Blazers vs Hawks – Hot Live Blog Action

Live from the Rose Garden as the Portland Trail Blazers meet the Atlanta Hawks. Caw! Let the Michael Ruffin era begin. I’m stoked. Best nickname ever (courtesy of Blazers Edge) for the Blazers’ newest addition: StudRuffin™. Never forget it.

Speaking of players not playing: Martell Webster is officially done for the season, and whispers around these parts is that—here comes another huge letdown—Greg Oden’s knee injury is a whole lot worse than expected.

PRE-SEASON:
What’s with the birds of prey from Atlanta? Well, other than still underachieving and having one of the NBA’s thinnest (in talent, not waistlines) benches, they are doing just fine. In fact the Hawks, who have nearly an identical record as the Blazers, still play the role of that one team you don’t want to meet in the playoffs. They took Boston to seven games last year, and if there is going to be an upset this postseason, it most likely will occur in Atlanta.

Portland has won the last three meetings against Atlanta, including this mighty performance by Brandon Roy last January. The clutch shots are nice, and those 52 points were impressive, but I don’t think anything will top that night.

FIRST QUARTER:
9:04 – ‘Lil Gummers, Stevie Blake, with a pair of baskets. It’s nice to not see so much Sergio Rodriguez. He haunts my dreams. 9-5 Portland.

6:03 – The most anonymous man in the NBA, Josh Smith, already has a pair of blocks, both of which were on guaranteed layups. As an act of protest, I am no longer using his name as an alias when checking into hotel rooms. 13-11 Hawks.

3:16 – Every quarter we shall debut a new nickname for the Blazers’ NKOTB (new kid on bench): Michael Ruffin. This quarter it is: Ruffer Than Leather. 22-17 Hawks.

2:46 – Channing Frye is in the game. This is all your fault Greg Oden! I wish you were never born (with defective knees). 23-17 Atlanta.

0:00 – Not bad. Trailing by three points is a favorable position when you consider how mediocre Portland looks right now. The Blazers starting a game slowly? Shocking, right? 26-23 Hawxxx.

SECOND QUARTER:
9:43 – I totally drove all the way down MLK late Wednesday night next to Travis Outlaw’s ride. He was texting while driving. That story had no purpose, other than the fact that he just hit a three pointer and Portland is now in the lead. 29-28 Blazers.

6:28 – Sergio whistled for carrying. Then he blows his defensive assignment and the Hawks hit a three and take the lead. But other than that… 38-35 Hawks.

5:22 – Michael Ruffin, your second quarter nickname: Ruff Riderz. Learn it, love it, live it. 38-37 Hawks.

4:04 – Josh Smith loses his Blocky McBlocks-a-lot nickname when he’s swatted by Outlaw. Roy taps in the missed layup on the other end. Points! 43-41 Portland.

0:15 – While Sergio deservedly sits on the pine, Jerryd Bayless with a spectacular drive and pass to Aldridge for the layup. Then, while Sergio still sits on the bench, Bayless steals the ball and it leads to Steve Blake’s three at the buzzer. He missed it, but was fouled. He hits one of three. 50-48

THIRD QUARTER:
10:34 – Blakers for three. That will make up for his anti-climatic missed free throws at the end of the first half. 53-48 Blazers.

8:31 – Some nice passing leads to a three by Roy. Let’s celebrate such unselfishness by giving Michael Ruffin his third quarter nickname: Ruff Ruff Pass. 58-53 Blazers.

5:31 – Could this be where Portland pulls away? Vanilla Gorilla with a dunk and the Blazers now have their largest lead of the game: 68-61 PDX.

2:53 – Outlaw celebrates not being traded to some shitty franchise like Milwaukee or Charlotte with a three, then a breakaway dunk. 75-68 Portland.

1:09 – Rudy for three! That is 32 straight games with at least one three-pointer. That stat would be more impressive if he didn’t clank his first four attempts. The lead is now in double digits. 78-68 Blzrs.

FOURTH QUARTER:
12:00 – Michael Ruffin, your fourth quarter nickname is: McRuff the Crime Dawg. Let’s all hope this game does not go into overtime, because genius like this is really quite exhausting. 80-72 Blazers.

8:58 – Blake to Roy for gentle alley-oop dunk. More like a lay-up/dunk. A “Layunk.” There we go. 87-78 Blazers.

6:15 – Roy getting fouled this late in the game is just another reminder of how McMillan never pulls the Blazers’ starters. The Hawks are still in it, but even if this lead balloons to 25, he will still not sit Roy. It’s not like this team doesn’t have any injured starters… 97-81 Portland.

3:50 – Outlaw with a free throw and now 20,000 get a tiny coupon for free Taco Bell. I still have yet to eat a Chalupa. What are they like? 101-88 Blazers (and no, the starters are still playing)

0:17 – He lives! Ruff Ruff Pass is on the court! And even more shocking, McMillan pulls the starters with 17 seconds to go. 108-96 PDX

0:00 – Okay, and that will about do it. Your final score, Portland 108, Atlanta 98.