Ball Don't Lie - NBA

Ball Don't Lie

Wed Nov 19, 2008 5:00 pm EST

Game to pay attention: Bulls vs. Blazers

By Kelly Dwyer


Chicago at Portland

To be honest, most of tonight's games fail to jump off the page and strangle your neck. Really stare you down and make fun of your necktie. None of them really do that.

Washington is horrible, and Atlanta has fallen off with a precipitous drop in both defense and effort. They'll hook up in D.C. tonight, and 12 will be watching. Meanwhile, Toronto and Miami would seem to be worth our time, but the Raptors just aren't the Raptors without Jose Calderon. Yes, they're the Raptors, but they're not the Raptors. And, yes, Skeets has forbidden me from italicizing anything today, so those two last sentences will look kind of strange.

Cleveland and Detroit, bleh. Maybe in March. Philadelphia and Minnesota should be fun, but I shouldn't ask you to sit through another 27-25-26-12 quarter-by-quarter scoring run from the Timberwolves. Clippers and Oklahoma City should be put to sleep, Kings/Hornets won't be fair at all, Dallas and Houston might be missing Tracy and Yao Ming. Denver and San Antonio should be OK, and Milwaukee and Utah should not be OK.

So, Bulls/Blazers.

I'm interested in it. Greg Oden went off last night, but the Blazers lost after a tough call down the stretch that Portland fans are still smarting over. Meanwhile, the Bulls have shown signs of being both awful and very, very good. They've done more than show signs. It's either/or with these guys, and who knows what will show up tonight?

You should watch it, though. It's on ESPN and we might get Hubie Brown and Kevin Calabro. I'd watch and re-watch Clippers/Thunder if those guys got behind the mic.

Portland Trail Blazers: 6-5, 87.5 possessions per game (30th in the NBA), 107.7 points scored per 100 possessions (2nd in the NBA), 108.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (28th). Stuff's Stuff.

Chicago Bulls: 5-6, 97.2 possessions per game (7th), 100.4 points scored per 100 possessions (21st), 98 points allowed per 100 possessions (8th). Foots.

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15 Comments

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  1. Jacob S
    1. Posted by Jacob S Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:27 pm EDT

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    Hey Bulls vs Blazers, one of my favorite video games except the Spurs starting two guard was Vinnie Johnson. Where's the obligatory "Couldn't you find a more recent pic? MJ and Drexler retired years ago."
  2. Ty
    2. Posted by Ty Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:26 pm EDT

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    Shoutout to the Memorial Coliseum...in all it's blockiness.
  3. Ty
    3. Posted by Ty Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:26 pm EDT

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    its* (where's an edit button when you need it?)
  4. hoops2846
    4. Posted by hoops2846 Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:20 pm EDT

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    Pistons/Cavs is THE game to watch imo..Blazers/Bulls is a close 2nd.
  5. Juan L
    5. Posted by Juan L Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    When are the Bulls going to fix there lack of height. Keep Gordon , Rose, Deng. Work out a deal to get Biedrich from the warriors or al harrington. Even try to get Kaman from the Clippers. Hinrich-Tyrus Thomas-Sefalosha-Noah are so movable start fixing this lineup is a mess
  6. Juan L
    6. Posted by Juan L Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    If they dont fix this messy line up Paxson should be fired!!!!!!
  7. Whalen L
    7. Posted by Whalen L Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:44 pm EDT

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    Go Blazers!!!!!!!!!
  8. moimemio
    8. Posted by moimemio Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:57 pm EDT

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    Blazers better win cause of that bad call last night.... they should have won that last night... that tech should not of been called
  9. T
    9. Posted by T Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

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    blowout wheeee
  10. Gab
    10. Posted by Gab Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:23 pm EDT

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    The game "to pay attention to" turned out to be a dud. What's wrong with da bulls? They've got a decent line up please a new coach but their still like the bulls of last year
  11. KD
    11. Posted by KD Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:48 pm EDT

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    Pretty ruddy awful. Wow.
  12. young ice cube ftw
    12. Posted by young ice cube ftw Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:55 pm EDT

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    omg 42 point destruction
    listening to the game .. it could have been 60
  13. Danny Tam
    13. Posted by Danny Tam Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:25 pm EDT

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    Even though Clyde was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, I'd say he's largely an underrated player. He's one of those players whose abilities and statistics never really diminished. Had he played a couple more years, he likely would've hit that magical 25K total points achievement.
    While I'm not making any comparisons (seriously, I'm not by any means), I can picture Vince Carter having a similar career in which has statistics will be consistent and with a baseline. Even though he's injury prone as hell and is a lazy player lacking motivation more than others - he seems destined for a healthy finish to his career due to his natural gifts that neither require athleticism nor speed.
    In those ways, he's reminiscent of Clyde.. Asides from the hops, they got great J's and smooth releases.
  14. mandoesmybackhurt
    14. Posted by mandoesmybackhurt Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:05 pm EDT

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    true danny, only one major difference: vince is a bizzo and clyde is a stand-up guy. when he was traded to houston, us portlanders loved him so much we were happy to see him go to try and win a championship with his phi slamma jamma friend. he treated us so well over the years, we wanted him to go and succeed, even if it meant losing him. when houston won those championships, it was like the blazers kind of got to share it. i've never heard anyone say a bad thing about clyde in my life.
    vince has his moments, but he folds like a cheap suit.
  15. fishonmyplane
    15. Posted by fishonmyplane Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:00 pm EDT

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    KD, you're lame for not being excited about the Pistons/Cavs game.
    Detroit is 4-1 in their last 5 games, including wins over the Cavs and the Lakers. If they beat the Celtics tonight I think the "experts" will have no choice but to give them the #1 spot in the NBA power ratings. Detroit is playing the most exciting ball in the league right now and no one seems to care. Did people already get bored with the Iverson trade?
    When your center is hitting game-winning three pointers from three feet behind the arc, you'd think people would be a little more excited. Oh well, I guess some people are never going to get over the misconception that this is a "boring" team. Their loss.

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Ball Don't Lie is an NBA blog edited by J.E. Skeets. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Kelly Dwyer, Rod Benson, Trey Kerby, Dan Devine, Adrian Wojnarowski & Marc J. Spears,

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