Portland 84 Seattle 78
Box Score
I wasn't going to write anything tonight, I honestly believed I had gotten my fill of watching summer league. I love all things basketball, but there's only so much a man can take. Then after deciding to take a peek, I noticed Koponen was actually getting decent minutes in the first half. Even more, he was getting to run the point. I can't let Finland down, so on we go:
The Finnagler looked more comfortable than in any previous summer league game, maybe due to a combination of getting used to the atmosphere and actually getting to play his position. He sunk a couple jumpers and had numerous nice plays setting up teammates for easy buckets, which they often didn't convert. The play-by-play for the game shocked himself by exclaiming, "Koponen is seeing everything on the court." Good stuff.
After all the Sergio hating I've been engaging in (still plenty of room on the Trade Sergio Bandwagon, by the way), I should probably note that he ran the offense as well as he has all summer today, and really wasn't looking to score as much as usual. He had some of the usual defensive slips, but none of those disturbing lapses we've seen in previous games. The truth is that Seattle doesn't exactly have top-flight guards on this team, even by summer league standards. This probably had something to do with Sergio & Koponen's play tonight.
Joel Freeland is a man. This has been verified. On one baseline in-bounds play Mancinelli threw him a lob, which Freeland jammed through the hoop with two hands in traffic-and got the foul. He also canned a nice jumper from 18 feet, and even gave someone a version of Kevin McHale's slippery eel, which always gets big points with me. He continues to prove he can be as active as anyone down low.
Zendon Hamilton was again Portland's best offensive threat down-low. The man is playing to get back in the league and made a fine case that he should be. Also solid tonight was Chris Ellis.
Stefano Mancinelli showed flashes of those solid all-around skills, although he still would disappear for long stretches. He also had the assignment of guarding Kevin Durant all-night, so maybe we cut the guy some slack tonight.
Martell reminded us how beautiful his jumper is. Taurean Green didn't get many minutes (and had to play off the ball most of the time), probably so The Finnagler could get in some work at point.
Quick notes on Seattle:
Kevin Durant can play, but Jeff Green can play too- and he was the man tonight.
Robert Swift was rocking a very long, very red pony tail on the sideline. This is only excusable if you are as good as Bill Walton. Robert Swift, you have been warned.
Showing posts with label Stefano Mancinelli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stefano Mancinelli. Show all posts
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Portland vs. Dallas: Summer League Game 2 Notes
First off, let me be clear I had problems getting to watch the game at NBA.com again. No rant about Stern this time, but still annoying. Because of these and other computer issues, I didn't start watching until a few minutes left in the second. Here were my notes for the game that Dallas won 72 to 68 (box score here):
Dallas undrafted pointguard Jose Juan Barea doesn't get much press. Its really too bad, because he can play. He's small, but showed very good pointguard skills. He also did what smaller players are supposed to do on defense, getting in Sergio's space and drawing 3 offensive fouls. The offense never stagnated with him in, and he showed just about every desirable pointguard quality you can think of. He seems to get overlooked because of his small height, but I think someone will find a spot for him.
Sergio looked a lot better during this game than the last, although the defense today was no let up from the pestering he endured from Rondo in the first game. Along with Barrera in his face all night, Sergio also got ACC Defensive Player of the year Jamon Gordon. It was nice to see Sergio play efficiently.
LaMarcus was the best player on the court on both ends, again. You can go back and read my notes of the first game, because he put on a similarly excellent performance.
Oden looked much better, and only got 9 fouls this time! He again flashed his passing ability, and reinforced the fact that everything he gets close to the hoop will result in a dunk, a foul, or both. His post moves worked better and he was playing against Diop inside, although he got a couple shots swatted.
Freeland actually got to play a decent amount today, which was nice. What's impressed me is showing his ability to do the little things that might not show up in the box score. He set picks well and would tip rebounds to his guards if he couldn't grab them. For someone who supposedly picked up the game in highschool his feel looks very good.
The Finnagler Koponen also got to play. He had one nice off the ball steal but wasn't very noticeable besides that play. It should be noted though, that he played the off-guard while Sergio ran point, so was forced to play out of position.
The only Blazer who didn't play better than their first go round was probably Taurean Green, who I dubbed the best blazer guard of the first game. Mancinelli played less but got to show his all-around game. Webster looked more comfortable but again had a limited impact. Portland went to the high-low post offense more this time, with mixed results. With Aldridge and Oden, this will definitely be fun to watch when they work it out. Overall, the game was executed much better than the opener on both sides and easier to watch as a basketball fan. The young Blazers looked more comfortable and assured, and hopefully will continue to look better during the summer league.
Dallas undrafted pointguard Jose Juan Barea doesn't get much press. Its really too bad, because he can play. He's small, but showed very good pointguard skills. He also did what smaller players are supposed to do on defense, getting in Sergio's space and drawing 3 offensive fouls. The offense never stagnated with him in, and he showed just about every desirable pointguard quality you can think of. He seems to get overlooked because of his small height, but I think someone will find a spot for him.
Sergio looked a lot better during this game than the last, although the defense today was no let up from the pestering he endured from Rondo in the first game. Along with Barrera in his face all night, Sergio also got ACC Defensive Player of the year Jamon Gordon. It was nice to see Sergio play efficiently.
LaMarcus was the best player on the court on both ends, again. You can go back and read my notes of the first game, because he put on a similarly excellent performance.
Oden looked much better, and only got 9 fouls this time! He again flashed his passing ability, and reinforced the fact that everything he gets close to the hoop will result in a dunk, a foul, or both. His post moves worked better and he was playing against Diop inside, although he got a couple shots swatted.
Freeland actually got to play a decent amount today, which was nice. What's impressed me is showing his ability to do the little things that might not show up in the box score. He set picks well and would tip rebounds to his guards if he couldn't grab them. For someone who supposedly picked up the game in highschool his feel looks very good.
The Finnagler Koponen also got to play. He had one nice off the ball steal but wasn't very noticeable besides that play. It should be noted though, that he played the off-guard while Sergio ran point, so was forced to play out of position.
The only Blazer who didn't play better than their first go round was probably Taurean Green, who I dubbed the best blazer guard of the first game. Mancinelli played less but got to show his all-around game. Webster looked more comfortable but again had a limited impact. Portland went to the high-low post offense more this time, with mixed results. With Aldridge and Oden, this will definitely be fun to watch when they work it out. Overall, the game was executed much better than the opener on both sides and easier to watch as a basketball fan. The young Blazers looked more comfortable and assured, and hopefully will continue to look better during the summer league.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Oden's Debut: Portland Notes
I just finished watching Portland kick-off their summer league in Vegas against the Boston Celtics. Oden's debut will obviously command much of everyone's analysis, but there was quite a collection of young talent on both squads to be excited about.
(Because of blogger length limitations, I've broken my Portland and Boston notes up into two separate posts: Boston Notes are here. Also, read why David Stern wants you to hate him.)
The Celtics won 74-66 (boxscore). It wasn't as close at the final score, Boston was comfortably in control a majority of the time.
Notes from the game:
Oden: Lets just say he took full advantage of the generous foul system in place during Summer League. He collected 10 fouls in 20 minutes, and was far from dominating offensively in the post. He is pretty unselfish with the ball, he gave a few nice looks to Aldridge when they ran high-low. Even while struggling, it was hard to ignore his presence. He changes games just by being on the court. Him and Aldrige showed they will play well together on both ends, it will be great to watch this dynamic develop.
Taurean Green: Sergio is obviously going to get the minutes this summer as they try to raise his consistency, but Green was no doubt Portland's best guard tonight (not bad for a guy taken #52 in the draft). He plays hard and showed his toughness getting numerous steals and rebounds. Plus its always fun to watch players that are that fast. Just like the scouting report says though, the jumper is a little shaky.
Lamarcus Aldridge: He is the truth, and it was all on display tonight. With his array of jumpers, post moves, blocks, rebounds, and ability to run the floor, Aldridge is on another level than the summer-league competition. He won't have any problems shouldering the offensive load this season down low if Oden needs time to develop.
Sergio Rodriguez: The Blazers are playing him a lot in an attempt to raise is quality of play when logging big minutes. Rondo was on his hip all night, and although Sergio managed to shake free on several occasions his teammates were often ill-prepared to do anything with his passes. A little disappointing tonight.
Joel Freeland: Gets a bullet point just because I've been hyping him up so much lately. Sadly, we didn't see much of Freeland (the pattern continues), but he had one very nice play on defense where he blocked a Leon Powe dunk attempt. I yelled, "White Keon Claaaaaarke!"
Martell Webster: Don't let the stat line fool you, Martell was mostly a non-factor until the fourth quarter when the outcome had been determined. He managed to show his potential with his athleticism and beautiful shot, but still didn't really seem like he has put it all together. He had some success when Portland would run him off of screens for catch-and-shoots (as opposed to what we saw all last season-Martell standing in the corner), maybe they'll explore that route more in the future.
Stefano Mancinelli: Wow, anyone predict this guy to get so much burn? Despite almost 20 minutes of PT, Mancinelli didn't do much. I spent the whole game wondering why he was in instead of forwards like McRoberts (4:32) or Freeland (9:46).
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of "The Finnagler" Petteri Koponen or hometown guy Terrance Green. Terrance is in the impossible position of needing desperately to impress to get on with an NBA team, but not getting an opportunity to play. Hopefully that will change, but as a 4th pointguard on the roster, isn't likely.
Overall the game was typical Summer League in that the quality of play pretty much sucked. The tempo was disjointed and there was a whole lot of fouling going on. With all these talented young players it would have been great if the teams could have gotten out and ran more, but this happened rarely. It was still nice to see how players are developing, and let us all pray for the end of internet blackouts.
(Because of blogger length limitations, I've broken my Portland and Boston notes up into two separate posts: Boston Notes are here. Also, read why David Stern wants you to hate him.)
The Celtics won 74-66 (boxscore). It wasn't as close at the final score, Boston was comfortably in control a majority of the time.
Notes from the game:
Oden: Lets just say he took full advantage of the generous foul system in place during Summer League. He collected 10 fouls in 20 minutes, and was far from dominating offensively in the post. He is pretty unselfish with the ball, he gave a few nice looks to Aldridge when they ran high-low. Even while struggling, it was hard to ignore his presence. He changes games just by being on the court. Him and Aldrige showed they will play well together on both ends, it will be great to watch this dynamic develop.
Taurean Green: Sergio is obviously going to get the minutes this summer as they try to raise his consistency, but Green was no doubt Portland's best guard tonight (not bad for a guy taken #52 in the draft). He plays hard and showed his toughness getting numerous steals and rebounds. Plus its always fun to watch players that are that fast. Just like the scouting report says though, the jumper is a little shaky.
Lamarcus Aldridge: He is the truth, and it was all on display tonight. With his array of jumpers, post moves, blocks, rebounds, and ability to run the floor, Aldridge is on another level than the summer-league competition. He won't have any problems shouldering the offensive load this season down low if Oden needs time to develop.
Sergio Rodriguez: The Blazers are playing him a lot in an attempt to raise is quality of play when logging big minutes. Rondo was on his hip all night, and although Sergio managed to shake free on several occasions his teammates were often ill-prepared to do anything with his passes. A little disappointing tonight.
Joel Freeland: Gets a bullet point just because I've been hyping him up so much lately. Sadly, we didn't see much of Freeland (the pattern continues), but he had one very nice play on defense where he blocked a Leon Powe dunk attempt. I yelled, "White Keon Claaaaaarke!"
Martell Webster: Don't let the stat line fool you, Martell was mostly a non-factor until the fourth quarter when the outcome had been determined. He managed to show his potential with his athleticism and beautiful shot, but still didn't really seem like he has put it all together. He had some success when Portland would run him off of screens for catch-and-shoots (as opposed to what we saw all last season-Martell standing in the corner), maybe they'll explore that route more in the future.
Stefano Mancinelli: Wow, anyone predict this guy to get so much burn? Despite almost 20 minutes of PT, Mancinelli didn't do much. I spent the whole game wondering why he was in instead of forwards like McRoberts (4:32) or Freeland (9:46).
Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of "The Finnagler" Petteri Koponen or hometown guy Terrance Green. Terrance is in the impossible position of needing desperately to impress to get on with an NBA team, but not getting an opportunity to play. Hopefully that will change, but as a 4th pointguard on the roster, isn't likely.
Overall the game was typical Summer League in that the quality of play pretty much sucked. The tempo was disjointed and there was a whole lot of fouling going on. With all these talented young players it would have been great if the teams could have gotten out and ran more, but this happened rarely. It was still nice to see how players are developing, and let us all pray for the end of internet blackouts.
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