News From Around The World: December 11

12/13/12

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 5.0

December 11

Photo via Bruce Ely/The Oregonian

Trail Blazers TV: Trail Blazers Vs. Raptors Highlights

Trail Blazers TV: Burgerville Post-Game Player Chat With Nolan Smith

Trail Blazers TV: Babbitt Dunks On Davis

Oregon Live: Blazers beat Raptors 92-74 as Rose Garden turns into Bizarro World
“I wish he had a better celebration,” Smith said of the dunk. “We were more hyper than he was. But that’s Luke. I was jumping around. (Aldridge) was yelling and Luke was being Luke. Quiet celebration. No words needed.”

Ball Don't Lie: Sam Bowie reveals that he lied to Portland about feeling leg pain before the infamous 1984 NBA draft
"I can still remember them taking a little mallet, and when they would hit me on my left tibia, and 'I don't feel anything' I would tell 'em. But deep down inside, it was hurting. If what I did was lying and what I did was wrong, at the end of the day, when you have loved ones that have some needs, I did what any of us would have done."

Trail Blazers: Video: NBA Rooks: Damian Lillard, Earning Respect
"But this is the second installment which leads up to the start of the Trail Blazers' season. Training camp is in full effect and now it's time for the rookie point guard to earn the respect of his veteran peers, which Coach Stotts said Damian received early on due to his "demeanor, play, and talent." The best part about this video is Wesley calling out Dame on camera for speaking up just because the filmmakers had him mic'd up."

Trail Blazers: BBallBeakdown: Damian Lillard Is A 'More Explosive Chris Paul'
"If you're a basketball junkie, you need to watch this video below. Coach Nick over at BBallBreakdown dissects Damian Lillard's 23 point, 6 assist, 3 rebound, 0 turnover performance against the Indiana Pacers. During this seven-minute scouting report (worth every second!), Coach Nick analyzes Lillard's all-around game, including how he runs the pick-and-roll, attacks his defender when in an isolation situation, pushes the tempo in transition, decides when to spot-up, and handles defensive duties."

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers Cruise To 92-74 Victory Over Raptors
"I thought Sasha Pavlovic played a terrific game, defensively more than anything else. " Stotts said. "Sasha made DeRozan work for his points and I thought that was a key for us."

Trail Blazers: Shorthanded Blazers Survive
"The most productive bench player for the Blazers in this game was Nolan Smith, who continues to show improvement after being completely out of the rotation at the start of the season. Smith finished with 11 points, 3 assists, and gave the team 21 minutes."

Trail Blazers: Matthews' Streak Ends At 250 (or 364)
"If it was easy everybody would have a streak like that," said Matthews after shootaround on Monday. "It's not an easy sport that we play. Contact every single day whether it's in game or in practice. It's also a blessing. I haven't been in a situation where I've been forced to be out due to injury, so I've been lucky in that sense."

Oregon Live: Blazers update: Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews making progress, hopeful for Spurs game
“If it was somewhere else, a little bit lower, I could play through it, fight through it,” he said. “Unfortunately, a hip flexor triggers everything you need as a basketball player.”

Oregon Live: Blazers Insider: Sasha Pavlovic - The film star of the Trail Blazers finally plays a leading role
“That’s OK,’’ Pavlovic said. “I have always been counted out. That’s why I work so hard. It’s exactly why I’m here for this long. I can’t care about what people think. I just have to do the best I can to help the team win. You know how it is for underdogs. You have to convert it and make it drive to make you play better.’’

Oregon Live: Blazers rundown: Against Raptors, numbers show LaMarcus Aldridge getting inside more
"4: Consecutive games in which Aldridge has had a double-double after getting 12 rebounds to go with his 30 points. It's Aldridge's fifth streak of four double-doubles in a row. Three came during the 2010-11 season, when he had his career-long six-game streak and two streaks of four, and the other was a four-game streak in 2008-09. "

Oregon Live: NBA High-5: Anthony Davis' return should spice up Rookie of the Year race
"This morning, Reid reports from the Hornets shootaround that Davis will indeed return tonight against the visiting Wizards. Coach Monty Willams says he will bring Davis off the bench "to ease him into playing again.'' Davis told reporters he's not sure if he will wear any additional gear to protect the ankle. "I'm not sure what I'm wearing," he said. "I don't even remember how to put my jersey on."

Oregon Live: Sporting News' Top 75 players in NCAA Tournament history: Bill Walton No. 4, Clyde Drexler No. 62
"Walton missed winning three consecutive titles—and finishing higher on this list—when David Thompson and N.C. State put an end to the Bruins’ run of seven consecutive NCAA championships. Walton still won two and delivered the greatest performance in title game history when he hit 21-of-22 from the field against Memphis in 1973. "

Columbian: Strange night favors Blazers in rout of the Raptors
"Way before then the night had already spiraled into weirdness moments after the tip — that's when Raptors' Mickael Pietrus propelled the first errant 3-point attempt in a game that produced a combined three-for-41 result beyond the arc. The Blazers were historically bad going 0 for 20 — which sets an NBA single-game record for most 3-point field goals attempted without a make."

Portland Tribune Blazers set NBA record in victory, and it's not a good one
“Wow. I didn’t know that. We didn’t make no 3s tonight?” center J.J. Hickson said. “That’s crazy. But it’s all good. I wish I’d have shot one. I’d have probably made it.”

CSNNW: A depleted Blazers team rout Raptors
“I just have to be aggressive,” Smith said. “I have to remind myself that. When I'm in attack mode, I'm at my best.”

Rip City Project: Game 21 Recap: Blazers 92, Raptors 74
"Without Wesley Matthews or Nicolas Batum in the offense, Damian was called on to do a lot more to keep the Blazers on the score board. Also, with outside shooters not on the floor, Toronto’s bigs were free to collapse to the rim on every drive. Those factors helped to explain Damian’s shooting struggles from the field. His three-point shooting struggles can’t be explained away by lack of personnel, but I will say that often shooting woes can be contagious. So that’s how I rationalize an otherwise uninspiring offensive performance from Damian Lillard."

BlazersEdge: Media Row Report: Blazers 92, Raptors 74
"I thought everybody enjoyed his dunk, I think that's the first dunk I've ever seen him have on somebody," LaMarcus Aldridge said loudly, looking over at Babbitt, hoping he was listening. "I was ecstatic for him and then we watched the replay. He kind of had some swagger after it. It was cool."

BlazersEdge: GIF: Blazers F Luke Babbitt Poster Dunk Over Raptors F Ed Davis
"Trail Blazers forward Luke Babbitt throws down a poster dunk over Raptors forward Ed Davis during the fourth quarter of Portland's Monday night win over Toronto."

Ball Don't Lie: DeMarcus Cousins hits O.J. Mayo in groin, Mayo slams DMC’s ‘mental issues’ (VIDEO)
"The focal point of this verbal back-and-forth, of course, is and will be the term "mental issues." Personally, I read it as Mayo noting that for all Cousins' athletic ability, he's yet to be able to maintain the proper level of focus and restraint required to become a consistently dominant and reliable force on both ends of the floor, which, all things considered, seems like a very accurate assessment of where Cousins' career stands at this point. But it's easy to think that, really, Mayo was calling Cousins a crazy person, because, fairly or unfairly, this tends to be the dominant public perception of the 22-year-old Cousins."

Ball Don't Lie: Stephen Curry fakes out the Bobcats, makes his All-Star case (VIDEO)
"The highlight video above shows why Curry could find himself playing in Houston with the league's stars this February. In Monday night's 104-96 win over the Bobcats in Charlotte, Curry was great, notching 27 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. But it wasn't only the numbers — Curry also faked and deked the opposition in the kind of stylish way that gets fans' attention. Even with a crowded field of worthy guards in the West and new rules for selecting frontcourt players, these are the kinds of plays that help a candidate stand out."

Ball Don't Lie via Delaware County Times: Andrew Bynum’s latest, most worrying left knee self-diagnosis: ‘Cartilage is missing’
"Health is going to be an issue. There's nothing I can really do about it. It's arthritis in the knees. Cartilage is missing. That's not going to regrow itself. Maybe in the future, the next three to five years, there may be something out there that really does help. For right now, it's a waiting game."

The Basketball Jones: Bynum on his hair: ‘I want it to go on forever’
"Just when you thought Andrew Bynum’s hair couldn’t get any better, he goes out and answer questions and compares himself to a cartoon character while worrying that he’ll lose his hair someday. Personally, I hope he never cuts it for the rest of his life so he can be a) the NBA’s first 8-foot tall basketball player and b) asked about it all the time so he can always give great answers."

SLAM: Post-Up: Point Guard Battle
"Andrea Bargnani went down, Kyle Lowry went down, Amir Johnson was tossed and to add insult to injury, the Raptors lost by 18 in Portland. LaMarcus Aldridge took full advantage of a depleted Raptors roster and scored 30 points while grabbing 12 boards and the Blazers led by as many as 18 in the second half. Portland went up 44-40 at the half and came out in the second half strong with a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 12 midway through the third quarter. From there, the Raptors didn’t have a chance from there with three of their better players stuck on the bench due to injury or ejection."

SLAM via Yahoo!: Kevin Love Unhappy With Treatment from Minnesota Timberwolves Management
“I don’t know who labels people stars, but even [T'wolves owner] Glen Taylor said: I don’t think Kevin Love is a star, because he hasn’t led us to the playoffs,’ Love said. ‘I mean, it’s not like I had much support out there. That’s a tough pill to swallow.’"

SLAM: Playing For Keeps
“Honestly, I’m not really into individual accolades this year,” he says. “Last year was literally the worst year of my life. So I’m just trying to get back adjusted to the game of basketball, get adjusted to playing the way I play and work hard. Whatever comes out of it comes out of it.” Instead, Beasley says his focus is on doing what it takes to win, with hopes that everything else will fall into place."

DIME: Even Without Harden, OKC Looks Like The Best Team In The West
"But it’s not just their ability to play different styles of basketball and trot out different five-man units that’s been so productive. Russell Westbrook seems to have discovered his lost passing point guard gene. Last season saw Westbrook regress a bit at dishing the ball to teammates. After averaging over eight dimes a game in his sophomore and junior seasons in the league, he fell back to his rookie levels last season when he averaged only 5.6 assists a game. But this year, he’s at a career-high 8.6 assists per game as he’s assumed more of the playmaking mantle from the departed Harden. It’s not just offense where Westbrook has thrived, either. He’s averaging over two steals a game, and according to 82games.com, the Thunder allow six points less per 100 possessions when Westbrook is on the floor while scoring 7.7 more points more per 100 possessions. But it’s not just Russ that’s upped his game in Harden’s absence. Kevin Durant is also becoming a more all-around player, playing a role similar to the one LeBron plays for the Heat. "

DIME: The Top 10 NBA MVP Candidates: Vol. 2
"Stephen Curry deserves some recognition. He’s only scored in single-digits twice this season. Besides a 6-point game against Denver on November 23 (a game where he only took five shots), he hasn’t scored under 20 points since November 16. On top of his remarkable scoring numbers, Curry has improved at distributing the basketball as well. Two weeks ago he had a streak of four double-doubles. If Curry can deliver these numbers consistently, he might just be in the conversation for an All-Star spot. The Warriors are 13-7 right now, which is good enough for fifth-best in the West. So if some of you were scratching your heads as to why Deron Williams falls out of the top 10, Stephen Curry is your answer."

ESPN: Daily Dime
"It means Charles Barkley needs to shut up," James said. "I mean, the man [Wade] is shooting 80 percent from the floor the last couple of games. That's like, crazy, right? That's why he is who he is. Unbelievable."

Sports Illustrated: Kevin Durant for MVP, other award picks at the quarter mark of 2012-13 season
"His transition from the Big Sky to the big leagues has been relatively smooth, especially in the departments that Lillard can control. He’s handled a huge workload — 37.8 minutes a game, No. 7 in the league and by far tops among rookies — and delivered nice numbers: 18.4 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 36.7 percent from three-point range. His feel for controlling games and working through half-court sets has drawn praise and he’s shown a desire to command the ball in late-game situations, even if he’s yet to deliver a memorable game-winner."

Trail Blazers: Weekend Plan: Specially Designed For Families And The Busy Nine-To-Fiver
"Built for the family-oriented fan with a busy work-week, the 12-game Weekend Pack maximizes the thrill-factor while keeping the competitions to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A smattering of Western Conference rivals and Eastern Conference visitors during one-offs and key home stands, you can get your hands on this schedule-friendly pack for as low as $11/game and $52/game in the lower bowl."

Trail Blazers: The Rivals Plan: Two LAs, Oklahoma City And The Return Of Roy
"The smallest of the four big ticket plans, the eight game Rivals Pack packs a big punch. You’ll be in the building and eating a corndog while others are wondering how to get their hands on a way to see the return of Brandon Roy and the sure to sell out L.A. Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder."

Trail Blazers: Why The Value Plan Makes 'Cents' For You
"The Value Pack starts at just $5 a game. That’s 12 games for as low as $60! Talk about some serious bang for your buck. But that’s not even the best part about this ticket plan. Four of the 12 games take place in the month of January. And there is absolutely no better place to be during an Oregon winter’s night than inside the raucous Rose Garden. Not to mention this pack gets you into the arena to see some of the league’s biggest names and brightest young stars such as Dwight Howard, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, and Rudy Gay."

Trail Blazers: Big Games Plan: 12 Of The Biggest Games
"This game has it all. Season opener, at home, against the loathe-inducing Lakers, in Steve Nash's first game in purple and gold and it's on Halloween night! Any game against the Lakers at the Rose Garden is going to be a lively one, but the confluence of circumstances in this particular game sets the stage for one of the all-time season openers in Trail Blazers history."