Portland @ Phoenix GameThread, Nov 22, 2008 7:00 PM MST

Open Gameday Thread - Suns vs Blazers

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 3:23 PM MST Comment 70 comments

Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns, Nov 22, 2008 7:00 PM MST

Phoenix Suns	vs.	Portland Trailblazers
8-5		8-5
7:00PM Mountain / 9:00 PM Eastern
TV: FSNAZ HD
Probable starters:
Steve Nash	PG	Steve Blake
Raja Bell	SG	Brandon Roy
Matt Barnes	SF	Nick Batum
Amare Stoudemire	PF	LaMarcus Aldrigde
The Big Tweet	C	Joel Przybilla

Official Suns Game Notes
When we last saw the Blazers a few weeks ago they looked like a collection of under 25 all stars fighting for shots and playing time. I felt after watching that team that they were very talented and perhaps too deep with scorers and lacking in scrappy role players.
Since then then have gone 7-3 and impressed some people but during that stretch the only playoff caliber team they managed to beat was the Rockets. And that took some serious last second heroics.
That's not to say that this isn't a team that can easily jump up and bite the Suns in the ass but the Blazers circa Nov 2008 should not be able to come into our house after Friday's beat down and win this game.
Tonight the Gumpy Old Men will teach those young punks who's lawn they need to avoid.

The watch word for tonight's game is Patience. As in:

P – Please don’t turn the ball over +15 times

A – All we need is Amare (get it? All we need is love. All we need is amore. All we need is Amare. Ha!)

T – Time to make those open shots

I – Intensity. In. Tent. City. Play hard but play free

E – Energy. Effort. Elegance.

N – No easy buckets for Roy or Rudy

C – Clean the glass. Big Daddy versus Grandpa Oden and the Vanilla Gorilla.

E – Expect more. Demand better. Live Strong. Play hard. Cliché on.

Mariska Hargatay everyone (from last night's movie with Mrs. Stan)

And finally, enjoy this little bit of victorious celebration as Ben from Blazer's Edge makes good on the bet I suckered him into a few weeks ago.

Thank you Ben for being a good sport. I almost was upset that you didn't use your real face but then I remember that I hide behind a fake identity too. I would like my Matrix jersey back some day though.

And Suns fans let's hope that some of the hope rubs off on us for a change

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Comments

I guess winning in Orlando and Miami...

is not impressive. I think they will be in the playoffs.

I just hope my Blazers can give a better showing than last time. It will fun to see Shaq and Oden going at it for the first time.

"Greg Oden is the strongest guy in the NBA" - Channing Frye.

by TallTimber on Nov 22, 2008 3:48 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Also they are 8-3...

Not 7-3 since that game against the Suns. Not that that is a huge difference. Despite my Blazers coming in with a lot of momentum and the Suns have been stumbling as of late, I still think Phoenix will win soundly. Portland does not look good against physical teams. Steve Blake will have to shoot 5-7 from range again for the Blazers to have a chance. They just can’t handle aggressive teams.

by Salem Stephen on Nov 22, 2008 4:18 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I'm an idiot... they are 7-3

THought they played the Spurs after Phoenix

by Salem Stephen on Nov 22, 2008 4:20 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

perty quiet over in blazer land, alot of unanswered questions going into this one.

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

":) :( :) :'( :) :) :( :p Blazer’s fans fall upon trade proposals like locusts in the land of Egypt back in Moses times."
Tominhawaii Our Friendly Blogabull.com Ambassador.

by faith on Nov 22, 2008 4:52 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

is it all blazersedge ppl on this =)

Rip City Baby...People have no idea what is coming.

Follow my twitter www.twitter.com/PDXBlazersFTW, @PDXBlazersFTW. Lots of random Blazer Posts from links I find around the blogosphere.

by lanepete on Nov 22, 2008 4:54 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Patience young one's

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 5:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

lol...

Patience young one’s

imagining a scronnie little pheonix fan huddled between a couple of heavy weight portland fans crammed into the audience early.

no offense ;)

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out burns out farms and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

":) :( :) :'( :) :) :( :p Blazer’s fans fall upon trade proposals like locusts in the land of Egypt back in Moses times."
Tominhawaii Our Friendly Blogabull.com Ambassador.

by faith on Nov 22, 2008 5:08 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Phoenix people

They are out in the sun with exciting things to do, it’s Saturday night! Only in dark, drizzly PDX do we huddle by our eco-space heaters and computers and comment on NBA blogs hours before a game.

quid Latine dictum sit, altum viditur

by dvcastle on Nov 22, 2008 6:03 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I'm going to stop...

placing such huge emphasis on games right now. Sure, I’d like them to be better but I’d rather them peak in April/May/June than right now. My mantra will be will chill the f—k out.

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 6:20 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

big game

this is actually quite a big game for both teams, both teams have high hopes and alot of questions – we are equal in the standings and one is the veteran team and one is the young buck trying to overtake the vets – alot to like about this matchup

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 6:43 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

better post a few times to help the suns fans outnumber the blazers in our own thread :-)

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 6:44 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

lol!

I’ll throw my support then into the mix.

It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 22, 2008 6:51 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Me too!

Oh, wait.

One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season

"In vino veritas." - Latin proverb
"Ich sitze hier und trinke mein gutes Wittenbergisch Bier und das Reich Gottes kommt von ganz alleine" - Martin Luther
"μηκέτι ὑδροπότει, ἀλλὰ οἴνῳ ὀλίγῳ χρῶ διὰ τὸν στόμαχον καὶ τὰς πυκνάς σου ἀσθενείας." - 1 Timothy 5:23

by T Darkstar on Nov 22, 2008 6:55 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

uh-oh!

Sneaky….

It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish.

by unnamedDBacksfan on Nov 22, 2008 6:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

nice to see NF33IH from our “destination phoenix” crew named the fan of the game in the pregame, woot!

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 6:47 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Saw that too!

Well done mate

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:02 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

for some reason i think shaq and oden will finish with extremely similar stats – lets say 14 and 10?

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:06 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

amares help defense so far has been good

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:20 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

For the most part

There were a couple LaMarcus shots that were wide open but I like the effort

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:22 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Thats what we need Shaq to do

keep the ball alive, rebound, I like that he’s kicked the ball out a couple times

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:22 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

AMARE!!

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:28 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Barnes

good D, not O

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:29 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Amare and Boris

both playing well. I am LOVING BORIS this year

Barnes and Bell Blow. 3 turnovers. 0-4.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:30 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I agree

That’s the first I’ve heard that Boris is a Majerle project this year, that’s really cool – should help with his toughness somewhat.

Loving Amare’s D.

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:35 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

ive alway been a boris supporter

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:31 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Nash out early

wonder if his back is acting up. Read somewhere that he had spasms late in the Lakers game

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:35 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

start barbs??

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:35 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

he's going to need

At least one week maybe more. And that's just to get in shape. Who knows if he's going to be able to focus and play well

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Lopez

The line up I want to see right now is Lopez and Amare w/ Boris and Grant on the wing and Lil Sean at point.

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:35 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

That is one hell of an athletic lineup - I love it

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:37 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

wasnt it barnes back against the lakers that had spasms?

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:36 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

yes - him too

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:36 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Lakers made my back hurt as well

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:37 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually

LA made my backside hurt from the whipping we took.

by TwinnerA on Nov 22, 2008 11:06 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i want to see lopez get some time too

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 7:36 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Yes

and I want to see Grant at the 2

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:37 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nash

Still amazing the vision he has.

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:44 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

guess the back is ok

Not fair to Amare to ask him to cover Oden in the post. LOPEZ!!!

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 7:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I know!

I would LOVE to see that match-up for a couple minutes.

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:45 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Hill needs to start.

I understand that we want to keep him “fresh”, but he plays with Nash so much better than Barnes does. He understands positioning better, he makes the right pass/play; Barnes on the other hand seems kind of clueless.

Amare’s being really active on help D, which is nice to see, but his man to man D is still shoddy.

I hope we we see Fropez and Sweet Lou tonight.

by rsavaj on Nov 22, 2008 7:45 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I'd love to see Amundson

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:51 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Not to be tonight

No AmundSun nor Lopez for the 3rd consecutive game and no Dragic sighting either for a couple of games.

by TwinnerA on Nov 22, 2008 11:07 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Our offense looks so much better

when Nash gets to run. We have a good mix right now.

by rsavaj on Nov 22, 2008 7:49 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Don't worry Steve.

I wish Barnes was Shawn Marion too.

Barnes is trash so far.

by rsavaj on Nov 22, 2008 7:50 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Offensively yes, but D is good

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:52 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

He's okay.

Totally, totally nitpicking right now, but he let Batum shoot two wide open 3s back to back…he’s just not on his game tonight.

by rsavaj on Nov 22, 2008 7:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That's true

He’s definitely not making a good case for the starting job…

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 7:57 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Come to think of it

IIRC Barnes was guarding Radmanovic the other night when he went crazy shooting three’s.

by TwinnerA on Nov 22, 2008 11:09 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

A couple of those were on Raja, too.

by Azreous on Nov 22, 2008 11:24 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

i wish our starting SF was a more consistent 3 point shooter

nocioni – mike miller etc

by SDU on Nov 22, 2008 8:02 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Mike Miller would be perfect.

by rsavaj on Nov 22, 2008 8:04 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Hope we see the bench in the 2nd half

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 8:07 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

But

I generally liked that half – we controlled the game and if it weren’t for the horrendous turnovers and offensive rebounds, we’d but up by 20.

It's Ba-Nash. It's a no brainer.

by Suns Ben on Nov 22, 2008 8:10 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nash

4 turnovers and I’m sorry but I am not seeing where the system is at fault. He just looks like he’s forcing it and they are over playing his passes. If he’s not going to be more aggressive w/ his shot…I don’t know. He just looks flat.

Fortunately, the D was active and solid early and the Blzrs are not shooting.

Officiating sucks too.

Going to Jack in the Box for a shake. Want anything?

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Seth Pollack on Nov 22, 2008 8:11 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

A shake sounds good.

I’ll go for one of those. It should stay cold on the way up to Flagstaff.

by Azreous on Nov 22, 2008 8:16 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Like/Dislike

Like:
Shaq with 9 and 13(!) at the half.
Nash hasn’t missed anything yet.
Amare with a couple blocks and steals to go with 7 points and 4 boards.
Hill and Diaw’s play.
Controlling every Blazer not named Brandon Roy.

Dislike:
Matt Barnes on both ends.
Nash’s four turnovers.
Brandon Roy getting whatever he chooses.

by Azreous on Nov 22, 2008 8:20 PM MST reply actions 0 recs