Blazers/Nuggets: The Search for X

VS

Blame Coup if you don’t like the corny sub-title, he started it with Finding Nine and I had to jump on the train. I mean come on, you have to love that it just screams of a straight to DVD sequel. Sort of like what’s happening with American Pie, Bring It On and Save The Last Dance. Anywho back to “normality”, seeing as how Coup is LIVE at the Rose Garden in the presence of Blaze, the Blazer Dancers, the insane new big screen and Rebecca Haarlow it will be I who does a running diary for this game. Is it bad that I’m hoping I get Denver’s announcers? Also anything I miss…blame that on the service at the Olive Garden.

….don’t want to talk about it. Blazers with an insane 16-2 run to start the quarter and to jump us right back in the game. Up until that point we’d done a good job of containing everyone not named AI or Melo but have struggled to really get everything else going.

9:05 PM: Coup texts me the word ‘playoffs’. I tell him to bite his tongue before knowing he meant the atmosphere.

9:11 PM: It’s 89-86 Portland with 4:37 left in the game. B-Roy looks so damn smooth right now even though Denver is running three people at him. Great drive to get to the line…he of course then misses the first of two. He makes the second.

9:13 PM: Got lucky on a pick and roll as we gave Carmelo a wide open jumper that he clanked. On our end B-Roy handles the pressure, comes off the ballscreen gets two to guard him and kicks to LMA for a midrange jumper. Blazers up 92-86.

9:14 PM: AI comes down and bowls over James Jones….anyone not named AI and that’s a charge. Unfortunately he’s a superstar and he’s going to the line. 92-88 Blazers.

9:14 PM: Anthony Carter is faceguarding B-Roy so I’m a little shaky on this possession. Fortunately Jarrett Jack is being guarded by Najera and he rightly goes by him and hits LaMarcus under the rim. LaMarcus gets fouled and misses the first free throw. Where is Schonely?? You’ve got….to make…your free throws. Mike Rice says he’ll make the second one cause he’ll be in rythym… he of course misses.

9:15 PM: AI dashes through the D and gets a layup to make it 92-90 Portland. We have to make someone other than AI or Melo beat us in the 4th quarter. AI is getting to the cup entirely too easy right now. Blazers come back down…B-Roy with a rare turnover. Tension in the Garden.

9:16 PM: Denver is just going to a pick and roll until we figure out how to stop. AI is coming off it like an animal. He’s easily getting to the rack, this time luckily he missed this layup. Not so lucky? Najera with the tip in and we’ve got a tie ballgame with a little over two to go. Why is Przybilla not in? We have no one to guard the hoop or rebound.

9:18 PM: Gotta love the old school Blazers intro music late in the fourth quarter. B-Roy is having to work way to hard to get the ball courtesy of Carter denying. He gives it to LMA who loses it but saves it at halfcourt but it does us no good.

9:19 PM: On our end J-Jack denies AI the ball (THANK GOD) and Melo tries to back B-Roy down. He gets to the lane but gets his shot beat up by Outlaw. His confidence has got to be all the way back up….. WAY UP… GET HIM THE BALL.

9:20 PM: As I requested….They get it to Outlaw who is guarded by Anthony Carter. Please go by him. He blows right by him to the cup with a little runner off the glass. 94-92 Blazers. Melo comes back and beasts Outlaw on the block to tie the game.

9:20 PM: B-Roy pulls a Roy move (i.e. sneaking his way to the basket) but misses the little floater. On Denver’s end AI comes down and comes off the pick and roll…murdering us again. He gets straight to the cup and misses ANOTHER layup. Wow. Najera grabs the board…Roy strips him, they fight over the ball and it goes out of bounds. BLAZER BASKETBALL.

9:21 PM: 94-94 with 52.2 seconds left, Blazer ball. Let’s gooooo.

9:22 PM: They double Roy immediately before he can come off the screen so Outlaw slips. The D collapses and he kicks it to James Jones who pump fakes the three and then gets hacked by Melo. Silly foul. He’s at the line with two big free throws. Bricks the first one. 3/8 in this quarter from the line…holy wow. Second miss of the year for Jones. Here comes Big Joel about a minute too late for rebound purposes? Hold up though. Melo is BLEEEDING.

9:24 PM: After Melo gets cleaned up Jones makes the second. 95-94 Blazers up with 36.2 seconds left.

9:25 PM: Can’t let Melo or AI even take this shot. Kleiza of course makes me shake my head by easily throwing it inbounds…to AI. Roy is guarding him. They switch the pick and roll but throw it into Melo in the post and goes for a fadeaway but B-Roy blocks him. Huge, huge, huge play by B-Roy. We’ve got the ball, Denver has to foul annnnd we get it to..Travis Outlaw?? Can the block carry him that far? He nails the first free throw and we’re up 96-94. That block was huge. He nails them both…who would have thought we’d be saying Travis Outlaw would be nailing clutch free throws that no one else would. Denver’s last timeout and the Garden is ROCKING.

9:28 PM: I’m convinced we need to run a lob play for Outlaw every game to get him going. George Foreman says LETS GRILL EM. B-Roy gives up our foul to give with 12.9 seconds left. 97-94…we should probably foul but we won’t. Iverson goes for the quick two and gets it with a layup. 6.3 seconds left and Portland is up 97-96. Denver has no timeouts left though. They do have Allen Iverson.

9:31 PM: We go to Jarrett Jack and he’s fouled with 4.6 seconds left. He makes the first one on an in and out and in back in. Blazers up 98-96. We need this one. Jack nails the second one. Inbound to Iverson who passes to Kleiza. Kleiza goes to shoot it but OUTLAW BLOCKS IT!! 10 has arrived! The Garden is rocking!! Outlaw’s two blocked shots will give him confidence for a month!

9:33 PM: Rebecca Haarlow kills my buzz with her questions to LaMarcus. It’s ok all is well because the Blazers gutted out another win. And I do mean GUTTED OUT. We’re just finding ways to win. We could have easily folded after only getting one field goal in the final 5 minutes of the third and watching Denver build a lead. However Outlaw sparked us on that amazing 4th quarter run and we made big plays down the stretch to get the W. The search for X is over. Will 11 be our Christmas present? Get your red on.