Omri's 5 Column
Too bad. That's all you can really say after a tough loss like we had in Portland. I felt good in the third quarter and early fourth, but the coach wanted defense and stuck with Ime Udoka out there on the court for his pace and defensive pressure.
It's frustrating because we played well today and its a game where we were led large parts of. We are young and, but we have to know how to make the changes to win games like that.
Our second quarter was excellent, but we did not continue the momentum the third quarter as we took some really tough shots. Portland came to this game bruised and tired, with several players injured, and had to exploit that. Waiting for us in the next weeks are some of the most difficult teams in the NBA like Cleveland, Denver and twice against the Lakers so this was game was so important to win.
It is unclear what happens to us from the punishment, and I speak also for myself and the entire group, which is considered one of the worst in the league from the free throw line. We each take 50 free throws at the end of each practice, so perhaps the fact that we have put so much emphasis on it creates some psychological problem. We should just relax a bit and clear ours head about it because we just lose too many points from the line.
Personally, I think we could have got past Portland. They are a good defensive team and I tried to take shots at ease.
It was another solid game, I feel really good and confident about my game, but the lower back injury, probably due to my pelvic muscle, continues to disturb me very much and has limited my movement. I received X-rays that came back negative so there is not much to do now except leave it off alone.
In conclusion, half of this month I think the team and I will continue to progress and we look forward to, but the other half are going to be very difficult wins to get at home.
I have been getting about an average of just 22-23 minutes per game, and 14.5 points per game, which is quite good so far. I'm still learning the league, it is still the beginning, and I hope that I will get more minutes soon.
I do feel that Coach Paul Westphal trusts me. Tonight he went with Udoka because of his defense on Brandon Roy, but tomorrow night is another game and I always look forward with my feet on the ground...I want to continue to improve in any way I can.
I had a very pleasant evening at Rose Garden as I received encouragement from many Israelis Chabadniks who came just to see me. they clapped and gave me a very good feeling and gave me a happy holiday by lighting candles for Chanukah.
Incidentally, back here in Sacramento my family and I have made sure to light the Chanukah candles, even though it was not easy to be away from Israel.
Wishing a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all my readers,
Omri
Taken from "One" website
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