Thoughts on Portland 102, Milwaukee 85

Portland put the smack down in the second half against an undersized Bucks team. Greg Oden went off and got a career high in points and tied his career high in boards. Roy shot poorly, but made up for it by distributing the ball. Sergio also had a good game and seems more aggressive. Of course, Milwaukee is milquetoast, but a win is a win. Portland was a little shaky from the free throw line again.

I bought a half-season subscription to NBA League Pass Broadband for $50 because I was tired of the crap quality of the quasi-legal Justin TV feed. Games on national TV are blacked-out on LP, but I'll still have access to around 40 games a week and can watch the Blazers nearly every game they play. I'm tempted to watch through my PS3 on my big ass TV, but I also like to chat on a Blazers message board during the game. Hmmm...maybe it's time to get a media PC. Heh. Something to think about when I've got money coming in.

Individual notes:

• Brandon Roy had a rough shooting night, but got 6 boards and 7 assists. He doesn't look 100 percent physically.
• Sergio Rodriguez got the start again, shot poorly, but got 7 boards and 7 assists. He played a heady fourth quarter as well and was much more aggressive than earlier this season.
• Greg Oden showed what he can do when he faces weaker competition and is not in foul trouble. He threw down for 24 points, 15 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. He also seemed to be having fun out there which is good for his confidence and development. He needs to work on his free throw stroke though.
  
• LaMarcus Aldridge hit a lot of outside shots in the first half, but didn't play much in the fourth quarter. He still contribued 22 points, 9 boards and 5 assists. He wasn't aggressive tonight, but took what the defense offered.
• Nicolas Batum played his usual 22 minutes and got 8 boards and 2 steals. He shoots too much from outside, but it'll take time for him to feel ready to drive to the hoop.
• Travis Outlaw had a solid game with 18 points, 8 boards and 2 steals. He was more active on the boards than usual and played credible defense.
• Rudy Fernandez shot well and scored 13 points. He hangs around the three point line a lot and I still haven't seen the Fernandez from the '08 Summer Olympics. I suppose the Blazers coaches have given him a slightly different role. Too bad. The Blazers need a slasher.
• Jerryd Bayless only got 14 minutes of burn because he was in foul trouble - too much reaching. He doesn't look to pass, but got 7 points - definitely still a work in progress.
• Joel Przybilla was mostly invisible and had trouble handling the ball since he has a broken bone in his left wrist.

Not a great win by Portland, but they beat a team they should have. Cleveland is up next on Wednesday. Hopefully it isn't blacked-out.