Hang on I’m still reeling.
Just a little bit more.
Ok. Damn. I mean it. Damn. I, like most of you, wanted that one pretty badly. And to lose it on an ugly, frontside banked-in three has to make your heart drop a couple inches. But that type of thing happens in the NBA — how do you think Houston fans felt after Roy stuck the 0.3 dagger? There’s more than one reason we lost, but also plenty of things we did well. The sun will come up and the season will continue, so let’s calmly talk about what happened.
SJ was spot on with his preview about Orlando hitting three’s. You aren’t going to see too many nights when road teams go 14-of-27 from the arc. Part of that was due to some players going nuts (Jameer Nelson, anyone?) but a larger part was due to the lacking pick-and-roll defense from Portland. For some odd reason, anytime Nelson and Rashard Lewis ran the pick, one of them would eventually get space to chuck a three. As the game progressed the Blazers got a little better at this, but Orlando was just too on. There are going to be plenty of fans saying we should have fouled Dwight Howard on the inbounds on the final play, and plenty more blaming Travis Outlaw for giving up the three. There’s no right or wrong to fouling a poor foul shooter in that situation, but personally I prefer playing straight up D — which Travis did while avoiding contact, and Hedo made a tip-your-hat shot. The final play isn’t what lost the game, folks.
The four possessions prior is what did Portland in. Let’s take a look: Following LMA’s jumper that gave Portland the 108-100 lead, Jameer Nelson hits his second-consecutive three. Fine, how often is that going to happen? Blazers are still up five with 1:40 left. Then Travis takes a contested three at the top of the key — not as much ill-advised as not what Portland needed. But they get the defensive stop on Jameer’s layup. Cool. 1:31 left and we’re still in control. Blazers come down again, Steve Blake misses a three, again not what we needed, but Roy blocks Hedo’s runner, Blazers up five with a minute to go. Super duper. Blazers take timeout (fine). Blazers take another timeout because they can’t inbound the ball (not fine).
This is where the Magic wisely decided to double Roy no matter where he was or what he was doing. They were taking him out of the game. The Blazers should get used to that. Somehow though, Blake turns the ball over trying to get through his own double team (the Magic rotated like demons). Our collective hearts are speeding up now. Keith Bogans fortunately misses a wide open three, a ray of sunshine, only he collects his own board, gives it up to Lewis on the baseline, who steps back for a Reggie Miller-esque three — lightning strikes.
Still up two with 29 seconds left. Orlando keeps up the Roy doubling, but rather than using that to get someone else open — all someone needed to do was flash middle — the Blazers force the ball back to Roy, who uncharacteristically dribbles into the double on the sideline, unable to get past, and has to take an airball three. There were lots of things wrong with that possession, but the point is, you have to take advantage of such a blatant double team. That’s something the Blazers haven’t had years to figure out, especially with Rudy on the court — though a timeout would’ve been useful.
That being said, LMA did a great job grabbing the offensive board in traffic. No, he didn’t get the shot off in time, but he did have Dwight Howard pulling the front of Aldridge’s jersey into his armpit. That was a foul. A mugging. Blatant. It’s futile to complain about the refs, and they were letting them play at the end, but LaMarcus has a valid complaint tonight.
From there, we all know what happened. Game Over, man, Game Over. The Blazers let a very good three-point shooting team get on a roll by not defending the pick-and-roll early and then wasted prime-time games from Roy and LMA by not executing down the stretch. But this was against the third-best team in the East, not the Knicks, and Nate has some obvious points to address before Utah on Thursday. When you wake up in the morning you will feel better (if you avoid Sportscenter). Unless your me, and Martell Webster being out four weeks was the worst thing that happened to you tonight.
Other notes:
-Maestro Roy did it all tonight, and it would be unfair to criticize him for missing five free throws when he was the reason the Blazers were where they were. I’m sure those, as will as some missed bunnies in the early going, are eating at him.
-That’s the LaMarcus Aldridge I want to see every night. Seeing him crashing the boards, power dunking and pushing Howard right back is like a sweet lullaby before I go to sleep. While he didn’t have too many points out of the post, this is still a game the Blazers should show him, say “This is how good you can be every night,” and just leave the room with the film still playing. Probably doesn’t hurt that Mo Lucas is back in practice action. I loved this LaMarcus.
-Joel did his man thing with Greg saddled with foul trouble all night. I categorically refuse to rip on Greg for a bad game, and those of you who choose to do that, at least think before you say anything. Unless he literally turns into Kwame Brown, stops playing defense and stops rebounding, Greg has a free pass from me until at least the All-Star break, and maybe longer. I do not say that lightly.
-Sergio and Rudy both shot 3-of-9, but both kept Portland in the game. Rudy had the flashier plays, but Sergio was as solid a playmaker as I’ve seen him. I kept waiting for Rudy to get the ball and take the ball to the rack in those last couple possessions, but the Blazers had tunnel-vision, and Roy was the light at the end of it.
-Dwight Howard sure can fade late into games can’t he? He had a key putback, but the Magic just don’t seem to have any confidence in him at the line in the fourth quarter. They aren’t going to win too many seven-game series if they can’t score in the paint late in games. I don’t care who you’re shooters are, eventually they are going to miss, and teams like Boston can do a late to make you do that.
And that’s that. It was therapeutic just writing about the game. Like I mentioned before, the Blazers need to tweak that pick-and-roll defense with Utah coming right up, but there’s nothing wrong with a healthy 15-rebound advantage. We’re still 15-8, and may have just been due for a little heartbreak.
And if we’re counting, the Lakers lost to the Kings tonight. Worse things can happen than a buzzer beater with the Magic.