[外電] Utah 108, Portland 92: Another day, …

看板BLAZERS (波特蘭拓荒者)作者and1018 (嘴賤)時間16年前 (2009/11/30 00:13)推噓38(38推 0噓 70→)

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Utah 108, Portland 92: Another day, another rout for out-of-sync Blazers By Jason Quick, The Oregonian November 28, 2009, 10:51PM Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy gains control of a loose ball as Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams defends during the second quarter of their NBA basketball game Saturday in Salt Lake City. SALT LAKE CITY -- Not yet a quarter into the season, and the Trail Blazers have reached an undeniable crossroads. After the Blazers were dominated 108-92 by Utah on Saturday -- the second consecutive night the team was blown away -- many festering irritations of the season's direction surfaced while a new storyline to this drama emerged after coach Nate McMillan played Andre Miller only six minutes and 18 seconds. Pick an area, any area, and right now it is a mess. The offense has turned into a jumbled knot of confusion. The team's top two players -- Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge -- are uncomfortable and unsure of how to make the emergence of center Greg Oden mesh with their pick-and-roll magic from a year ago, often leading to hesitant shots and stalled possessions. The defense in the last two games has turned slow and soft, allowing astronomical shooting percentages -- the latest a 60.6 effort by Utah, which started when the Jazz (9-7) hit their first eight shots and nine of their first 10. Meanwhile, nobody outside of Oden is performing at a higher level than last season, and key players like Aldridge, Steve Blake and Miller have been well off their standard of play. On Saturday, one night after the Blazers trailed by 29 at home to Memphis, the Blazers fell behind 11-2 only 2:39 into a game they would eventually trail by 27. It created for interesting viewing in the fourth quarter, as the team's core was yanked and engaged in a series of animated conversations on the bench. Roy reached past Blake's shoulder and tapped Miller, asking him why he didn't play after the first quarter. Miller and Joel Przybilla talked, at one time shaking their heads. Roy passed a folded statistics sheet to Aldridge, who studied the sheet, refolded it and then put both hands over his face after discarding the sheet under the bench. Later, Roy and Aldridge talked, with Roy revealing that their conversation revolved around how different things had become this season. Afterward, in the locker room, there was an array of outlooks, with some like Roy waving red flags about the team's play while others like Oden and Aldridge only willing to say that the season still offers time for kinks to be worked out. And, of course, there was Miller's benching, which caught everyone by surprise, none more so than Miller. It appears Miller has the team's full support, as he engaged in lengthy conversations with Przybilla and Blake on the bench, and then drew the concern of Roy. Then, after Miller gave a noncontroversial interview, during which he answered every question professionally, Oden tapped him on the knee and offered a fist, which Miller bumped. What were once smoldering hot spots on this team have suddenly taken spark, presenting McMillan with his biggest challenge in this new era of successful Blazers basketball. And for the first time, it doesn't appear McMillan has the unquestioned support from key players. The Blazers players are most concerned about the offense, which has undergone a decided change from last season, when Roy and Aldridge dominated the ball and shots with pick-and-roll variations. This season, with Oden becoming a formidable and effective option, the offense more often revolves around entry passes to Oden. McMillan says it is up to the players to figure out how to make that dynamic work. The players say the system now isn't working because both Roy and Aldridge are struggling. That was the central topic on the bench near the end of the game, when Roy spoke to Aldridge with his shirt over his lips. "Me and L.A. talked about how things were different," Roy said. "And more than anything why the change from last year, when we were a good team. I think we have somewhat changed our focus. Instead of keeping that focus and just improving around it, we have adjusted." Roy was reminded that Oden has been effective, entering the game second in the NBA at 63.2 percent, and when asked how all three offensive options can work together, he chuckled. "I don't know. That's why coaches coach," Roy said. "I just go out there, you know? He's the coach." Roy said he has seen this coming for weeks. "I'm not sitting here totally surprised by it," Roy said. "There were times when we won games and we still don't seem to have it. It's kind of right in our face now. ... I just don't think people fully understand. They were like, 'We won 6 of 7,' but I'm like, 'Nah, I'm still a little concerned how things are going right now.' Because I don't think anyone is really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel right. Meaning nobody knows how to fix it." Whether these sparks take flame could be determined in the coming weeks, when the team's schedule slows down, allowing for more rest and practice time. Both McMillan and the players said the team is worn down, having played the most games (19) in the NBA. The Blazers don't play again until Tuesday at home against Miami, then have three more days off until a Saturday home game against Houston. "Last night wasn't a good night and tonight wasn't a good night," McMillan said, his voice as hoarse as it has ever been after a game. "What we have to do is ... it's two games. We are 12-7; we don't want to go crazy here. We've dropped two games and they were two bad games. We know we got some work to do to get better ... and we have time to do that." That was a similar refrain heard from Aldridge and Oden. Both agreed that things are not in sync and that the team has changed dramatically from last season. But they both stressed that this has been a tiring stretch and that upcoming practices can be a good time to fix problems. "Things are different, but that's not to say it can't work," Aldridge said. "When you add better players to a team, you have to figure out how to incorporate everybody." Added Oden: "We have a lot of weapons. We are just trying to figure out how to use them all." One of those weapons, Miller, was hardly used at all Saturday. He entered the game with 6:18 left in the first quarter and the Blazers trailing 19-7. He played the rest of the quarter, missing all four of his shots, including two puzzling three-pointers, while getting two assists, committing two turnovers and taking one foul. When the quarter ended with the Blazers trailing 32-17, Miller was taken out and never returned. "He doesn't seem to be moving well, and I decided to go with (Jerryd) Bayless," McMillan said. When asked if he thought Miller was injured, McMillan gave the same response. Miller, however, said he was not injured and felt he was moving fine. Miller on Friday night did fall hard on his right hip, but he kept playing. His appearance on Saturday was his 549th consecutive game played, the longest active streak in the NBA. "Yeah, I'm surprised," Miller said. "But, oh well, you move on to the next game. The game is over. That's behind me now. I can't control that. Ain't no use in getting worked up over it." Miller said he has never been used so little in any game he has played, but said he doesn't plan to address McMillan with his concerns. "Nah. I won't say nothin'," Miller said. "I keep my mouth closed and keep a movin'." http://tinyurl.com/ydwe86z ------------------------------------------------ 重點節錄： "I don't know. That's why coaches coach," Roy said. "I just go out there, you know? He's the coach." "I'm still a little concerned how things are going right now. Because I don't think anyone is really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel right. Meaning nobody knows how to fix it." Aldridge said. "When you add better players to a team, you have to figure out how to incorporate everybody." Added Oden: "We have a lot of weapons. We are just trying to figure out how to use them all." 面對兩場膛炸 Roy注意到三弟超強，但對於如何好好用他，他表示： "蛙啊災？？這是為什麼教練要教的啊，我只是去做，他才是教練" 一哥說前途無亮二哥說有更好的球員加入，就要知道如何結合每一個人三弟說我們有很多武器，我們只需要去試試怎麼用上所有的武器越來越刺激了，噗噗 Rank"A"，你再不拿出點料來，球員就快揭竿起義了 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.137.168.247 ※ 編輯: and1018 來自: 114.137.168.247 (11/30 00:21)

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