Posted 12/21/2009 1:07 PM

Post-Game Thoughts

Brandon Roy, what more can I say? 28 points, on only 14 attempts, 5-5 from distance, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds all done on the second half of a back to back where he played 40+ minutes the night before. He is literally carrying this team on his back right now and if he keeps up this type of play, an All-Star berth is imminent. A lot of people want to put Roy behind Kobe and Wade when it comes to 2-guards, but on this night, Brandon was clearly head and shoulders above Wade. Wade also scored 28 points, but he it took him 31 shots to do so and he couldn't even muster a rebound. It wasn't as if Wade was having an off night, missing easy shots and what not. D-Wade was forcing some of the most difficult shots any spectator has ever seen, mainly coming off of one on one and ending in a tough fade away from 15+ feet out.


Unfortunately, this team lives by the 3 and dies by the 3. Even though Quentin Richardson went a scorching 7-7 from downtown, the Blazers, as a team, shot a better percentage from 3 as they went 11-19 as opposed to Miami's 8-16. The one positive I will say about the 3 point shot tonight was that many of them were open and came off of dribble penetration. I would still like to see more 3's being attempted out of kick out from the post, mainly dumping it inside to LaMarcus and forcing the defense to collapse down on him and hitting the open man. Although Roy's shot-clock beating 3 with 30 seconds left will be viewed by most as the play of the game, I felt another shot was even bigger. After missing a go-ahead 3 the possession before, trailing by 3, Roy drove hard left, drew two defenders and hit Webster in the corner for a 3 that tied the game up at 92.


LaMarcus had a nice bounce back game with 23 points (10-23) and 8 boards and Joel had over double-digit boards for the umpteenth time in a row, but the real unsung hero was Andre Miller. It was he who led the 18-2 run in the 3rd quarter and always had a huge bucket to keep Portland right on the cusp of victory. He showed why he is the starting point guard and why he needs to be on the floor in the 4th quarter. In the end, he tallied 17 points (6-10), 4 assists, zero turnovers, and a team-high 6 trips to the foul line. The ability to get to the charity stripe is the main reason he needs 30+ minutes a night. When the shot clock runs down, he doesn't panic and finds a way to get a lay-in or some free throw attempts.


Although there will be no championship in Portland this year, I am more than proud of the way this team is fighting to make it to the playoffs. A lot of people, who I won't name, thought this seven-game stretch that started with the Kings and ends with the Nuggets would end in Portland being lucky to come away with 2 maybe 3 wins at best. Well, here is some news for you. The Trail Blazers already are 3-1 during this stretch and have a good chance of ending these 7 games over .500. Honestly, I thought the team felt like this season was going to be easy, and it showed during their early season play, but now they are really working out there and putting it all on the line. As a fan, this is all you can ask for!


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