Game Preview: Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns

Published Feb. 10, 2010 at 7:38 p.m.

Hello all, and welcome to tonight's installment of...that's right, you guessed it!  The Dating Game!

Say hello to contestant number one, the Portland Trail Blazers!  A few points about the Blazers: enjoys long walks on the beach, has had some injury problems, but is willing to fight for what it loves!

And on to contestant number two...the hometown team, your Phoenix Suns!  The Suns have recently turned their losing ways around, found a new spark and chemistry, and are once again as happy as a clam!  (Assuming, of course, that clams are actually happy.)

Stay tuned to see what happens next!

All facetiousness aside, we're looking at a game that will likely be exciting, frustrating, yet altogether (hopefully) rewarding.  Just like any relationship you've been in.  Okay, not any relationship...that crazy girl you dated in high school is an exception, rather than the rule.  But I digress.

Injuries

The Portland Trail Blazers are just now getting key players back from injuries.  The last time we played the boys from Oregon, they were missing: Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, and Jeff Pendergraph.  Shortly after our game, even big man Joel Przybilla went down for the season.

This time, the injury story is a little less gruesome for the Blazers.  Brandon Roy is out with a hamstring injury, but they've gotten back Pendergraph, Fernandez, and Batum.  They're still without sixth man Travis Outlaw, and as I mentioned earlier, have lost Joel Przybilla for the remainder of this season.  So what does all this mean?

It means nothing, really, if we don't play up to our strengths.  Last time we met, a young and feisty guard by the name of Jerryd Bayless went off for a career high 29 points, and we gave up an 11 point lead in the fourth quarter, only to lose by 3.  That one hurt.  Last night, when the Blazers played the Thunder, despite the losing effort, Dante Cunningham went off for a career high 14 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting.  That kind of stuff tends to happen when you let it.  So, if the Suns don't come out firing and attack this tired team early, we could be in for a long night.

Matchups

Andre Miller, after all the preseason hype/early-to-mid-season clamor, has finally begun to play well.  One thing Miller has enjoyed doing to Steve Nash (and, well, a lot of other guards) is utilize his post game.  The dude is built like a horse.  He's 6'2", so Nash has the height edge on him (only an inch, but hey, he's still taller), but he's 200 pounds.  Compare that to Steve's 178 pound frame, and take into account his propensity to...well, not play defense, and that spells disaster.  Unless you're Miller, then that spells success.

What I would look for the Suns to do is match up Jason Richardson on Andre Miller.  Both guards have a semblance post game, and Richardson is a much more aggressive post defender.  Nash can stay step for step with Blake (he's an older white dude too), and last night, despite Blake's 0-5 shooting performance, the Blazers decided to run Miller at the point and Blake at the off guard.  This has been something we've seen almost all year (including the beginning of the year, when Mr. McMillan had no idea how to utilize refused to adequately use his newly acquired guard), and look for the Suns to do a lot of switching on the guards.

Another matchup I look forward to watching is the battle of the frontcourt.  The Blazers, like the Rockets, give up a lot of size with their big men (Aldridge, Old Man Howard, and the rookies Pendergraph and Cunningham), but they are scrappy as all get out.  Pendergraph (dating back to his days at ASU) has shown that he has a motor that doesn't stop going.  Howard (yes, Juwan Howard is still in the league), has been old reliable for the past month or so (since Przybilla went down), but I don't know if he'll be able to sustain it.  Keep in mind, they are on a back-to-back game, and he's got a lot of miles on those legs (over 35,000 career minutes...Allen Iverson is only at 37,500 and change).

Keys to the Game

 

• Keeping Miller and Bayless out of the paint.  Those two are lethal when they drive, whether they kick it out for an open shot, or finishing with contact.  Both are pretty good at, well, both.
• Owning the paint.  With Brandon Roy being out of last night's game, the Thunder were able to effectively take LMA out by fronting him and not allowing him to explode and take over the game.
• Take advantage of the size matchups.  There is no reason that Amare and Lopez shouldn't have big games tonight.  Yes, the Blazers are scrappy, but with Amare playing out of his mind and Lopez playing extremely well, it's not too far fetched to say that they should both own their respective starting counterparts.
• Stay on the shooters.  Rudy and Blake can get hot early and make us start the catch-up game (I hate that game, by the way), so go over screens and stay home on your man.  The Webster/Miller/Bayless trio can fill it up from time to time, but they're streaky.
• The Suns have had 4 days rest.  The Blazers are playing on the second half of a back-to-back.  We're playing at home (where we're 18-6) and they're on the road (obviously, and where they're 12-13).  There is absolutely no reason we should see any lack of energy.
• Keep the new found trade rumor excuses to a minimum.  Yes, I'm looking at you, Amare.

Bottom Line
The Blazers, for all the injuries they've had, are still sitting at 30-24 and the 8th seed in the highly competitive West.  They're only two games back from us.  For all the drubbing we dealt them in years past, it seems like the universe may finally on their side of this matchup.  I get it.  But...
Go out and win, Suns.  I won't accept anything else.
(Oh, and P.S.  Thanks to everyone who welcomed me to the team!  I'm excited to be more of a regular part of this great community.  You're all awesome!  Except for...nah, I'm just kidding.)
Trail Blazers vs Suns previewTrail Blazers vs Suns coverageBlazersedge


[Note by Seth Pollack, 02/10/10 2:34 PM MST ]

Adding some links to this...

• Game 55 Preview: Blazers vs. Suns - Blazersedge
  A preview of the Portland Trail Blazers-Phoenix Suns contest on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010.
• azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Hill questionable for tonight
  Suns forward Grant Hill is questionable for tonight's home game against Portland because of a lower back contusion, head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said. Hill said he would make a decision on whether to play this evening after getting more treatment...
• SUNS: Stoudemire Among 27 NBA Standouts Named To 2010-12 USA Basketball Mens National Team
• azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Finally, a game again!
  Equidistant again. The Suns are in fifth place, tantalizingly only two games behind third place in the West but precariously only two games ahead of eighth place and the team there -- slumping, ailing Portland -- that the Suns host tonight.
• The Steve Kerr Show - Feb. 10, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ, United States, 85004 - Planet Orange Audio track - Official Phoenix Suns Social Network
  The Steve Kerr Show - Feb. 10, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ, United States, 85004 - Planet Orange Audio track - Official Phoenix Suns Social Network
• The Official Phoenix Suns Blog » Blog Archive » Last-Minute Casting Change Nearly Foils Nash’s Avatar
• Post-Ups - CBSSports.com
  A high-level source involved in the Suns’ strategizing estimated that Stoudemire has a “30 percent chance” of being traded...From the Phoenix side, the person said, owner Robert Sarver’s non-basketball businesses (banking and real estate) have been hit too hard by the recession to make the Suns a credible landing spot for Samuel Dalembert’s $12.2 million due next season – not to mention Andre Iguodala’s four years and $56 million remaining.
• NBA: Overrated and underrated players - ESPN
  Overrated: Steve Nash at 30 Hang on...Nash Underrated: Steve Nash at 35 Steve Nash at 30 was a Big Story. Steve Nash at 35 isn't. But what Steve Nash is doing at 35 is way, way, way more amazing than what Steve Nash did at 30.
• On the Block: Amare Stoudemire, Suns - Sean Deveney - The Baseline - Sporting News
  Bottom line: There will be a lot of Stoudemire talk at this weekend’s All-Star Game. But in all likelihood, he will stay in Phoenix.
• Not All Teams Are Looking to Trade Solely for Talent - Off the Dribble Blog - NYTimes.com
  As the N.B.A.'s Feb. 18 trade deadline approaches, a look at the N.B.A. teams that are either a little over the tax line, or a little under making a maximum free-agent offer.
• Iowa Energy: Keeping the dream alive desmoinesregister.com The Des Moines Register
  “I don’t think most of the guys in the D-League are going to get called up to lead the team in scoring,” he said. “So it’s the little things, being in the right spots, playing good help defense, rebounding, making the open shots, getting assists.” Nurse is bracing for the inevitable callups, especially when the NBA trading deadline passes Feb. 19. It comes with the territory when you’re coaching the best team in the D-League...“I hate to say it, but I think we’ll lose a few of these guys as we go along here,” he said.

• Suns not raising season ticket prices
  The Suns will not raise season ticket prices for a second consecutive year, actually reducing prices on about 4,500 seats.

• NBA Power Rankings: Streaking Suns -- NBA FanHouse
  The Suns rise to the seven spot in this week's rankings, thanks to a solid five-game winning streak in which four of the Ws came

On Sports 620 KTAR they ask this question...could tonight be Amare's last home game as a Sun? Gambo also reports the Suns aren't interested in Beasley or any other Heat players so a deal with the Heat is unlikely. Per Gambo.

Nash on KTAR today as well...

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