Questions Answered

I’m excited. A lot of Blazer fans will probably say we should have won. I say no. The San Antonio Spurs are a well-oiled machine. They know exactly what it takes to win and when to do it. They chew up young teams like the Blazers up with ease. The line between winning and competing can sometimes be very small, and last night there were different stretches in the game that really showed we’re ready to compete. Just not quite ready to win. A team like San Antonio they force turnovers AND capitalize on them in impressive fashion. They find ways to get rebounds, loose balls and all of the little things it takes to buckle down when it’s winning time. They are a machine and as great as we played, we just didn’t have the experience to win the game.

That being said the Blazers showed that anyone who thinks they will be a 30 win team plain knows nothing about basketball. I know everyone is young and will have their ups and downs with consistency, but as a whole it is like night and day watching this team play the game of basketball. Sure we still have the defensive issues, but watching the offense was beautiful. There was no headbanded wonder wagging his left hand to stall the offense for 13 seconds. These guys were out there moving the ball, setting screens, cutting and making each other better. The Blazers are on their way to playing as a team and it is simply refreshing. I’m not ready to crown Martell or Travis but they both showed improved confidence. That was one of the issues that both faced last year. They will immediately be 20x times better than last year with that out of the way. Even though Martell loses his mind every now and then. Come on now Coup…who leaves Michael Finley wide open for a three to double Duncan?? He still forced a couple plays but he’ll learn.

And I told you if you use him right Przybilla can contribute. He’s not a guy who we’re gonna throw the ball in the post too and watch him work. However, news flash…he doesn’t have to be. He sets some screens, gets easy baskets off other people’s penetration or crashes the boards. Not to mention the defensive presence that he provides. Granted, there isn’t a person on earth who could guard Tim Duncan however he has the ability to change a variety of shots. That he did last night. I’ve always liked his game more than anyone else on the planet.

At the end of the day I think the Blazers win that game against most other teams. Roy was held to 2/10 shooting and had 4 turnovers courtesy of San Antonio’s swarming defense. Bowen did his job and if Roy ever got past Bowen he had to deal with Duncan or whoever else was helping. Roy is our primary playmaker and we still competed with him struggling. Jack and Blake are servicable at best right now..I don’t like that two point guards combined for 5 assists and 5 turnovers.

Tonight even more of the NBA premiered. Right now I’m glancing at the Nuggets/Sonics game and seems like I was right about Durant. High volume shooter. 3/14 in 19 minutes and he has 9 points. Project readers should know I’m far from a fan of guys who have more field goals attempted than shots. This is no different. Not too different from an Adam Morrison stat line huh Coup? Surprisingly Seattle is actually winning. Will it last? Who knows. But after all the love that Charles Barkley gave them last night you would think the Nugs would come out and play. Melo is unstoppable so far (18 points, 6/8 shooting) but him and AI need some help. Sorry but when Diawara is your third option you’re in trouble.

And yes tomorrow I will be giving Rashard Lewis an apology.