LaMarcus Aldridge looked good in his first and only preseason game, although he was a little rusty and Portland lost. Photo courtesy of the AP.

Last season Portland had to play 81 games to get to a game that didn’t matter. They lost that one too. Things could have been a lot worse than they were on Wednesday. There aren’t going to be many times a team can shoot 35% from the field and only lose by three.

The Blazers’ problems Wednesday night were primarily missed jumpers. There was some poor execution, but mostly Portland missed shots. Sure some bad or at least questionable calls down the stretch didn’t help, but if the Blazers knocked down some of their more open looks in the second half we would be talking about an undefeated preseason, and how that usually translates into an undefeated regular season and a direct route to the NBA Finals.

I’m exaggerating, of course. Two wins against a clearly inferior team would have been nice. But a loss in their first road game in one of the toughest gyms in the league against a team they played basically one day before in a game that means nothing isn’t exactly the end of the world.

It actually can be seen as a positive. Imagine Portland comes out on Wednesday and wins by 20 for the second time. There’s a chance that some of the problems that always arise in the exhibition season can be overlooked. There are most certainly some issues that the Blazers need to address. Losing gives head coach Nate McMillan a tape to review that can highlight some of those problems.

And what are those problems? In my mind there’s basically one. Portland needs to make jump shots when they’re open. Wednesday the whole Blazer team couldn’t hit, but nobody hit less than Jamal Crawford. Jamal is the kind of player that loves to shoot, and he should love to shoot because he’s really good at it. But some nights his shots just won’t fall. Wednesday was one of those nights. Jamal shot 3-of-16 from the field, and missed all five of his three-point attempts. Like I said, he is going to have those kinds of nights. It is going to be up to the rest of the Blazers to identify when it’s going to be that kind of night, and hopefully pick up the slack.

Wednesday Wesley Matthews game into the final period of the night and did close the gap. It wasn’t too little too late, but it wasn’t enough for the Blazers to get the win. As far as jump shooting went, actually, Matthews was the lone bright spot hitting 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-5 from distance.

To be effective Wesley is going to need to put up more than seven shots, and that’s another problem Nate’s going to have to address before Boxing Day. Who is going to take the bulk of the shots? Wesley can definitely carry the offensive load from time to time, as can Jamal, as can Gerald Wallace, or Nicolas Batum, or maybe even Raymond Felton. The thing Portland is going to have to figure out is which guy to get the ball to and when.

One guy who is going to see the ball a lot, and also wasn’t very good from the field Wednesday, is LaMarcus Aldridge. LA was a late add to Wednesday’s lineup, and he looked good in spurts. One thing he looked for sure was rusty. He’s not one to fall short on his jumper on most nights. Wednesday, everything was short.  That’s mostly indicative of not playing in training camp. He’ll get over it, and his low post game will open up perimeter shooters. But that just loops back to Portland needing to knock down jumpers.

One thing that went away with Brandon Roy’s knees was a reliable rim attacker. Crawford, Matthews, and Batum can and do attack the rim. It’s not their best look, although Crawford is pretty good going to the hole, and they’re going to have to get more consistent in that regard.

There is one guy though that should attack the rim every time he touches it, and that’s Gerald Wallace. Wednesday Crash was 1-of-6 from the field 0-of-3 from three. Not much to say there, except that I would rather Wallace goes 1-of-9 from the field and passes up on those threes.

So Portland splits the preseason, and we move on. The Blazers have a couple days off before hosting the 76ers at home on 26th to get things started for real. There are good things to take away from both Monday and Wednesday, and Portland should zero in on those things. There are bad things too; the Blazers will do themselves a favor if they just forget about all those things. Focusing on the positive is what the preseason is all about anyway.

A couple of quick thoughts:

• A lot of preseason previews have dropped in the last day and change. Portland falls somewhere in the middle of the Western Conference in most of them (Point Forward hass the one I would recommend). The Blazers are a strange team to handicap this early in the season. It’s a hard sell to say that a middle of the road team loses it’s franchise player and gets better. I’m not going to come out and say that, but what people need to remember is that Brandon wasn’t at his most effective last season. There is a good chance that Portland’s offense in 2011-12 will be much more open, without one scorer dominating the ball the way Brandon did. The key to the Blazers getting out of that middle group will be the new parts coming together. Luckily most of the guys Portland added are vets that have been around the league with a number of different teams, and know that to be effective they’ve got to get on the same page in a hurry. It’s doable. I don’t write about the rest of the NBA, so I’m not an expert, but I think the Blazers just might be better than they’re currently being billed.
• Speaking of new pieces gelling, and new parts being integrated, Nate McMillan didn’t play much of  a preseason rotation. Apart from Kurt Thomas starting for the injured Marcus Camby, what we saw Wednesday is likely to be what we’ll see for most of the season. I liked the rotation, especially towards the end of the fourth quarter when the five on the floor were Ray Felton, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus, Jamal Crawford, and Gerald Wallace. Wesley Matthews makes that group a final six. Wesley, Felton, Crawford are the interchangeable back-court. I personally like the combo of Crawford and Matthews, but it does help having a true point guard on the floor.
• With the rotation basically set, the short end of the minutes stick went to the young guys. Elliot Williams clocked three minutes forty-five seconds of game time, Nolan Smith 6:02, Chris Johnson 9:30. There’s a good chance that in close games that’s the kind of minutes they’ll see. They all played effective minutes–although Elliot did have a three attempted that he should have knocked down and Nolan passed up an open jumper to try an airborne pass that turned into a jump-ball situation–and contributing in limited minutes will be what they can offer this team this season. Chris Johnson benefited from Camby not playing, but I expect that on most nights he will probably get some kind of run. Elliot Williams and Nolan Smith are right there too, they just need to limit their mistakes.

Box Score

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Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

Portland gets one more shot at Utah with a chance to for an undeafted preseason. Photo courtesy of OregonLive.

Blazers: 1-0

Jazz: 0-1

Game Details: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT. 6:00 PM. TV: CSNW Radio: KXTG (750 AM)

Projected Portland Starting Lineup: PG Raymond Felton (#5, 6’1”, North Carolina), SG Wesley Matthews (#2, 6’5″, Marquette), SF Nicolas Batum (#88, 6’8”, France), PF Gerald Wallace (#3, 6’7″, Alabama), C Marcus Camby (#23, 6’11″, UMass)

Projected Utah Starting Lineup: PG Devin Harris (#5, 6’3”, Wisconsin), SG Raja Bell (#19, 6’5”, Florida International), SF C.J. Miles (#34, 6’6”, Skyline High School Dallas, TX), PF Mehmet Okur  (#13, 6’11”, Yalova Turkey), C Al Jefferson (#25 6’10”, Prentiss High School Mississippi)

I’m not going to spend too much time on this. We saw how it went down on Monday. Utah came out flat, and didn’t make it out of the first quarter. There’s a chance that will happen again. It’s likely that Utah, being at home, will at least play a little bit better. It might not make a difference.

Like I said in my recap of Monday’s blowout win, it’s unwise to take too much away from game one of a two game preseason. That being said, Utah’s in a bit of trouble. The Jazz have a decent inside game with Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, and Derrick Favors, but Millsap is out for right now and Al Jefferson usually takes a couple of weeks–or months–to find his rhythm.

Favors, however, was Utah’s highlight Monday. The second-year player out of Georgia Tech finished with 25 points to lead all scorers. That’s a good sign, seeing as rookie big Enes Kanter managed only 1-of-7 from the floor and Mehmet Okur missed the only shot he attempted.

Utah’s back-court rotations won’t look too much different in game two. It might be safe to say that Josh Howard gets a few more than four and a half minutes, but other than that Utah will be like Portland, playing the guys that played on Monday.

As for Portland, the big news is that the roster has been finalized. Chris Johnson has secured the 15th and final roster spot. CJ played more than 26 minutes on Monday, and might get those minutes again on Wednesday. Earl Barron’s gone, but he didn’t play at all in the first game, so that won’t make a difference.

In a regulation length preseason, the final game is usually a rest game for starters. But that happens only after two or three good runs. With only a single game in the bank, Nate McMillan might let his guys run, and maybe even limit some of his rotations. I could be wrong though, it’s been known to happen. Maybe Nate takes the opportunity to give some of the regulars part of the night off.

Either way, I do expect Wednesday to not be quite as one-sided as Monday night.

Here are a couple of things that to watch for:

• Where the minutes come for Elliot Williams: Monday night Elliot Williams looked sharp, hit a bunch of shots, and had himself a nice little game. Unfortunately he had to wait until the fourth quarter to get on the floor. Nate platooned Elliot and Nolan Smith Monday, so lets see if he does it again. Early minutes for Elliot Williams might be a good sign.
• How Utah Responds: It’s still a preseason game, so the outcome doesn’t mean anything, but the Jazz did get beat wire-to-wire their last time out and probably don’t want to do that again in front of their home crowd. I expect Devin Harris to play a little bit better, and for Utah to try to get Al Jefferson going early. If they can do that, and limit Portland’s easy baskets, they’ve definitely have a chance to make up for the way the came out in game one.
• Portland’s road play: Every year, the Blazers live and die by how they play on the road. Portland needs to win on the road, and they need to do it on a regular basis. A great time to start winning on the road will be their first time out on the road. Utah is a tough place to play. Those fans will be out on Wednesday, so its on the Blazers to show up, or suffer the same fate that befell that Jazz in the first half of the preseason.

Email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

Dirk Nowitzki lead Dallas over Portland, helping the Mavericks take a 2-0 lead into the Rose City. Photo courtesy of the Oregonian.

I gotta say that losing game Two definitely hurts. It puts a serious crimp in the possibility that Portland will take this series, and it’s starting to make all those members of the media, me included, that picked Dallas to lose look a little silly. I will say this though, I really and truly believe that this series isn’t over yet. Dallas has held home. That’s all. Portland has a crazy home court advantage, and has shown that they can hang with this team when everybody in the building is screaming their heads off for their opponents. If the Blazers can regroup, and win games three and four at the Rose Garden, this could still be anyone’s series when it returns to Dallas tied at two games a piece.

Regrouping and adjusting after loses is key in the Playoffs, and though it’s not panic time yet, Portland has some work ahead of them in their travel day. The problem is, who do the Blazers focus in on to try and stop. Game one Portland did a decent job of limiting Dirk Nowitzki through most of three quarters, only to have him finish the night off at the free throw line, and that will most likely be the game plan going forward. Game two didn’t go quit as well, as far as stopping Dirk, but he was far from the difference maker.

So far in this series, though, it hasn’t been Dirk that is killing the Blazers. As we all know, the “Blazer Killer” title went to Jason Kidd in game one. It was passed to an equally, or possibly even more unlikely old dude in game two. Jason Kidd hadn’t had a big game like he did in game one all season; Peja Stojakovic has hardly played all season. Dallas is Peja’s third team in 2010-11, and according to Basketball-Reference.com he appeared in only 33 games during the regular season, logging only 617 minutes. So you can imagine that it comes as a bit of a surprise that game two would feature Peja scorching hot from deep, 5-of-10, and basically playing like he’s back in Sacramento, its 2003, and his absolute disappearance as a big time basketball player never happened.

So that’s the story thus far, two guys over 30 explode for big games from deep, and Portland doesn’t get the much needed split in Dallas. There’s not much more to it, but because we might be getting down to the very last few games in this up and down season, I think there are a few stones yet to turn over.

I’m going to do like I normally do and start with the positives. Two, or actually three, jump out at me right away. The three in the corner from Marcus Camby, and the two three-pointers from Andre Miller. I’m highlighting these plays for a reason. Andre Miller and Marcus Camby clearly aren’t about to throw in the towel. Dre is no three-point shooter, and of course neither is Camby, but in two key situations, Andre’s second three doesn’t count because it was Portland’s last field goal when they trailed by 10, they found themselves with the ball with time running down on the shot clock, and they delivered. You won’t see many plays run for Marcus Camby at the three-point line, and every time Andre chucks up a three Blazer fans everywhere cringe, but these guys know that Playoff basketball may come down to one or two possessions. Neither of those baskets won the game for Portland, obviously, but they did show that if Portland does go on to lose this series, it won’t happen without a fight.

Portland got some solid play from its starting five, which is another positive, and Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews showed a little more of the kind of play that we’re used to. Wallace, especially, did his best to get the Blazers out on the break, running even after made baskets, and showed a solid back-down game that might have been criminally underused going down the stretch. Portland is still without a go-to guy when they absolutely need a score, but more and more, that guy is looking like it could be Gerald Wallace. Wesley Matthews improved over his game one performance, scoring 13 points, looking a lot more active going to the basket. Wesley took a nasty knock to the head from Jason Terry in the first quarter that slowed him down a little bit, but overall he played a lot more under control Tuesday night, actually having an impact on this game late. Wesley’s jump shot has to get better, though. Luckily he plays a lot better with the home crowd behind him. If he can break through in game three, it could go a long way to turning this series around not only for him, but for the whole team. So, like game one, game two isn’t a total waste.

However, there were a lot of negatives, Tuesday night. If Portland wants a shot at the second round, there are some things that need to happen. The defense needs to get better, which goes without saying, specifically in the pick and roll. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd can run pick and roll, and pick and pop, with their eyes closed, and they are going to do it as long as they are on the floor. Portland’s bigs, chief among them LaMarcus Aldridge, were making life difficult for Dirk one-on-one, but were switching on the pick and roll. Every pick and roll switch led to a mismatch on Dirk, which led to a basket, a trip to the free throw line, or worst of all both. Early in the game, Wesley picked up Dirk in a switch on a pick and roll, Dirk pulled a pump fake, got Wesley in the air, hit the shot, got the foul, and converted the three-point play from the line. The next three possessions LaMarcus Aldridge played Dirk straight up on the block, Dallas didn’t send the pick, and LA versus Dirk one-on-one ended in three straight bricks. Dirk is a great shooter, and a tough defensive assignment. He backed down Nicolas Batum; he shot over Wesley Matthews. He’s a shooter though, and with a hand in his face, like LaMarcus could do, and without the ability to overpower his man with his back to the basket, Dirk could only dream about backing down LA, he’s a much more one-dimensional and less effective player.

Portland has to figure out a way to limit the pick and roll, or at least figure out how to play the pick and roll without switching. It’s going to require perimeter players going over screens, and big guys staying at home. The way Jason Kidd is shooting, his man shouldn’t ever go under a pick, and letting Dirk catch the ball with his back to the hoop might not be a bad idea. Dallas was getting a lot of shots by moving the ball, if Portland can stop the ball from moving sideline to sideline, and force the Mavericks into a one-on-one half court iso game between Dirk and LaMarcus, they’ll give themselves a chance.

It’s not all defense, though, Portland has to start hitting outside shots. In game one Portland made only two threes. In game two that number improved to seven, but that’s still not enough to get Dallas out of the paint. They don’t all have to be threes, any perimeter jumper will help to open up the lane for drives from Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum, and Gerald Wallace. So far, no Blazer wing has been consistent shooting. Rudy Fernandez has been non-existent, as has Brandon Roy, and Nicolas and Wesley are rushing shots at times, and looking less than confident in their jumpers at others.

Along with being consistent from the field, the Blazers have to improve their mental toughness. By mental toughness, I mean the little things that can be the difference between winning and losing. Tuesday that difference showed in lack of effort on the defensive glass, and misses at the free throw line. Offensive rebounds are momentum killers on the road, and are given up simply because one guy out-hustles another guy. Too many times Portland gave Dallas extra possessions that ended in big buckets. When the tables are turned, and the crowd is behind the Blazers, they too might get the extra emotional boost needed to chase down a loose ball, we’ll just have to wait and see. Free throws are all about focus. Working hard to get to the stripe is negated by misses. Missed free throws can torpedo a rally, and Tuesday Portland’s nine missed free throws were basically the difference.

To win a series in the Playoffs, one team has to win four games. That much we know. Dallas is half way there. With two games down, and Portland still needing four wins to advance, this is now a five game series. The Blazers can do themselves a favor by forgetting about the outcomes of games one and two. Approaching game three like an elimination game may be just the right thing for Portland to do. This season isn’t over, not by a long shot, but one more game with poor free throw shooting, or one more game with the Blazers absolutely failing to guard the hot shooter on the perimeter, and it will be summer vacation before we know it.

Just one quick thought:

• A wise man once said it’s not a series until a team loses at home. Dallas held their home court, now it’s Portland’s turn. Remember, if Portland wins out at home they only have to win once in Dallas. That one time could very well be a game seven.

Marcus Camby flashed the three goggles for the first time in his Blazer career. Photo courtesy of the Oregonian.

Box Score

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject