2010 Playoffs: Round 1, Game 4 - Suns At Trail Blazers Game Thread

[AfroSuns]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—There is no secret to the Phoenix Suns’ success so far against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Offensively, it essentially boils down to an effective screen-and-roll before kicking the ball out to the perimeter. In the Suns’ case, the perimeter is Jason Richardson(notes).

For the past two games of their first-round playoff series against the Blazers, the Suns’ strategy has worked perfectly.
Richardson had a career playoff-best 42 points—including eight 3-pointers — in a 108-89 Phoenix victory in Portland on Thursday night, after a 29-point performance in the Suns’ 119-90 victory at home in Game 2.
Phoenix leads the series 2-1 headed into Saturday’s game at the Rose Garden.
Coach Alvin Gentry broke down the Suns’ deceptively simple strategy following Game 3.
“If you’re going to trap the screen-and-roll with Steve (Nash), then you have to have an extra defender, the weak-side defender has to take the roll guy. And if he takes the roll guy, then, if we swing it to Channing (Frye), they either rotate to him or they’ve got to play halfway. Channing did a good job of swinging the ball immediately to J-Rich, and J-Rich had open shots,” Gentry said.
So—with no big mystery out there—the issue for the Blazers is what to do about it.
“They are doing some things that they normally don’t do,” said Blazers guard Andre Miller(notes), who had 31 points in the first game of the series but has struggled since. “Trapping the post, trapping the pick-and-roll, and forcing us to kick the ball around.
“We have to be patient, make the extra pass. We have to rely on our defense to kick-start our offense.”
The Blazers have had trouble in the last two games after the Suns made fast starts and built big leads early. While Portland was able to slow Phoenix down in the opener, they haven’t found a way to readjust to the Suns’ adjustments in Game 2.
In addition to slowing Miller with veteran Grant Hill(notes), the Suns have double-teamed LaMarcus Aldridge(notes), the team’s top offensive threat in the absence of Brandon Roy(notes).
“We’ve struggled to get our guys going,” coach Nate McMillan said. “We can’t get into foul trouble, one, and two, other guys have got to make shots. When they get their opportunities, they’re going to have to knock down their shots.”
The Suns were counting on the Blazers to do just that on Saturday.
“We know that Game 4 is going to be very tough,” Richardson said. “This team is not going to bow down to us. They’ve got their backs against the wall and they’re a pretty good team. We can’t get too relaxed, we’ve still got to come out aggressive like we have the last two games.”
But the Blazers have another challenge, overcoming yet another injury.
Forward Nicolas Batum(notes), arguably the team’s best perimeter defender, aggravated the right shoulder injury he first suffered in Game 2. The Blazers were calling his availability for Saturday a game-time decision.
The injury was troublesome because Batum had surgery on the same shoulder before the start of the season and he missed 45 games.
The Blazers can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to injuries. They’re without All-Star guard and team leader Roy, who had arthroscopic surgery on his knee to repair a torn meniscus two days before the start of the playoffs.
Roy was earlier ruled out of the series against the Suns, although he said he feels great and there’s a possibility he could play if the Blazers make it to a Game 7.
After Batum was sidelined to start the season, the Blazers lost centers Greg Oden(notes) and Joel Przybilla(notes) to season-ending knee injuries, swingman Rudy Fernandez(notes) had back issues and Travis Outlaw(notes) had foot surgery. Outlaw was later traded to the Clippers in a deal that brought center Marcus Camby(notes) to Portland.
In all, 13 Blazers missed a combined 311 regular-season games, second only to Golden State this season. Only Miller and forward Martell Webster(notes) played in all 82 games.
Miller said the Blazers are going to have to “nasty it up a little bit” for Game 4, forcing the Suns out of their comfort zone.
“We are still confident. We know we can play with these guys, we have to prove it,” he said. “What they have proved in the last couple of games is that they can make adjustments, and continue to get their offense going.
“They are playing their game. We’ve got to control that.”

It is going to be a hard fought game, with the Suns playing not to return to Portland and the Blazers playing for their playoff life.

Go Suns!!!!!

 

[Ronin]

I agree that this game will be close.
Suns win by 4 points.

 

[jagu]

I'm pretty sure Jerryd Bayless will be hanging off our players like a monkey on a banana tree. I hope the refs see the fouls that the Blazers are doing just to stay in the series and call them. I have no pity for injuries, finish them Suns....

 

[AfroSuns]

I'm pretty sure Jerryd Bayless will be hanging off our players like a monkey on a banana tree. I hope the refs see the fouls that the Blazers are doing just to stay in the series and call them. I have no pity for injuries, finish them Suns....

They have probably set themselves up for a lot of foul, with their "with need to play nasty" talk. I know they will be all over JRich today, hopefully Frye can knock down his shots.
The video after game 3 on nba.com shows Steve telling the guys in the locker room ; Time to be greedy. I love that mentality.

 

[AfroSuns]

Suns winning with defense

LaMarcus Aldridge gets the ball down in the low post, turns and runs into an Amar'e Stoudemire he has rarely seen before -- active, aggressive, more vigilant than a guard at an old East German border crossing.
Andre Miller starts out with his dribble on the wing and tries to do one of his hip-shaking dancing-with-the-stars routines into the lane where he can finish with an easy shot. But before Miller can find an opening, he's surrounded and his path blocked as if a timber truck has just dropped its load on a two-lane highway.

Read More here

 

[Superbone]

I'm pretty sure Jerryd Bayless will be hanging off our players like a monkey on a banana tree. I hope the refs see the fouls that the Blazers are doing just to stay in the series and call them. I have no pity for injuries, finish them Suns....

And he'll be acting like he's the one getting hit. Flailing his arms and such.

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

Trail Blazers guard Jerryd Bayless to start Game 4

By Jason Quick, The Oregonian

April 24, 2010, 12:43PM

Jerryd Bayless has replaced Rudy Fernandez in the starting lineup for Game 4, coach Nate McMillan announced Saturday morning.

"I want to get some aggressiveness, and another ball handler in the game,'' McMillan said. "We need to attack more. And (Bayless) has done a good job of attacking and getting to the basket. And it will give us another ball handler on the floor.''

Bayless is the Blazers' third leading scorer in the series, averaging 13.7 points. He has hit 14-of-29 shots (48.3 percent) and has 16 free throw attempts - third on the team behind LaMarcus Aldridge (24) and Andre Miller (20).

Bayless replaces Fernandez, who has struggled through 6-of-17 shooting in the series.

"We need to get after this team and not sit back and see what they are going to do,'' McMillan said.

 

[TheKid_1]

Just heard on the Blazers pre-game show that Dante Cunnigham is out with the flu and as a result they have activated B-Roy. The one announcer said that he thinks this means Roy might get a few minutes to see how he does, and the other said it was simply to meet the minimum "active players" requirement. Didn't know there was so a rule, but an interesting twist here late...

 

[Zobaczcie suki]

Brandon Roy has 'a shot' at playing Game 5, McMillan says

By Jason Quick, The Oregonian

April 24, 2010, 12:36PM

Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said guard Brandon Roy has "a shot" at playing in Monday's Game 5 after watching the All-Star go through Saturday's shootaround at the Rose Garden.

Roy had minor surgery on his right knee on April 16 and had stitches removed on Friday. Saturday's pregame workout was the first extensive activity Roy has had since the surgery.

McMillan said he was encouraged by what he saw from Roy and now considered Roy
day-to-day for the rest of the best-of-seven series

 

[tobiazz]

Now they say Roy will start. Not good. I hope he slows the Blazers down.

 

[Cheesebeef]

now Roy is STARTING?! Wow. Me thinks this gives the Blazers a Raja Bell like raise int he 2006 series against Dallas. If he hits his first couple shots, that place will be off the hook and we will go down big.

still think we win the series in 7, but I think the today's a Big Fat L.

 

[Ronin]

What about batum?

 

[tobiazz]

now Roy is STARTING?! Wow. Me thinks this gives the Blazers a Raja Bell like raise int he 2006 series against Dallas. If he hits his first couple shots, that place will be off the hook and we will go down big.

still think we win the series in 7, but I think the today's a Big Fat L.

I may have misheard it, but I thought they said "starting" during the Bobcats game. They definitely said he would play.

I think it usually makes sense for semi-injured players to start so that they are warmed up adequately before coming in. Then, he can play limited minutes.

 

[AfroSuns]

Well, i hope he slows them down than help them. If the Suns do what they do, they still win. We have beaten them with Roy in the line up before this season.

 

[TJ]

It wont be a blow out today unless Roy's leg is dragging behind him

 

[Ronin]

Yeah, it looks like Roy is going to start.

 

[slinslin]

Dumb move by the Blazers, I don't hope for players to get injured but they deserve it for the stupidity of starting him in a playoff game 1 week after a minor knee surgery.

 

[AfroSuns]

My only fear; TNT CURSE!!

 

[tobiazz]

Dumb move by the Blazers, I don't hope for players to get injured but they deserve it for the stupidity of starting him in a playoff game 1 week after a minor knee surgery.

You would think they would learn after Oden's repeated injuries not to play a guy that is not 100%.

--

Okay, at this point he is not starting. Perhaps the starting mention was a mind game and he was only activated to reach the player minimum.

 

[RingtheBell]

Anyone know where I can find the audio streamed on the internet? Ktar website isnt working

 

[Ronin]

Lol Collins!

 

[Ronin]

Wow didn't think Richardson would get that!

 

[tobiazz]

McMillan had a look of consternation after Collins hit the jumper. Let's have another blowout, please.

 

[slinslin]

Why does Nash always get his hand in our defensive rebounds when there is no need. Once again ends up in a lost ball because they knock it out each others hands.

 

[Proteus]

Oh geez. Nash turns the ball over again and leads to a faskt break layup.