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The Inferno by Faris Tanyos
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
San Antonio 107 Portland 98
Donald Rumsfeld is no longer Secretary of Defense. That piece of news deserves a national holiday.
I want to start by discussing some of McMillan’s questionable decision making during the 4th quarter of the Spurs game that contributed to the Blazer loss.
The most crucial time of a basketball game starts late in the 3rd quarter and extends until midway through the 4th. That is where veteran teams (of which the Spurs are poster boys; with Duncan, Bowen, Barry, and Horry) make big runs. If they’re behind, it’s when they catch up. If they’re winning, they pull away. They’ll extend their lead from 5 to 15-20 points.
The Lakers of 5 years ago would simply not play for the first 2 and a half quarters. They were shadows, zombies; just going through the motions. Even Laker fans knew that and didn’t show up for the game until half time. Then Shaq, Kobe, Fisher, Fox and company would suddenly wake up and blow the other team away. With that in mind, if you’re playing the Spurs, it doesn’t matter how well you’ve done in the first half, and the Blazers played great. Great teams don’t necessarily start well, but boy do they know how to finish.
With six minutes left in the 3rd the Blazers were up 70-60. The Spurs went on a signature run and tied it up at 72 all. No suprise there. That’s expected. But McMillan got impatient. He’d had enough. He decided to pull out his starters; Aldridge, Jack, and Webster. The guys who had given him the 10 point lead. He replaced them with Magloire, Dickau, and Dixon. This was a huge mistake. Huge. At the beginning of the 4th he pulled Randolph and replaced him with Outlaw. Caput. The game was over. The Spurs took an eight point lead. The Blazers clawed back to within one but it was too late. The damage was done, and the Spurs blew the game open in the final 5 minutes of the 4th.
Why I am telling you all this? Because McMillan gave up on his starters. As soon as the waters got rough, he jumped ship. Not good. He should have left Randolph, Jack, and Aldridge in the game. Yes, they were in a rut. But when you’re best players start missing shots during pivotal moments in the game you don’t pull them. You let them play through it. Stephen Graham, Dan Dickau, and Juan Dixon sure as hell aren’t gonna mount a comeback versus the likes of Duncan, Ginobli, and Parker. All they amounted to was a slew of turnovers. Oh, and playing Dickau over Rodriguez? Where’s the logic there.
Aldridge was sitting on the bench in the 4th quarter. He was matching up against Duncan as well as any rookie could. Why replace him with Magloire? Don’t even get me started on Magloire. He was a bust before he put on a Portland uniform. Why would McMillan even think that Magloire would stand a chance against Duncan? Magloire has been slow and confused on the offense. He makes mistakes. He doesn’t rebound or box out, and worst of all, he doesn’t play hard.
That said, I’ve loved watching the Blazers play this year. Without Brandon Roy they have still been fantastic. This is definitely not the same team that ended last season. They’re 5-7, and with Roy and Przybilla they very well could have been 7-5. The biggest suprise for me has been LaMarcus Aldridge. I’ve been forced to eat my words about the Blazers decision to draft him. For someone coming of a shoulder injury with zero NBA experience, he has been nothing short of spectacular. In one particular moment versus the Timberwolves, Kevin Garnett tried to scare him. He got in Aldridge’s face and glared him down with those fierce eyes. Aldridge didn’t back down. He stepped into Garnett and glared right back. It was delicious.
Jarrett Jack, Sergio Rodriguez, and LeMarcus Aldrige have played brilliant basketball. Before the season started the Oregonian’s Jason Quick predicted that Rodriguez would be sent to the NBDL. Not anymore. Against the Timberwolves last week, Rodriguez had 8 assists in 12 minutes. His best asset is his ability to move with and without the ball. Last year the Blazers did a lot of standing around on offense. Not anymore. With Rodridguez on the floor the Blazers have turned into a lesser version of the Suns. Rodriguez penetrates defenses and moves so well with the ball that in one motion he can give himself 2 or 3 options and most importantly, set his teammates up with wide open shots. Is Spanish Chocolate the next Steve Nash? Only time will tell. But he is going to be a great player, and over the coming season he should challenge Jarrett Jack for the starting job.
