# Game Thread: Heat @ Blazers (1-7-07)



## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

yeah 13-11 heat


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

19-16 Blazers with 5:00 left in the first quarter.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Roy with 10 early points. 

13 away from tying his career high.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Roy with 12 points in 9 minutes. 11 away from tying his career high.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

who's this Roy guy?


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Gio305 said:


> who's this Roy guy?


Dunno, dude just kinda showed up a couple weeks ago and threw the team chemistry into chaos. I think he needs to be traded asap!


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

BTW Gio, if you're not careful, crandc will start showing up on the Heat board with an avatar of two guys making out. :biggrin:


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## chairman (Jul 2, 2006)

How can Miami possibly lose with Wade playing. The refs call a foul if you are within 2 feet of him.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

I wonder what the record is for career highs on the same team in the same night.


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## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

I thought Gilbert Arenas shooting 21 foul shots earlier today was rediculous... but Wade might match that...

Seriously, if they're going to call the foul anyway, I say destroy that wrist.


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## crowTrobot (Jun 24, 2005)

aldridge showing confidence not seen since his first game


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## yakbladder (Sep 13, 2003)

chairman said:


> How can Miami possibly lose with Wade playing. The refs call a foul if you are within 2 feet of him.


That's because Wade has a buffer zone around him - it's like when you catch a punt in football - you have to give the receiver 2 yards or it's a personal foul.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Offensively, this has been the most beautiful basketball I've seen the Blazers play in I don't know how long.

Portland is answering those runs that Miami made in the second quarter -- instead of losing confidence, they rebounded from the runs and are doing just a tremendous job tonight at responding when Miami gets hot.

It's hard to single out a single player so far. Brandon did some great things, Martell is in rhythm, Jack is dishing out assists, Sergio had a couple of assists (including the one to Dixon, where there wasn't anyone within 10 feet of him out on the 3-point line) ... oh and how about LaMarcus!

Honestly, I kind of hope Zach's foul trouble keeps up, because I think this first half -- played mostly without Zach -- made up some of the best Blazers ball I've seen so far this year. It's poetic.

18 assists IN THE FIRST HALF. That better be 30 before the game's over.

Also, to those complaining about Wade getting to the hoop ... they've replayed most of those calls on TV tonight, and I would say most (if not all) look legit. He's just too athletic NOT to make something happen.

I hope I'm not eating my words in another hour.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

chairman said:


> How can Miami possibly lose with Wade playing. *The refs call a foul if you are within 2 feet of him.*


maybe it would be a good idea if the Blazers stop hacking him everytime he attacks the rim.


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## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

18 assists in first half = awesome!! :biggrin:


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

wastro said:


> Offensively, this has been the most beautiful basketball I've seen the Blazers play in I don't know how long.
> 
> Portland is answering those runs that Miami made in the second quarter -- instead of losing confidence, they rebounded from the runs and are doing just a tremendous job tonight at responding when Miami gets hot.
> 
> ...



trust me, there are times this Heat defence makes teams like the Hawks look like the Suns. lol


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## yakbladder (Sep 13, 2003)

In the last couple of games I've been very please to see Webster picking it up a bit on the aggressiveness side. I know some people will say "Well it's because he's getting more time" but if you go back and check, he doesn't always do so well with more minutes. I'm becoming more of the mindset that he's better off the bench as a primary scoring option for the second unit. Plus against theoretically weaker defenses, he should tear them apart.

As for LMA, he's doing much better tonight in shooting. He can just sit at the foul line and take shots. His defense still needs some work, especially on the help side, but his offense looks to be much improved tonight.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Wow..finally running plays for Martell..THANK YOU
wow..finally seeing LMA playing and shooting more..THANK YOU
I actually loved watching our bench out there..this is amazing. I hope Roy,Web, and LMA keep dominating and Dixon and Mags picking their spots nicely. If Zach comes back..give it to him down low..just not every time down. Diversity is excellent.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

too much Zach..get him out. He's turning into a hog out there...


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

The Blazers are letting these guys back into this game.

They need to put it away here.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Nightfly said:


> The Blazers are letting these guys back into this game.
> 
> They need to put it away here.


Really?


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

Bleh.


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> Really?


Yes, Quite.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

why do we CONTINUE to post up magloire..good God Nate...run more plays for Martell!!!!


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

freaking A the offense just STALLS when zach is on the floor...ARGH..MOVE


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

these refs are garbage....we go to the hole..no whistle..but we get within 2 feet of precious dwade..TWEET


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

right now there have been 26 free throws for the heat and 5 for portland.

i haven't watched any of the game, but that doesn't seem right.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

God this crap is worse then Jordan...wade....be thankful you paid off the refs


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

That tripping call on Aldridge as Wade fell to the floor might be the worst call I've ever seen.


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## Utherhimo (Feb 20, 2005)

superstars calls are lame!


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Dude, I wish we had a guy who could twirl his way to the ground and get free throws... Just have Zach dive to the floor on offense and maybe they'll give him freebies?


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

Zach is taking some pretty bad shots too.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

this is ****ing bull**** call a mother****ing foul !


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

nate bench the hell outta zach, he had roy open so amny times but hes so mother****ing selfish!!!!!


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

I USED to like wade before tonight, but this is lame..its turning into mj all over again


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## NateBishop3 (Jul 22, 2003)

And it's games like this, where the refs take over, that make the NBA second rate.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

WOW...someone other than zach shoots, and its a high percentage shot..games like these make me want zach out on the first flight of PDX monday morning.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

Nightfly said:


> That tripping call on Aldridge as Wade fell to the floor might be the worst call I've ever seen.


i agree it was bad. however Wade didnt go to the FT line.


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## ProZach (Oct 13, 2005)

Worst officiated game I've seen all year.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Gio305 said:


> i agree it was bad. however Wade didnt go to the FT line.


but it should have been traveling and our ball, but zo scores..those 2 pts are huge. Is it even fun being a heat fan...knowing your getting ft's handed to you.


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

What a crappy game all around.

Not much more to it.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

miami can thank nate mac,zbo,and the stripes for this one...good Lord..this Blazer team frustrates the hell out of me.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Gio305 said:


> i agree it was bad. however Wade didnt go to the FT line.


No, he didn't go to the FT line, the Heat just got to keep the ball at the end of a close game when it was a blatent turnover.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Good grief, how do we get close to 60 at half and dont even end up with 90...up 16 in teh 3rd...ANOTHER loss to an east team..why can't these guys just WIN?


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

MAS RipCity said:


> but it should have been traveling and our ball, but zo scores..those 2 pts are huge. Is it even fun being a heat fan...knowing your getting ft's handed to you.


no, its fun knowing we earned them. sure there were a couple of questionable calls. but youre making it seem like its been all game. i didnt see you complaining in the 1st half, even though Wade went to the FT line alot.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Alright, let's get the blame party started early.

I nominate all of the following to be beaten publicly for this loss:

Nate
Zach
Dixon
Magloire

hmmm, who else... oh what the hey,

The Rose Garden Janitor


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

they shoot 30 ft's,we shoot 7....what a complete joke of a product you have on the court stern...no wonder mavs fasn were so TO'ed in the finals.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> No, he didn't go to the FT line, the Heat just got to keep the ball at the end of a close game when it was a blatent turnover.


oh ok, i thought you guys were saying how in that posession he was hitting FTs


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## Sambonius (May 21, 2003)

At least we had another productive game from Roy, Webster, and Aldridge. I think trading Zach may be something the Blazers should explore now.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Gio305 said:


> no, its fun knowing we earned them. sure there were a couple of questionable calls. but youre making it seem like its been all game. i didnt see you complaining in the 1st half, even though Wade went to the FT line alot.


EARNED?!?!?!? ..he was fouled this game but not enough to count 17 ft's....at least call it both ways. Roy was hacked all night long.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Wow, there some horrible calls by the refs down the stretch.

But Portland should have never been in the position to blame this on the refs.

Zach spent most of the first half on the bench, and Portland scores 60. Zach plays almost the whole second half, and Portland scores 30. Coincidence? I hate that style of play -- get the ball to Zach, move to the other side of the court and let him work. It's horrible, ESPECIALLY after seeing how free the team played in that first half.

Martell, Juan, Aldridge and Roy ... all played well in the first half, and all were shut out by the "Zach attack" in the second half. Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!

Why did Nate not rely on what got his team 60 points in the first half? I'm a huge Nate supporter, but he should have never jeopardized the groove Portland was getting into by throwing Zach into the middle of it.

What a miserable, miserable second half.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> Alright, let's get the blame party started early.
> 
> I nominate all of the following to be beaten publicly for this loss:
> 
> ...


Dixon was fine
Nate was good in the first half..he actually had plays for Martell and LMA and played LMA , 2nd half he was teh same Nate.. DUmp it into zach and mags...barf
Mags ticks me off when he calls for it in the post. He knows damn well he sucks with his back to the basket.
Zach was pathetic tonight. Does he try defensively? Lord, I swear he has it set in his mind that he is going to shoot even if they whole team is around him. PASS THE BALL ZBO! I hate just dumping it into him, there is just no movement at all.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

MAS RipCity said:


> EARNED?!?!?!? ..he was fouled this game but not enough to count 17 ft's....at least call it both ways. *Roy was hacked all night long.*


you mean that guy that shot lights out from the perimeter? by the way, 17 Fts might sound bad. but alot of them also came in the end when the blazers were fouling in the last seconds.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

ill say this though, i envy the rookies Portland has...


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Did you not see Roy go to the hole in the 4th quarter? Take off the Red and Orange colored glasses dude. Everyone saw this crap in the finals, and it happened today. He gets phantom calls...you, i, and the world knows it.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

that was a tail of two halves. The first, guard orientated, and fun and energetic. The 2nd half?

dump it into zach and stop going to anyone else. 

seriously, can we beat an eastern conference team anytime soon?


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

The big calls that really deserve scrutiny:

The play where Roy drove, was hit in the head by Wright and didn't get the call.

Or when Brandon fought for the ball with Wade and was charged with PUSHING.

Or when Wade lost control and got the fall on Aldridge.

When the young guys are playing against the opponents and the refs are blowing three BIG calls with time winding down ... that's just about impossible to overcome.

That said, Portland shouldn't have been in that position. They should have continue what got them 60 first half points, but they went away from that game plan, and they lost.

Even Mags didn't bother me THAT much tonight. Dixon shouldn't be to blame, either.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

If they want to call touch fouls on us against Wade FINE..all I'm complaining about is that they don't call it both ways.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Gio305 said:


> you mean that guy that shot lights out from the perimeter? by the way, 17 Fts might sound bad. but alot of them also came in the end when the blazers were fouling in the last seconds.


Portland only fouled Wade twice with time winding down.

To be fair, though ... those 4 free throws in the final minutes were Wade's first of the second half. So it's not like he was solely responsible for bringing the Heat back from 16 down. He had a lot of help tonight.


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## Nightfly (Sep 24, 2002)

wastro said:


> Wow, there some horrible calls by the refs down the stretch.
> 
> But Portland should have never been in the position to blame this on the refs.
> 
> ...


You hit the nail on the head. This is basically what I was about to say.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Gio305 said:


> you mean that guy that shot lights out from the perimeter? by the way, 17 Fts might sound bad. but alot of them also came in the end when the blazers were fouling in the last seconds.


a lot of them came in the end? you mean like 4? maybe 6?

like that one where he tripped over himself and got a foul called? 

they were calling pert-near everything for him from the start. There is no way that this wasn't a superstar enhanced game. It's nto the direct cause of the loss, but it sure shows a bit of favortism in the league.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

wastro said:


> That said, Portland shouldn't have been in that position. They should have continue what got them 60 first half points, but they went away from that game plan, and they lost.


But we have Nate..so we'll always be in a position to mess it up. 
"Oh we're up 16...lets bring Zach back and iso him every time down and let him jack it up"
1st half Nate was brilliant..2nd half Nate was garbage.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

MAS RipCity said:


> Did you not see Roy go to the hole in the 4th quarter? Take off the Red and Orange colored glasses dude. Everyone saw this crap in the finals, and it happened today. *He gets phantom calls.*..you, i, and the world knows it.


stop making it seem like hes the only one. plz LOL

ill admit i didnt watch much of the 4th qt, so i cant really comment about Roy in the 4th.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

MAS RipCity said:


> But we have Nate..so we'll always be in a position to mess it up.
> "Oh we're up 16...lets bring Zach back and iso him every time down and let him jack it up"
> 1st half Nate was brilliant..2nd half Nate was garbage.


To be fair, Nate's line of thinking probably was, "well, we did that WITHOUT our best player on the floor for most of the half; imagine how good we'll be WITH Zach in the game!"

The answer was "not very," and he should have reacted much quicker (okay, he didn't react at all) and made the necessary adjustments (i.e. benching Zach).

But I can at least defend Nate's initial line of thinking. I just wish he would have made some changes quicker.

That, and let's be honest ... Portland didn't give the game away until the final 6:00. They still had an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter, and Zach was in the game for a good portion of that.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

Hap said:


> like that one where he tripped over himself and got a foul called?


i think we can agree that was a bad call. and im not denying that their is favoritism in the NBA. heck, even ive become less of an NBA fan.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

In all seriousness, I think we lost this because Roy as well as a few others kind of disapeared in the second half. First half, those guys were just imposing their will. Second half, they just kinda... were there, somewhere... Probably watching something.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

Gio305 said:


> i think we can agree that was a bad call. and im not denying that their is favoritism in the NBA. heck, even ive become less of an NBA fan.


I'm flat out not an NBA fan BECAUSE of that. If it's not Blazers, I don't care about it.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Gio305 said:


> stop making it seem like hes the only one. plz LOL
> 
> ill admit i didnt watch much of the 4th qt, so i cant really comment about Roy in the 4th.


No one said that Wade was the only person getting those calls. You're changing the argument.

But it makes it really annoying when he DOES get those calls, because they weren't deserved.

And not to be rude, but without watching most of the fourth, you don't have much room to talk about what we as Blazers fans are complaining about.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

wastro said:


> To be fair, Nate's line of thinking probably was, "well, we did that WITHOUT our best player on the floor for most of the half; imagine how good we'll be WITH Zach in the game!"
> 
> The answer was "not very," and he should have reacted much quicker (okay, he didn't react at all) and made the necessary adjustments (i.e. benching Zach).


He knows how badly we do on offense when we just throw it to zach and let him go..it just doesn't work. Fine put Zach in, but don't plays for him every time down. The offense should run through Roy first and foremost and let him decide which direction to go.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> In all seriousness, I think we lost this because Roy as well as a few others kind of disapeared in the second half. First half, those guys were just imposing their will. Second half, they just kinda... were there, somewhere... Probably watching something.


they stopped going through Roy because they have to get Zach involved.

up by 8, scored 60 points and Zach wasn't the main source for offense..so obviously something is wrong.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> In all seriousness, I think we lost this because Roy as well as a few others kind of disapeared in the second half. First half, those guys were just imposing their will. Second half, they just kinda... were there, somewhere... Probably watching something.


Zach. They were watching Zach.

Too bad Zach didn't watch them or their first half stats.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> In all seriousness, I think we lost this because Roy as well as a few others kind of disapeared in the second half. First half, those guys were just imposing their will. Second half, they just kinda... were there, somewhere... Probably watching something.


Watching as Nate called another ZBO low block play..its not thier faults zach doesn't know the concept of passing.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Anyone know david sterns email address? this crap has to stop.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

wastro said:


> No one said that Wade was the only person getting those calls. You're changing the argument.
> 
> But it makes it really annoying when he DOES get those calls, because they weren't deserved.
> 
> *And not to be rude, but without watching most of the fourth, you don't have much room to talk about what we as Blazers fans are complaining about.*


so everything you guys are talking about boils down to the 4th qt? excuse me....


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

MAS RipCity said:


> He knows how badly we do on offense when we just throw it to zach and let him go..it just doesn't work. Fine put Zach in, but don't plays for him every time down. The offense should run through Roy first and foremost and let him decide which direction to go.


A lot of the times, Portland DOESN'T do poorly with Zach on offense. All but two of their wins have been with Zach leading the way, scoring-wise. But there are also those times when Portland gives it to Zach and slacks off while he dribbles into a double-team and puts up a wild shot.

Nate just needs to recognize when that happens and do something about it.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

Hap said:


> I'm flat out not an NBA fan BECAUSE of that. If it's not Blazers, I don't care about it.


agreed


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Gio305 said:


> so everything you guys are talkking about boils down to the 4th qt? excuse me....


I said before that most of the fouls in the first half on Wade were legit. 

But considering that the Heat outscored Portland 24-13 in the final quarter and won with the benefit of three poor calls ... yeah, I would say a good lot of this discussion hinges on the fourth.

Let's see: phantom/bad/no-calls, Zach doing really poorly, lots of Blazers turnovers, being outscored by 11 ... that's a lot of the reason Portland lost, and it came in the fourth.


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## Dan (Dec 30, 2002)

wastro said:


> A lot of the times, Portland DOESN'T do poorly with Zach on offense. All but two of their wins have been with Zach leading the way, scoring-wise. But there are also those times when Portland gives it to Zach and slacks off while he dribbles into a double-team and puts up a wild shot.
> 
> Nate just needs to recognize when that happens and do something about it.


careful, you might get yourself labeled a Zach "hater".


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

I'm all for keeping Zach, but if Nate is going to continue to use Zach like this...trade him for something. It was so nice for a change to see otehr people getting plays ran for them. A fluid offense was poetry in motion in the 1st half..all teh young guns were contributing...at least the 1st half was a good memory.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Hap said:


> careful, you might get yourself labeled a Zach "hater".


I like to think of myself as "poor play" hater.

"Poor play" includes (but is not limited to) selfishness, aloofness, slacking, excessive dribbling, standing around and inattentiveness on the defensive end.

And tonight, Zach exemplified that. I mean ...... three rebounds? Out of 41? Seriously?


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

MAS RipCity said:


> Watching as Nate called another ZBO low block play..its not thier faults zach doesn't know the concept of passing.


The guards stopped moving without the ball. I was yelling at Zach until I noticed there simply was nobody breaking free of their man. He did manage to pass out a few times but got the ball back due to no one being open, and lets face it, he's the only guy we have who can score over 2-3 defenders at will.


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## yakbladder (Sep 13, 2003)

wastro said:


> A lot of the times, Portland DOESN'T do poorly with Zach on offense. All but two of their wins have been with Zach leading the way, scoring-wise. But there are also those times when Portland gives it to Zach and slacks off while he dribbles into a double-team and puts up a wild shot.
> 
> Nate just needs to recognize when that happens and do something about it.


Yeah, although to be fair to Zach, some of the lead went away when he wasn't in there. He just wasn't making shots tonight and got calls against him.

You have to have some low post presence or you can't win in the long run. So they have to run SOME plays for Zach. I understand, I understand..not all of them. I think that's the perception and many times it's true. I just don't think it was single handedly Zach that gave them this game.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Zach looks flat out lazy tonight...it was such a joy watching LMA hustle his butt off up and down the court.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Hap said:


> they stopped going through Roy because they have to get Zach involved.
> 
> up by 8, scored 60 points and Zach wasn't the main source for offense..so obviously something is wrong.


I don't buy that. Zach and Roy had a little two man game going to start the game, both played beautifully to start, and played off each other. Early on Roy and just about everyone else was doing their own thing _WITH_ Zach still on the floor, and they were doing good. Second half, Zach really wasn't doing much. I saw a lot of guys just dribbling around and passing it off not wanting to make something happen. 

Yeah, there were 2-3 bad posessions where Zach got it and took it against the entire heat team, but those were all at the point when the game was up for grabs.

It is quite possible that the team as a whole has it in their heads that the must let their savior Zach win the games for them. I'm sorry but a coach doesn't tell players to pass to one guy and sit on their butts and watch with their tongues hanging out. The team is doing that all by themselves. When Zach does have the ball, the options available to him is a.) force the shot, b.) pass it out to that team mate who's just been sitting their drooling like a dog.

At least teams like the Spurs, Wolves, etc., when they pass it in to their star PF, they cut, move around, give their big man an option if he doesn't have a shot himself.

Again, I think these players just don't have the mindset to MAKE things happen, to impose their will and make the game what they want it to be. That's why they lose leads, and rarely build up big leads.

If I were out there, even if I knew I sucked, even if I knew I'd be benched, I'd go INSANE sitting around and not at least MOVING or taking a shot when no one else wants to.

How many times did we see guys playing hot potatoe and Jack having to jack up something sad at the buzzer? That ain't Zach's fualt that nobody on the perimeter would step up. And again, where was Roy? I love the kid but damn, when he touched the ball early on, he kept that sucker, and MADE the defense do what he wanted. In the end I could have sword Udoka had more fire than Roy did.


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## MAS RipCity (Feb 22, 2003)

Roy was fine...maybe he was tired of going to the hoop,getting fouled, and no call being made?


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

Needs more Dixon. That is the answer. More Dixon. At least he has the nuts to shoot it no matter what.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Here I was all set to go to the computer after the game and sing Nate's praises for upping the pace of the game. Then the second half started and Nate and Zach flat out destroyed that. 


Any doubt still from anyone that Aldridge is our best all around center?


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

mediocre man said:


> Here I was all set to go to the computer after the game and sing Nate's praises for upping the pace of the game. Then the second half started and Nate and Zach flat out destroyed that.
> 
> 
> Any doubt still from anyone that Aldridge is our best all around center?


I doubt he's a center at all. He's a PF until he grows some more. Shaq would swat him like a fly.


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## yuyuza1 (May 24, 2006)

Total BS....

-Offensive sets by Nate which was basically: dump it in. Watch.
-Zach hoisting jumpers and circus shots with four guys on him.
-Magloire playing.
-Wade getting phantom calls. How much did he/Stern pay 'em?
-Wade being exempt from the travelling call. 
-Wade being Wade.


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## Samuel (Jan 1, 2003)

Not to cite the refs as the reason Portland lost, but...

Miami: 25-30 from the line
Portland: 5-7 from the line

And watching the game, I didn't really think that Portland didn't take enough inside shots. They just had twice as many fouls called on them.

13 fouls called on Miami
26 fouls called on Portland

Pretty ridiculous, right? Was it just me?


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

This game came down to several simple things:

In the second half Randolph was indecisive and the offense clogged again. Not like in the first half where they moved the ball well and Roy was agressive. 

Roy only had 2 points in the second half, he needs to keep his aggressivenss up. Part of the problem was Portland kept forcing the offense through Zbo when they didn't have to.

Several players missed up Martell for open shots in the second half. Amazing how he does well in the first half, being agressive and taking shots, which is what we want him to do and then they quit giving him the ball. There are very few Blazers that can bail out the team with an outside shot with the clock running down, and he is one of them.

To Jason Kapono the hoop was really big tonight. He hit a lot of tough shots from everywhere, with defenders on him. Kutos to him.

Oh and Aldridge sure does stink..NOT. I don't see Travis getting much playing time at the 4 from here on out. Period.


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## hasoos (Jan 3, 2003)

Oh and I forgot. I actually wanted to praise Nates substitution patterns tonight. He gave Dixon and Magloire the hook when he needed to. If it weren't for foul trouble, they would not have got the playing time they did.


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## Blazers Pantheon (Jan 1, 2007)

mediocre man said:


> Here I was all set to go to the computer after the game and sing Nate's praises for upping the pace of the game. Then the second half started and Nate and Zach flat out destroyed that.


And just how did Nate and Zach do that? Must have been when Nate had Zach cover Kapono... oh... Nate didn't do that, did he?... 

...Then it must have been when Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton told Nate to have Zach tell the refs to make sure every time Dwayne Wade trips over his own feet, to call a foul on the closest Blazer....

...Or maybe it was Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton telling Nate to tell Zach to tell Brandon Roy to shoot 0-6 in the 4th quarter....



mediocre man said:


> Any doubt still from anyone that Aldridge is our best all around center?


I don't think there ever was a question that Aldridge is the Blazers center of the future. There were two other problems. One... the Blazers have an asset that has some trade value in Magloire that needs to be traded in the next 6 weeks, or the Blazers lose the value they have in that asset...

... and Aldridge had a string of about three games straight before he got benched where Aldridge couldn't play more than a couple of minutes without picking up poking/reach in fouls.


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## Fork (Jan 2, 2003)

Blazers Pantheon said:


> I don't think there ever was a question that Aldridge is the Blazers center of the future. There were two other problems. One... the Blazers have an asset that has some trade value in Magloire that needs to be traded in the next 6 weeks, or the Blazers lose the value they have in that asset...
> 
> ... and Aldridge had a string of about three games straight before he got benched where Aldridge couldn't play more than a couple of minutes without picking up poking/reach in fouls.


That pretty much sums it up. Some folks will still be confused and angry.


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## Oldmangrouch (Feb 11, 2003)

Samuel said:


> Not to cite the refs as the reason Portland lost, but...
> 
> Miami: 25-30 from the line
> Portland: 5-7 from the line
> ...


It wasn't just you. Given the foul/FT differential, I can't even blame anyone on the Blazers for this one.


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## TheBlueDoggy (Oct 5, 2004)

MARIS61 said:


> I doubt he's a center at all. He's a PF until he grows some more. Shaq would swat him like a fly.


Agreed. I honestly don't believe LMA will ever be a true center. The guy is really a lot more like Kevin Garnett IMO. He can play SF, he could be a dominant PF when he learns the finer points of NBA defense (i.e. less touch fouls) and can get stronger to make his own shots, and he could play some time at center when needed against the best IF and only IF he can bulk up a little, (I'm thinking 15 - 20 lbs max) and just get stronger (big dif between adding more bulk and actually being stronger).

I think it will take him 2 seasons, maybe 3, and he will be like a badass Rasheed without the attitude. For now, he IS NOT a better center than Joel / Magloire. He CAN NOT be a big solid body like those two against guys like Shaq, Mourning, Yao, etc.

I do wish that LMA would get more time at PF. Make him a starting center or put him against guys that would eat him alive just because he plays well on offense compared to Magloire/Joel? Hell. No.


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## craigehlo (Feb 24, 2005)

hasoos said:


> In the second half Randolph was indecisive and the offense clogged again.


He also forced some insanely ill-advised shots that were nowhere close to the rim. That's not the type of decision making we need from the guy we build our offense around. 

Roy needs to be more consistent, but still passed the ball fairly well in the game when he wasn't shooting. 

It's obvious we need another scorer on this team ASAP.


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

craigehlo said:


> It's obvious we need another scorer on this team ASAP.


On any given night, with an offense that doesn't begin and end with Randolph, the Blazers can turn to some combination of Webster, Roy, Jack, Udoka and (if he continues what he did tonight) Aldridge to take the burden off Zach.

Take away five ill-advised shot attempts tonight from Zach, and you have at least one or two made jumpers from one of the aforementioned players. And you have the difference in the ballgame.

That first half proved that Portland could score when Zach wasn't bringing the offense to a grinding halt.

Another scorer would be nice, but I think what the game indicated tonight was that what Portland REALLY needs is for Zach to pass more when he's not "on". And even though he had a good shooting percentage tonight, Zach wasn't "on."


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## BlazerDog (Jul 18, 2004)

You guys are such whiners. 

No wonder most of you like Wheels. Probaly don't even notice his constant whining when things aren't going well.

Yes Zach took some ill advised shots at the end but we were losing our lead and no one else was stepping up. He only shot the ball 15 times and made 47% of his shots same as LaMarcus. Roy had 18 shots and made 44% and yet it's all about Zach dominating the ball and causing us the game.

Zach didn't lose us the game. We played the World Champs and they got the calls at the end. Dallas could sympathize.

I don't like them dumping the ball to Zach every time down the floor but that's Nates decision.

I'd much rather see Sergio running this team and deciding who to give the ball to. That would be exciting basketball.


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## BiggaAdams (Nov 10, 2006)

I think Aldridge is a center, especially when he bulks up. The league is turning into a faster pace game, and he'll be the perfect center for that.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Blazers Pantheon said:


> And just how did Nate and Zach do that? Must have been when Nate had Zach cover Kapono... oh... Nate didn't do that, did he?...
> 
> ...Then it must have been when Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton told Nate to have Zach tell the refs to make sure every time Dwayne Wade trips over his own feet, to call a foul on the closest Blazer....
> 
> ...




or maybe it was Nate having to pull Zach in the first half because of foul trouble and being forced to play more uptempo with the young kids....outscoring Miami....scoring more first half points than any other game this season....Then playing zach in the second half, getting out scored, scoring little points, forcing the ball into Zach, allowing his two best first half lpayers in Martell and Roy to get out of sinc.


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## MARIS61 (Apr 28, 2003)

Blazers Pantheon said:


> ...Then it must have been when Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton told Nate to have Zach tell the refs to make sure every time Dwayne Wade trips over his own feet, to call a foul on the closest Blazer....
> 
> ...Or maybe it was Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton telling Nate to tell Zach to tell Brandon Roy to shoot 0-6 in the 4th quarter....


Sorry you're bitter about how your life turned out, but maybe it's not due to racism. Maybe it's simply because you never learned to play nice with others. :whoknows: 

OTOH, 2 good examples of the use of sarcasm. Glad I could help.


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## yakbladder (Sep 13, 2003)

TheBlueDoggy said:


> Agreed. I honestly don't believe LMA will ever be a true center. The guy is really a lot more like Kevin Garnett IMO. He can play SF, he could be a dominant PF when he learns the finer points of NBA defense (i.e. less touch fouls) and can get stronger to make his own shots, and he could play some time at center when needed against the best IF and only IF he can bulk up a little, (I'm thinking 15 - 20 lbs max) and just get stronger (big dif between adding more bulk and actually being stronger).
> 
> I think it will take him 2 seasons, maybe 3, and he will be like a badass Rasheed without the attitude. For now, he IS NOT a better center than Joel / Magloire. He CAN NOT be a big solid body like those two against guys like Shaq, Mourning, Yao, etc.
> 
> I do wish that LMA would get more time at PF. Make him a starting center or put him against guys that would eat him alive just because he plays well on offense compared to Magloire/Joel? Hell. No.



LMA has PF written all over him.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

yakbladder said:


> LMA has PF written all over him.



I think that's his best possition as well. I think he's still the best all around center on the roster though. If the Blazers ever do decide to go uptempo then he'd be a great fit at center....especially if the Blazers could land Durant in the draft.


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## It's_GO_Time (Oct 13, 2005)

The slump busters are at it again. 

Did we really just lose another game at home to an eastern confernace team with a losing record and losing streak?


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

The problem last night was the refs. They were not going to let DWade lose in his first game back from injury. The 30 - 7 differential in FT's was ridiculous. Roy got hacked several times with no call. DWade just flails his arms and falls down and they call a foul every time. I hate NBA refs.


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## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

TLo said:


> The problem last night was the refs. They were not going to let DWade lose in his first game back from injury. The 30 - 7 differential in FT's was ridiculous. Roy got hacked several times with no call. DWade just flails his arms and falls down and they call a foul every time. I hate NBA refs.



Portland took a lot more outside jumpers last night than Miami. I think Portland should have recieved a few more calls, but in reality not that many.


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## IbizaXL (Sep 21, 2005)

mediocre man said:


> Portland took a lot more outside jumpers last night than Miami. I think Portland should have recieved a few more calls, but in reality not that many.


glad to see youre able to recognize this:cheers:


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## TLo (Dec 27, 2006)

mediocre man said:


> Portland took a lot more outside jumpers last night than Miami. I think Portland should have recieved a few more calls, but in reality not that many.



Portland took it inside just as much as Miami. Take a look at the shot chart.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=270107022


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## gatorpops (Dec 17, 2004)

hasoos said:


> Oh and I forgot. I actually wanted to praise Nates substitution patterns tonight. He gave Dixon and Magloire the hook when he needed to. If it weren't for foul trouble, they would not have got the playing time they did.


I thought that Nate might have replaced Dixon sooner with Webster as Web was having a good game. One of his better ones, which would have been better if Zack had passed much sooner as he did in the first half.

gatorpops


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## wastro (Dec 19, 2004)

Video proof of THAT call in the 4th quarter

:banghead:


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## NewAgeBaller (Jan 8, 2007)

d-wade shud play ball at my hometown, we'd rip him out for pullin something like that.


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