Oden sounds off . . . and his newfound intensity could be a big boost The most important development of the Trail Blazers' victory here Sunday evening took root in the morning, when the team gathered for breakfast. Less than 12 hours after the Blazers' defense had been sliced and diced for 111 points in Houston, leading some players to question the effort of the team, coach Nate McMillan talked to the Blazers about a simple concept: family. "Would you allow your brother to continue to do something he shouldn't be doing? Or would you say something to him?" McMillan remembers telling his team. "And that's what it is all about. They are brothers out there, this is a family, and if we are not playing defense or you are not covering your man, say something to him. It's not personal. It's holding each other accountable." Not that anyone was taking odds, but not many would have bet on which Blazers player would apply McMillan's concept later that evening during the Blazers' 83-74 victory against Oklahoma City. It was the team's gentle giant: Greg Oden. As a matter of fact, there was nothing gentle about Oden on Sunday. With a voice that was as loud, forceful and stern as ever before, and with animated body language that has rarely, if ever, been seen from him in a Blazers uniform, Oden on Sunday barked, ordered and inspired his teammates. "There was once in Toronto last year ... but it was not like this," Brandon Roy emphatically said. "Tonight, he was more vocal than ever. It was great. It was step one. But we can keep building on that." Nobody is ready to declare Oden a leader yet. Not after one game. But what transpired here Sunday could be the start of the season's most important development. It could be when Greg Oden came out of his shell. When he became a little nasty. Very much intimidating. And an immensely powerful force on this team. It was so startling, so different, that Roy and Travis Outlaw were taking turns imitating Oden's deep growls at teammates during the game. "TRAV! KEEP PLAYING! COME ON!" Outlaw said, mustering all the baritone he could from his stomach. "MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS; LET'S GO!" Roy said, his voice deep and gravelly. It started before the opening tip. Oden went separately to Steve Blake and Roy, reminding them of last year's 102-93 loss here in a game that was out of hand by halftime. Then as the team took the court for the opening tip, he extended his hand into the chest of LaMarcus Aldridge to stop the Blazers power forward. He spoke closely to Aldridge, demonstratively pointing his finger at the court, at one point saying "We can't have it!" "He was saying we could not let what happened last time here happen again," Aldridge said. Oden backed up his intensity by scoring six of the Blazers' first 11 points. He also blocked Jeff Green's driving attempt. But the Blazers' 25-13 lead started to crumble. The Blazers had turnovers on four consecutive possessions, including three successive travelling calls. When the lead dwindled to 26-23, Oden became furious. "LET'S GET A STOP RIGHT NOW!" he bellowed from the middle of the key. "RIGHT HERE!" There were expletives and angry clapping of his hands mixed in, and through it all, he snarled, revealing his famous gap- toothed grill. On that possession, the Blazers forced a 24-second shot clock violation. "That was a big moment," Roy said. "But I remember him doing that all night. There were a lot of times he was like that." Oden ended up with 12 points, 10 rebounds and one block in 29 minutes, but everyone -- including Oden -- agreed his biggest contribution didn't end up in the box score. "Look, I know I'm not a big scorer on this team, so I'm just trying to bring something else, something that doesn't show up on the statistics," Oden said. "And that's talking, bringing energy." He says he tries to be vocal every night, but in truth, Oden has seemed so worried about being respectful during his time in Portland that he came across as passive more than anything. Last season, McMillan asked Oden to recite to the team the scouting report of his man before a game. As he softly went through the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent, McMillan stopped him. Standing next to a refrigerator in the locker room, McMillan told Oden that he couldn't hear him. How was anyone on the team expected to hear him in an arena filled with 20,000 people? On Sunday, amid a comeback that had the crowd in a frenzy, Oden's shouting at his team could be heard from the other end of the court. Loud and clear. Sheepishly, he tried to downplay his aggression and animation. "You should have seen some of my high school games," he said. But as a Blazer? Has he ever been as forceful and commanding to his teammates? "As a Blazer, I don't know," Oden said, smiling. "I couldn't tell you if I remember. I think I was more animated one time, but I'm not sure." If there was one thing that was sure as the team flew home Sunday, it was that Oden had taken an important step forward. His teammates this season have often brought up how Oden is more open and engaged with the team this season. Now, it appears he wants to play a part as a leader, a policeman, and as McMillan said during breakfast, a brother. The team knows, because they heard him loud and clear Sunday on the court and in the locker room. And it wasn't just his words. He was a force on the court, too. That combination of force -- both in action and words -- resonated with Roy. As Roy was substituted out of the game and found his seat on the bench, he said he turned to Oden and delivered his own stern message. "I told him, 'Greg, if you play like that every night, there ain't nobody who can (mess) with us,'" Roy said. Oden gave a one-word response: "Gotcha." http://tinyurl.com/ybrgya2 -- Oden 越来越有自信心了，好事啊 不过这几场比赛看下来，我们战术变化不大哩 而且球员在切入的时候，很喜欢自己直接投掉 若没机会通常还是外传，但是我常看到篮下的 Oden 已经被空出来了啊 如果把那些太过勉强的切入自干能转化成禁区妙传 那球队的easy basket分数一定可以增加不少 但是禁区球员的跑位也是有大问题，都要改进啊 拜托各位大爷切入的时候要照顾一下 Oden 吧 各位可以看一下今天NBA官网的Highlight，看一下 Oden 的站位 不觉得好几球只要往上抛得好，Oden 都可以第一时间灌篮嘛 --

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