And here….we…..GO.
There is a large buzz surrounding this game, and for good reason. Nationally this is a great matchup. KG, Pierce, Jesus and the gang against Oden, Roy and the ‘shockingly surging’ Blazers. The team of the present against the team of the future. ESPN tonight, the bright lights will be on…it would be easy to get caught up in the hype.
(And let’s also be thankful to Boston for taking Sebastian Telfair off of our hands and blessing us with Raef’s Expiring Contract)
Let’s remember one thing: this man typing right now hates hype. I hate hype more than parents hate MySpace. So pardon me while I put my Debbie Downer hat on at points of this preview, but I’ll remain grounded in realism. It’s great that Portland is in a position where this is a big game. You can’t help but love the excitement. But at the same time let’s remember a few things.
- This is December. This is the 21st game of 82. There is so much basketball left to be played it is not even funny. It’s great to have a buzz around the game but this will not make or break the season. This won’t even put a dent in it. A win would be phenomenal times twelve, but either way the world will continue rotating, the economy will still be a mess and the Blazers will still play 60 more games including on Sunday against Toronto.
- The Blazers are still winning this road trip.
- Still well above .500 with a a high ceiling. Win or lose, I’d rather be in this situation than the messes in Dallas and Phoenix.
Tonight is a test for Portland.
A big test. A win won’t mean the crown gets put on the Blazers cap and a loss won’t mean all the progress is done. Let’s not necessarily get caught up in wins and losses with this one. I’m going into this one wanting to see how good the Blazers are. If anything the Blazers have proven that they are pretty good with a very, very high ceiling ahead of them. I look at tonight’s game as a chance to see just how much work it’s going to take to get where we want to go. A team like Boston is the perfect test. Great defense, great offense, a lot of talent, grind-it-out style of play. Barring an off-night you really have to play great basketball to compete with the C’s. I want to see if Portland is up for the challenge. The last time the Blazers faced a great team on the road was opening night…and yeah. This is going to be a tough game, and to be honest with you I believe anything could happen. The Celtics could overpower Portland from the jump and take it easily. It’s possible. Portland could continue their elevated play, battle, battle and find another game-winning run in the 4th. Again, possible. Boston could do the same thing to Portland. No result should be surprising. The only disappointment that could be found tonight is if Portland doesn’t show up and compete. And Nate has done such a good job that I highly doubt that will happen. A prepared and confident Portland team should be able to put up a great fight in this one.
Despite all the hype for this one…It’s still December. Boston are still the defending champs. And despite the early success, the Blazers are still a Team In Progress. Yes, the progress has been more accelerated than many of us could have imagined at this point but we’re worldbeaters yet. Let’s not fool ourselves here. I may be setting the bar low again but I’m just trying to be realistic. Boston has won 10 straight games, 18 of 20 on the year, 11 of 12 at home and 4 of their last 5 home wins have been blowouts. They enter tonight with the league’s best defense, holding team to 90 points a game and forcing nearly 16 turnovers a game. They are a juggernaut right now. Human? Yes. Beatable? Absolutely. But it’s going to take a hell of a team effort from the Blazers for 48 minutes to walk into Boston and come out with a victory.
The keys to success?
- Don’t get caught staring at the pinstripes. What I mean by that is don’t get caught up in the fact that it’s Boston the mighty defending champions. Go out and play Blazer Basketball. It’s the job of the fans to look at everything Boston has done and gulp, not the players. Make sure everyone unpacks their swagger and brings it to the Garden.
- Hit the three-ball. Boston’s holding their opponents to 6′ three’s a game at 34%. Portland averages 8 makes at 41%. They have to win that battle there.
- Get out to a good start. This is going to be key. After a great start in Detroit, the Blazers struggled early against New York and Washington. Struggling early against Boston is not an option, they are the type of team who sees you’re stuck in a hole, buries you and then parks their car over it.
- Keep the emotions/nerves in check. Dwight Jaynes may want to knock KG out but the Blazers have to continue their mature basketball. They can’t let the crowd, KG or any nonsense get to them. Brandon Roy should take care of this but for some reason I see Kendrick Perkins being able to get under LaMarcus’ skin on a hard foul.
- Take care of the ball. Stay well below that 15-16 Boston is making people turnover.
- Everyone has to show up and play well.
I’m excited…but after all I’ve said I have to re-iterate this. It’s just one game people. This one doesn’t count for +5 or -5. It should be a fun game to watch. A victory would be great but it’s ok either way. Indiana beat Boston and Los Angeles and they are the second worst team in the Eastern Conference. So let’s not get too caught up here.