Chicago on Oct. 29. ... Portland has struggled out of the gate, suffering a string of close calls. The Blazers are the only team in the league still to have not played a game decided by double digits.
— Jeff McDonald
You guys thought the Jazz destroyed the Spurs interior tonight?It's not going to be a fun game tomorrow.
I'm not gonna be able to watch this game..hopefully I'll want to watch the archive when I come home..
I sure hope we don't lose.
LOL..word?..
the spurs can only play better tomorrow!! i hope lol they will
The Spurs face a tough test tomorrow. Hopefully the team can bring some energy and cohesiveness.
San Antonio (2-2) at Portland (2-3)
Game info: 10:30 pm EST Fri Nov 6, 2009
TV: ESPN, KGW
By Matt Beardmore
The Portland Trail Blazers had one of the best home records in the NBA last season.
It’s been a different story for them at the Rose Garden in 2009-10.
The Trail Blazers look to avoid their third straight loss there Friday night, when they continue their three-game homestand against a San Antonio Spurs team without a road win.
Portland (2-3) went 34-7 at home in 2008-09 - the fourth-best mark in the league behind Cleveland, the Lakers and Boston - while never losing more than two straight at the Rose Garden.
Despite leading by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers dropped their second in a row at home Tuesday - 97-91 to Atlanta.
“Regardless of where you are, you’ve got to work,” coach Nate McMillan told the Trail Blazers’ official Web site. “I really felt our level of intensity needed to be better for pretty much all of the games.”
Portland’s last three-game slide at home was March 29-April 6, 2008.
The Trail Blazers had lost five straight at home - and 12 overall - to San Antonio, prior to their 100-99 victory on Oct. 31, 2008.
Spurs guard Michael Finley missed a shot as time expired and Portland won its first home game in this series since Jan. 24, 2005.
“When he missed the shot, I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking overtime or something because it just didn’t feel right,” guard Brandon Roy said. “But I looked up and realized that we had finally beaten the Spurs.”
The Trail Blazers won three of four against San Antonio last season - including both meetings at the Rose Garden - after losing 19 of the previous 20 matchups.
Roy averaged 23.0 points against the Spurs in 2008-09, scoring 26 in each of the victories.
Center Greg Oden, who leads the Trail Blazers with 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, was injured for the first three matchups with San Antonio last season.
In his first career game against fellow first-overall pick Tim Duncan, Oden had eight points, eight boards and two blocks in a 95-83 victory on April 8 that snapped Portland’s 11-game skid in San Antonio.
Duncan, averaging 21.4 points and 10.8 boards in 23 career games in Portland, had 15 and 13 in Thursday’s 113-99 loss at Utah that dropped the Spurs (2-2) to 0-2 on the road.
San Antonio hasn’t lost its first three road games since 1993-94.
The Spurs, who held their first three opponents this season to 96 points or fewer, allowed its most points in a loss since a 113-94 defeat at Seattle on Nov. 7, 2004.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to become a good defensive team and Utah obviously took advantage of that tonight,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “They are always an aggressive club and they do a great job of fighting for 48 minutes.”
Tony Parker led San Antonio on Thursday with 21 points, four coming in the second half. He averaged 19.5 points and 7.5 assists at Portland in 2008-09.
Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and a season-high 14 rebounds Tuesday, despite leaving Sunday’s win at Oklahoma City with a bone contusion on his right knee.
Aldridge averaged 24.5 points and 6.0 rebounds as Portland swept its home games versus San Antonio last season for the first time since 1996-97.
The Trail Blazers are scoring 93.7 points per game on 39.9 percent shooting at the Rose Garden this season.
*********************
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Tony Parker SA 16.3
Brandon Roy Por 25.4
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 12.7
Greg Oden Por 9.8
Assists
Tony Parker SA 5.3
Brandon Roy Por 5.0
The Spurs better get it going and build some momentum.
Referee Assignments
Fri. Nov. 6
San Antonio @ Portland: Joe Crawford; Mark Lindsay; Zach Zarba
Jefferson couldn't guard Mathews last night so to think of him guarding Roy gives me heartburn.
It's going to be a close one yesterday taught the spurs one thing get tough they started to later in the game but at the begining they soft as tissue paper but, hopefully the toughness will carry over to tonight.
Rip Wiley (UK)
Hi John. Which team (if any) do you feel will feel more pressure to get the W tonight - Portland or San Antonio?
John Hollinger (12:33 PM)
Easy -- Blazers. First, they're at home and second, their fans are already freaking out. Spurs fans don't even look at the standings until Feb. 15.
I wasnt sure where to put this, but just read from Hollingers chat and thought this particular Q&A was pretty amusing considering all the threads that popped up after last nights loss. For me, I was upset about last night but itll take some time for us to get this figured out....like always. I just wish that our role players would make more open jumpers..especially when one or two of our stars are playing poorly. Either way, not too worried and i hope we come out strong tonight and in the subsequent stretch of home games.
Go SPURS Go!
^ ^ I
Have a little faith, things are gelling together. Maybe some of you will see me on tv?
Game 6 Preview: Spurs vs. Blazers
by Dave
Blazersedge
So...the Blazers sit at 2-3 and are in the midst of soul-searching and lineup-fiddling when--joy and wonder!--the Spurs roll into town. I can pretty much guarantee that the ESPN storyline on this one will be the Old Lion versus the Young Lion. Except that right now the Young Lion has da sniffles. Hopefully a little hanky-blowing and some warm tea will be all the Blazers need to regain some of their roar.
A Look at the Spurs
As it turns out, the Old Lion could use a little checkup as well. The Spurs have won 2 games this year, both times scoring 113 on their hapless opponents. On the other hand they have also lost 2, showing a definite lack of hap on the road against Chicago and Utah, topping the century mark neither time en route to double-digit losses. They've either crushed (at home) or been crushed (on the road). Obviously the Blazers hope that story continues tonight.
Normally you'd like the aging Spurs on the second night of a back-to-back against tough opponents, but the Old Lion King, Greg Popovich, is sticking to an interesting strategy to start the season. Every Spur in the legitimate rotation plays between 20 and 29 minutes per game from Tony Parker at the high end to George Hill down low. Last night 10 Spurs were in the 17-30 minute range. Channeling Hubie Brown lets Pops keep his troops fresh and probably mitigates the fatigue factor tonight.
In general the Spurs have done an excellent job shooting the ball, particularly from beyond the arc. They've averaged 6 more three-point attempts than their opponents, making 2.3 more, and shooting better. They're a full 5 percentage points above their opponents in overall field goal percentage. As usual they keep the turnovers down and the defensive rebounds up. You have to beat them the old-fashioned way. They're not going to give it away.
Keeping with another Spurs tradition they trail handily in offensive rebounds. They've also given away 5 more free throws per game to the opponent though it hasn't crippled them because opponents have shot horribly from the stripe.
Long story short San Antonio doesn't take shots they can't make, they don't have to clean up after themselves much, and they're not looking for you or the refs to bail them out or lift them up. They come to do a job. If they're not as accomplished at getting that job done every night as they once were at least they're not going to bungle it foolishly. This isn't a team looking to find itself. This is a team that found itself long ago and is banking you haven't. When they run up against teams just as assured who execute well they get into trouble. Sometimes they'll also get burned by youthful enthusiasm and energy. But on the balance they're going to win more than they lose because they're just better at what they do than the opponent is and you'll not easily force the out of what they want to do.
Tim Duncan is off to a fine start this year, averaging a strong double-double, amounting to 15 points and 13 rebounds before last night's game. If the point total seems low, remember what we said about limited minutes. He was playing 26 per game at that point. He was also shooting over 62% so the Spurs are finding him where they need to. Tony Parker was shooting over 55% before the Jazz game and averaging over 16 with 5 assists. Manu Ginobili is lofting and missing a lot of threes but also drawing a relatively large number of fouls. Richard Jefferson is duplicating that scheme almost exactly. In relatively small minutes Michael Finley has begun to make an impact again, shooting 60% from the floor and 50% from the arc off of open shots that his teammates create by drawing attention. Not every big name is clicking for them but they're doing enough...at least on the offensive end.
Of the lesser-known names reserve point guard George Hill is feast or famine, scoring when he's not guarded well and having difficulties when he is. Center Matt Bonner is snack or famine, hitting his twos but missing his threes. Energy scorer Roger Mason Jr. is having a hard time finding enough minutes to get comfortable. Both he and Bonner have been Blazer killers in the past though. The new kid on the block, backing up Duncan, is DeJuan Blair. He's shooting an incredible 70% from the field. It's just a matter of how many looks he's getting on a given night. More importantly he's giving the Spurs heaps of rebounds in limited minutes.
As we just alluded to, the question with the Spurs right now is whether their secondary and tertiary players can defend well enough game-to-game. Duncan is good enough even though he's slower than he used to be. Parker is quick enough to be bothersome...sometimes. Ginobili can get scrappy...sometimes. Jefferson's impact seems to ride on how much attention he is paying which also varies from night to night. After that it gets pretty shaky. You're not really scared of even these guys, let alone your Finleys and Bonners. Gone are the days when Duncan could singlehandedly bail out his team on that end. They either bring it as a team or they don't. When they don't, they don't win.
Pivotal Points
Let's assume the Blazers play more or less as they have...that there will be no great Renaissance tonight or burst of all-encompassing energy that allows them to bowl over the Spurs. If that's true and if this becomes an ugly fight there's really only one key. They have to deal with Tony Parker somehow. Given what Portland has shown so far, I don't know how they do it but they'd better find a way. Hold Parker to his average and even with San Antonio's other scorers the Blazers have a chance...more than a chance really as many of their easy buckets key off of him. But if Parker is fast breaking, free-wheeling down the lane, and hitting jumpers that the Blazers are late in getting to Portland is in serious trouble. Swarming him to shut him down leaves the Blazers ultra-vulnerable. He's too quick, smart, and passes too well. San Antonio can score from a lot of places and it's unlikely the Blazers could recover off of him in time to stop the Spurs from getting their shot. That's when they score in the 110 range. Slow Parker down, make him work, don't let him lead the break, make him shoot tons of shots for his points and you have a good chance.
Other than that the Blazers have to keep rebounding. Portland could feast on second-chance points tonight. They also have to make their second unit tell. The Spurs' bench is pretty good and Portland needs to at least match. Not every Blazer starter will get past San Antonio's defense but whoever manages to do so--be that Roy, Aldridge or even one of the secondary options--the Blazers should keep riding the hot hand. Take your scores anywhere you can get them regardless of the hand they come from. Also do not count the Spurs out even if you get ahead. They've been here before. If you get up, stomp on them.
Final Thoughts
Tonight you'll see two teams in similar situations for different reasons and on different ends of their life cycles. Whichever team puts it together first in this game will have a huge advantage. If both remain shaky, flip a coin. It's probably a more important game for the confidence of the Blazers than the Spurs. Let's hope that adds a little energy to the proceedings.
Spurs' Jefferson an unexpected defensive presence
By Geoffrey C. Arnold, The Oregonian
The San Antonio Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson expecting him to help revitalize their offense. Jefferson has struggled a bit with his scoring, but he is trying to bring an unexpected benefit to the club.
Jefferson is emerging as the Spurs' designated defensive stopper who is usually assigned the opponent's best perimeter scorer. So look for Jefferson to spend time defending Brandon Roy during Friday night's game.
The small forward hasn't been known as a strong defender, but the Spurs need a individual defensive presence on the perimeter after they sent former defensive specialist Bruce Bowen to Milwaukee as part of the trade for Jefferson. Bowen was slowing down during his eighth and final season in San Antonio, and the Spurs needed someone to step up.
Jefferson is averaging 12.3 points and 2.8 rebounds a game in his first three games, the lowest numbers of his career since he was a rookie in 2001-02. Playing on a team with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Jefferson's decrease in scoring isn't surprising. Jefferson is still learning and adjusting to Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich's offensive and defensive sets, but he played his best game as a Spur when he scored 21 points on 7 of 8 shooting in the Spurs' 113-94 win against Sacramento on Saturday. Then he scored 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting against Utah on Thursday. Jefferson will get his share of jump shots with the Spurs playing off Duncan's presence in the post area, but he will be expected to penetrate using his athleticism, something the Spurs do need.
The Spurs are playing their second set of back-to-back games in a little more than a week. The Spurs lost 113-99 at Utah on Thursday night and face the Blazers tonight. The Spurs lost three of four regular-season games to Portland last season and they haven't won at the Rose Garden since April 6, 2008.
The Spurs know who they are as a team while the Blazers continue to search for their iden y. The "Big Three" of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili are the mainstays, and Jefferson will certainly help. The Spurs also have a deep bench with Antonio McDyess, Michael Finley, Roger Mason and rookie DeJuan Blair.
The Spurs have won two of their first four games, but they don't concern themselves too much with the early season schedule. The Spurs are much more interested in playing their best basketball going into the playoffs, and they usually pick up their intensity after the New Year.
I'd like to see the Spurs pull in their defense and let the Blazers have the outside shot while limiting penetration from their guards. I'd also like to see Tim D recieve the ball a little deeper in the post.
And if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to see Dice score 30 and pull down 15.
well that just sucks luckily this book came out so you might see joey baldrord just call a straight game
spurs have to win. if they don't, the other forum will suffer.
if I ask you the question, "Dude, what's your problem?"
will you have an answer that isn't a smart-ass comment about Bonner and/or Finley?
Really tough game...
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