Because the world really needed another blog dedicated to the Portland Trail Blazers. We're a group of journalists and fans who've grown up with--or have grown to love--Oregon's only professional franchise (and this won't change when MLS comes to town). Plus we're convinced that--if given the chance--we could totally hit the Toyota halfcourt shot. Until then, we're stuck here in the Portland Roundball Society.
Chances are, Matt Bonner is looking up to see a scoreboard that signifies another San Antonio Spurs loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Since when did the tables turn and Portland become the dominate of the two teams? About six games ago. The Blazers have won five of the last six, and four in a row, against the Spurs. Previous to that, the Spurs won 'em all. 12 in a row, in fact.
We all know that the majority of the San Antonio roster makes Juwan Howard look like a baby-faced rookie, but when their dusty bones meet the fresh legs of Portland, they look really old. Despite the multiple rings, in the past half-dozen games against Portland, the Spurs are the NBA equivalent of the old war vet gumming a Werther's Original and regaling everyone with tales of Bruce Bowen walking barefoot in the snow (both ways!) to the NBA finals with Kevin Willis on his back.
This isn't to imply that the Spurs are spent. No sir. As long as Tim Duncan can knock down bank shots, Manu Ginobili can be the original Rudy Fernandez, Tony Parker can rap, some random role player can hit three pointers in the clutch (oh, let's say Roger Mason), and Gregg Popovich can utilize underappreciatedyoung players (George Hill), the Spurs will be contenders. Like Portland, they are on the second night of a back-to-back, narrowly escaping with a victory in Sacramento. But if you think the Spurs will be winded, check out the boxscore. Richard Jefferson and Hill logged series minutes, but the core of Duncan and Ginobili saw less than 30 minutes of court time. Oh, and Parker—who has missed his last three games with a bum ankle—should return tonight.
With the Brandon Roy return countdown on its final game, tonight would be an ideal time for Portland to come away with a home court victory before Kobe and company come rolling through town on Saturday. If that is not enough motivation, how about this: The Blazers are currently behind Oklahoma City in the playoff hunt, and just a pair of games from the 11th spot.
No, we don't have a Getty Images account. Yes, I drew Deron Williams. No, it looks nothing like him.
This one wasn't hard to predict. Vegas had the Jazz -7. They covered and then some, beating the Blazers Wednesday for the fifth consecutive time at Energy Solutions Arena, 118-105.
For a change, I'm happy the Blazers are on a back-to-back, because I don't want to remember this one. Ick.
As we noted one week ago, the Jazz not only have the Blazers' number but are playing their best basketball in years.
The stats from this game, the third meeting between the division rivals of the season, are a horror show. The Jazz shot 62.7%, the most efficient a Blazer opponent has been all year. (The Jazz are responsible for the second and third highest percentages as well, shooting 60.6% and 60.3% in the year's previous games.)
This one was even worse than the last, as the Jazz were without Carlos Boozer for the entire 48 minutes. Paul Milsap did a fine job in his place, finishing with 12, nine rebounds and five assists. But it was the rest of the Jazz front line that really killed the Blazers.
Mehmet Okur poured in a game-high 28 on 11 of 13 shooting, and Andrei Kirilenko looked more like the complete threat he was a few years back. Kirilenko added 22 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Deron Williams handed out a game-high 13 assists.
Indeed, Jerry Sloan has the Jazz humming like a sleek and powerful machine. Of their 42 made field goals, 32 of them were assisted (Portland had just 17 assists on 37 makes).
Collectively, the only area where Blazers topped the Jazz was on the offensive glass. Portland pulled down an impressive 16 offensive boards, a stat that comes with a caveat--it takes a lot of misses to get those opportunities.
As the Blazers entered the fourth quarter down 11, it seemed like time to throw in the towel--time to pull the starters and look tomorrow's matchup with San Antonio. I've said the Blazers always have a chance, but the stats tonight suggested otherwise: When carrying a lead into the final period, the Jazz are 16-0 at home, and 24-1 overall.
McMillan is never one to give up, even when the score is most daunting. (No NBA coach calls more meaningless, late-game timeouts.) McMillan finally pulled the regular rotation players with :47 seconds to play. Before the final buzzer sounded, Patty Mills scored his first NBA basket, a nine-foot jumper. (Too bad he'll probably to be back in the D-League this time next week.)
Several Blazers had fine nights, but shorthanded, the only way they have a chance to beat this Utah team would be for Andre Miller to drop another 50.
LaMarcus Aldridge had his best all-around performance in some time. He finished with 27 points, 12 boards and five assists. Aldridge set a new career high in free-throw attempts, getting to the stripe 15 times. He tied a career-high with 13 makes.
Martell Webster had a better night than he's had in the past few games since Nicolas Batum returned to the rotation. Webster finished with 20, hitting just three of his nine three point attempts. But because he was active and appeared to be regaining his confidence, McMillan gave Webster more minutes (36) than he's gotten in the last few games (around 20). Or maybe McMillan did indeed sense the Blazers would lose, but wanted Martell to feel like he was getting some worthwhile time.
Whatever the reason, with the coach choosing to ride Webster, Nic Batum saw only 14 minutes, but continued his hot shooting streak, hitting all three attempts. His field goal percentage for the season is a staggering 63.6%
But with all the hype surrounding Batum's stunning return to the floor, the solid play Jerryd Bayless has been somewhat overshadowed. After injuring his wrist (in game X-rays were negative) Bayless returned to score 14 points. It was his eighth-straight game in double figures. Now, certainly there are times when Jerryd takes ill-advised outside shots (Ben from Blazersedge and I were joking on media row Monday night that Bayless has become a bit of a black hole a la Travis from years past). But when he's taking the ball to the hoop, the second year guard is becoming pretty consistent.
Now, let's wrap this up with a little post-game locker room platitude: the Blazers need to have a short memory. They need to shake this off, look towards tomorrow, and bounce back against San Antonio.
"The foot feels fine, but the orthodics feel funny," Outlaw said. "Right now, I have to workout, work myself back into the rhythm of the game. It's a difference between playing between the lines and running on the treadmill. But I'm real good on the treadmill right now."
Now I’m not sure if prior to the injury, watching Travis on the treadmill was like watching a drunken giraffe on an escalator, but it’s good to know that Travis has mastered the art. This gentleman, however, has not.
Rudy Fernandez is irresistible, and in Dallas, some lady fans wandered into the huddle, hugged him, and started whispering sweet nothings. Remember Monica Seles in 1993? She was stabbed in the back with a 10 inch knife by a spectator while on the court. The word “fan” is short for “fanatic” and that means different things to different people. To some, it means standing half naked and covered in paint in a crowd of 20,000 people, for others, it means blogging about every detail of a player’s game, for (hopefully few) others, it could mean hurting or killing someone.
"Like Portland, they play hard, they slow the tempo, they make it uncomfortable for us," Gasol said, "but that's not an excuse."
A fanbase is torn on the value of Sergio Rodriguez. Has a 3rd string point guard ever been so polarizing? He can’t get off the bench because a big, physical guard likes to have the ball in his hands and the backup point is having a great year? Why it’s déjà vu, all over again.
A week removed from the punishing loss on their homecourt, the Blazers look to get a little revenge against the Utah Jazz. Sounds fair enough. Problem is, the Jazz are the last team anyone wants to face now, especially in Utah (you can't even get real beer there). The Blazers cannot find a way to win inside EnergySolutions Arena, having won just two of their past 17 games in Utah, a stat only made worse when you notice that the Jazz have won 10 of their past 11 games in Salt Lake City. Oh, the Jazz have victories in their past eight games at home as well. Depressed yet?
Well dry those eyes and put down that 3.2% beer. Last week's 106-95 loss was brutal for Portland, especially since the Jazz essentially won that game in the first dozen minutes of play, eventually piling on a 21 point advantage when the buzzer sounded at the end of the opening quarter. But after the first quarter the Blazers fared quite well, actually outscoring the Jazz 79-69 the rest of the night. Portland needs to come quick out of the gates in Utah, and remind the Jazz that last week's loss is still fresh in their mind.
A Boozer-less Jazz team isn't as weak as the Roy-less Blazers, and you can thank near-Portlander Paul Millsap for that. Since Boozer hobbled into the dressing room in the Rose Garden, Millsap has seen increased minutes and has averaged over 28 points and 11 boards in his past two games. If he hits those numbers against Portland, it won't be a good sign. Winning in Utah is not impossible, and considering the odd path this season has taken for the Blazers, stranger things most definitely have happened. The question is, will Wednesday be one of those nights?
It’s crazy to wait on this thing. Batum has the most potential of ANY of the young Trail Blazers. The kid is downright Pippen-esqe — highly skilled and magnetic to watch at both ends of the floor. You can’t take your eyes off him.
Last season when Portland was taking offers at the trade deadline, the one request that would end any potential talks immediately would be when a team would ask for Batum in a deal. Charlotte was rumored to be one of the teams who badly wanted a shot at Batum. It didn't happen then, and no one is getting him now.
"They have given us life," said LaMarcus Aldridge, who led the Blazers with 17 points. "Nic does everything for us, guarding anyone, running around on offense, and Rudy does what he does: makes shots."
For a Portland team working without Brandon Royto drop 118 points per 100 possessions on one of the better defenses in the NBA, a defense that only gives up 102 points per 100afterthis contest? It might be one of the better team-based performances of the season.
Andrew R. Tonry touched on it below, but it is worth repeating. Kendrick Perkins is a lumbering presence below the basket for the Celtics, and because of that, he's tops in the NBA with an excellent 63% shooting percentage. Nicolas Batum is shooting 64%, and unlike Perkins, these aren't just mere tip-ins, put-backs, and jumpers within a few feet of the rim.
Of course, Batum has only been back for five games, so that's a loaded number. It will decrease. Right? At this point in this baffling season for the Trail Blazers, it's hard to predict how anything will shake out. In the player pile-up at the SF position, most Portland fans will take Batum over Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw based primarily on the second year player's potential. He might not have the clutch scoring of Outlaw, or the outside touch of Webster, but someday he just might.
But did anyone see that someday coming so soon?
After a Summer spent repping les couleurs for the French National Team, Batum returned to the States, along with the deafening buzz that his game significantly improved. No longer just all-arms and defensive stops, Batum's offensive game blossomed (I know a summer in France and the term "blossomed" sounds like the description of every art house coming-of-age film: "She was a girl from America, who blossomed into a woman in Paris..."), but all that was derailed when he tore his labrum and missed the majority of the first half of the season.
Defensively, it's pretty clear that Batum has not missed a step. Both Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are still shaking in their bunk beds (the Bobcats save money by bunking up) after Batum's hand spent the final quarter of last night's game squarely in their respective grills. It might have been the finest defensive shutdown on the Rose Garden hardwood since Webster gave Kobe Bryant fits during the Blazers' 107-98 victory in early January. But it's Batum's offense that has been so extraordinary. In this five game preview off the bench, Batum has displayed an offensive killer instinct only hinted at last season in his pair of memorable highlight reel dunks over the agape jaw of Pau Gasol. In very limited numbers he's still a threat from beyond the arch (40%), but it's near the rim that "Frenchy 88" has done the most damage. Whether or not Batum is in the starting five come Wednesday remains to be seen, but there is little doubt that what we are all witnessing from Batum is his vast potential quickly becoming reality.
Patty Mills was on the court during the final minutes, which says everything one might want to know about the the competition
Monday night. Still, fans wanted two things: free Chalupas and for Mills to score his first points at the Rose Garden.
In the waning seconds Rudy Fernandez hit Mills in the corner, but Mills, perhaps a bit jittery in his home debut,
found himself about two-feet out of bounds when he caught the ball. It wasn't as if his heel was on the line--Mills was
practically on the Bobcat bench.
Afterwards I asked Mills about the play. He was predictably sheepish, saying that he didn't really know what happened.
He said that his Blazer teammates busted his chops about being so far out of bounds, but added that "it's all in good fun."
So no shot and no Chalupa (a blessing in disguise). It was about as dramatic as Monday's 98-79 victory would
get.
Which is to say there was no drama. And that's just fine.
Over the last two weeks, the Blazers have teetered on the brink of catastrophe and brilliance in just about every game.
They have almost no nails left to bite. As such, grabbing an easy win for the first time since Jan. 15, was an especially welcome
relief. It took a little prodding to get Nate McMillan to say so, but he eventually came clean:
Really, the Blazers beat the Bobcats in just about every way. Portland topped Charlotte in rebounding (28 to 25), field
goal percentage (52.5% to 43.1%), three point percentage (37.5% to 30%), fast break points (12 to four) assists and
attempts. The Bobcats led in only free throws and forced turnovers (but only by one).
Larry Brown was quick to praise the Blazers and their bench in particular. (He was talking pretty quietly, so the audio
may not come through. He said: "Their bench was great: Batum, Cunningham, Fernandez, and Blake, their bench was
so good. I think their starters did a good job but their bench was far superior. I think they really determined the
game.")
Portland jumped out to a quick lead, finishing the first quarter up 29-19. LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 17 on eight of
12 from the field, said that Saturday's wild win helped provide the Blazers some motivation tonight--that and they wanted
badly to erase a two-game losing streak at the Rose Garden.
Every Blazer who got significant minutes Monday answered the call with a solid contribution. No one in Black, Red and Silver
played a bad game.
After scoring 52 on Saturday, Andre Miller was content distributing the ball. He finished with 10 assists, and helped
the Blazers push the tempo, at times even off made baskets. During one second quarter sequence he lofted a perfect pass to
LaMarcus Aldridge, who beat the Bobcat defenders back (Aldridge missed, but Dante Cunningham was there to tip-in the miss).
On the following play Miller did it again, this time to a streaking Nicolas Batum who was able to finish.
Dante Cunningham played his best game yet as a Blazer, setting new career highs in points (10) and minutes (30). His
mid-range jumper is solid, and figures only to get better with time. As he gets the defensive schemes arranged better in
his head, Cunningham should continue to get more minutes and more buckets as the season progresses. (Anyone doubt that
he'll finish the season with a career high of more than 10?)
And, as is quickly becoming the new norm in Portland, Batum was fantastic. Each game he's flashing star-type potential.
Monday Batum was everywhere--inside, out, in the lanes, bringing the ball up on the break, disrupting opposing player's
shots and passes and pulling down rebound after rebound. While doing yeoman's work keeping the lid on Gerald Wallace and
Stephen Jackson, Batum scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards. Asked afterwards if he was surprised about his returning
with such aplomb, Batum admitted he was. That said, the humble rookie is gone--again Batum's admission. I asked about how
much his off-season in France contributed to the striking jump in his offensive play. (The video begins with a closeup of
Batum's shoes, which say “Frenchy88” across the strap.)
While there is no denying Batum is quickly becoming an absolute stud, I hope it doesn't come at the expense of Martell
Webster losing his consistency or confidence. Batum saw more minutes than Webster tonight—as perhaps he should have—and got
all the important time down the stretch. At one point, with the win assured, Webster could be seen gnawing heavily on his
fingernails. It seems the immediate emergence and exponential growth of Batum caught Webster—like the rest of us—totally
by surprise. The only difference is, Batum isn't going to take our jobs.
Unsurprisingly, members of the media asked coach McMillan after the game if he was considering Batum for a role in the
starting lineup. Smiling, McMillan said Batum is doing fine where he is--sort of a dodge. But strangely enough, after all
these injury issues, not having enough guys to dress, the Blazers could be headed towards controversy over minutes. It's a
good problem to have, I suppose, but with the inconsistent Webster, a delicate one.
So maybe there was a little drama Monday after all...
Notes: Since his return, Batum is shooting 64% from the field. That is insane. Kendrick Perkins leads the NBA with a 63% average, and he never shoots from more than two feet from the rim.
Ezra Ace Caraeff | 
