Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers host the Toronto Raptors. Finally, something to do this weekend other than stare at this ridiculously cute picture of a baby Nicolas Batum!
This is the second and final meeting between these two teams this season, with the Blazers previously winning handily in Toronto. Though, to be fair, in that game the Raptors were without internet hero (and semi-okay basketball player) Chris Bosh. Expect tonight’s game to be a lot tougher with him in the lineup.
This is also the first time Hedo “Ball” Turkoglu has been back in Portland since his wife deemed our fair city not good enough for his bloated, terrible, and loooong contract. I know it has been said a thousand times before by various other bloggers, but on behalf of myself and the entire city of Portland, I would to give a gigantic THANK YOU to Mrs. Turkoglu for liking Canada better than Portland. Seriously. Go Canada.
PRE-GAME:
Both the Blazers and the Raptors find themselves sitting in the eighth seed in their respective conferences. Or, in other words, if the regular season were to end today these are the teams you would see lose to the Lakers and the Cavs in the first round of the playoffs. But while the Blazers are holding steady—going 8-2 over their last ten games and growing a four and a half game lead over the number nine seed Memphis Grizzlies—the Raptors have lost four straight and are only still in the playoff hunt because the Chicago Bulls are doing worse, imploding like only a hobbled team coached by Vinny Del Negro could.
Every game at this point in the season is an important one, but this one means a lot more to the Raptors than it does the Blazers. While Portland would like to keep that comfortable playoff cushion in tact, the Raptors need to stop a poorly timed losing streak. With the 2010 free agency coming up, Toronto needs a playoff berth to help make sure Bosh stays put at the end of the season. Otherwise, I’ve heard Miami is really nice this time of year.
Not to be outdone by Bosh is Portland’s own three time All-Star Brandon Roy. In the last two games, Roy has scored a total of 69 points on 24 of 35 shooting. That is efficiency at its finest, and seeing Roy play at such a high level makes it seem like that hamstring issue may (finally) be behind us. Hopefully this is the case, as we’ll need this kind of production to have any hopes of making it past the first round this year.
Regardless of what the outcome of tonight’s game is, the Blazers won’t have four more years of dealing with a declining and aging Hedo Turkoglu. This means we win.
FIRST QUARTER:
11:41 – It took all of 20 seconds for Hedo to drain a three. Looks like he dislikes us as much as we (I) dislike him. 3-0 Raptors.
8:31 – So it may be the LaMarcus/Bosh show tonight. LA with a put back layup, giving him four on the night. Then he follows that up with an and one opportunity, but misses the free throw. 9-8 Raptors.
7:17 – Batum hits his first three pointer, which he does pretty consistently these days. Batum > Hedo. And, if the Rose garden boo-birds have anything to say about it, they agree. Hedo’s getting booed every time he touches the ball. 13-11 Raptors.
5:03 – LaMarcus looks like he has a score to settle tonight with Bosh. Seriously. Halfway through the first, and LA has ten points and seven rebounds. He’s three boards away from a double double in the FIRST QUARTER. Bosh has six points including one emphatic dunk. This is going to be a fun battle down low. 19-17 Raptors.
3:38 – Hedo with another three, the crowd with some more boos. Next possession and Hedo gets called for the offensive foul, the crowd with some serious cheers. 24-24.
0:18 – Rudy with four straight points—a technical foul free throw and a corner three—and suddenly the Blazers are leading this thing. 30-28 Blazers
SECOND QUARTER:
11:10 – Rudy with a sweet looking behind the back pass to an open Martell for three. He followed that up with a no-look pass to LaMarcus for an easy layup. I like this passing from Rudy. Maybe between the legs is next? 37-30 Portland.
9:12 – Rudy and LaMarcus just made Sportscenter tonight. Off a pick and roll Rudy through it up high and LA threw it down with authority. LA now has sixteen for the night to lead all scorers. Oh, and of those seven rebounds he has? Six are offensive. LA is having a beast of a night thus far. 39-30 Portland.
5:54 – Everything is clicking for the Blazers right now. Even though it’s only a seven point game, the Blazers are getting out in transition, making the extra pass, and outside of a Jerryd Bayless offensive foul and a step back, fade-away three from Rudy, every set has been executed perfectly. Plus, someone in the crowd just held up a “Mrs. Turkoglu, thanks for Andre Miller” sign. 42-35 Blazers.
3:45 – When Marcus Camby starts making fifteen feet jump shots, you know what kind of night it’s going to be. This one is starting to get away from Toronto. 49-35 Blazers.
1:17 – Chris Bosh is good. Real good. He just made the former defensive player of the year, Camby, look a fool. Fifteen on the night for him. 57-47 Blazers.
0:30 – Batum follows a monster block with his third three pointer of the night. I can’t stress enough how much better our current small forward is compared to that small forward that almost was (Hedo). If Batum isn’t an All Star in four years, I might cry. 60-49 Blazers.
THIRD QUARTER:
12:00 – LaMarcus has a double double (16 & 10). Batum hasn’t missed from distance. Camby has more points than rebounds (!!!). The Blazers are out-rebounding the Raptors by nine. But the most important stat at the half? Zero cheerleaders chomped to death by Raptors. Way to survive, ladies! 60-49 Blazers.
9:34 – Andre Miller has scored all six Blazer points this quarter on three incredibly ugly shots. Reggie Evans ugly. 66-51 Blazers.
7:00 – The Raptors have four team fouls after five minutes of play, two of which were on Bosh. LA continues to dominate, upping his totals to twenty points and eleven rebounds. 72-58 Blazers.
4:48 – The Raptors pick up their fifth team foul. And, just like clockwork, in comes Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez. 76-64 Blazers.
2:28 – Congratulations, Marcus Camby, on your ten points! It’s a new (Blazer) season high! On the other end, somebody awoke the beast that is Chris Bosh. He now as a game high twenty-three, and has started showing signs of why he’s an All Star. 80-73 Portland.
0:00 – End of the third. It’s a 85-78 lead for Portland, but it feels larger than that, as both teams are trading baskets at this point. The first team to play some clamp down defense this quarter is going to pull away with the win. 85-78 Blazers.
FOURTH QUARTER:
10:27 – Batum with six straight points, right when we need them. He got a nice dish from Old Man River (Howard) and got the and one, and he just drained another three-pointer, his fourth. A couple stops in the next few minutes and we can put this one away for good. 91-80 Blazers.
8:38 – Can I fawn over Batum some more? He just hit a two with the shot-clock going off, right with a hand in his face. Nicolas Batum is sexy, foreign, and makes shots when they count. He is the new Rudy Fernandez. 93-84 Blazers.
7:26 – Worry time. Toronto looks to be the team clamping down on D, while the Blazers are going to their iso-only offense. Roy misses a long three, and it’s a five point game. 93-88 Blazers.
5:56 – After a Sonny Weems jumper (really? Sonny Weems?), Toronto is back in this game with all the confidence on the floor. I’ve seen this game this year—I know how it ends. If you need me, I’ll be laying here in the fetal position for the next few minutes. 93-91 Blazers.
3:45 – Oh, hello Brandon Roy. I didn’t see you there. Six straight points and the lead is growing. 99-93 Blazers.
3:16 – Batum just passed up an open three to try and posterize Bosh. Not quite yet, young’un, but damn if I don’t love that confidence. He gets the foul and hits the free throws. 101-93 Blazers.
1:38 – Miller with a sweet dish to a wide open Camby, who dunks it home. Bosh misses a three on the other end and this game looks like its won. 104-95 Blazers.
1:11 – Batum seals it with his fifth (!) three of the night. Twenty-two points for the kid to lead all Blazers in scoring. I know I’ve been non-stop gushing about him all night (just wait until I start my Nico fan-fic blog), but that was the quietest twenty-two points I think I’ve ever seen. 107-95 Blazers, and this one is over.
0:00 – Blazers win 109-98! This is their fourth straight, and the fifth straight loss for the Raptors. LaMarcus and Rudy handled the first half, Batum and Roy covered the second, and just like that the Blazers are looking like the playoff team they should be. Granted, we’ve been playing weaker opponents, but this is a nice way to get some confidence going into the end of the season. Plus, when all five of your starters score in double figures, that’s a good thing. See you on Friday vs Washington!
I was at the game and all the booing for Hedo was stupid. If anything it should have been laughs of derision. That lady’s sign of,” Mrs. Turkey-glue thanks for Andre Miller” really says it all
Yes, we as fans should be above the booing of certain players every moment they touch the ball. It’s classless and stupid and makes our fans look like a bunch of redneck assholes to the rest of the league.
Batum is a complete and total stud. I don’t normally trash-talk Nate, but he needs to have his examined for not playing Frenchie for 40 minutes per game.
So glad I’ve got that kid’s rookie autograph. Gonna pay for my eventual kid’s college tuition with that. 🙂
Batum’s baby pic is very cute. He looks like a young Webster, but less Midgety.