Blazers-Spurs Breakdown: Tomorrow Meets Today
It was only fitting that a team with a pristine past and a team with a promising future squared off on opening night of the 2007-2008 season.
The Blazers' performance in a 106-97 defeat showed that their future may come sooner than expected, while the Spurs reminded everybody exactly why they're the defending NBA champions.
Here's how the action broke down...
San Antonio Offense-Portland Defense
Portland rarely doubled Tim Duncan in the post. As a result, Duncan was able to go 10-15 from the field with 24 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers.
Duncan missed several open jumpers and only went 4-7 from the free throw stripe. But his hook shots; his ability to draw fouls; and on one occasion from the right box, his spin-right, spin-left, pump-fake then step-through against LaMarcus Aldridge all bore the mark of champion.
Tony Parker was too quick for any of the Blazer point guards to handle. Whenever Parker saw an opening—even in transition against four defenders—he blazed past the Blazer defenders for layups.
Manu Ginobli was rarely forced to go right—and thus was able to penetrate the lane to the tune of 16 points and eight assists.
Michael Finley was iffy from long distance, but his catch-and-shoots moving left were unstoppable. The vet even managed to drop in a nifty right hook from the middle of the paint.
Matt Bonner missed a slew of open jumpers but still wound up 4-9 for eight points.
Fabricio Oberto was able to dive-cut off the ball en route to a handful of easy layups.
Francisco Elson was a target in transition and cutting down the middle of the lane without the ball.
The two combined on 7-13 shooting for 15 points.
Brent Barry went 3-7 from downtown. Darius Washington tended to overhandle and didn't inspire any confidence with his free throw shooting, but he hit his only shot from the field—a corner trifecta.
The constant ball and player movement befuddled the young Blazer defense and generated endless open looks. And if the sheer execution didn't do in the Blazers, San Antonio’s ability to create points off turnovers did.
At times, Portland implemented a 2-3 zone. While the zone succeeded in limiting San Antonio’s penetration, communication breakdowns left cutters open in the paint.
The Blazers also showed a tendency to overload themselves in one side of the zone. Skip passes generally found open shooters on the opposite side of the court.
With Aldridge, Channing Frye, Travis Outlaw, and Brandon Roy on the court, the zone had a nice combination of length and athleticism. Earnest practice could produce a suffocating defense as the year progresses.
Portland Offense-San Antonio Defense
Most Blazer screen/rolls were negated by Francisco Elson and Tim Duncan showing on the screen and forcing the ball handler—either Jarrett Jack or Brandon Roy—back the other way.
Portland’s screen game was only successful when Fabricio Oberto and Matt Bonner were defending.
Oberto lacked the athleticism to effectively show on the screens and picked up a number of cheap fouls. Bonner lacked the wherewithal to show and recover back.
Many screen/rolls attacking Bonner resulted in open jumpers for LaMarcus Aldridge.
With the screen game stagnating, Portland’s lone effective offensive strategy was to get the ball to Aldridge in the low post and clear out his side. Aldridge was brilliant against any lone defender, beating Oberto with his hook shot and Elson and Bonner with a quick first step.
Even Duncan could do little but watch as Aldridge patiently set him up for automatic midrange jumpers.
That said, Aldridge still needs to understand how to attack double teams. When Aldridge was doubled, he made timid out passes—one of which was picked off by Parker for a layup.
Most of the Blazers' other scores came on broken plays. Roy—hampered by a sore heel—was rendered ineffective by Bruce Bowen. Those struggles make Portland's need for a scoring wing all the more evident.
Roy’s smarts and unselfishness will be huge assets down the road, but not if he’s the main perimeter threat.
Martell Webster showed good touch from downtown (3-6) and an ability to score in a broken court (21 points).
Jack is one of the least athletic point guards in the league. With a lineup of Webster and Roy, Portland will need a starting point guard with better zip to the hoop.
That somebody could be Steve Blake. While Blake lacks good handles, he was able to exploit San Antonio’s backup point guards to the tune of nine points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Travis Outlaw was the only Blazer with the hops to exploit the Spurs defense. Matt Bonner was left eating Outlaw’s dust when coach Nate McMillan gave Travis permission to go one-on-one.
The bad news is that Outlaw showed a disturbing habit of fading away with every shot attempt. He also shied away from contact on defense.
If Outlaw can't get comfortable getting physical, he’ll have a major hole his game. If he comes around, on the other hand, he'll be the perfect complement to Roy’s smarts, and to the potential post prowess of Aldridge and Greg Oden.
Joel Przybilla showed active hands, hit a long jumper, and went 5-6 on his free throws. Channing Frye looked as soft and uncomfortable in a Portland uniform as he did in New York duds.
Sergio Rodriguez showed reckless quickness, while James Jones was active on both the offensive and defensive glass.
There's no doubt the Blazers have a nice collection of talent on their roster. More experience will result in more refinement. If the youngsters continue to develop, Portland could compete for a playoff spot as soon as next year.
The Spurs, for their part, need Bonner to improve on his rotations, Darius Washington to make better decisions, and the majority of the roster to stay fresh and injury free.
Aside from that, the Spurs remain the most complete team in the NBA.
