Last night was a fun distraction. And because it was both fun, and distracting, I’m not going to waste too much time either recapping the events of LaMarcus Aldridge’s Rip City Basketball Classic or lamenting the fact that the deal currently on the table is going to be rejected come Wednesday and that when that happens the 2011-12 season is all but dead in the water.
For good recaps check out Oregonlive or Blazeredge. For a good take on the deal situation and what the charity game really means in relation to all that stuff check out Canzano. (I promise this will be the only time I say that)
So, here’s what I do have to offer: PHOTOS!!
Enjoy…
Kevin Durant was the center of attention pregame, and as you can guess, the majority of the questions were lockout related. The short version: no deal.
Ben has a great Chris Johnson story. If you haven’t heard it (or more accurately read it) do it NOW.
The Canadians were everywhere. Listen to their Portland podcast if you haven’t already.
Player rep Spencer Hawes wasn’t on the announced roster, but seeing as he’s from Seattle he was a natural late addition. In my opinion his match up with Jeff Pendergraph was one of the best of the evening, and not just because of their battling hair styles.
Insert Raymond Felton joke.
The actual game was mostly offense–which is to be expected given the circumstances–but there were some moments of defense. Here’s one.
It was mostly dunks. This is Chris Johnson trying not to hit his head on the top of the backboard.
Watching CJ play defense on LaMarcus was fun, and reminded everybody in the building that one flagrant and a big block on the Playoff MVP might be enough to kick start a big time career.
There were plenty of And1 Mixtape-style in-game antics. Something I for one will not miss should there ever be an NBA season again.
KD versus Wesley Matthews will be something that we’ll all miss.
Nate Robinson versus Isiah Thomas, or the battle of the two smallest Huskies on record. Advantage Isiah, mostly because everybody already knew Nate Rob can jump out of the building. Isiah’s dunking ability was pretty impressive.
This might be my favorite photo of the evening, because you just can’t knock this dude’s hustle (even if you don’t agree with his politics).
Lots of questions about Jeff Pendergraph coming in. For a guy that hasn’t played pro ball since the beginning of last season he looked good. He had some rusty moments, but he can still dunk.
Jamal Crawford supplied the game’s clinching dunk–and plenty of its best theatrics–and his intention/desire to come to Portland is a hot topic that has spread like wildfire. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Blazer jersey, especially if the team is forced to let go of another legendary player from Seattle. Spoiler Alert: Brandon Roy (the game’s only no-show).
James Harden’s beard is winning the lockout.
Hope you guys enjoyed my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. Now if we can only get some real basketball…
Email me: mike@ripcityproject.com
Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject