Thoughts on Philadelphia 114, Portland 108 (OT)

This game nearly made me sick. Portland dug itself a deep hole in the first half by bombing away from the outside. Portland is one of the tallest teams in the league, but never seems to take advantage of it. Portland also plays some of the worst perimeter defense in the league and Philly's guards were able to get to the rim at will. Portland made even Reggie Evans look good. Philly shot 65% in the first half and ended up shooting 51% for the game. Portland shot 41% from the field thanks to a woeful 10 of 34 from three point land. Why? Why? Why must they jack up contested 3's? It drives me crazy.

What's even worse is that they ruined a great game from Oden. He had 13 points, 8 boards and 2 blocked shots though he blocked and altered many more. For some reason, the scorekeeper is pretty stingy with blocked shots.

Brandon Roy played a terrible game and took one of the worst end-of-regulation shots I've seen. He spent most of the OT period whining to the refs. The refs had a poor game, but you've got to suck it up and get back on defense. Don't stand under the basket and cry like a little bitch. He also calls for too many isolation plays. He needs to work the ball around to get a good shot inside for someone. It doesn't necessarily have to be all on his shoulders. He's played a bit selfishly and petulant recently.

Portland needs to learn a lesson from this game - play aggressively. Philly drove to the hole and went to the line 39 times. Portland only earned 17 foul shots. Again, Portland shoots too many outside shots. It starts with Aldridge and ends with Roy not looking to work the ball inside.