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 Memphis comes back after a disappointing 5 game road trip where the team played hard in almost every game but had nothing but black eyes and question marks to show for it. The largest question mark being the disposition on Allen Iverson with the team. Is he retiring? Is it just a family matter that will have him back in Beale St Blue in short order or is it something else all together? One thing is certain, the Grizzlies starting five is playing very well right now. However it takes all five of the players on the court to see the success. Even one substitution and the fabric seems to tear apart. That could be due to the inexperience of the bench or the tension of a certain missing player but whatever the issue, the team falls apart once they look at the bench.
 Portland has started slower that many experts expected but the team is playing some solid basketball just the same. The Blazers did decide to punch up the scoring off the bench by moving Andre Miller in at the SG position, switching Brandon Roy to SF and moving Martell Webster to the bench. This gives the Blazers three ball control type of players on the perimeter with Aldridge and Oden underneath to clean up the mess. So far it has been met with good results as the Blazers have defeated San Antonio and Minnesota with the new lineup. What an interesting concept...The coach decides on what is best for the team and the players do what they are told and go out to win the game. Portland is 0-3 on the road and are looking to break that streak in Memphis.
 
Point Guards: Mike Conley vs Steve Blake
Steve Blake was supposed to be replaced in the starting lineup by free agent signee Andre Miller but it has never been as easy as it looks to replace Steve Blake. Blake is one of those players that doesn't look good on a stat sheet but every team likes the way he runs things when he is on the court. a true student of the game, Blake has surprised people since his days at Maryland. Conley had his best game of the season after Iverson left the team with 16 pts and 6 assists plus constantly had Baron Davis in foul trouble. However Conley hasn't been able to build on games like this lately. Perhaps the absence of Allen Iverson will help Conley relax mentally so he can become the attacking PG who creates open shots for teammates that people expected when he was drafted out of Ohio State. Until he proves that is the case you can't give him the benefit of the doubt.
Advantage: Portland  
Shooting Guards: O J Mayo vs Andre Miller
Miller is starting just like the Blazers wanted when they offered him the big FA contract but no one assumed he'd be the starting SG. This was Brandon Roy's spot and supposedly untouchable. However Miller is adapting to his new role and has improved his scoring 50% since the move was made. Since becoming the starting SG Miller has scored well but hasn't been getting as many assists as one would expect from the former assist champion. Still the consistent scoring at 15.5 ppg is welcome by the Blazers. Mayo has struggled defensively this year which wasn't supposed to be an issue for him in the league but at 6-4 Mayo usually gives up a few inches to his opponents. That won't be a problem in this game but Miller is a very physical defender who understands the nuances of the game. Not to mention that Mayo may be having an AI hangover after campaigning for the team to sign him this summer.
Advantage: Portland  
Small Forwards: Rudy Gay vs Brandon Roy
Brandon Roy won ROY. Rudy Gay was runner-up. Brandon Roy made it to the All-Star game. Rudy hasn't but is close. Brandon Roy made it to the playoffs, Rudy hasn't. Brandon Roy is 25 and in his 3rd season is making changes in his game for the betterment of the team. Rudy is 23 and making changes in his game for the betterment of himself. Brandon Roy has a new contract. Rudy does not. This is the main matchup of the night and it couldn't be better that they meet in Memphis first. Rudy Gay has been nearly unstoppable offensively this year but as good as he has been on the offensive end Gay has been as porous defensively. Roy's impress ball control skills will only add to Rudy's frustration trying to stop his rival but Rudy should be motivated. An impressive game tonight will go a long way toward showing the Grizzlies that he should be resigned this summer. Roy will also struggle on defense stopping Gay.
Advantage: Memphis  
Power Forwards: Zach Randolph vs LeMarcus Aldridge
LeMarcus Aldridge has a reason to smile. $55 million of them actually after he agreed to the deal with Portland so he could avoid free agency next summer. Aldridge is more of a finesse PF despite his impressive size. Randolph should be motivated to show the Blazers they made a mistake when they traded him in favor of Aldridge. While Iverson has been a nightmare for the Grizzlies Randolph has been a god-send. Not only has Z-Bo performed as advertised he has done so by controlling his free-wheeling ways. Randolph took his first 3 pt shot of the season against the Clippers but it was to beat the clock at the end of a quarter. Last year he averaged two attempts a game. That discipline has shown in his efficiency which has been at career high levels. Randolph's attempts have varied with AI's presence. To say the least he may not be unhappy AI is not in uniform.
Advantage: Memphis  
Centers: Marc Gasol vs Greg Oden
It is hard to believe that the slow moving foul prone big man that lumbered into Memphis last season and looked so terrible could actually be starting and contributing for Portland this year but at 8.4 ppg and 8.7 rpg he is doing just that. He's also still committing way too many fouls averaging 4.3 a game to go with 2.4 bpg. It is supposed to take a couple of years to get over micro-fracture surgery so that would make this Oden's first real year in the NBA. Not a bad start so far. Marc Gasol was the 2nd rd pick in the Oden draft and has shown the world that he can play literally. The former Spanish league MVP is among the best centers in the league statistically right now averaging 15.4 ppg and 11.9 rpg. However his scoring has been slowing down of late averaging just over 10 a game in the last 3 games. The key to this matchup and the game could come down to foul trouble. If Gasol can get Odon in early foul trouble things will look good for the Grizzlies but if the opposite occurs it could be a long night for the home team. Gasol is just crafty enough to get Odon to over-commit.
Advantage: Memphis  
Benches: Memphis vs Portland
As usual Memphis' front line matches up well against their opponents and their backcourt doesn't but the bench is completely outclassed and that will likely tell the story of this game. Portland has Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Jeryd Bayless and Joel Pryzbilla coming off the bench That gives them experience and firepower. Memphis' bench consists of DeMarre Carroll, Sam Young, Marcus Williams and Hasheem Thabeet. That gives the Grizzlies rookies and effort. I'll take experience and firepower every day of the week in that battle. What's scary is that Portland is missing one of their players that they expected to count heavily on in Nicholas Batum. Sure Memphis is missing AI too but no one expects him to be contributing coming off the bench any more. Advantage: Portland Other Commentary: Beyond Bowie - a TrueHoop Network Site
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Comments
Gay doesn't even have a higher vertical than Roy. Both can jump 40 inches.
I would trade high on Gay, he is the sort of player who makes teams lose. No defense, ball hogging, only does one thing inefficiently.
Gasol versus Oden will be a good matchup; Oden's per-game stats don't accurately reflect how good he's been this year, because his insane foul troubles have kept his minutes artificially down. I like Gasol a lot, and it'll be fun to see how it goes.
Yeah, like NBA Fan says above, Andre Miller is the PG, Blake the SG/SF, and Roy the SF/SG in this 3 guard lineup. So you can change the matchup edge to Mayo >>>> Blake.
Miller and Roy are the ones initiating all the plays and playmaking, while Blake is out there to help with ballhandling and hit open 3's. Really, in most offensive sets, he is the SF, camped out at the 3 point line, so Roy is still really the SG.
Also, like NBA Fan said, the Blazers are 1 and 1 on the road, and unfortunately have lost TWICE at home already. The last 2 games (since Miller started) have looked good though, and we actually fastbreaked for the first time ever against the Wolves...
...but, of course, that was against the Wolves. Doesn't mean much.
Good luck in every other game except for tonight and when you play the Portlandia Trailed Blazers!
Mortimer