Now, this is exactly what we need in Oakland. A young, hard working football rat with a deep knowledge of all areas of the Pro Game and that is exactly what the Raiders are getting by hiring Jason Tarver.

This is a HUGE upgrade over "The Bad Chucky".

Tarver has worked on both sides of the ball and has worked extensively with Inside Linebackers while ascending to Assistant DC over the past two years. You hear that Rolando This guy worked under Nolan and Singletary and coached Patrick Willis. Watcha got big boy

It's a new dawn, it is a new day!

With Allen and Tarver in town, I don't think that there will be many plays taken off on the defensive side of the ball.

You know what Raider Nation I am starting to get excited about the 2012 season and the 2011 season just ended yesterday.

I have a feeling that Reggie McKenzie has an idea of a few players that he wants to get on here and if they fit the mold of hungry "Football Players" that these two coaches seem to preach about, then next year will be something to behold.

With the Raiders having 50-1 odds to win next year, I may just lay $20 down then next time I am in Reno. $20 to win 1,000 I'm IN!!!

Welcome Jason, now GET TO WORK!!!

Todd McShay mock draft 2.0 - NFC North Blog - ESPN. In his latest mock draft, he selected Oklahoma LB Ronnell Lewis for the Green Bay Packers. He stands 6-2 and 244 lbs. While they could use an athletic outside linebacker to provide a pass rush, I'm not sure I like him in particular.

According to CBS Sports.com, Lewis "has a lot of ability, but is still relatively unproven and raw." He's coming out early in part because he was "struggling with academics" and the "coaches advised him to go pro." School isn't for everyone, but "he was moved around a lot in college" and he'll probably have a lot to learn to become an NFL outside linebacker. If he wouldn't do enough to stay eligible at Oklahoma, his work ethic has to be considered.

The Packers haven't avoided players with some background concerns (DE Johnny Jolly, TE Andrew Quarless come to mind) but they haven't been selecting raw, unfocused players with high draft picks. I'm not really excited about his possible selection.

FYI - The quarterback being sacked in the picture is Diondre Borel, who the Packers have converted to a wide receiver and kept on their practice squad all of last season.

To many, the effort put forth by the players in the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl was insulting. To others, it was yet another example of why the game should either be dramatically changed or simply done away with. The game, if you can even call it that, was really nothing more than 60 minutes of flag football, and it seemed like a waste of everybody's time.

In the wake of this year's Pro Bowl, it seems even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is taking notice of how awful the game has been lately. From Adam Schefter:

Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN's Mike and Mike that, after what he saw last Sunday, the NFL will consider eliminating the Pro Bowl.

I highly, highly doubt the Pro Bowl will be eliminated given that it is still drawing in a ton of viewers. Now, if people weren't even bothering to tune in, I could totally see a decision like that being made. As long as people watch, it's probably not going anywhere, though.

Looking ahead to next year's Pro Bowl (assuming there is one), Pro Football Talk reports that it will likely be held in New Orleans, the site of Super Bowl 47. I'm not sure why the NFL is considering a move back to the site of the Super Bowl, but if that does happen look for even more players than usual to skip it because of an "injury." New Orleans is a fun city, but in terms of an end-of-season vacation and a reason to actually play in the Pro Bowl, I don't think it compares to Hawaii.

For more from Pride of Detroit, make sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

The last name Singletary is a common household name because everyone remembers the play of the great Chicago Bear linebacker, Mike Singletary. Mike was one of the best inside linebackers ever to play the game and is best remembered for his hard hits, and his record setting 2 fumble recoveries when the Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 20. Mike is not just a coach or a player, but a caring loving father of seven. Mike’s son Matt is trying to help keep the name alive.

Matt Singletary signed his letter of intent to play for Baylor University where his father was a legend at the school. In his senior year with San Jose Valley Christian High School, Matt finished with 64 tackles, 4 sacks and two fumble recoveries.Matt was excited to start his college career with a team where his father set records as a linebacker.After redshirting in 2007, Matt was ready to make an impact on the football field. In 2008 his true freshman year, he played in one game as a Tight End but did not make a reception.

In 2009, Matt would finally get to see the field as a defensive end where he was up to 250 pounds and stood just over 6'3. Matt played in 3 games and was able to rack up a few tackles and a sack for the Bears defense.Matt had a major decision to make when his father was given the head coaching job for the San Francisco 49ers. Matt decided to be closer with his family in California.He chose to transfer schools and attend Cal Poly where he would make an immediate impact at the DE/OLB position.

When Matt transferred to Cal Poly he had two years remaining of eligibility. In 2010 his redshirt junior year, Matt started in all 11 games and finished the season with 16 tackles. In 2011 Matt had a good senior year as well, in a rotational role for Cal Poly. Matt was able to get an invited to the NFLPA Bowl in California where he had a good game and was praised by coach Tom Flores, who said he had a great motor after the game. Matt is preparing for his Pro Day and the Florida Bowl which will be played on March 24th, 2012 at Raymond James Stadium. Matt has been really busy but was able to take a little time out to answer some questions for the Mocking the Draft supporters.

What was your most memorable moment playing for Valley Christian High School

I would have to say the division championship game versus Palma. I was new to the school and was in my first year we and we won my first ever championship. I was finally able to experience what that felt like, and I loved it. From then on out, I wanted to win a Championship in everything I did.

How many teams were recruiting you coming out of Valley Christian High

Baylor was the first team to talk with me. There were a couple others that said they could see me playing another position such as Outside Linebacker. I really didn’t talk with anyone else because I fell in love with Baylor, it was a beautiful place. I committed after my junior year, and I knew I made a great decision.

Why did you ultimately choose Baylor

I met a great group of guys there, and I felt that they were great people. The coaching staff was a great but they didn’t last long, they were all fired the next year. Waco might not be the most amazing place in the world to some, but it was big enough and had everything you need and more. I really enjoyed it there.

You transferred to Cal Poly for you junior season, why did you make that decision

I feel like it was more of a mental decision than football. I don’t think I was as mature as I needed to be. I wasn’t doing the things I should have been doing, I wasn’t getting in trouble but, I was acting if school was a hangout and not a place to learn. I feel my dad sent me off to be a man, and I felt like I was still being a child. I knew that it was necessary to move on to another school.

What was your most memorable moment in college

My most memorable moment came when I broke my hand my senior year at Cal Poly. I wanted to play but wasn’t sure the coaching staff would let me play. I prayed to God that I could play with my hand, but kept hearing that the break was bad and that I could apply for a medical clearance.I really wasn’t trying to sit out the entire year, so I began to pray. I went back to the doctor; and after a second look, he said it was a cleanest break he had ever seen. He said if I wanted to, I could return and play with a club. So by far, my most memorable moment was to see God’s work first hand.

If I was a GM of an NFL team, what would you tell me you can bring to my team

I would say, I might not have the best stats in college, but I am willing to learn the playbook and do my best. I’m going to give it my all, whether it’s in the weight room, film room, or in playing situations I will do my best. I feel that I will succeed if just given a chance.

What is the most traumatic thing you have ever experienced, and how did you overcome it

The worst thing that ever happened to me had to be when I was bouncing around from position to position. I felt my best wasn’t good enough. I was trying to handle all my problems myself. It was so internalized; I was so messed up mentally. I was trying my best and I felt like I was giving my all but I kept falling short. I was so stressed out I was ready to quit. I had a long talk with my father, and he told me that I was making a bad decision. I feel that I learned I had to be a man.I realized I didn’t have to do deal with everything on my own, and that I had a great supporting cast around me.

How do you break down film, where do you start, and what do you look for

I have had the ability to sit down and learn how to break film with my father. That is a great feeling, because he knows what he is talking about. I learned everything from him.When breaking down film for myself, I focus on the Tight End. I watch how he gets off the line, his stance, and where his feet are aligned. I watch to see if he gets off the line quickly, if he moves differently on run plays than pass plays. I watch his techniques, such as his scoop blocking. Then I watch the Defensive end he is facing. I evaluate what works, what he could have done to beat him. Then I try to implement it. You have to watch the tackles as well. Is the center of the tackle vertical or horizontal If he is vertical low, I am going speed to power. If he is vertical high, I can club, and spin on him. I am always watching to see what moves I can beat him with.Is he a deep setter, is he a short puncher Those are questions, I ask myself when breaking down film. After I evaluate the Tight Ends and Tackles I watch formations. How many times they run out of a formation or pass, vice versa.

Where have you been told you are projected to be drafted

Honestly, I have heard anywhere from fifth through seventh round all the way to Free Agent. I am just preparing myself to get on a roster and stick.

What was the experience like at the NFLPA Bowl Game

It was great, I was able to work with Phillip Daniels. I am not sure if he is a coach, but I think he would be a great one. He taught me a lot on the defensive line. I was under Tom Flores as well. He was a great coach, very knowledgeable. There were a ton of guys getting ready and grinding the same way you are.Everyone is hungry just like you.

Coach Flores had great things to say about you at the NFLPA game, how well do you feel you performed

I always feel that I performed well, but I noticed a few things that I could have done better. I found out things that I needed to work on after watching film. I feel like it was a great starting point and I now I know what I need to work on.

Growing up, who was your favorite NFL team

That is the hardest question you have asked. I was a Ravens fan, when I was older. When I was a younger kid, I was a Chicago Bears fan, because of the environment.

Who was your favorite NFL player

Ray Lewis, he is so tenacious and physical.To me he is one of the best teachers I have ever watched. Everyone talks about his hard hits, but what about his leadership The guys is a great teacher and leader, he leads by example.

What NFL teams have you talked with you so far

I have not talked with any NFL team so far, I look forward to the opportunity to talk with them.

If you could have a meeting with one person in the world dead or alive, who would it be

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I always wanted to meet him and ask him how he did it. He had to be alone throughout some of his journey, probably feeling like he had to do everything on his own. He was by himself fighting for a long time, and I would like to know what caused his drive and motivation. I would like to sit down and listen why he did the things he did.

What is the first thing you are going to buy with your NFL paycheck

I have always wanted to buy my mother a car, but my father says he will take care of my mom. If I had the funds I would still buy her a car. Since I am a weird kid, I would probably buy comics books, maybe some good video games, and a George Foreman Grill.

I would like to thank Matt for a great interview. This young man is a very good football player with a great pedigree. Will he be selected in the draft Make sure to answer the poll question below.

Follow me on Twitter @drocksthaparty

• Yes
• No

  38 votes |

Okay, so this is not usually something I would put up on the Phinsider. It's loosely football related, and it's from the Super Bowl, but it's more gossip type stuff than anything else, but it's mentionable today simply because I find it funny. Apparently, after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants last night in Super Bowl XLVI, Mrs. Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, did not appreciate the ridicule some Giants fans were yelling as she left.

Continue reading to see the video and read her comment.

She turned to her friends and said, "You (have) to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot (bleeping) throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."

So, apparently, Bundchen is not a fan of the league's leader in receptions, a four time Pro Bowler, two time First Team All Pro in Wes Welker. A guy whose low in receptions since leaving the Miami Dolphins for the Patriots, is 86 in 2010. That's his low. He hasn't been below 111 any other year.

Ridiculous.

I guess the safety was Rob Gronkowski's fault. Or maybe Deion Branch should have somehow teleported to where that ball was landing.

Look, the receivers screwed up - like Welker dropping the ball when he was wide open - but so did Brady. I know Bundchen was frustrated, but way to throw your husband's wide outs under the bus. I mean, Welker is a slot receiver Bill Belichick is using as a #1 wide receiver. Gronkowski is out there trying to make plays despite a severely sprained ankle that is probably going to require surgery.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the entire Patriots team - coaches, players, and the Golden Boy - and not just the receivers.

The MGM Grand's sports book in Las Vegas has opened betting for each NFL team to win Super Bowl XLVII and it features the Jacksonville Jaguars at the very bottom of their betting list at 150-1 odds.

While the odds are certainly subject to change and definitely will change after free agency in March and the draft in April, they are very much based on quarterbacks. As long as the Jaguars are content to start Blaine Gabbert in September, they likely won't get much respect as far as predictions and oddsmakers go no matter how good Maurice Jones-Drew is and how strong the defense is.

Click after the jump to see all the Super Bowl XLVII odds via the MGM Grand.

We are nearly done with the first day of the NFL offseason. And it sucks. I already miss live football and frankly I'm not sure what I'm looking forward towards next. March Madness

This is your open thread for the evening. Use it to talk about whatever you want.

The 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars season was a misery to watch. More than our 5-11 record, I truly believe the most frustrating thing to observe was the dreadful nature of our passing offense. The "what ifs" were mind boggling, especially seeing a healthy Maurice Jones-Drew and the drastic improvement of our atrocious defense from 2010. A mediocre offense and we very well could have been playing for a chance at the post season. But what is our biggest need going forward Is it really "play making" wide receivers While I do believe wideout is a position of need, I tend to think that this will be addressed in free agency. As mentioned in an earlier post, our top rated defense is truly lacking an elite pass rusher. We also have injury concerns at Cornerback and I am not going to get into the revolving door that has become Right Tackle. I do however believe offense line is where we need to focus our attention on the first day of the NFL draft. One has to look no further than the Falcons game where Blaine Gabbert could not even take a 3 step drop without intense pressure. Blaine is our franchise QB, and he needs to be protected. Eugene Monroe and Uche Nwaneri can both be counted on to play at a high level, but age and injuries leave glaring question marks at the other 3 spots. The familiar names are Matt Kalil, Riley Rieff, and Jonathan Martin, that said would an Offensive Line pick by Gene Smith bring out the pitch forks from Jaguar fans

• Yes, we need playmakers
• No, OL is a position of need

  219 votes |

According to Slam, the Sixers have assigned Craig Brackins to the Sixers D-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.

Brackins, the 21st overall pick who the Sixers acquired along with Darius Songaila for Willie Green and Jason Smith, averaged 20.1 points and 8.6 rebounds on 44% from the field and 24.7% from three point range in 18 games in the D-League last year.

Brackins has appeared in a total of 11 games in his NBA career, averaging 1.2 points in 5 plus minutes per game.

In a Nutshell

The Blazers experience the expected troubles with pace and lack of continuity without their starting (and only) point guard--the injured Raymond Felton--but still manage to ride LaMarcus Aldridge and various situation-specific heroes through their fistfight with the Thunder. A poor goal-tending call at the end of regulation helps send the game into overtime. There, as in much of regulation, the Blazers have trouble rebounding and setting the offense. Those twin bugaboos, plus occasionally lax transition defense, provide enough margin for the Thunder to escape with the win.

Game Flow

The Blazers came out aggressively in this game. You have to give them credit from the start. They did not have their usual tempo. They didn't have their usual array of offensive options. They did, however, set a basic offense wherein Jamal Crawford (or whomever the Thunder forced the ball to on the perimeter) entered the ball to LaMarcus Aldridge. The Thunder decided not to double Aldridge for most of the early game. As a result LaMarcus feasted on jumpers over hapless defenders. Whenever anybody else had an open look they took the shot and usually hit. Wesley Matthews and Jamal Crawford fit into this category. The Thunder, longstanding victims of Portland physicality themselves, tried to bump and shove the Blazers early, establishing themselves as the more physical team. They're not good at it. They remind me a little bit of the Prime-Roy Years Blazers wherein everybody had skill but nobody was particularly tough. The result of OKC's bungling attempts to bully was trips to the foul line for the Blazers. Sadly Portland missed many of those attempts, but the pattern was set.

On the other end the Blazers did a good job guarding 4 of Oklahoma City's 5 players on the floor at any given time. For most of the early minutes of the game that 5th player--varying each trip--was wide open. Not being fools or particularly weak at their exterior positions, the Thunder took advantage, straight-lining and twining jumper after jumper. From the beginning of the game the Blazers also had a problem corralling OKC misses, likely indicative of the extra effort required just to stop them in the first place. Nevertheless, Oklahoma City is one of the weakest offensive rebounding teams in the league. Not so tonight. Between second chances and a bunch of niggling Portland continuity (and sometimes flat-out turnover) errors the Thunder were able to keep close even with the sterling quarter the Blazers put forth. Portland led 31-29 after one.

Portland's bench is already shallow and Raymond Felton's absence made it paper thin. Craig Smith played well enough in the second period but Nolan Smith looked overmatched and overwhelmed. Portland's savior on Saturday, Nicolas Batum, entered the game and began missing the three-pointers that went in against Denver. Thankfully Oklahoma City's bench didn't fare much better. James Harden made free throws. That was about it. Still, it would have been foolish to keep Portland's deep bench players in for long, as the writing was on the wall there. So Portland coach Nate McMillan started rotating his starters back in, beginning with Aldridge who responded with yet more scoring. The extra minutes for their main guys kept the score close, 50-50 down to the 3:15 mark of the second. That's when the Blazers started gagging up the ball and not getting back in earnest. Plus they gave up more offensive boards. OKC took advantage of the gifts to build a 60-52 lead going into the half.

When the third period began with the Blazers generally flat-footed and the Thunder out-hustling them in every conceivable way it looked like this contest was over. The ONLY thing the Thunder couldn't do was put the ball in the hole. They got to loose balls first. They rebounded. They played faster than the Blazers. They made more quality passes. They just could not hit the shot. The thing is, despite the valiant lobby efforts of advanced statisticians across the internet, basketball games are still scored using plain old points. A free throw here, a tip-in there, and the dozen-point Thunder lead was down to 6. That seemed to rekindle the Blazers' fire. They threw on some nasty defense, barely allowing OKC to dribble, let alone pass clean. A couple of turnovers, a three-pointer and some change, and the Blazers were back on top. From then on you knew it was going to be a scrap. The third period ended with the Blazers spreading scoring between Aldridge, Crawford, and Matthews while the guard duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden went on a huge tear for OKC. When the dust cleared from all of this twine-tickling Oklahoma City had re-established a 6-point lead, 85-79, but Portland was looking steely-eyed yet.

The fourth period began with Harden and Batum engaging in a mano-a-mano duel that should be sung through the ages. Harden scored a couple times in the opening minute before Batum said, "Mais non, mon frere." (Add the accent, both grammatical and in the delivery of the line, yourself.) The two then commenced to pushing, shoving, and butting heads like Bambi and that jerk deer going after Faline. (Sorry. Batum is kind of cute and baby-faced so when he gets all tough it brings to mind Disney movies.) In any case, Batum shut down that Harden crap and scored a little himself, playing a different kind of hero. When he finally connected with a three at the 6:50 mark the Blazers were even once again.

From this point on the Blazers began to make better use of Aldridge and Crawford together as well, bringing LaMarcus out of that left-side post position and up above the key. Simple moves left him open for jumpers which he hit time and time again. Oklahoma City had no answer and now the Blazers led by 6, 101-95, with 2:17 left. Then Durant hit a three-pointer and Westbrook took advantage of his ability to drive, drawing fouls. With a minute left the score was tied again at 101. But the new, improved Blazer offense left more wiggle room for Crawford and he hit a jumper to put his team ahead by 2 again with 55 seconds left.

At that point the Thunder turned over the ball and the Blazers drained the shot clock before missing. OKC got the ball back with 34 seconds, down 2. The Blazers then proceeded to defend the heck out of the Thunder, forcing three consecutive misses between the 26 and 12 second marks, two by Durant. Sadly, the game-long inability to secure a rebound came back to bite the Blazers, as they ceded the ball after all three of those misses when any decent rebound would have secured them a trip to the foul line and a chance to put away the game for good.

With 6 seconds left Durant made one final run to the hoop, down the left side of the key. He got to the bucket, went for the layup, but LaMarcus Aldridge made a masterful block, laying in wait and timing it perfectly, making little contact below and smacking the ball off of the backboard just a hair's breadth--maybe half an inch or an inch--before it made contact with the backboard. The Blazers tipped out the ricochet and looked to run out the clock...but......... TWEET! Referee Scott Foster made a motion to count the bucket, calling the block goal tending, saying the ball had made contact with the glass before Aldridge slapped it away. Now granted, this was a close thing. A ref can be forgiven for messing up a distinction that presented itself to the eye for about a tenth of a second. I don't necessarily have an issue with the missed call. The problem I have is that when he made the judgment, Foster was the referee out beyond the top of the three-point arc...not the sideline ref, not the baseline ref, but the one out near halfcourt. The one thing you need in order to judge whether there was any air between the ball and the backboard when Aldridge hit it is an angle. Foster was not only 30 feet away, he was 30 feet away behind the ball. He had something of a diagonal view but nowhere near as good of a look as the two other refs who did not call goal-tending. The referee with the worst look made the critical call that changed a game with 6 seconds remaining in a close contest. If you make that call from that position you had better be right. Foster wasn't, as the replay clearly showed. Who knows...the Blazers might have missed their ensuing free throws and Oklahoma City may have tied it or won at the buzzer, but that's a long shot. Percentages say that this call cost Portland the game.

Russell Westbrook made a spectacular (and correctly-called) block of Nicolas Batum's layup attempt to send the game into overtime, tied at 103. Both teams, likely tired by that point, struggled to score in the extra frame. The Thunder missed jumpers. The Blazers had trouble even getting a shot off. Portland had the ball down 107-109 with 30 seconds left but even with a timeout to set up a play they had to settle for a horrible bail-out jumper attempt from Crawford at the shot clock's ebb which mercifully got blocked before we could all see how badly it missed. In a weird ending to an otherwise hard-fought game the Blazers failed to foul despite being down only 2 with time remaining. Durant ended up with the ball at halfcourt and streaked to dunk it, providing the final margin. The Blazers lose 107-111.

Take-Away Points

The offense in this game was a mixed bag without Felton running the show in the usual manner. On the plus side it forced the Blazers to play to their strengths more instead of just relying on a bunch of dribbling, maybe a pick, and bunches of bail-out jumpers. Portland was all but forced to look for Aldridge as both first and second options. That's a good thing. Also when other players got the ball in scoring position for the most part they took their shots, knowing there wasn't a good alternative. That's also a good thing.

Side Note: I say "for the most part" because the Blazers continued somewhat their current habit of passing up open jumpers they have to take, whether they make or miss them. It's like they've read their own stat sheets and public critique and are now avoiding the three, especially. The problem is, passing up an open shot often leads to a worse one or a turnover. That hesitation also allows the defense to recover and puts incredible time pressure on whoever ends up with the ball. I'd rather see an honestly-missed three in critical situations than shots passed up in favor of a desperation heave.

Despite the handful of good things, Portland's offense was generally slower than Felton has run it and everything seemed a bit off. Aldridge knew what he was doing. Everybody else had to work harder and at times looked puzzled, draining shot clocks that shouldn't have been drained.

Portland's defense looked pretty good most of the time, less because Felton himself is a horrible defender and more because they were forced, almost by default, to keep other good defenders on the floor. Crawford's defense looks a lot better when he's in a lineup with Matthews, Batum, Wallace, Aldridge, and/or Camby than it does when he's paired with a relatively weak Felton or Smith in the backcourt. Portland kept a lid on the Thunder most possessions. The glaring, GLARING exception was in transition, where it looked like nobody had a clue. At minimum the guards are supposed to get back to defend. That didn't happen. In the halfcourt Oklahoma City had to earn their points but when they got running you might as well have had a table of NBA legends and fat guys on the sideline with numbered placards to judge the dunks.

Individual Notes

Yet again when these teams match up LaMarcus Aldridge looked like the better of the two UT stars tonight. Durant had 33 points on 33 shots including a bevy of the usual ill-advised early-clock jumpers. He had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Aldridge had 39 points on 28 shots, went 11-11 from the foul line to Durant's 1-1, and netted 6 rebounds and 3 assists. All of Aldridge's non-bailout shots looked solid and well-executed. Plus Aldridge defended the heck out of Durant when it mattered. I'm not saying Aldridge is better than Durant on average or overall. That would be silly. But when these teams meet Aldridge just looks...amazing.

Gerald Wallace had a rough offensive night at 2-9 for 4 points but to be fair the Blazers seldom ran and often left him holding the ball from long range with nothing to do but shoot. He had 5 rebounds and 4 assists and keyed that energetic defensive run in the second half that brought the Blazers back. I don't think he had anything to be ashamed of tonight. He did what he was supposed to do.

Marcus Camby had 15 rebounds, doing what he could to prevent the Oklahoma City roundup on the glass. Nice "D" here too. He did end up taking 11 shots but the Thunder let him. 4-11, 8 points.

Jamal Crawford did not suck. He wasn't exactly the point guard of your dreams but this could have gone a lot worse against Westbrook and company. Granted Russell scored 28 with 11 boards but he's done that against other Portland point guards. Meanwhile Crawford committed only 3 turnovers, had 5 assists, and managed the ball. He couldn't push it and the Blazers kept it simple, but that almost worked out to a win against a very good team. He went 6-18 for 17 points.

Wesley Matthews struck opportunistically tonight, shooting 6-9 for 18 points, 2-5 threes made, 4 assists, 2 steals in 36 minutes. He took his shots on offense without getting in the way, defended sporadically but not fatally...it was OK. However, if there's a worse player on the fast break attack I don't want to see him. In the last week the litany of Matthews' faults on the run have included getting his fast-break layup attempt blocked by Earl Watson (who is about the same size as Emma Watson), then getting capped in the same situation the next game by Isaiah Thomas...and not even THAT one but his 5-9-ish son. Then tonight, among other things, he actually outran his own dribble when going in for a layup on the break. This is getting Paris Hilton under green light ugly. And I feel the same kind of embarrassment watching it.

Nicolas Batum shot 5-15, only 1-6 from distance. To be fair a few of those three-point attempts rattled in and out. But you knew he wasn't going 9-15 again. To his credit after four misses or so he abandoned the tactic and started playing real offensive basketball again, to good result. His defense was masterful at times. His effort was superb. He was a true star in that early fourth quarter. 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals in 32 minutes.

Kurt Thomas did fine in his 21 minutes, as did Craig Smith in his 9. It was about what we've come to expect from both.

Nolan Smith got 8 minutes, shot 1-3, and got off the floor without causing damage to either team.

Fun With Numbers

• The teams were pretty close except in a couple of categories. The Thunder got 20 fast break points to Portland's 7. The Thunder had 59 rebounds to Portland's 39. That's ouchy when the Blazers are more known for beating up on OKC than vice-versa.
• The Thunder had 18 offensive rebounds. That's 8 over their average.
• The Blazers won the turnover battle, committing only 12 while the Thunder committed 19. The Thunder actually scored more points after turnovers than the Blazers did though.
• 30 feet. That's how far away you were when you made that call, Scott Foster.
• 70 degrees. That was about your angle when you made the call. The ideal would have been 0 and the worse possible would have been 90.

Final Thoughts

Neither team has anything to regret here. The Thunder did plenty enough right to win this game and they did, getting the Portland monkey off their backs, at least in part. The Blazers also did plenty right under less than ideal circumstances. It was a great game.

Read about the Oklahoma City impressions over at Welcome to Loud City.

Thunder vs Trail Blazers boxscore

Your Jersey Contest scoreboard. And your form for Wednesday's game.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

Thanks for a botched referee call with 6 seconds left, Oklahoma City has forced overtime against the Blazers. Hang out here and discuss overtime. -- Tim

Box Score

What is your initial reaction to tonight's result

Playoff game. That is what tonight felt like. The game was a see-saw affair throughout, and when things finally got tight in the 4th quarter, the level of physical play ratcheted up a few notches. Teams gave hard fouls, big shots were made (and missed), and we even got our first dose of end-of-regulation controversy. To top it off, the game went into overtime where the Thunder prevailed on the road in a very difficult place to play.

What was, overall, the main reason the Thunder won

I think that you can divide the Thunder's effort tonight into two separate categories - the basketball part, and the competitive part.

From a basketball standpoint, the Thunder had a very good game plan focus heading into this game. Portland is an outstanding rebounding team, so it was pretty obvious that the Thunder knew that they had to win the rebounding battle if they wanted to compete tonight. There is not much strategy or anything with this kind of focus; it merely comes down to a team committing to the fundamentals of rebounding and then going to get the ball. Most importantly, it kept the Blazers off of the offensive glass (well, at least whenever Marcus Camby was not in the game) and helped the Thunder get out on the fast break (20 fast break points in all).

From a purely competitive perspective, the Thunder won this game because they did not lose their heads when things started to fall apart in the 4th quarter. The Thunder played exceptional defensive ball in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The appeared to finally figure out Portland's passing lanes out of the Post and began to both crowd All-Star big man LaMarcus Aldridge (39 points, 3 assists) so that he could neither pivot or kick the ball to open shooters. However, when things began to break down in the 4th, OKC went from being up six to down six with only 2:17 to play. The team looked lost and the Blazers were getting stronger. However, the Thunder refused to fold. Kevin Durant, who struggled most of the night shooting the ball (only 15-33 from the field and 2-8 from 3-point range), nailed a huge corner 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. Russell Westbrook then worked his way to the line twice, going 3-4, to tie the game at 101.

After a Jamal Crawford jumper that put the Blazers up by a basket, the stage was set for drama.

At this point in the analysis, there is no way getting around the reality of what happened next. Yes, up to that point the Thunder did well to rebound the ball, stay in the game, and challenge the Blazers on their home court, but if not for the next play, it would not have mattered.

With Durant driving to the rim, Aldridge pretty clearly had a clean block on Durant's layup attempt. Never the less, the referee who was 30 feet away from the rim called a goal tend, which enabled the Thunder to tie the game.

There is not much more that can be said; if the refs got the call right, the Blazers probably would have won. They missed it, and OKC had new life in overtime, an opportunity they would not waste.

What's the key statistic to understanding tonight's game

Rebounding. Collectively, these rebounding numbers represent the focus and determination of a team that knew it would have to rebound well to win the game. Here you go:

• Kevin Durant - 7
• Serge Ibaka - 13, 7 offensive
• Kendrick Perkins - 10, 3 offensive
• Russell Westbrook - 11, 5 offensive
• Nazr Mohammed - 7, 1 offensive (in only 11 minutes!)
• Nick Collison - 4, 1 offensive
• James Harden - 4, 1 offensive

What does this game mean for the Thunder today and moving forward

Tonight was a huge gut-check game for the Thunder after playing poorly last week. While there was certainly still a fair amount of less-than-precise play (19 turnovers, way too many jump shots), OKC committed soundly to playing more attentive defense and rebounding the ball. Unlike against the Clippers or Spurs, the Thunder did a much better job tonight in finding the outside shooters. As a result, the Blazers were held to 42.3% shooting and only 5-20 from the 3-point line.

The Thunder got a gift, but they did not waste that gift in OT. They continued to play strong defense, denied the shooters, protected the rim, and left Portland with a very satisfying performance that came coupled with a win.

***

Thunder Wonder: Russell Westbrook - 28 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals

Thunder Down Under: Serge Ibaka - 12 points, 13 rebounds (6 offensive), 4 blocks, 2 steals

Thunder Blunder: Kevin Durant, but only for his unnecessarily hoisting up 8 3-pointers

Thunder Plunderer: LaMarcus Aldridge - 39 points, 3 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal

Next Game: At the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday February 7, 9:30 PM Central Standard Time

• Kevin Durant
• Russell Westbrook
• James Harden
• Serge Ibaka

  11 votes |

The Nets found out that their owner was running for President of Russia when he announced it. Everyone said at the time that the decision wouldn't affect how the Nets are run, but more recently, Prokhorov has said he will sell virtually all his assets, presumably including the Nets. That obviously would affect the Nets.

Recently, Prokhorov's top two Moscow-based officials, Dmitry Razumov and Christophe Charlier, were seen courtside at Nets games, Razumov at the Warriors game, Charlier at the Timberwolves game. No one is saying whether the two discussed what would happen in the (unlikely) event their boss won ... and Prokhorov admitted not all of his top people agreed with his decision to run.

One thing does appear certain: Prokhorov's continued ownership of the Nets is a big recruiting tool for the Nets and if he sells the club, the team's future is not as secure as it was.

• Mikhail Prokhorov promises to sell the Nets if he runs Russia - Eric Freeman - Ball Don't Lie
• President Prokhorov wouldn't own Nets - Henry Abbott - ESPN
  

In a game with full playoff atmosphere, the Portland Trail Blazers came up short against Oklahoma City in overtime tonight. The game turned with 6 seconds left, as the refs called goaltending against the Blazers on a clean block [see video]. The Blazers never recovered in overtime. If you want a night to complain that the refs cost the Blazers the game, this is it.

The Blazers were again led by the red-hot LaMarcus Aldridge (39 points, 6 rebounds), with Wesley Matthews (18 points, 4 assists), Nicolas Batum (13 points), Jamal Crawford (17 points) and Marcus Camby (8 points, 15 rebounds) supporting him.

The Blazers started out hot in the first quarter, taking an early lead. Aldridge brought his nightly game-face, hitting shots from the left, the right, and down the middle. At the other end, Durant helped keep OKC close. Late in the quarter, the Blazers held an 8 point lead, but OKC hit 6 quick points to close to within two after the first. Not good when OKC had 7 turnovers.

OKC quickly completed the comeback and took the lead early in the second. The Blazers were their own worst enemy, repeatedly fouling players while in the act of shooting, making the penalty irrelevant. OKC tried to pull away, but the Blazers deftly took advantage of their mistakes and misses to play to a standstill. However, the OKC big guys wrest control of the game through rebounding, Behind a 30-17 first-half rebounding advantage (including 9 offensive), OKC leaves the court with an 8 point lead. A real killer for the Blazers They were 3-9 on FT's, to OKC's 12-14.

Same old, same old to start the third, as OKC quickly jumped to a 12 point lead, mostly on dunks. Finally, Portland fought back, with Alridge helping them score the next 13 points to take the lead. But with their energy expended, OKC regained control, capitalizing on rebounding and Blazer mistakes (more botched fast breaks and poor guard play) to lead by 12. However, the Blazers close the quarter well, scoring the last 6 points to stay within 6 after three. Nobody in the GDT could figure out how the Blazers won the third quarter.

OKC tries to push the lead as the fourth quarter opens, but the Blazers will have none of that. The bench, led by Nic Batum, cut the lead to one point with 8:30 remaining. Again, their energy ran out, as OKC dunked their way to a bigger lead again... but not for long, as Aldridge and Batum fought back to take the lead with 6:11 left. The teams traded buckets until Aldridge pulled the up-and-under move for a 4 point lead with 3:30 left, then added two FT's for a 6 point lead with 2:15 left. However, OKC's defense pushed Portland from the hoop, and OKC tied the game with 1:00 left. Crawford hit a jumper to take a two point lead, but OKC had a shot to tie. KD goes for the layup, and Aldridge cleanly blocked it, only to be called for goaltending. Batum was blocked, and we headed to overtime.

Overtime is a pretty predictable affair for the Blazers. They try hard, but can't hit shots, and eventually came up short. Credit to OKC, who took full advantage of the gift provided by the half-court referee.

Revisit the box score, then stay tuned for Dave's recap and Ben's media row report. We all have a day off and a breather, and the Blazers are back on the court Wednesday night, hosting the Rockets. -- Tim

The team that was built to take advantage of the NBA's lockout-shortened season has suddenly become it's latest victim. A combination of fatigue, injuries and awful execution against the Houston Rockets just handed the Nuggets their first three-game losing streak of 2011-12, and their fifth loss in six games.

Nugget optimists will review tonight's 99-90 loss and point to an injury-depleted, fatigued team that put out a gutsy performance against one of the Western Conference's playoff contenders. And a scrappy playoff contender at that (let's give the Rockets credit where credit is due).

But I saw something different.

I saw an injury-depleted, fatigued team settle for too many three-pointers rather than attack a Rockets squad whose shot-blocking center - Samuel Dalembert - played all of seven minutes. Last I checked, NBA teams weren't afraid to drive inside with 6'9" Patrick Patterson and 6'7" Jeff Adrien guarding the basket. Last I checked, I hadn't even heard of these guys prior to tip-off!

The fatigue of playing a fourth game in five days certainly contributed to the Nuggets' atrocious shooting: 19-33 from the free throw line and 3-22 from three-point range. But the Nuggets' collective unwillingness to drive to the rack and their over-eagerness to continue chucking three-pointers was infuriating. The best shot the Nuggets had to win this game was to be the aggressor and take advantage of the Rockets' lack of size and the altitude. By engaging in a long-range shooting contest, the Nuggets took away their best opportunity to win this game.

Can it get any worse in Nuggets Nation

Actually, it can. In addition to losing their third straight game, the Nuggets lost forward Danilo Gallinari to a chip fracture in his foot in the third quarter thanks to a turned ankle. I'm not a doctor, but "chip fracture" sounds like Gallo will be missing an extended amount of time. Add Gallo to the walking wounded alongside Nene Hilario, Arron Afflalo and Timofey Mozgov. (The Nuggets were also without Corey Brewer tonight, who was attending to his father's funeral. Our condolences go out to Brewer and his family.)

Seeing a Nuggets bench with only Kenneth Faried, Jordan Hamilton, Julyan Stone and Chris Andersen available was simply surreal. After all, it was this Nuggets team that was supposed to weather the lockout better than any in the NBA, stay healthy and prey on the league en masse. It was this Nuggets team that had the depth and energy to withstand playing four games in five nights. It was this Nuggets team that didn't need a star player to ascend to the top of the Western Conference.

So what exactly has happened to this Nuggets team

The view from the not-so-cheap seats ...

... with Nene and Afflalo scratched for tip-off, Nuggets head coach George Karl elected to start Faried and Stone so that Al Harrington and Andre Miller could play in their regular, off-the-bench rotation. I completely agreed with this decision.

... suited up - in a suit - Mozgov was gimping just walking. Not good.

... there were a lot of empty seats at Pepsi Center. Getting fans out to see the no-name Rockets on a Monday isn't an easy sell.

... among the many Rockets I had never heard of, rookie (and starter) Chandler Parsons looked gassed from the opening tip and played just 16 meaningless minutes. Who is this guy!

... it seemed as though Karl wanted the Nuggets to feed Kosta Koufos early, but his teammates almost immediately went away from that strategy and settled for three-pointers early. Gallo in particular was guilty of this.

... it was clear early on that Karl's "trust guys" - Miller, Harrington, Ty Lawson and Rudy Fernandez - were going to get the lion's share of minutes tonight.

... Birdman had a decent game stat-wise, but he has clearly lost a step (or more) and can barely even jump anymore. It's sad to see the Birdman unable to be the Birdman right now, especially when he falls for every head fake thrown his way.

... before Fernandez connected on a three-pointer in the third quarter, the Nuggets were 0-11 from behind the arc. And yet they kept shooting from out there, including Fernandez who made just 1 of his 7 three-point attempts.

... Faried showed bursts of energy but had very little impact on the game. Regardless, knowing his team was fatigued why didn't Karl play Faried more in the second half

... I'm not sure Stone was actually on the floor but according to the box score he played almost 21 minutes.

... proving why Karl trusts him, Miller came alive in the third quarter and almost single-handedly kept the Nuggets in the game.

... if ever we needed more symbolism for just how ice cold the Nuggets are right now, supermascot Rocky again failed to make his behind-the-back, half court shot before the fourth quarter. Rocky hasn't made his shot since he "Tebow'd" before making one back in December.

Non-Stiff(s) of the Game

-Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry: Scola and Lowry absolutely torched the Nuggets tonight. Scola did a little bit of everything en route to 25 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and was consistently good throughout the game. Lowry seemed to come on in the second half and finished the game with 20 points, including 5 of 6 three-pointers. And honorable mention should go to Chase Budinger who just killed the Nuggets in the second half, connecting on several three-pointers down the stretch that iced the game for Houston.

Stiff of the Game

-Kevin Martin: It's amazing that the Rockets could win in Denver when Martin - their best scorer - makes just 1 of 9 field goal attempts and even misses a free throw (very uncharacteristic for the 90% shooting free throws Martin). Honorable mention goes to the Nuggets' free throw shooting.

Parting Shot

The Nuggets looked like world beaters-to-be when they took down the NBA Champion Mavericks in Dallas on opening night. Now the Mavericks come to Denver on Wednesday carrying their own three-game losing streak with three fulls days of rest. If the Nuggets think settling for jump shots is a strategy for success, you can pencil in their fourth-straight loss now because the Mavericks will be anxious to be handed theirs.

Maybe it was that Samuel Dalembert still isn't in ideal shape and wasn't particularly effective in the first quarter. Maybe it was just that Jeff Adrien reacted to his first real playing opportunity appropriately and forced Kevin McHale to play him. Whatever it was, Jeff Adrien played the most minutes of his Rockets career, going for over 16 minutes with 9 rebounds (9 more than Dalembert, leading the Rockets in the category tonight), setting a career high. His 'tude (as I'm told the kids call it) was visible all game.

You could see it as soon as he came into the game, in fact. The Jeff Adrien we're used to seeing is just a guy who fouls a lot int he final minutes of blowouts while being bizarrely muscled and short (you know, for an NBA forward; not for a normal person). That wasn't the Jeff Adrien we saw tonight. Jeff Adrien destroyed the boards in his limited minutes and even played some quality defense. He was absolutely fearsome, securing rebounds in the gigantic vice he calls a set of arms and swinging his elbows about, daring anyone to challenge his control.

Or, maybe the game took on Adrien's qualities, and so he just didn't seem out of place. The Adrien we knew fouled a lot, and so it makes a weird sort of sense that his first real outing was a whistle-fest, with some 103 fouls called. It was those fouls that could have decided the game. The Nuggets had a big advantage in free throw attempts this game (especially considering their "lead" in turnovers), but they utterly failed to convert from the line, shooting a Shaq-esque 57.6%. Had the Nuggets hit all of their free throws, they'd have won 104-99. Of course, had the Rockets hit all of their shots, the game would have been tied.

That was pretty much where the symmetry ended. The Rockets won this on a spectacular 10-for-19 performance from three point territory. That was almost entirely the doing of Kyle Lowry (5-of-6) and Chase Budinger (4-of-7) -- only Goran Dragic hit another three all night. The Nuggets, however, shot a miserable 3-of-22 from three, and so despite the layup drill they ran for most of the first half, they couldn't overtake the Rockets' shooting.

This was one of the better nights to take on the Nuggets, certainly. Nene was out, as were Afflalo and Mazgov. But, as Xiane was quick to point out in the thread, it's tough to really care too much about other teams' injury problems, you know, what with those of the Rockets over the last six years or so. And the Nuggets still came into the game with their two best players this year (Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari), so it's not like this team was utterly and completely crippled. But the Nuggets did suffer a devastating loss when Gallinari went down with some sort of foot fracture. That sucks. It really does.

Nevertheless, the Rockets stole one tonight in a game few would have thought they'd win (this morning, at least). On the road in Denver against one of the West's best teams, this was a great win. The Denver announcers are punks, however.

Paradisio:

Kyle Lowry -- After about two weeks of poor shooting, Lowry finally managed an excellent game. Scoring 20 points on .84 True Shooting is spectacular, and 6 assists with 4 rebounds is great, too. 4 turnovers isn't good, but whatever... we won!

Chase Budinger -- Chase put together something that was, perhaps, sub-Lowry, but still pretty excellent: 16 points on .67 True Shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers. Most importantly, he hit the game-icing three in the final minutes and played great defense on the shambling-yet-still-effective phantom version of Andre Miller.

Luis Scola -- 25 points on 20 shots (.54 True Shooting) doesn't leap off the page, but this certainly looked like the best rebounding game of his year (it's not, really, since that was the game against Sacramento last month, but you get the idea). He played hard and all that, and he seemed to get going as the game went on.

Jeff Adrien -- 9 rebounds. There was some other stuff in there (he was 1-3 from the field with two blocked attempts, a product of him being 6' 7" and something of a recurring theme in his shooting career), but that didn't matter. He played great on the boards, and the Rockets desperately needed it after Dalembert wasn't getting it done and Hill didn't do much better. Adrien put in the game of his career (not really, it was probably this one, but "game of his career" sounds better and at least this came in a victory). Bravo.

Purgatorio:

Kevin Martin -- Bad shooting night, but at least he stopped shooting when it was clear it wasn't going to work and tried driving instead. That didn't work, either, but whatever.

Samuel Dalembert -- Sucked or had to throw up like Dragic or something. In any case, inconsequential.

Inferno:

Don't Care -- We Won