Victory at Last

It took them until Game 3 of their first round series with Dallas, but the Blazers are finally on the board with a win. Brandon Roy came off the bench to finally do the thing he does best - which is to say, basically the only thing he can do at a high-caliber NBA level. He was aggressive and he made some shots. His offensive numbers are something akin to a horror show after about Game 20 or so of this past season and that extended into the first two games of the series. If he's going to contribute, it has to be in a game like this with an opponent like Dallas. He can post up their smaller guards. He can shoot over them. He can take Peja Stojakovic to the hole (not really fair - I'm pretty sure Charles Barkley could dribble past him right this moment.) He's only valuable if he's shooting and being aggressive, or posting up and distributing the ball as a backup point guard. It's time that both player and coach understand how to use him effectively.

Chris "D-League Defensive Player of the Year" Johnson joined the fray in a surprising late 3rd quarter substitution and actually helped spark a rally himself with two key blocked shots. Jason Kidd was actually pretty lousy and Dirk Nowitzki didn't get sent to the free throw line every time a Blazer made eye contact with him.

Thanks to Cardboard Collections for providing the card. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PDT. Hopefully I will have another Blazer card to post after that game.