If you’re wondering why it wasn’t there for Thursday night’s games…well I didn’t watch them. I figured Coup would talk about Avery (he did) and you could make your own jokes up about how bad Miami is (I’m sure you did).
Also….there’s really only one game that mattered last night.
Portland 119, Lakers 109
You’re silly if you didn’t think this was going to be that one. I mean…really…you know where we’re from right. For a reminder, take a look to the left and right and tell me what you see. I’ll be waiting.
……
Ok.
Last night stirred some memories from the early 00’s. It wasn’t just the fact that Portland is finally considered in the “good” category again. It wasn’t that the Lakers were on a sick winning streak and were at the top of the conference. Nor was it the sell-out crowds, the BEAT L-A chants or the annoying hometown commentary from Rice/Barrett. It wasn’t even KP busting out the Big Game Pink. It was the fact that this was a Laker team with a swagger. A swagger similar to the one they carried in the early parts of this decade. They had Kobe bobbing his head and talking trash, Vujacic being European and Pau…well he just naturally has a swagger. This Laker team is hateable just like that early Laker team was. And that is something to keep tabs on.
To the game…if you gave me a vote for the top-3 most important Blazers, number one would be Roy but dangit it James Jones wouldn’t be right behind him. The numbers support it: 23-12 when he goes, 8-16 when he doesn’t. The difference with them in the game compared to the last two games was like night and day. I had to catch myself from going ‘wow we really could make the playoffs’ because the math is definitely not in our favor this year. However, for some reason our engine runs so much smoother when they play it isn’t even funny. If you’re wondering who the next two would be….Outlaw and Big Joel. Outlaw gives us all scoring off the bench and Big Joel, well he’s one of the few who will rebound and does the little things so well.
To the actual game…the Blazers got a lil lucky to be honest with you. I’m not going to sacrifice hometown cooking for facts, EVER, so let me state them. If the Lakers could have hit three pointers last night we would have lost for sure. LA shot 18.5% from behind the arc (5-27). Fisher and Farmar went 0-for-9, Kobe and Vujacic went 4-for-16. They got 13 offensive rebounds, not to mention the other 10-12 that were just absolute adventures for Portland to snag. Those offensive rebounds led to wide open threes that the Lakers just could not knock down for some reason. We need LMA to start snagging some defensive rebounds, there is no reason why Jarrett Jack should have two more than him. Offensively, the Blazers did a great job simply of not beating themselves. Six turnovers on the night would make any coach cream themselves.
It was fun to watch…despite the fact that I feel for the little kids and teenagers who are getting their basketball IQ’s shaped by Mike Rice and Mike Barrett. Their second to only Heinsohn when it comes to it. It bothers me to the highest degree.
(Oh and if the Blazers find a way to beat Golden State and Phoenix, expect that playoff post. My apologies in advance.)
Just to not be a homer….6 thoughts from last night.
- Don’t think Houston isn’t dead because they are 2-0 without Yao. They beat a horrible Memphis team and a depleted/exhausted Washington team. So I don’t want to hear any of that, we’ll see how they do in March against the giants of the West. Show me what you got Houston.
- Rajon Rondo: 16 assists at the age of 21. He’s going to be something people.
- So tell me what’s more depressing for a Seattle fan. Reading all those Save The Sonics posts from Simmons and ralizing the sad situation or losing at home to Miami? Why Riley keeps throwing D-Wade out there for 40 minutes now is pretty ridiculous. I mean even if they break a record and win the rest of their games they aren’t cracking .500. Let the man rest.
- The Pacers continue to baffle me. One night they lose at home to Chicago….the next they win at Toronto WITHOUT Danny Granger (in addition to no Jermaine or Tinsley). I don’t get it…but in Dunleavy They Trust I guess.
- The Bulls baffle me in a completely different way. With that roster there is absolutely no reason why they should be this bad. Losing home games to a Wizards team without Caron and Gilbert? Come on now. Interim Coach Jim Boylan should get chokeslammed through a table.
- I like how Biedrins and his appendix have made Don Nelson start Brandan Wright. Wasn’t the whole reason they got Webber was because he didn’t believe in Wright? Yet he’s starting beside him and outplaying him. Hmmm.