# GAME THREAD: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz



## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

<center><font size=6><font color=red>Portland Trail Blazers</font> 
*@* 
<font size=6><font color=blue>Utah Jazz</font></font></font> </center>

 *VS* 

<center>10-29-03
TV: KGW
6:00 pm PST

 *<font color=red>VS</font>*  </center> </center>
<center>

*Main Matchup*

 *VS* 


*Other Matchups*

 *VS* 
 *VS* 

*X-Factor:**
Z-Bo*
</center>
<center><font color=black>*Portland (0-0) Utah (0-0)*</font></center>

*Click on the pictures up above to access more information on the players and teams involved in the game.*


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## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

Yikes!  This has to be the worst picture of an NBA player that I've seen in a loooong time. :uhoh:


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

my blazers saying this year just let it alll hang out and we will be fine worry abou ourselves other than any other team


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## RoseCity (Sep 27, 2002)

*In the wierd news department...*

Jerry Sloan has decided to bring his best player(Arguably), Andrei Kirilenko, off the bench this season. He stated he likes the spark he brings off the bench!?!? 

I'm sure that will change when the Jazz loose 5 in a row.

I think we should expect to see an ugly game. Because, Utah will have to play that way if they plan on winning any games. And, not to sound negative here but if the past holds true, we will probably end up playing the Jazz's game as opposed to making them play our game.

LET'S GO --- Z_BO!!:grinning:


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

What's the 411 on Anderson and Patterson? Will they play?

How about Stepania? Will he see time ahead of Boom-Boom or not?

My inquiring mind wants to know.....


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## Siouxperior (Jan 15, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>So Cal Blazer Fan</b>!
> What's the 411 on Anderson and Patterson? Will they play?
> 
> How about Stepania? Will he see time ahead of Boom-Boom or not?
> ...


Ruben will be ready , as well as Stepania.


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## Backboard Cam (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>RoseCity</b>!
> Jerry Sloan has decided to bring his best player(Arguably), Andrei Kirilenko, off the bench this season.


Kirilenko was awesome off the bench last year. 

What's the real starting lineup for Utah?


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## HOWIE (Dec 30, 2002)

How you doin?


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

Here's Chad Ford's insightful breakdown of tonights matchup...

Blazers vs. Jazz -- Talent vs. chemistry. Evil vs. good. Cheeks vs. Sloan. Can the Blazers end the Jazz surprising preseason success? 

STOMP


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## ABM (Dec 30, 2002)

Apparently, Sloan Is Still Undecided As To Whom He Will Start


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## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>STOMP</b>!
> Here's Chad Ford's insightful breakdown of tonights matchup...
> 
> Blazers vs. Jazz -- Talent vs. chemistry. Evil vs. good. Cheeks vs. Sloan. Can the Blazers end the Jazz surprising preseason success?
> ...


How insightful.


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## ABM (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Loyalty4Life</b>!
> 
> 
> How insightful.


L4L, I went to rate your posts (on your sig) and thought there were _five_ there to rate, so I clicked on the _first_ one and...........


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Siouxperior</b>!
> 
> 
> Ruben will be ready , as well as Stepania.


Thanks for the news, *Siouxperior*!


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## ProudBFan (Apr 29, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>STOMP</b>!
> Here's Chad Ford's insightful breakdown of tonights matchup...
> 
> Blazers vs. Jazz -- Talent vs. chemistry. Evil vs. good. Cheeks vs. Sloan. Can the Blazers end the Jazz surprising preseason success?


What a cowinkydink! Chad Ford hates the Blazers...

...and I hate Chad Ford!

Sorry. But that guy's blindness WRT the Blazers approaches Vecsey-esque proportions.

PBF


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## Stallion (Apr 23, 2003)

I can't wait to see Sloan have a break down this season and just freak out! I predict he'll have more ejections this season than the whole blazer team.


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## bfan1 (Mar 5, 2003)

*just making sure*

Tonight's game is on KGW-correct? 6 PST.


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## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>ABM</b>!
> 
> 
> L4L, I went to rate your posts (on your sig) and thought there were _five_ there to rate, so I clicked on the _first_ one and...........


The link to see who's rated me doesn't list you... Perhaps you should rate me a five and try again. :grinning:


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>ProudBFan</b>!
> What a cowinkydink! Chad Ford hates the Blazers... and I hate Chad Ford!


Chad seems to hate the Blazers even more when they don't lose and or don't have off court mishaps, thus messing up his storyline. He's hardly an unbiased source of insider info on Portland.

STOMP


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

i can't get live scores anywhere...


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## BlayZa (Dec 31, 2002)

try http://www.sportsline.com/nba/gamecenter/live/[email protected]


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## BlayZa (Dec 31, 2002)

worst ive seen ^^^
Ben Handlogten 
jazz C


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>tblazrdude</b>!
> i can't get live scores anywhere...


This one's working:

NBA.com


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>tblazrdude</b>!
> i can't get live scores anywhere...


Blazers 40
Jazz 29

5:43 left in 2nd


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

Aflac Trivia Question:

Who played the PG and PF positions for the Jazz before Stockon and Malone?


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

*Re: just making sure*



> Originally posted by <b>bfan1</b>!
> Tonight's game is on KGW-correct? 6 PST.


Yep!


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

Blazers 51
Jazz 43

halftime


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*NOW IF YOU HAD YOUR LEAGUE PASS*

You would be watching..
it's the bomb !!


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## mook (Dec 31, 2002)

haven't got my league pass yet, so I can't see the game. looks like from the box score the big lineup is pulling off another rebounding clinic.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

The Jazz started Kirilenko and Harpring at the forwards and Sheed and Zach are killing us on the boards.. we're just too small.. I think you guys have 16 offensive rebounds and we have 12 total..

Randolph has 14 at the half for the Blazers and Pavlovic has 15 for the Jazz..


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Halftime Stats:

Zach: 14 pts, 4 rebounds, 4-9 shooting!
Damon: 9 pts, 5 assists, 2 TO (not a bad ratio though), 4-7 shooting.
Sheed: 9 pts, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-6 shooting.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, 

GET SHEED THE DAMN BALL!


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*well what's nice is the sports package to go with it*

all the other teams regular sports station..it's fun to watch their
local's talk about the games.
Do most of you League Pass people also have the Sports Package?
They compliment each other well.


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*utah has some nice shooters*

It figures..
they have just about every country represented.


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## dkap (May 13, 2003)

Sheed's making some tough shots; looks very under control.

Zach seems to be forcing things a big, but he's good enough to still make the most of his touches.

McInnis seems much more comfortable on offense this year. Damon seems pretty confident, too.

Now if Bonzi would re-enter the building...  Oh, and leave the turnover machine qualities at home. Is that a foot I see in front of me? Cool, let's throw the ball there.

Stepania looks horrible. Boom-Boom must be wondering on the bench, "how'd *this* stiff beat me out?!"

That Pavlovic kid has some game. I don't know if he has a nickname yet, but I'm all for a grassroots effort to start calling him Mad Dog...

Dan


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## STOMP (Jan 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>gambitnut</b>!
> Aflac Trivia Question:
> 
> Who played the PG and PF positions for the Jazz before Stockon and Malone?


I believe it was Ricky Green at point guard... maybe 6'5 Dantley at PF?

STOMP


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*I like this !*

Sheed fits this role nicely !!


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

How is damon playing???

Give me color people! I'm without sight!


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>STOMP</b>!
> 
> 
> I believe it was Ricky Green at point guard... maybe 6'5 Dantley at PF?
> ...


Nope, Ricky Green was right but the PF was Thurl Bailey.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

alright go go gadget bonzi!


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*damon is playing well !*

My goodness tho,this game shouldn't be this close..
they should be blowing out this skinny, small,some tall team.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

impressions of stepania?


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

wow McInnis is on fire.


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*I have some bad news*

They don't look good.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

this is getting ugly...

Wow, get Bonzi out of there. He may be on my fantasy team, but JEEZ.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

game?


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*tonight comparing phoenix and portland*

phoenix is waaaay over Portland.


There is no cohesive team here.


Remember who they are playing...
Utah..
and they are struggling for their lives...against UTAH.

Anybody else watching??????


M E L T D O W N


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>tblazrdude</b>!
> game?


Blazers 85
Jazz 87 

2:55 left in 4th


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>tblazrdude</b>!
> impressions of stepania?


Dude can rebound.

On offense though, he's not very good. He's takes a couple UGLY shots.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Man Jerry Sloan can really coach. Those guys in Utah are competing.


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

It's getting worse.

Blazers 85
Jazz 91

1:47 left in 4th


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*and guess what they are doing it with?*

Lots of players from other countries
WHO CAN SHOOT


PORTLAND 7 FOR 17 IN THE 4TH


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

*Re: and guess what they are doing it with?*



> Originally posted by <b>jackiejackal</b>!
> Lots of players from other countries
> WHO CAN SHOOT
> 
> ...


UTAH 12 FOR 15 IN THE 4TH


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## Blazerfan024 (Aug 15, 2003)

*Utah Fans*

even the utah fans look stunned they might beat us lol


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## bfan1 (Mar 5, 2003)

*...*

Why on earth is J-mac out there? Why doesn't Mo go with the starters in the 4th?  

It is too muchlike last year-can't take it....switching to Kings/Cavs


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*NO STARS...*

JUST HARD WORK AND SHOOTING !!
BRAVO JAZZ !!


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*NO COACHING THAT I CAN SEE WHATSOEVER*

:no:


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## Blazerfan024 (Aug 15, 2003)

*hmm.*

Mcginnis tryin to be hero 

He needs to stop.


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

Do you still want to hear?

I will say it one more time.

Portland lost it's two smartest players.
Say what you may about how long each one played..whatever !

But this team looks pretty dumb.

oh my god...they packed it in before the game was even over.

i am ashamed of this game...it was really really bad.

i am sorry for this bad news.
we have been waiting so long for this night.
sorry..


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## yangsta (May 14, 2003)

why aren't we going to Zach??? this is ridculous.. thank god cheeks isn't getting that extension.. this is horrible... the no BBall IQ problem is very apparent.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

Carlos Arroyo has 18 pts and 12 asts. Quite impressive for a guy who was known as a journey man. 

AK-47 dunk ball game. 99-92.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

*Re: hmm.*

We just lost to the ugliest team in the history of the league. 

Do we get something for that?


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## Blazerfan024 (Aug 15, 2003)

*I CANT BELIEVE IT*

wow its gonna be a long season


:sigh: :sigh: :sigh: :sigh:


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## gambitnut (Jan 4, 2003)

It's over!

Blazers 92
Jazz 99


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>yangsta</b>!
> why aren't we going to Zach??? this is ridculous.. thank god cheeks isn't getting that extension.. this is horrible... the no BBall IQ problem is very apparent.


That's what I was thinking.

We were going to Zach a lot and we were winning.

We started going to everybody BUT Zach and we lost.

Get. The. Ball. To. Zach.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

nothing positive comes from this game.


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## BlayZa (Dec 31, 2002)

^^

i dunno , maybe mo cheeks is that much closer to not gettin his extension , his coaching has been - well - minimal and ineffective come to mind


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## Peaceman (Jan 15, 2003)

Bonzi had a bad game and our decision making was very poor in the 4th. Not one of our guys provided any leadership when it counted. Tough loss. Bring on Cleveland.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>tblazrdude</b>!
> nothing positive comes from this game.


We've got better looking players. 

Kirilenko and that Handlogten guy are the ugliest dudes I've ever seen. Bar none. 

Plus, we cleaned up on the glass.


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## INTELLECT (Nov 22, 2002)

bwahahahahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hahaahhah *takes breath* BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

Bonzi was *terrible*. Dale Davis was invisible. Patterson was pretty bad.

The rest of the team, I think, played pretty well. Utah just hit a LOT of jumpers and beat us tonight.

Damon and McInnis shot too much (25 combined shots) but shot 60% from the field... so it's hard to complain too much. Zach missed a lot of easy shots, but he did a good job of attacking the hoop. 

Very disappointing, but I think that there ARE some good things that happened tonight, and if Portland can get Bonzi to playing at anything approaching the level he's capable of I think the team will win a lot of games in spite of this poor showing.

Ed O.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

Carlos Arroyo dropping 18 points and 13 assists? For those of you that watched, how good does he look? From a statistical stand point it looked like Arroyo was the thorn in the Blazers side.


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## Arclite (Nov 2, 2002)

Randolph and McInnis looked like the only guys who showed up for Portland on offense, Damon too to start off.. They just didn't play very hard defense.. Bonzi forced a ton of shots when DeShawn and Raja were playing him straight up..

I know Portland is way better than this, it just didn't look like you guys were trying. When a Utah player would get the ball 20 feet out, whoever was closest on Portland would walk over there to close out..


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## Tommyboy (Jan 3, 2003)

gotta play 4 quarters. Doesnt hurt Utah to shoot lights out in the 4th either.

Portland looked tired.


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## Dathomieyouhate (Jun 21, 2003)

ouch.... sucks to be the blazers.


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

Portland gave that game away 

why they lost the game 

why wasnt Zach on the court at the start of the 4th 

why wasnt qyntel in gese utah was playing all type of scrubs 


positives sheed , zach j mac and damon 

bonzi had a horrible game , dale didnt do anything , ruben was solid looked like he was still hurt , but I knew something like this would happen you know why because its the 1st game dont panic now spurs just lost to denver


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## Peaceman (Jan 15, 2003)

We could use a Kirilenko type of player. The guy is tall, plays very good defense, and seems to make few mistakes. He played well against us last year.

If Bonzi steps up at all in this game, we go home with a win. He really struggled on both ends of the court. Damon playing SG was interesting, but it lead us away from our low post which killed us. I have to give Utah credit for hanging around.


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Dathomieyouhate</b>!
> ouch.... sucks to be the blazers.


And the Spurs. And the Nets. And the Pistons.

Misery loves company 

Ed O.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>rohawk24</b>!
> Carlos Arroyo dropping 18 points and 13 assists? For those of you that watched, how good does he look? From a statistical stand point it looked like Arroyo was the thorn in the Blazers side.


I can't say I remember even ONE assist the guy had. They were pretty routine, seemed like on jumpshots. It's not like he repeatedly threaded the needle from 30 feet away or dished out a bunch of alley-oops. It was all passes to Bell and Pavlovic and they never missed. His defense wasn't that great, check Damon and McInnis' stats. They both shot a very high percentage. 

Thorn in the side? Yeah, he had a great game stats wise (offensively), but Raja Bell and Pavlovic were the real problem in this game. Seemed like they never missed.


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## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

I think we need DA ASAP.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

We just lost because of turn overs and poor ball control. I thought this would be our biggest weakness going into the season. Because Damon and McInnis are the only ones on our team who can handle the ball well, the rest are turnover prone.

Utah has many under-rated players, forgien players are better than our current NBA players, that' why they kicked our butts. **poof* totally uneccessary.--Any problems PM me

BEEZ*


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

I repeat its the 1st game blazers just got outworked , da would of been nice to have back tonight


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

blazers always struggle against those ugly playing teams


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Peaceman</b>!
> 
> If Bonzi steps up at all in this game, we go home with a win. He really struggled on both ends of the court.


If Bonzi just doesn't touch the ball, we go home with a win. He just plain sucked. His ball-handling was terrible and he couldn't hit a perimeter shot to save his life. Add in his unwillingness to make a post entry pass and it equals bad news for Portland. 

Ed O.


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## yangsta (May 14, 2003)

They speak so highly of the "big lineup".. and it was working well in the beginning....

So why did they go to a small lineup in the 4th?? mcinnis, stepania, sheed, damn, zach... and all of the sudden mcinnis became our go to guy.. bad idea....


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Yega1979</b>!
> * *poof* totally uneccessary.--Any problems PM me
> 
> BEEZ*


Dude. Kirilenko and Handlogten are ugly no matter what the race. 

Sam Cassell is ALMOST as ugly. Does that make you feel better?


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## Tommyboy (Jan 3, 2003)

i wouldnt read too much into one game, especially at the Delta Center where our record is 5-19 all time. Utah has always been a house of horrors.

I thought they would win the game too, but when they didn't put Utah out for the night in the 3rd I had a feeling they'd come back and Portland would tire. It happened.

game 2 will be a lot more fun.


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

game was so ugly blazers still getting the legs right


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## Peaceman (Jan 15, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Ed O</b>!
> 
> 
> If Bonzi just doesn't touch the ball, we go home with a win. He just plain sucked. His ball-handling was terrible and he couldn't hit a perimeter shot to save his life. Add in his unwillingness to make a post entry pass and it equals bad news for Portland.
> ...


I'm not the biggest Bonzi fan, but I didn't want to pile on the guy in the 1st game. Your right though, he seemed like he couldn't dribble or shoot at all.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>yangsta</b>!
> They speak so highly of the "big lineup".. and it was working well in the beginning....
> 
> So why did they go to a small lineup in the 4th?? mcinnis, stepania, sheed, damn, zach... and all of the sudden mcinnis became our go to guy.. bad idea....


I think they were trying to curb the turnovers and fastbreaks of the Jazz. The Jazz were killing us from the outside and guys like Wells were making really bad turnovers that lost us the game. Well, I don't expect much more than .500 ball from the Blazers this season, so just worry about defending the homecourt.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

On second thought, good luck beating anyone who shoots 57 percent from the field.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

the sky is falling! the sky is falling! the sky is falling! Everyone look out! the sky is falling!!

It's 1 game, it doesn't mean anything. 


anyone who didn't think that a Jerry Sloan team wasn't going to play hard is a stupid moron who doesn't understand things.

Why did anyone think we'd actually win in Utah? there's a reason we've only won like 12 games over the last 20 something years there.


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

i dont want anybody to blame sheed tonight what i have been saying for years pgs dont give him the ball


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

blazers basketball iq is very bad thats why they lost this game


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

I repeat myself its just the 1st game 



Warriors and Mavs in a tight game


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## yangsta (May 14, 2003)

I would say "pippen could have kept us in the game"... but then I saw the bulls vs. washington box score...


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

maybe blazers had the jitters i even did , lets get ready for the home opener where we will be more relaxed


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## cimalee (Apr 17, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>yangsta</b>!
> I would say "pippen could have kept us in the game"... but then I saw the bulls vs. washington box score...




that was a game that was ugly


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

Honestly, Portland didn't play that badly as the boxscore might indicate. It was a sad loss because we commanded the whole game then let it slip in the 4th. I think it was more that the Jazz played really well and the Blazers didn't punish them inside with Wallace and Randolph enough.(probably because our guards can't get it into them(and zach was fumbling alot of balls))


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

*Surprised*

I didn't see anybody talk about the shooting percentage in this game. It sounds like Portland did ok in all the other departments but two of the most important ones. Portland allowed Utah to shoot a phenomenal percentage from the field, and 55% from the 3 point line. While only shooting 44% from the field themselves. I didn't get to see the game, but you don't have to see a game to know when a team is playing bad defense. Bonzi could not have had much of a worse game, but that was not the reason for the loss. Good defense+OK offense will win you a lot of games in this league. Bad defense+ok offense will earn you a lot of losses.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

*Re: Surprised*



> Originally posted by <b>hasoos</b>!
> I didn't see anybody talk about the shooting percentage in this game. It sounds like Portland did ok in all the other departments but two of the most important ones. Portland allowed Utah to shoot a phenomenal percentage from the field, and 55% from the 3 point line. While only shooting 44% from the field themselves. I didn't get to see the game, but you don't have to see a game to know when a team is playing bad defense. Bonzi could not have had much of a worse game, but that was not the reason for the loss. Good defense+OK offense will win you a lot of games in this league. Bad defense+ok offense will earn you a lot of losses.


The Jazz got a LOT of fast break points Hasoos. That's probably why their percentage was so high...that, and they did shoot it well from downtown. The story of the game was: Blazers command 1st half, play really well, in the 2nd half Jazz creep closer thans to points of steals and bogus offensive charging fouls on the blazers. This trend continued and the Jazz took the lead, the Blazers got even more tentive and we lost.


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## HOWIE (Dec 30, 2002)

So what was the deal with Cheeks sitting Woods? I would think that he would be instant offense for this squad? I would think that if something wasn't working (Bonzi), what did Cheeks have to lose by giving Woods a crack at making something happen?


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>HOWIE</b>!
> So what was the deal with Cheeks sitting Woods? I would think that he would be instant offense for this squad? I would think that if something wasn't working (Bonzi), what did Cheeks have to lose by giving Woods a crack at making something happen?


because woods probably would have been beaten like a gov't mule


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## HOWIE (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Hap</b>!
> 
> 
> because woods probably would have been beaten like a gov't mule


I know that his defense is questionable, but I would think that his offense would have helped. Wasn't Portland playing a zone tonight anyway?


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hap</b>!
> 
> 
> because woods probably would have been beaten like a gov't mule


Could he have possibly been WORSE than Wells?

I say give the guy a shot, things were clearly not going well for Bonzi. Shake things up coach Cheeks.


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## HOWIE (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Fork</b>!
> 
> 
> Could he have possibly been WORSE than Wells?
> ...


I could understand if you were playing man on man, but Portland was in a zone and Woods would have had enough help on defense to atleast give him a shot to help the Blazers on the offensive end of the floor!


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## The Enigma (May 10, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Hap</b>!
> anyone who didn't think that a Jerry Sloan team wasn't going to play hard is a stupid moron who doesn't understand things.


This is very true however I find it interesting that no one ever takes notice of the fact that the Blazers play as placid and lackadaisical as their coach.

Was this the case under Dunleavy?

This has been the case for the last two seasons (not including this one) under Cheeks. 

Coincidence (?)... _I am not sure._ 

Even Randolph seemed placid and ho hum in this game.

The team played with absolutely no emotion what so ever (they seemed like a bunch of robots). They had no energy and showed absolutely no aggressiveness. Once again I believe that some of this has to do with the coaches demeanor and/or personality, as teams often take on the character traits of their coach (such traits as being cantankerous, aggressive, placid or calm). Take a look at the Jazz. They lack talent however they are an absolute mirror image (personality wise) of their coach. Look at Toronto (I watched their game tonight), as a team they play with a completely different energy under their new coach. 

I know that the revival of Carter and the off season acquisitions are the dominant factor behind the teams potential to compete this season however while watching the game the first things that jumped out at me were:

1.) The efficiency of their new offensive sets (this coach utilizes Carter much better than Wilkins ever did).

2.) The exuberance and aggressiveness of the Raptor players (totally uncharacteristic of last seasons complacent and placid bunch).

3.) The change in demeanor of Carter. He appeared charismatic, aggressive and down right arrogant (exactly the way he was under Butch). He appeared nothing like the placid unenthusiastic Carter of the Wilkins tenure.

Teams tend to shadow their leader (on some teams that leader may be the best player, an others it may be someone on the bench), for the Blazers their leader appears to be Cheeks and they replicate his personality identically. His poor grasp of coaching from the standpoint of tactician does not help either.

I challenge anyone to take a close look at what would be deemed the emotional signature of each and every NBA team then determine just how many teams appear to mirror their coach? 

You may find the results quite interesting.


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## The Enigma (May 10, 2003)

I also noticed that the Blazers played a lot of zone in the Jazz game. This concerns me a bit because it is easy for teams to become complacent defensively while in a zone. 
Much of this has to do with the fact that players are not assigned to a particular man. They are given defensive responsibility of a section of the court giving no sense of accountability (by the individual player) when an opposing team scores.

Man to man emphasizes aggressiveness and accountability; zone simply does not. 
I was very disappointed with the amount of zone utilized by the Blazers in that game.


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## Yega1979 (Mar 22, 2003)

I think coaching is over-rated. It's the players that make the difference. Jerry Sloan always has very diciplined and well executing teams, but then again he always gets intelligent skillful basketball players. When's the last time the Jazz had a player like Bonzi Wells or Rasheed Wallace? 

Coaching has a bigger affect on younger players, but this Blazer team is veteran. Yes, we had the same problems with execution and dumb mistakes under Dunleavy. Dunleavy was constantly trying to get Rasheed to play in the post...we blew many 4th quarter leads to LA in the WCF and lost the championship because of it.


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## Siouxperior (Jan 15, 2003)

I still can't figure out why Zach very few min. in the 4th quarter, and why Jeff McInnis was in rather than Damon. :|


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## Ed O (Dec 30, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Yega1979</b>!
> I think coaching is over-rated. It's the players that make the difference. Jerry Sloan always has very diciplined and well executing teams, but then again he always gets intelligent skillful basketball players. When's the last time the Jazz had a player like Bonzi Wells or Rasheed Wallace?


Have you ever heard of DeShawn Stevenson? Or Keon Clark? Or Greg Ostertag? 

Granted, Keon Clark didn't even play tonight, but the other two guys did and neither of them are the sharpest tools in the shed.

Ed O.


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## Siouxperior (Jan 15, 2003)

Imo, we just had a lack of focus tonight. We come out and lose to one of the worst teams in the NBA on opening night? A team full of no-namers (with the exception to AK-47). Questionable coaching was another factor. Some of the decisions Mo made late in the game were a little confusing. Taking out Randolph for a good chunk of the 4th, leaving Jeff McInnis in, yeah he had 19 pts...but Arroryo (sp?) Dominated Jeff. BTW, is it me, or did Stepania look a lot like Chris Dudley ? Which isn't a good thing :uhoh:


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## dkap (May 13, 2003)

I consider the zone defense to generally be a sign of lack of respect for the opponent. Utah made 'em pay for it. Let's hope Cheeks learned a lesson. Why zone up on a team who's strength is the perimeter game? The only reason I can think of is to protect Rasheed and Zach's lack of mobility at their respective defensive positions. I see that posing a lot of problems this year. I stand by my statement(s) from the summer that Rasheed at small forward is not a good choice on average.

Dan


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## Storyteller (Dec 31, 2002)

A few questions from someone who did not watch (or listen) to the game, just followed the boxscore on NBA.com periodically:

1) I understand that the Jazz got a lot of fast break points in the second half which upped their shooting %. But why did Portland's fall so dramatically? Did they just miss shots in the second half? Were they taking bad shots? Or something else? What was different about the Portland offense in the first half and the Portland offense in the second?

2) Did Bonzi even try to post up or drive to the hoop, or was he content shooting (and missing) jump shots?

3) Were the turnovers generally due to Blazer errors (ie, lazy passes or mistimed plays) or due to hustle and defense from Utah?

Thanks ahead of time for any info.


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## dkap (May 13, 2003)

> why did Portland's fall so dramatically?


They seemed to get rather complacent and stopped attacking the defense. Utah made adjustments to make it tougher for Zach to get clean touches, and Portland never really responded with a clear plan of attack.



> Did Bonzi even try to post up or drive to the hoop


Not that I can remember.



> Were the turnovers generally due to Blazer errors (ie, lazy passes or mistimed plays) or due to hustle and defense from Utah?


Some of both, but mostly sloppy plays on the Blazers' part. Bonzi's always iffy handle was worse than normal, Damon was doing his human slip 'n slide impersonation, Zach was having a hard time not running people over in the open court, and Vladimir "Duck!" Stepania was heaving line drive hook shots off the backboard and throwing cross court passes straight to slashing defenders...

Dan


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## loyalty4life (Sep 17, 2002)

Hey guys,

What do you all think of my dog? He got a haircut today.


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## The Enigma (May 10, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>dkap</b>!
> Vladimir "Duck!" Stepania was heaving line drive hook shots off the backboard and throwing cross court passes straight to slashing defenders...


As big a supporter of the Stepania acquisition as I was I must admit that I was thoroughly disappointed with his play.

For a short span in the 4th I almost thought that the name on the back of his jersey read *Stiff*.


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## BlazerFanFoLife (Jul 17, 2003)

Wow is ur dog hittin on the camera guy... wait that was me taking the picture!!! 

(starts lookin around for stalkers):uhoh:


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## Anima (Jun 3, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Loyalty4Life</b>!
> Hey guys,
> 
> What do you all think of my dog? He got a haircut today.


That's just wrong. Funny but wrong... :grinning:


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

Wow, I couldn't believe it when I saw the box score...PDX losing to the Jazz ? :sour:

Maybe the Jazz are better than everyone thought...:whoknows:


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## Goldmember (May 24, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>So Cal Blazer Fan</b>!
> 
> 1) I understand that the Jazz got a lot of fast break points in the second half which upped their shooting %. But why did Portland's fall so dramatically? Did they just miss shots in the second half? Were they taking bad shots? Or something else? What was different about the Portland offense in the first half and the Portland offense in the second?


Damon, Jeff, and Bonzi decided it was their time to shine.



> 2) Did Bonzi even try to post up or drive to the hoop, or was he content shooting (and missing) jump shots?


He posted a few times but missed all of his fadeaways. He drove a few times and lost the ball every time I think. He also missed a nearly uncontested breakaway layin. It was ugly. 



> 3) Were the turnovers generally due to Blazer errors (ie, lazy passes or mistimed plays) or due to hustle and defense from Utah?


A little of both. 



> Originally posted by <b>The Enigma</b>!
> 
> 
> As big a supporter of the Stepania acquisition as I was I must admit that I was thoroughly disappointed with his play.
> ...


That's funny, for a second there I thought it said "Dudley."


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*this pretty well sums it up*

They shot 58% against Portland..
There was not a shred of defense.
That was probably the most disturbing of all.None.
This sky is falling barb stuff is getting stale with me.
Doesn't it tell you something that you are using the same barb
year after year,on the fans who are telling it like it is??

They had not a shred of a plan to put that game away.None.

Coach is wearing thin with his scowl sitting on the bench holding
his head.

Bonzi Wells has brought his sour personality...again..
Once I thought he was gonna sock the guy who fell into him.
Oh and he stunk..I mean stunk!

Positive sign? 
Just one..
Sheed didn't hang on the 3 point line.
Bad sign?
He had probably less than 10 shots the entire game.
NOBODY IS ABLE TO CALM,COMMAND,GUIDE THIS TEAM.Again.

The fact that they played a team that has to have the smallest,thinest,newest,least experience team in the league.
How do you lose to this team???

How??


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## jackiejackal (Nov 7, 2002)

*to those who make fun of how people look*

Let me just ask you one question?

Would it bother you if I took your picture and posted it in the place of the current one??

Not everybody is blessed with those smashing good looks..

God,I hope you don't have kids..because a kid starting
school with that attitude in mind is going to break alot of young hearts..

It hurts to be thought of as ugly..

You are lucky if you have never experienced it.


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