http://www.blazersedge.com/ They even have a poll on the main page if we can get out of the first round. 66% say yes (I voted Book It, ha!) Scroll down a bit and you get the nice preview
Always been impressed with whoever runs that site. They do excellent analysis. Their point about how the Rockets offense isn't fluid but instead wears you down with individual pieces is dead on. Hopefully that changes of course...
we have to grab the rebounds. After that, Blazers have no hope. Their jump shooting tall PF is a bust, but Rockets always get beat by busts. not this time.
Yeah, these guys do a great job. The write-ups are usually extremely funny and also very accurate. Thanks for posting dpballer.
I agree, but would you say our offense looked fluid last year during The Streak? I think it was more about getting lots of production from multiple players on both ends of the floor. It was a different hero each game. When we're fatigued or playing a great defensive team like Boston, they will disrupt any fluidity we would have on offense. It's going to be up to the individual pieces to pull out the win. We almost did that on Tuesday and we probably would have if we had a few more pieces in Shane and Deke.
That was an excellent article. Not biased either way, I wish the Chron writers could make pieces like that.
Wow good article posted up there. I thought they made some pretty clever remarks as well as keeping me interested by not completely bashing our teams health or offensive awkwardness. I know for a fact that once Battier comes back things'll be alot easier and we're going to be a beast to deal with. COME BACK SOON BATTIER
Thanks for the post. To me, they do not have the inside game, at least from the game I watched last night, we have a 4-0 record vs them last year, so rockets should win the game. Also the writer seems to know the basketball, not like S. A. Smith in ESPN, who just have a big mouth.
Keys to the game. You don't need 6 keys to the game if your playing against the rockets. Only one key is needed. All Portland has to do is double Yao, T-Mac or Ron Ron using the man that is covering Rafer, then try and force Rafer to shoot the ball as many times as humanly possible. Then you have a damn good chance at winning the game.
You don't need to double Yao, just front him. I am amazed at how many teams still play behind him. Yao would be the greatest center of all timmmmmmmmmmmmesssss, if he just had decent hands. As it is, he can't catch a lob pass to save his life. I also would leave Alston wide open until he proves he can shoot and I do believe every team is going to employ this strategy until either Rafer or Adelman corrects it by sitting his butt down. Even with all that, we will compete for a title. Why? Defense. We play great defense.
Agree, but at some point especially when you move deep in the playoffs (when margin of error and every posession counts) Rafer is a huge liability. You still have to put points on the board to win and alot of people on here don't realize that Rafers long 3pt misses will potentially end up as easy fastbreak baskets for the oppossing team. Thank god for the emergence of Aaron Brooks.
It'll be a tough game. The Blazers have wonderful fans. They are loud and they definitely affect the game.
if only luther has some semblance of ballhandling, we might make aaron brooks the starter with luther backing him up.
Rather well analyzed except for one part. The article makes it seem that our offense relies heavily on our free throw ability. This might be the case for this season, but everybody remembers our heinous free throw shooting last year - especially when Yao was injured.
Not only Rafer's but T-Mac and now Artest. We really do need more discipline on our 3-point selection. I have been encouraged that T-Mac is shooting closer to the basket more often than not this year. Artest usually only takes them in the flow of the offense. He and Rafer need to be completely set to make them. If they aren't spotted up with their feet completely set when they get the ball they shouldn't take them. When we get Battier back, we could be really dangerous with a lineup of Yao, Artest, Barry, Battier, and Brooks. Have Barry at the left catacorner of the 3 point line making the pass to Yao. Battier in the left corner, Brooks at the top, Artest in the right corner or right of the key (if he is right of the key he could set a monster blind-side pick for a cutting Brooks). Too many options to guard.
i really liked that summary, although I think the author is giving the rockets more credit than they deserve. example: the author's summary of the offense is how the rockets are attacking now, but that's only because they are still fumbling around with the motion, cutting, and passing offense rick is trying to install. example: describing the pg play as if Rafer and Brooks can go off at any time, while true, is way too complimentary. I think we've suffered through such a dearth of good point play that even an average game by either player feels remarkable. i would trade that "explosive" inconsistency we have for a solid, average, nondescript but effective performance every day.
Really good article, although Rocket fans know he got some of it wrong (FT's being strength, much too complimentary of Rafer). I wonder how well most of us would do at analysing other teams. I would bet few of us could do as good a job on the Portland team as he did on our's.
What jump-shooting PF is a bust ... LaMarcus Aldridge? He shoot the ball well against Tim Duncan and their team gave the Spurs all kinds of offensive rebounding problems because of their quickness and length.
