Assuming both teams start the same lineups as Saturday, we may see the following matchups which I find particularly interesting: Cat vs Patterson - Can the "Kobe stopper" also be the "Cat Killer"? A good test. Patterson is physical and quick, but doesn't get a lot of shots in Portlands scheme. Patterson lacks range which should allow Cat to sag on defense. KT vs Pip - If Kenny's game against GS wasn't a fluke, it will make it hard for Pipsqueak to play the passing lanes and help defensively. If someone guaranteed me in advance that KT would best Pippen by only 3 points total, I'd take my chances with the other matchups. The Hawk vs Bonzi - Bonzi is averaging about 30 mpg and 12.2 ppg. I'd love to see how good the Hawk really is and this matchup will shed some light. Portland has a deep bench and Wells (IMO) would toast Glen Rice as well as take energy from the Cat. I hope Rudy gives Hawk at least half of Wells' 30 minutes. EG vs 'Sheed - OK, I know MoT will start and get off to one of his patented quick starts and will take the first Rockets half court shot of the game..but...Rasheed would be a handful for Mo even if it hadn't missed a year plus. Sooner or later (probably later) it will come down to this matchup. Yao vs Sabonis - Lots of career parallels and contrasts. The years have slowed Arvydas. Will experience be a factor against a younger but less developed version of himself?
Gator, I expect to see Pip guard Eddie and Wallace guard KT just because of KTs post game and Eddies willingness to shoot the three. I will also be shocked if MoT starts in his first game back in over a year. MoT just does not have any real game experience other than the pre-season in well over a year. I would think that Rudy would want to see if he has worked off the rust before throwing him in the starting line up. Hawk against Bonzi will really be interesting. I would also expect to see Hawk spend some time on Patterson since Hawk is our best on the ball defender and Patterson has a history of destroying the Rockets. I would expect KT do get a healthy dose of Patterson as well. I don’t expect to see much of Yao Ming at all for this game. I believe that Rudy T sees this as a game we need to win and I doubt that the Rockets will ever enjoy a big enough lead that Rudy T will chance it with Yao Ming in the line up. I definitely think that Yao Ming will loose some of his limited minutes to MoT. The only way I see Yao Ming playing more than a few minutes in the 1st or 2nd quarter is if he comes in and really plays assertive and looks comfortable on both ends of the court. But if he comes in and looks even the slightest bit confused or apprehensive and picks up a couple of quick fouls then I would be shocked to see him get more than a few minutes in the first half.
Crash - I can easily see Mo Cheeks using that defensive scheme. A question then arises? Can Pippen handle EG in the low blocks? Pippen is great at stripping the ball and EG usually shoots best with one dribble. But if EG keeps it high and elevates quickly, it could be trouble. Also, can KT's quick first step get him around Wallace? The Blazers don't really have a shot blocker if KT can get penetration. The Hawk/Bonzi matchup was the real reason for the thread but I didn't think there was enough to discuss by itself so I expanded it. IMO, a game like this will go a long way in determining if Hawk is a real find or just lucky to be here for a year. So far, he appears to fill a definite on the ball defensive need. You may be right about MoT not starting. I just recall that Rudy has always tended to go with vets and that MoT is noted for quick starts. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mo and Dale Davis matchedup later in the game. The Blazers and Rocks have deep benches and players that can play multiple positions. This should provide the opportunity for some unusual matchups.
I'm not looking forward to this one. Wallace is going to murder us. If Francis can dominate his matchup with Stoudamire, which I doubt, the we'll be alright. Francis is going to have non-stop quality PG's going at him, like the Seattle game. We didn't fare well over there. PLUS, the Blazers are on a losing streak on the road, and would love to get this one to recharge them. They're going to play extra hard. I'm afraid that with Ming trying to adjust, Taylor trying to adjust, and Rice still firing blanks, we're still not in good enough shape to beat the Blazers. Note: If Eddie has a big game, it's ours. But again, I feel Wallace is really going to toast us.
Sane, Francis is a couple of notches better than last at least. He has not lost a PG match up this year yet. Stoudamire has always been a good match up with Steve but if we can keep him from driving to the basket and limit his mid range shots then I feel really good about not getting beat by his long range bombs. No one has been able to stop Francis from getting to the hoop and his mid range and long range jumpers have both been outstanding to date. If Eddie starts getting worked over by Rasheed in the low post then I would expect Rudy T to either bring in MoT or shift KT over on him. But I beleive that Eddie and Cato will be good at helping each other on defense. I think on the last leg of a back to back and the last road game of the trip that the Blazers could be a bit tired and as you said, they are not playing real well right now.
I don't think MT will start. He'll play a lot if effective, but Rudy must reward EG at this point and keep him rolling... Francis will continue to get his, but probably within the flow of the game as the frontline continues to get healthy and more minutes and contributes. This could be the first game we see a real Rockets full balanced attack. I want to see Rice go 4-7 with 12 points 3 rebounds and a couple assists. MT just needs minutes and his numbers are not critical as long as he is not a liability. Cato needs to go off on his old team... I see Mooch doing something in this game too...
crash, That's the thing, Stoudamire always gets the better of Francis. Francis doesn't have the same size advantage that other PG's have over Stoudamire, making the matchup that much easier for Damon. Francis would REALLY impress the hell out of me if he could dominate this matchup. Then there's Wallace. There's no one on our team to defend him but Eddie maybe. I'm Wallace will destroy all of our PF's, and he easily can. It will be interesting to see if Cato can draw EXTRA inspiration from playng against his old team. Too bas Walt Williams ain't here to bomb the hell out of them again.
The matchups will be interesting but the Blazers have more depth than us. Portland is not a great shooting team like Seattle therefore I think we might have some success with zone defense against them if we have problems with individual matchups. I would like to ask anyone how is our defensive rotation right now like? I haven't seen any of the games yet.
<blockQUOTE>Originally posted by GATER Also, can KT's quick first step get him around Wallace?</blockQUOTE> Yes. Is it really even a question?
<blockQUOTE>Originally posted by Sane Francis doesn't have the same size advantage that other PG's have over Stoudamire, making the matchup that much easier for Damon.</blockQUOTE>Man, this really needs to go in someone's signature.
I'm so happy this team is at 100% because we're going to need everybody. Mobley and Francis obviously have to have big games, as does Griffin. Having Mo back is a huge plus. All this extra practice time Ming is having, it would be nice for him to break out and have a decent game, and Rice getting it together would go a long way. If the offense is clicking the Rockets and the Rockets are playing good defense, they can take them. Portland has also been playing inconsistent so who knows what to expect from that team. I don't think Derek Anderson will be available so their depth takes a hit. I think the Rockets take them in a close one.
Sane, I don't know much about the history of Francis-Stoudamire matchups, but I'm sure Francis has at least four inches on the Mighty Mouse. I think that should count as a size advantage, don't you think? I actually think this matchup is THE key advantage for us. The way Francis has been burning defenses lately, I see no reason why he shouldn't be able to burn a much shorter Stoudemire, so that McInnis (6-4, I think) is likely to get more playing time tonight. Does anybody know anything about how good McInnis is on defense?
Is he really FOUR inches taller? He sure doesn't look it. Besides this, Francis doesn't really ever use his size advantage against smaller players since he plays like a smaller player himself. However you cut it, Stoudamire always burns us. So that's a matchup to watch. About Mcinnis, he's no Gary Payton, but he's defensively probably the best PG on both teams. I saw the Blazers-Mavs game, and they have a very good bench. Woods and Randolph are excellent players off the bench, and Wallace had a bad game. That leads me to the conclusion that he's going to want to rebound from that big time against us. Like I said before. If Francis can dominate his matchup with Stoudamire, then we're in it. But if Stoudamire matches up with him, we're in trouble. Other notes: Anderson won't be back. Sabonis is back. Pippen is hurting, played bad, but says he's fine. Rasheed Wallace is shooting 50% or better from 3-pt range (Eddie? lol). If we drag this game out to the 4th quarter, then we'll win. The Blazers are very tired, and somewhat depleted.
I don't know what you mean about Steve playing "like a smaller player", Sane. He actually plays like a bigger, taller player, when you consider his averaging more rebounds than heavyweights like Karl Malone, Vlade Divac or Dale Davis presently. And I checked it out on nba.com - Steve has FIVE inches on Stoudemire, who also happens to be averaging less than 8 points, less than 3 rebounds and 4.3 assists currently. Now, if that is not a mismatch, I don't know what is.
Francis plays his best matador defense against Stoudamire. Always drives me crazy. As someone mentioned, EG will need to step up. Keep Sheed and Stoudamire from going nuts on the scoreboard and we'll have a chance. This can't be the Steve-and-Cat Show Episode 6...unless they both go off for 35.
The Blazers undoubtedly are deep, but a lot of that depth is high mileage - Pippen and Sabonis for sure and Dale Davis is not what he used to be. Plus, some of the younger player in their long rotation aren't producing - Randolph for example. Back on topic - I think that stopping Rasheed may be key. The Mavs went to some sort of gimmicky 1-1-3 zone which made it nearly impossible for the Blazers to get a good post entry pass. (Seems funny talking about the Mavs and successful defense in the same paragraph). Maybe I have been overly focused on watching the Rox O this season, but I don't recall that much success with their zone D. I am going to read Clutch's sticky about the Blazers game and see if it has been determined whehter Bonzi and Derek Anderson are playing. I really was looking forward to the Hawk vs Bonzi matchup.
hp - Only in the extent that Wallace has a serious reach advantage and can back off quite a distance to diminish KT's advantage. Especially if KT is having a problem from long range.
The matchup of the night IMO is EG versus Wallace. Undoubtedly, Wallace will dominate, but EG is coming along nicely and these are the type of players he needs to go against to develop his game further. I predict EG will block him at least once tonight.
He was suspended for some sort of altercation with Danny Ferry. In the Blazers sticky thread, aelliott said it was a one game suspension. Bonzi didn't play against Dallas so I think it's over.
