Sunday, February 15, 2009

Brandon Roy: The Ever-Steady All-Star


There's usually not a whole lot you can take away from a players performance in an all-star game. You're playing with guys who you've "practiced" with only once or twice, so it's not as though you can run plays outside of the standard screen and roll variety. Most coaches want to make sure everybody gets minutes, so it can be tough to find a rhythm. Playing out of position is often required due to roster constraints, adding farther difficulty. And it's by and large a spectacle for the fans, so attempts at highlights supplant attempts at high-percentage shots. There's a reason why scouts don't show up to these games.

So while you usually can't judge a book by its All-Star performance, there is something you can glean from Brandon Roy's night in Phoenix: He plays the same way -- the right way -- all the time. He's simply not capable of anything less.

Check out his box score. A game-high 31 minutes (thanks a lot Phil! see you next Monday), 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, five assists. That line just screams Brandon Roy. Typically efficient and yeoman; the kind of performance we've come to expect night in, night out from Brandon.

(By the way, Roy logged a team-high 28 minutes last season, making this the second-consecutive year he's lead the West squad in minutes. Either coaches are really trying to soak up the wonder that is coaching Brandon Roy, or they're intent on tiring him out. Then again, maybe it's because ... he always plays the right way.)

And then there are the basketball instincts; the things he does that don't result in a tally on the official box score. Closing out on shooters, boxing out, the pass that sets up the assist, following through on the jumper, pulling back on the fastbreak when the defense has numbers. Some guys seem to turn these skills off during all-star games, maybe with the somewhat noble intention of making the run more enjoyable for those in attendance. But B.Roy just can't do it. It's antithetical to everything that he is as a man and a basketball player.

That's not to say that he can't preen to the crowd just a bit though. Roy said he promised his family he would try to get a few dunks this time around; a promise he kept to the tune of three four jams. But he didn't force anything. Rather, he simply completed three very high-percentage shots. After all, finishing strong at the rim is an instinct, too.

After the game, Roy said he's "not really an all-star type of guy." But in reality, nothing could be farther from the truth.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Didn't roy have 4 dunks? oh well he did really well, I'm happy he represents portland in the all-star game.
GO BLAZERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
next year oden and aldridge I hope

TT said...

B had 4 dunks:

-a feed from CP3 with B knifing into the lane

-a sweet give-n-go with Timmay

-a backdoor alley oop feed from the other Spur, Tony Parker

-an alley oop off the backboard from CP3, a redo of the missed oop in New Orleans

chris said...

Go b Roy! Go blazers!

chris said...

Go B Roy! Go blazers!

Lee D said...

Brandon was in for defense (the only SF-capable on the roster). Although they played a lot of zone Brandon's time against LeBron was especially sweet for his defense. LeBron was 3-11 while Brandon was in the game and 5-8 when Brandon was not in the game.

More important the East scored 3.6 points per minute when Brandon was out of the game and 2.3 points per minute while he was in.

Nice work B-Roy!

NEPcrusader said...

Brandon, Rudy, we're proud of you! Screw LeBron in Slam Dunk 2010, Rudy needs a fair chance!

Anonymous said...

Just another great efficient game from Roy. I Couldnt help but notice him passing up a few wide open shots to give another guy an open shot, much like in every other game (although he definitely knows when he needs to take that shot). I Would have liked to see him shoot a little more but then again thats not his style. I love watching him play every minute. Great game Roy!

hg said...

BRoy was really playing a role model for a change. He set up Amore, Shaq and Kobe countless times and got valuable stats at the same time.

CP3 and BRoy plays so well together, it seems as through they have been playing together for years. Maybe that is because they are both real BB Players.

Anyway he honored the Blazers and the fans wonderfully.

hg

aneebaba said...

So proud to be a Blazers fan these days - though I never left during the hard times . .yeah Rudy got screwed (and I used to like Kenny Smith, but he's pathetic and Reggie too from what i heard on the highlights - I'm in Europe) - I mean the crowd booed both times in reaction to the judges - it was a fixed contest and even the Kobe-Shaq MVP thing - I mean that's all the TNT guys were talking about leading up to the game, Ugh. Anyways, let's go Blazers in these final 30 games!!!

Unknown said...

I agree with the whole point of this post - Roy doesn't have a personality. (I'd rather have a beer with tim duncan)

Cr1 said...

Hi
i´m from Chile in southamerica
brandon roy shows that he´s a real all star player
He do it all lastnight

Go blazers
let´s make the playoffs

JK said...

Hey Casey,
last time i posted (questionable in NOLA) you said i'd get a t-shirt if i post again - and i only waited this long cuz i wanted to talk about B-Roy
great observation with the minutes, but i'm not really sure why he gets them. As he said, he's not really an all-star game type of player.
Just wanted to mention that i watched a lot of the game and at times it was frustrating to see brandon out there being himself. I mean that he never called for the ball, he rarely had a play called for him and he never, and i mean never (look at the tapes) went for a rebound. The guy is incredible, in a game where he could have had incredible stats, in a game where winning doesnt even matter that much, he still played with his team. and i'm sure if he was interviewed about the game he would stil say it was his teamates why he played so well.
Oh and Roy to shaq in the second half - hope to be seeing some of that with Oden pretty soon

Casey Holdahl said...

I'm a man of my word Joseph. Leave a comment with your name and address (which I won't publish) and I'll send you off a shirt.

Unknown said...

Paul:

BRoy no personality? You're kidding, right? Maybe you're really a Knick fan and want someone like Marbury on your team.

J Jager said...

One thing about Brandon Roy that has yet to be mentioned, is his ability to be an all star and remain a humble teammate. It doesn't seem like he thinks that he is better than anyone else, and that shows alot when he is playing with the Blazers. I think professional basketball players in the NBA have a tendency to put money, advertising, ego, above their ultimate goal. Some have the ability to put that all aside when they step on the court, but I don't think he lets it go to his head. He is here to play basketball and achieve goals. I love watching the process of this team. Win or lose, the blazers don't hide their stuggle or their joy. Every game is entertaining the thought of an NBA championship!

Anonymous said...

Hey Casey, I remixed the photo you have posted, just a tad.

Just thought I'd share it with ya and other fellow Blazer fans here.

Roy All Star

Go Blazers!

Casey Holdahl said...

That is fantastic work Jimmy. Thanks for posting it.

Anonymous said...

Glad to share! Here some more of my previous stuff I've done with some other Blazers:

Blazers Art