Bruce Ely - trailblazers.com
During last Fridayâs Trail Blazers Rip City Radio broadcast, Brian âWheelsâ Wheeler and Co. asked fans to compare Blazers players, past and present, to Star Wars characters. All the comparisons fans tweeted in were quite apt. To name a few; Brandon Roy was deemed Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and Joel Przybilla was pegged as Chewbacca. Perhaps the best comparison - offered up by several participants - was good old LaMarcus Aldridge pinned to Darth Vader. It spoke volumes, and explained why he gets booed every time he touches the ball in the Moda Center. Itâs been two years since Aldridge semi-unceremoniously walked away from the Blazers to saddle up with the Spurs, and Blazersâ fans are clearly still sore about it.
Itâs certainly a drag when a marquee player gives up on his team, but it's been a few years now, and everyone should just move on. He couldnât have joined a better organization, considering theyâre coached by the God-like legend that is Gregg Popovich. Besides, Aldridge is from Texas, dude! Let a man go home to be closer to his family. Itâs time for fans to mend those broken hearts and just focus all their energy on supporting the players wearing Blazer colors.
Thereâs other pressing matters at hand anyway, like how a FUCKING DUMP TRUCK careened through a guardrail, down an embankment, and splashed into Evan Turnerâs pool yesterday morning! The driver was rescued with some broken bones, and the truck missed the rest of the house, but if that isnât a bizarre omen, I donât know what is. During an interview with Brooke Olzendam before the game, ET said the truck is still in his pool, and folks are struggling trying to figure out how to get it out of there. "If anybody got an idea I'll trade that for tickets, or something..."
Bruce Ely - trailblazers.com
Last night was Star Wars night at the Moda Center. What the Star Wars franchise has to do with the NBA Iâll never understand. As dumb as it was seeing Stormtroopers walking around the Moda Center, it was a perfect night for the Star Wars theme, because the Blazers were pitted against the Spurs. That meant that Darth Vader was in the building. At introductions, Aldridge was again greeted like a deformed, evil, and estranged father should be.
After a real corker of a battle, the Dark Side proved to be too much for the home team. Vader was the Spursâ top scorer with 22, and he helped lead the visiting team to victory, 93-91.
The Blazers started out looking a little rushed. They always seem to have a frantic energy during the first few minutes against teams with superior records. Naturally, the Spurs looked meticulous and calm on both sides of the court. The Blazers eventually got their footing, and were able to stay composed enough to keep the Spurs lead from getting too out of hand. The score was 25-22 after the first quarter.
The Spurs pumped their lead up to 12 in the first few minutes of the second. Aldridge had a good flub halfway through the quarter when he mistook an official for a fellow teammate and chucked a ball across the court to him. It was definitely good for a laugh, and will likely be skewered by Shaquille OâNeil on âShaqtinâ A Fool.â It didnât phase Aldridge though. He continued to back in on Ed Davis, and turn-and-shoot his way to 16 points before the half was over. The Spurs led 54-46 going into the second half.
Bruce Ely - trailblazers.com
The Blazers bucked hard to start the third. At the six minute mark, Al Farouq-Aminu hit a big three and tied the game at 61. After that the Blazers turned up the volume on their hustle and were able to hold the lead for a spell, but the Spurs werenât going down easy. They took a two point lead into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was a tumultuous tug of war. Both teams were playing like they had lightning in their veins. The lead went up one way and down the other until the Spurs were up by one with 15 seconds left, with Aldridge at the free throw line. The boos were deafening as he missed his first attempt, and made his second. The Blazers advanced the ball with a timeout, but the Spurs slapped the ball away from them and out of bounds two times before CJ McCollum tried a last ditch three that was just off.
Bruce Ely - trailblazers.com
Thatâs five loses in a row at home. Goddamn âstatementâ jerseys.
