The clock struck 12:00 AM, back in the Midwest, the new day of November 7th, 2009 had arrived. Yet unknown to many fans in Indianapolis & Columbus, a new NBA force was arriving around that same time in the Pacific Northwest. This emerging NBA force stands at 7ft tall, weighs around 270..his name is Greg Oden. On this night vs Tim Duncan & the San Antonio Spurs, Greg Oden would officially announce his arrival to the NBA and its fans.
From the jump you could tell this night was in possession of something special in the air. The November 6th game vs the Spurs was officially tabbed as 'Rip City' night to honor longtime Portland broadcaster Bill Schonely, who coined that phrase which describes the home of the Blazers. The players completed the ceremony by sporting a throwback rip city jersey, and after that the only thing left to do was to perform, and center Greg Oden would do just that.
But as with any accomplishments, it did not come without any adversity or obstacles. On the other side of the tip off stood future hall of famer Tim Duncan. And from the start both teams made a concerted effort to the let the two big men go at each other. The crowd would go eerily quiet every time Oden & Duncan matched up with each other to see if the former Ohio State big man could hold his own.
In the very first possession Oden successfully contested a driving layup attempt by Richard Jefferson. The next go around on defense was the first isolation with Duncan, Oden moved his feet and forced Duncan to throw a bad pass for a turnover. Duncan smartened up next time and able to hit one of his trademark midrange Js off the glass over Oden. Greg's first offensive move featured a hook shot over Duncan that just barely rimmed out. #52 of Portland would come back with a surprising face up jump shot that got the bounce. Oden 2 points, Duncan 2 points..but Timmy won this round. Why? Because in 4 minutes the crafty veteran was able to lower his shoulder and draw two fouls on Oden, sending him to the bench. At this point in the game, it kind of seemed like the the same ole' story...a talented big man who just can not find a way to stay on the floor..that story would change in the middle of the book..
Up 41-29, Portland head coach Nate McMillan decided to insert Oden back into the game at the 3:52 mark of the 2nd quarter. Now it it arguable that this move wasn't really needed from Portland perspective, they had a decent lead, and Duncan is consciously looking to keep Oden in foul trouble. Doing so meant that Greg would have to play smart, but at the same be a force. The coach made the move, and Oden responded. He re-entered the game, and immediately hit a right handed hook shot over Duncan. Two possessions later he would hit yet another unblockable hook shot over Tim Duncan. These two field goals would set the stag for a memorable 2nd half performance.
Simply stated, Greg Oden owned the 2nd half. Yes he had a lot of help from his rising Blazers, but I saw vintage Oden that night. Suddenly the fouls did not matter much, he was not thinking about that, he was thinking about dominating. He contested almost every shot in the paint, hedged screens , contested shots from perimeter off switches, blocked shots, beasted on the boards, and yes..continued to score! At the 7 minute mark of the 3rd quarter, Oden bullied Duncan with a power move for an inside layup, at the 7:40 mark of the 4th, he sent Duncan's weak ish back, at the 4:30 mark he altered another Duncan shot and snagged the subsequent rebound, the next possession he caught a pass from Brandon Roy for an easy layup, and with just over a minute to play, with San Antonio looking to get back in it, Oden sent back Mano Ginobli's weak ish. In the end Greg Oden would finish with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a great ovation from the Portland faithful.
On November 6th, 2009..November 7th on the east coast, Greg Oden played with passion, fire, intensity, he simply let his talent take over. On this night Greg Oden officially arrived.
The 2009/2010 NBA Developmental League season will have two former Ohio State Buckeye participants.
