Tonight the Blazers will take the court in Miami for Game 2 of this current 5-game road stretch. After the big road win in Orlando, things are surely looking up for the Blazers. If anything that win in Orlando means the Blazers can ‘afford’ a loss tonight. By that I mean the majority of people will be able to swallow this loss a lot easier now instead of a loss that would have put the Blazers in an 0-2 hole to start the trip. Starting the trip with a win was big. Now a 2-2 mark the rest of the way will bring the red and black attack back to the Rose City with very successful 3-2 road trip. A lot of people had this Miami game earmarked as a possible ‘W’, and there seems to be a lot of positivity going around. Rudy and Outlaw are playing well…big win in Orlando.
Everyone hold your horses. This game tonight is far from a forgone conclusion ladies and gentlemen.
The Heat are playing good basketball. Currently undefeated at home (3-0) they can cause problems for a Blazer team that has been willing to give up points. And let’s be honest, every game a superstar has killed us. Kobe, Parker, etc…not to mention Hedo Turkoglu just dropped 35 the other day. Miami presents Dwyane Wade as a problem. A major, major problem. The #3 scorer in the NBA could punish the Blazers, especially if Roy is out (more on that later). Two issues that Wade presents. One: free throw factory. He’s going to get calls. Two: who is going to guard him? Do we hope Batum’s length can affect him or shudder after Hedo lit him up like Christmas tree (the elephant in the room the majority of people ignored). This is even worse if Roy sits out because Rudy and Travis can’t get in foul trouble. Could it be Bayless time??
(Sidenote on D-Wade, I love how he went from America’s Sweetheart a year and a half ago in every commercial to this grimey, Me vs. The World status. I mean that alarm clock commercial is just full of a-n-g-e-r. What happened to falling down and getting up?)
Miami also has offensive weapons in Marion, Beasley and both Daequan Cook and Chris Quinn have shown an ability to shoot the three. Only important because of the fact that the Blazers have shown a willingness early this year to give up the three-point shot. With a slasher like Wade penetrating and kicking…you see where I’m going. Mario Chalmers and Haslem may not be major offensive threats but they can score and more importantly they play defense. Led by The Chameleon (you’ll have to ask) Erik Spoelstra, this team is not going to let teams score easily.
An intriguing storyline on my eyes is the fact that the Blazers are #1 in the NBA in turning the ball over the least (averaging 10.9 a game) while the Heat are #1 in the NBA at forcing turnovers (they force close to 19 a game). Even worse is that the Blazers are near the bottom at forcing turnovers themselves. If the Blazers can stay solid, take care of the ball and not give the Heat easy transition buckets of turnovers things should be more than fine. If they turn the ball over though it could get ugly quick.
To be honest, this game is hard to get a real grasp on. The number one reason why: injuries. While there is good news that Oden may be back in the lineup, the bad is that Brandon Roy may be out. We won’t find out until after shoot-around how both men feel but being forced to play without Roy is big. Although I wouldn’t mind if Roy sits this one out to be honest with you due to the length of the season, no need for him to turn into T-Mac. Also, Casey Holdahl is talking about how LaMarcus’ neck is bothering him. Those aren’t the top 3 players or anything. The Heat are also dealing with injuries as Shawn Marion is a ‘game-time’ decision. Let’s just say this: The Heat without Marion are starting Yakhouba Diawara. E. Nuff. Said.
Back to Greg Oden possibly being back in the lineup. It will be great if he can, and it’s tremendous that he’s coming off the bench. This is by no means a sign that he’s a ‘bust’ just a legit smart move by the Blazers. There is no need to rush him in there and make him play all thee minutes. If anything this injury may have been a blessing in disguise. Now Oden gets to take it s-l-o-w. The pressure and expectations are dialed down which may be just the environment the beast needed. He’s got a lot of talent and potential, but I think we can all agree at this point he needs to develop. He needs to just get out there and play. I would rather Oden go scoreless for the next two months if it meant he could stay healthy for the rest of the year. And I think I more than half-meant that. Truthfully, I just want to see him get better and better with each game. So unless he comes out looking like the next coming of Michael Olowokandi, let’s not panic.
Keys to success:
- Make D-Wade’s life difficult. He’s more than likely going to get his points but make him earn it. I’d rather him have an Al Jefferson night (20+ points on 20+ shots) than a night where he has 30+ on 13 shots and 13 free throws.
- Don’t let Beasley or one of their three point shooters get hot. If Wade gets two guys scoring with him it could be a long, long, long night.
- Rudy and Travis are going to have to continue to play well. This is more important if Roy is out.
- Ditto for the whole second unit.
- Stay solid and don’t turn the ball over. The Blazers have done an underrated job at that this year, must keep it up against a defensive team that prays on weakness.