Thoughts on Charlotte 102, Portland 97 (OT)

Fortunately, the game started at 4 my time so it finished before it was time for me to head out for pool night. Unfortunately, Portland didn't really show up and looked tired from the get go. Not much analysis is needed other than Portland's pick-and-roll defense is terrible and Portland had a terrible night from the foul line, 16-31. These kind of games happen, but still...it was pretty brutal to watch.

Individual observations:

• Brandon Roy played aggressively in the fourth quarter, but didn't get much done before then. He ended up with good numbers, but was only 3-10 from the free throw line. He also tends to try to take over the game at the end rather than looking for teammates. He seemed pretty tired as well.
• Sergio Rodriguez got another shot and I thought he played pretty well. He held his own defensively and was aggressive going to the hoop. He did get 5 assists in 21 minutes which isn't too bad, but he tends to dribble too much.
• Greg Oden was plagued by foul trouble and looked lost on the offensive end. I think he's thinking too much out there and isn't letting the game come to him. Hopefully he'll get his legs back so he can jump again.
• LaMarcus Aldridge hit a good number of outside shots, but also got in foul trouble which kept him out of a lot of the fourth. He tends to foul when he gets frustrated.
• Nicolas Batum played just 17 minutes (about par for him) and didn't do much. He was primarily out there for his defense and hustle. He doesn't look to drive as much as he did earlier this season and that's not good.
• Rudy Fernandez scored 15 points off the bench, but doesn't seem to do much other than shoot three pointers. He doesn't look like the same guy who led Spain to a pretty good run during the Olympics. He gambles a lot defensively.
• Jerryd Bayless had another solid game with 14 points, but didn't record an assist. He's a bit small for a shooting guard and needs to look to pass more, especially when he drives to the hoop and gets quadruple-teamed. He played great defense though.
• Joel Przybilla filled in well for Oden off the bench and got 10 rebounds. He's not an offensive threat, but he does set great picks. You can tell his broken left wrist is bothering him a bit.
• Travis Outlaw jacked up a lot of shots as usual, but few of them went down. He doesn't rebound well for a dude who's 6'9" and his defense is suspect. Every now and then he'll have a big game, but he needs to be more consistent. He's another Blazer that needs to go to the hoop more.

Charlotte's Gerald Wallace had a great game on both ends of the floor. Portland is rumored to be trying to get him in a trade. Charlotte would be stupid to trade him, but you never know.