Feb 22, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Will Barton (5) drives against Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) during the game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Seriously, you all should know how much I “clamored” for the #Blazer 5 Rookie Lineup but to quote Switch in The Matrix: “Not like this.”

— Candace Buckner (@blazerbanter) April 10, 2013

If you’re the kind of Blazer fan I am, about a month and a half ago, when it seemed like Portland might pull of the impossible and be in contention down the stretch, you probably looked at this third to last home game in April as being one of the biggest games of the season.

Blazers vs. Lakers in Portland. Always a showstopper; always must-see basketball. A contending Portland team against a flailing LA team needing every single win they can muster to have a shot at the post season.

Part of that narrative maintains. The Lakers are fighting for the last playoff spot on the Western Conference ladder, they need wins in the worst way as they try to hold of the Utah Jazz and avoid being one of the biggest flops in recent NBA memories.

Sadly, the home section of the story has changed. Portland’s second half schedule, as expected, was certainly too tough for the upstart Blazers to keep winning. They’ve faded down the stretch, and if things hold, they’ll end 2012-13 without getting a win in more than a month.

There’s no doubt that Wednesday’s game will be played in front of a vocal crowd, there’s no doubt that there will be some drama, and there’s not doubt that it will be fun to watch. But there’s just not as much riding on this game as we once hoped there would be. Sure, Portland can play spoiler, but with nearly half of the roster scratched or listed as probable or worse, and the rest of the roster consisting of rookies (both battle tested and green) and garbage-timers, hoping for a positive outcome from the Blazers is a classic example of setting yourself up for disappointment.

So after all of that, what is to be made of Wednesday night. Might I suggest you hop over to Portland Roundball Society and check out the estimable Danny Nowell’s treatise on what spring ball is all about (couched in praise for Will Barton’s coming of age moment against the Dallas Mavericks last weekend). If Sunday was a lesson in what can happen when the right player is given the right amount of playing time in the right game situation, Wednesday can be a lesson in young players rising to the occasion and taking advantage of to opportunities they have been given.

Blazers Starting 5: PG Damian Lillard, SG Will Barton, SF Victor Claver, PF Joel Freeland, C Meyers Leonard

Lakers Starting 5: PG Steve Blake, SG Kobe Bryant, SF Earl Clark, PF Pau Gasol, C Meyers Leonard

Basically any way you spin it, the match-ups for Wednesday night favor the Los Angeles Lakers. Even if the five-rookie starting lineup is a unrealized dream of a select few, Portland WILL be without Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, two of the teams more able one-on-one defenders. Because of those rather important roster omissions, somebody will be tasked with trying to contain (or maybe even stop) Kobe Bryant.

Will Barton has the potential makings of a strong perimeter defender (long arms, good anticipation and reaction time, high basketball IQ), but as things stand at the moment, Kobe will have no trouble against Portland’s newest rookie of the moment. Bryant doesn’t have the step he once did, but he has the range to keep Barton up in his body, the quickness and craftiness to take Barton off the dribble, and the relative mass and strength to protect the ball inside and with his back to the basket.

If Will starts, and draws Kobe as his defensive assignment, he’ll have two things to try to accomplish. First, he needs to play within his abilities, meaning he can’t let the moment get the better of him and try to better Kobe one-on-one from a defensive stand-point. He needs to do things like shade Kobe to help-side defenders, find Kobe when shots go up to limit Bryant’s offensive rebounds and second-chance points, and stay at home on Kobe’s myriad of pump-fakes, head bobs, and various other tricks he employs to great effect to get defenders off their feet and in dangerous situations.

This last thing dovetails nicely with what will be Barton’s secondary prime directive: don’t foul. Staying out of foul trouble is doubly important for Will. He needs to stay on the floor because he’s one of Portland’s deeper rotation players who can score, and not fouling limits the number of points Kobe will get for free. Bryant is going to score (a lot), that absolutely can not be avoided. What can be avoided is letting Kobe pad his scoring numbers with trip after trip to the charity stripe. Thirty to thirty-five points from Bryant doesn’t kill you. Thirty to thirty-five points from the field and another 15+ from the free throw line does.

Moving on from Kobe, LA’s biggest advantage will be in the post. If/when the Lakers clinch a playoff spot, much of the media focus will be on who they play and how well they can be expected to fair in the first round. Their opponent will be either the Spurs of San Antonio or the Thunder from Oklahoma City. Bet that someone will pick LA to win their series, and bet that that person’s justification for that Laker win will be two-fold. One) Kobe plus a couple other future Hall of Famers who can and will turn it up in the post season. and Two) the Lakers still have arguably one of the best front court tandems in the league.

If you want to see what the Laker bigs can do and how they can do it, Wednesday’s is the game to watch. If LaMarcus Aldridge sits (which I think he will), Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard will make short work of Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard. Nothing against Portland’s two rookie bigs, I believe both guys have the potential to be contributors at the NBA level, the Lakers are going to go inside a lot, and they are going to find very little in the way of one-on-one resistance.

What to Watch For

• Will Portland be able to capitalize on the advantages they will have. The Blazers are significantly younger than the Lakers and they have very little on the line. LA needs this win, and they know it. There’s a chance that the pressure gets in the collective Laker heads and causes them to play tight. The Lakers have Golden State, San Antonio, and Houston after Portland to finish the season. The Spurs are locked in a heated race with the Thunder for the number one seed and a date with the Lakers in the first round. As much as Gregg Popovich doesn’t care about the regular season, my guess is San Antonio tries a little bit in their last few games. Houston and Golden State are into the post season but fighting each other for sixth and seventh place, those teams are both going to try and finish the season strong. The Lakers’ last easy game is Wednesday. Hopefully that means they’ll fall flat on their face. Along with having nothing to play for and thus nothing to lose, Portland has an advantage at the point guard position. Damian Lillard should be able to eat Steve Blake alive on both ends. If Lillard can have a huge game, his team might be able to follow.
• Can the Blazers stay close and stay engaged. Portland let Sunday’s game against the Mavericks get away from them early. They came back and made it interesting, but never really threatened. If Portland can avoid getting down by big margins, they’ll give themselves a chance.
• Who shows up and who do they root for. The Blazers have drawn remarkably well in the last month and change considering the season has been over for awhile. LA draws well in Portland, I’m sure they draw well everywhere, and with the Blazers starting all rookies and not winning, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more Laker fans in the Rose Garden than Blazer fans. It will be interesting to see how the team responds/reacts to playing in front of a less favorable crowd, especially if it gets ugly.

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

April 7, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Will Barton (5) reacts after a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks in the second half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Will Barton shocked the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and every spectator in between with a career performance in last night’s 91-96 loss to Dallas. Starting shooting guard, Wesley Matthews, left the game in the second quarter after sustaining a right ankle sprain, and would not return; at which point, the Blazers trailed 22-40. It looked like another disappointing loss for Portland on the scoreboard and roster alike, but Barton really stepped up in Portland’s time of need.

Will’s Stat Line: 22 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 0 turnovers.

Barton shot 7/11 from the field and 8/9 from the free throw line. Perhaps more impressively, he was consistently able to post up Dallas’ Vince Carter and get important stops for Portland in the 4th quarter. Think about that for a moment. Will Barton is 6’5” 170 and Vince Carter is 6’6” 225. Carter has had one of the most notable resurgent seasons in recent memory and the wisp of NBA physique that is Will Barton was able to hold him to 2 points in the final frame.

Will’s exceptional play on both ends of the floor is what allowed Portland to stay in this game. In fact, there were a few instances in which Will made an exceptional pass only to have LaMarcus fail to convert (sorry big guy). Barton showed simply flawless decision making at times. He was in position to reel in the defensive rebound on nearly every possession, he was aggressive in traffic, he created opportunities for his teammates, and he finished when it counted. Actually, he finished many of his shots while being absolutely clobbered. The often silent whistles were not enough to keep him at bay and his ferocity paid dividends.

Barton’s determination was the highlight Portland needed to quell their late season’s erosive monotony. Sometimes the fans need to be reminded that although the outlook is bleak for now, there are rays of hope bursting through fog. There are moments in life that we take with us and grasp tightly in our loneliest instances of self-doubt; last night’s coming out party will be there for Will throughout his NBA career and beyond. As for me, seeing his reception from the home fans and the rest of his teammates when all was said and done was bigger than a W.

Of course, one night does not an all star make. Look for Barton to see extended minutes if Matthews remains sidelined for any period of time. He won’t get these numbers every night (or even again this season), but we all know what he is capable of. With excellence comes expectation, and this glimpse has left him teetering on the cusp of the latter.

@davidmackaypdx | @ripcityproject | davidmackaypdx@gmail.com

April 7, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts after being fouled by Portland Trail Blazers small forward Luke Babbitt (8) in the first half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

“I don’t believe in moral victories.” — Blazers G Damian Lillard

— Ben Golliver (@blazersedge) April 8, 2013

Sunday April 7th 2013 very likely won’t be memorable for much. It probably won’t be the type of evening that gets replayed in the minds of every Blazer fan. However, it was an evening, and a game, that illustrated one of the stranger quirks of the NBA game.

Game 77 was meaningless from start to finish, there was nothing to be gained and nothing to be lost. Yes, finishing 2012-13 without a win in nearly a month doesn’t look good, but that’s all. It won’t change Portland’s draft position, it won’t lead to the coach’s firing, it probably won’t even have a lasting impact on the Blazers’ roster; the same four guys that carried the load this season will carry the load next season.

So why not celebrate a little bit when Will Barton, a glorified cheerleader for much of his rookie season, goes off? Why not celebrate a little when Portland works back from being down nearly 30? Why not celebrate a little when on a Sunday evening a half full Rose Garden goes full nova when a jumper cuts a deficit from 16 to 14 with less than 10 to play in the fourth quarter?

This team is not going to win many of their next five games, they might not win any at all, but they are going to win some games next year, if free agency goes well (or at least not horribly) they could win a lot of games next year. There needs to be something down the stretch that brings this team together. There needs to be something down the stretch that this team can be happy about.

That’s why it was a bit of a shock to see Damian Lillard respond the way he did to Sunday’s game. Lillards frustration has been evident over the last few games. It was never more clear than Sunday night. He’s hell-bent on winning, to the point that while his teammates were ribbing Will Barton for being of the center of attention in the post-game locker room, Dame was not. While LaMarcus Aldridge was laughing and joking with the media, even while also saying he too didn’t believe in moral victories, Lillard was stoic and straight faced.

It’s not that Portland’s best rookie and future franchise player should suppress his natural inclination to win at all costs so he can join in on the fun his teammates are having, it’s just that at this point in the season why not take a moral victory from a historical performance by a rookie who has shown flashes of something but has yet to make a real impact on a real NBA basketball game?

And it’s more than just a moral victory, really. Portland has roster holes to fill and minutes for next season to allocate. They also have limited resources with which to build a playoff caliber roster. If Will Barton can be a contributor, a real contributor not just a side-show in a late-season game that means nothing to nobody, that’s one less potential bear trap for Neil Olshey this coming off-season.

Barton doesn’t become a rotation player by having one great night, but he makes a case for himself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to throw Lillard under the bus, or to say that his desire to win games that are meaningless is an indication that he somehow doesn’t get it, I just think that the long view is the important one to take at this point. Celebrating the small victories, such as 22 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and not a single turn over in 32 minutes from Will Barton, does not mean you’re comfortable with losing, it does not mean that winning games suddenly becomes less important. It does mean, though that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, that this season, for all it low-lows, is the beginning of something special and not just the first act of a very depressing chapter of Blazer history.

Portland has five games remaining on the schedule, two of them on the road. With Wesley Matthews going down to a sprained ankle and leaving the Rose Garden on crutches and in a boot and Nicolas Batum unlikely to come back, road wins are unlikely. Portland’s home games are against the Lakers (who need wins to stay above water), the Thunder (who need wins to leap-frog the Spurs for the first seed in the Western Conference), and the Warriors (who have a tough final stretch with their only for-sure game coming against the Blazers in Portland’s home finale): home wins aren’t going to be a picnic either.

That’s why I think Sunday is easily the best excuse for a moral victory the Blazers have had this season. Here’s somebody who might agree:

Shoutout to my lil bro @willthethrillb5 for having a career night!

— Lamarcus Aldridge(@aldridge_12) April 8, 2013

One quick thing:

• There are four guys who get all the media attention in Portland’s locker room. I’m sure you can guess which four. However, there are always the odd games out when somebody else, somebody unexpected, gets the TV cameras and the audio recorders jammed in their faces. Will Barton got that treatment Sunday. I can remember a game when Shavlick Randolph had the same thing happen to him. One of my favorite locker room memories of that type came a few seasons ago. Some unexpected Blazer (I think it was Patty Mills but I couldn’t confirm that with anybody I talked to) had a huge game, and as tends to happen, he was mobbed by video cameras and reporters. On his way out of the shower and to his locker, Nicolas Batum stuck his head over the top of the scrum and asked loudly so everybody could hear, “Is that Brandon Roy over there?” Sunday, in a similar fashion, LaMarcus Aldridge, on his way from the shower to his locker, shouted “Where’d you eat today,” to Will Barton as he was answering questions. Barton has never had more than one or two reporters ask him post-game questions all season. He strung his post-game from the time the locker room opened until nearly every other Blazer had already packed up and left.

Box Score

Standings

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

April 7, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Will Barton (5) reacts after a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks in the second half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports