Seeing the big picture

LAS VEGAS -- When Greg Oden looked toward the bendable, but not unbreakable, basket stanchion at one end of Cox Pavilion, he flashed the gap-toothed grin that is quickly becoming his trademark. Oden saw potential for a show-stopper.

The Portland Trail Blazers' 7-footer hopes to throw down a power dunk capable of separating the rim from the backboard, maybe even the backboard from its stanchion, during the 10-day NBA Summer League.

When asked if the rims can withstand one of his dunks, Oden said, "I don't know. They don't look too sturdy. I'm working on [taking them down]. I'm trying."

Oden didn't need a rim-breaking dunk to awe the crowd in his professional debut last night against the Celtics. The mere presence of the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA draft was enough to pack Cox Pavilion and generate a rare NBA buzz in July.

Suffering from a sinus infection over the last week, Oden fouled out (the Summer League maximum is 10) late in the fourth quarter. From the opening quarter, when he picked up three quick fouls, Oden struggled to stay clear of the referees' whistles.

"It was different," said Oden, who acknowledged being nervous before his first NBA game. "It's a different game. They call it different. People play different. There's a lot of things you can't do, just a lot of hand movement, hand checks. You've just got to know the rules. I didn't play too well. I didn't play hard enough. When you don't play hard, you don't win. It's amazing [to get 10 fouls]. I've got to come at it harder and be able to get into a groove. I couldn't get into it [last night]."

Oden appeared to become more comfortable in the second quarter with a pair of field goals, including a powerful dunk he punctuated by slapping the backboard with both hands.

But Oden continued to pick up fouls and the Celtics picked up a 74-66 victory over the Trail Blazers. Leon Powe led the Celtics with 19 points and nine rebounds and, perhaps more importantly, survived a fall beside Oden fully intact. Gerald Green added 14 points for the Celtics. LaMarcus Aldridge was Portland's unquestioned leader with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Oden logged 6 points (3 for 4 from the field) in 20 minutes.

"It's going to be rough because it's different," said Oden of his adjustment to the NBA. "It's new. Guys are going to be going at it. That's always rough."

With all the hype preceding his NBA arrival, the hopes of the Trail Blazers riding on his shoulders, and the whirlwind that was the draft process, it would be understandable if Oden arrived in Las Vegas a little tired and unfocused. (He'll be in Los Angeles to present an award at the ESPY show Wednesday, missing a game against the Lakers.) But any thought that Oden might be worn down by the weight of expectations and the demands of being the next big thing in the NBA are quickly dismissed by the rookie.

"I'm just trying to play right now, trying to take everything else out," he said. "I'm trying to get used to the NBA game because it's a whole different game. But all the coaches help me out and the guys are great. They like to come in and compete. They said, 'It's just basketball, so don't try to make it different than what it is.'

"The pressure I put on myself is way more than the pressure anybody else could put on me. I don't want to mess up and I want to win. I'm the only person that can feel that I do good. There are some games where I play decent and I don't even think I played that well. There's things that I know I can do better. I look more at what I could have done to help the guys."

Still, the Trail Blazers organization knows Oden needs time to adjust as he starts his NBA career. General manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan are hesitant to assess Oden's strengths and weaknesses. Pritchard and McMillan prefer to keep the long-term perspective in mind when discussing Oden, and second-year players Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.

"We have to protect him as an organization to make sure he's on the right path," said Pritchard, who has made a concerted effort to surround Oden with teammates of character. "This is an overwhelming experience for a four-year [college] player. He's a one-year player, and he's a young kid with high expectations.

"We're a young team. We're looking at the future, three to five years on being a good team. As soon as he steps on the court, we don't have to expect to be in the playoffs. We expect to be competitive. If we make the playoffs, that's great."

Added McMillan: "We do understand and know that this is a very young man and he's going to go through some growing. We have to be patient with him. We want him to gain experience through summer league and be ready for veterans camp in October. It's a feeling-out process. He'll be going up against NBA talent, some free agents [in summer league], bigger players than he's played against in the past, guys that are hungry every night. He will be challenged. There's a target on him in this summer league. I'm sure there are a lot of big men who are looking forward to playing against him."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers wanted to match a variety of players against Oden, including 6-11 center Lance Allred and the smaller tandem of Glen Davis (6-9) and Leon Powe (6-8). But judging from his comments, Oden may find the rule changes from college to the NBA his most difficult challenge.

"They tell you it's more physical than college, but then you have different rules," he said. "Well, you can do this in college [and not in the NBA.] So, college may be more physical than this. It's just different. You've just got to get used to playing in it."

The way Aldridge sees it, Oden is adjusting quite nicely and quite quickly. In the Blazers' first practice for summer league, Aldridge could not reach a high-arcing shot for a block. But closing in behind him, Oden cleared the ball off the court.

"I missed because it was too high and he came and got it and threw it out of bounds," said Aldridge. "I thought if I couldn't get it, he couldn't get it . . . [On offense], if he gets mad, he might dunk it. He might give you a spin, jump hook. He's so good we see something new every day."

Just another reason NBA teams and fans alike will pay attention to Oden, and why the staff at Cox Pavilion would be wise to keep a few spare rims and backboards on hand.

Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.