Trail Blazers Weekly Recap: 3/14-3/20

1 of 2

Mar 18, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson (9) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the second quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

A look back at last week from the Trail Blazers

As much as it pains me to say it, the Portland Trail Blazers have cooled off from their February hot streak. Leave it to some road trips and a tougher schedule to bring the Blazers back to scramble mode, as they sit in a tightly contested race with four teams. Portland, Dallas and Houston are all within a half game of each other, while Utah has come back to life and just sit two games back from the playoffs. Portland now has two days off to think about how to lock up a playoff spot with just 11 games to go.

Mar 14, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cameron Payne (22) passes the ball in front of Portland Trail Blazers guard Brian Roberts (2) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Thunder 128 vs. Blazers 94

Why did we lose?

Back in January, Damian Lillard stole a game from the Thunder with 17 points in the final three minutes in undoubtedly the most exciting game of the season. So it’s only fitting that this game is one of the biggest disappointments. Behind Russell Westrbook’s triple-double and great game from Enes Kanter, the Thunder wanted to send a message to Portland by playing similarly to how Portland was playing in February. The stat lines aren’t even worth mentioning, it’s just easier to say that Portland couldn’t hit a shot even if the basket was ten feet wide.

Improvements?

Rip City has got to be nervous about the playoffs. Playing in a hostile environment against a good team, Portland got their butts kicked. Portland needs to feed off of Lillard’s chip on his shoulder, because all of the praise nationally can disappear overnight with a lackluster performance in the playoffs. So dig deep, play hard, and start playing with poise again.

What did we learn?

Despite being late in the season, the Blazers need to make a few more tweaks. It seems that the mindset lately has been, “we made it and now we just have to hold on before it’s too late”. If we don’t play hungry anymore, then teams will take advantage and our surprising season will end just like this one, just on a bigger stage.

Mar 17, 2016; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills (8, front) and Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0, behind) watch a free throw during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Spurs 118 vs. Blazers 110

Why did we lose?

Being the conspiracy theorist I am, the Spurs must be so good that they rest in the first half so they can play 100% in the second half and destroy their opponents. The third quarter alone won the Spurs the game in outscoring Portland by 15. Then the carpet was laid for Gregg Poppavich to do what he does best, hold onto leads. Also, granted I don’t have access to a lot of Spurs games, but it just seems that Patty Mills goes off on us every time, with 17 points in this outing.

Improvements?

Coming off the Thunder game, we were poised to not get caught off guard. Yet after halftime, it wasn’t just getting outplayed, our defense was no match for their firepower as each shot looked easy. Yes the Spurs haven’t lost at home all year, and it’s already tough to win without stellar play from your superstar. I agree Lillard can become that on any given night, but without scoring help, it’s too much of a load for Lillard and C.J. McCollum to carry by themselves.

What did we learn?

There is something going on with our defense that good teams are pouncing on. With most of our attention focused on offense, we’ve allowed close to 130 points in the last few games. Lillards pick and roll defense has been pretty bad, but screen recovery in general is bad overall has been the root cause, with opposing players getting open so easily.

Next: Last Week Continued