When last season started, I was considered unreasonably optimistic. Respected sites with good reputations pointed out that the jump from 41 wins to 50 wins was much more difficult than the jump to 41 wins had been, yet I confidently predicted a 53-win season which was itself exceeded by their 54 wins.
Looking at next season, I feel confident that 60 wins is not only reachable—it's on the low end of what we can expect to see from this young, talented, exciting Blazers team.
Even now, most of the same sites are saying holding steady at 54 wins will be difficult enough, but a couple more wins might be attainable if the Blazers make no new acquisitions.
Even now, most of the same sites are saying holding steady at 54 wins will be difficult enough, but a couple more wins might be attainable if the Blazers make no new acquisitions.
That is flawed thinking. The Blazers did have flaws last year, and the Rockets exposed two of those in their upset of Portland in the first round.
First and foremost, the Blazers didn't display the defensive reputation or intensity they needed to. The Rockets had the reputation and were very intense, and as a result were allowed to hack, clutch, grab, push, and shove their way to a marked advantage.
Secondly, the Blazers starting lineup had only two primary scorers and one secondary scorer. Neither Joel Przybillan or Nicolas Batum was a scoring threat at all. As a result, when Blake missed shots he normally made, it allowed the Rockets to focus even more attention on Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, which limited their effectiveness.
This offseason is an opportunity for the Blazers to correct both of those short-comings, and they don't need any other players to do that. Before I go further into this analysis, I should point out a couple of things.
First, one reason I really love this edition of the Blazers has to do with the make-up of the team—both Roy and Aldridge have been Blazers since draft day.
So have Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless and Martell Webster.
Though neither Joel Przybilla or Steve Blake started as Blazers, they both made a conscious choice to come here when the team had a poor record and have spent enough time here that they "feel" like they have been career Blazers.
So have Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Jerryd Bayless and Martell Webster.
Though neither Joel Przybilla or Steve Blake started as Blazers, they both made a conscious choice to come here when the team had a poor record and have spent enough time here that they "feel" like they have been career Blazers.
Second, one of the joys for me of watching a team is watching the development. I remember well watching Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey, Terry Porter, and Kevin Duckworth go from (other than Drexler) essentially unknowns into a team that twice in three years got to the NBA Finals. Now, in contradiction to this post, that was in no small part due to the import of Buck Williams, but I will address that shortly.
The first and most dangerous short-coming was the defensive intensity. My bias is clear, so it's obvious that in the series with the Rockets, it was extremely frustrating to watch Luis Scola body-slamming Aldridge at one end without getting called for a foul, then watch Oden get called for a touch-foul outside the free throw line at the other end.
It was even more frustrating to watch Ron Artest hand-check, clutch, grab, and shove Roy all over the court and never get called, while Blake was getting called for doing much less in trying to contain Aaron Brooks.
It was even more frustrating to watch Ron Artest hand-check, clutch, grab, and shove Roy all over the court and never get called, while Blake was getting called for doing much less in trying to contain Aaron Brooks.
Topping it off was watching Yao Ming hack anybody in sight, yet watching the call go against the defender. Again and again, Przybilla or Oden would get to the defensive spot first, Ming would come down, give them a full-out two-hand shove, and when they tried to get back in position the referees would whistle a foul on the Blazer big men.
It wasn't fair officiating—it had a huge impact on the outcome of the series, and it illustrates the first thing the Blazers need to do. The Rockets got away with fouling as a defense because they have the reputation of doing that. So the Blazers need to get that reputation.
In every game, they need to come out over-aggressive. They need to learn to push and shove, clutch, grab, and foul, until the referees decide, "that's how they play defense."
Then, maybe they'll stop calling it on Portland, just as they have done for the Rockets, for Bruce Bowen, for Dahntay Jones, and so forth.
This article is also featured on
Darth Weasel and the Blazer Blog
We're going to send you the most entertaining Portland Trail Blazers articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
4 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete