Here we are, back at the ol’ Rose Garden, settling in for the stretch run that’ll see the Blazers return to the playoffs or leave a whole lot of folks scratching their heads—and a few looking for new jobs. Making the postseason is no sure thing, but against clowns like Memphis (who Portland is to play three more times this year) it sure looks possible.
Steve Blake is back tonight and Greg Oden is out. Something to think about: The gigantic, 7 foot Oden went knee to knee with Golden State guard Corey Maggette and Oden is the one who hobbled off?
Also back in the house is Darius Miles, who is sure to be showered with boo’s whether he deserves ’em or not. Dude never really got a fair shot here in Portland if you ask me—thanks a lot Canzano. Another one to ponder: would this Trail Blazer team be better or worse with Darius Miles starting at small forward instead of rookie Nic Batum?
A final note on the approaching trade deadline: I’ve come to the conclusion that all the secrecy and rumors (aside from being the male version of Hollywood gossip) are teams ways of fucking around the beat writers who are always poking around. Poor bastards must be going sleepless, and for what? All the speculation is just a sink hole. We’ll find out soon enough (tomorrow at noon). I won’t be discussing any supposed trades here. We’ll just wait like kids on Christmas morning, waiting for our parents to finally saunter out of bed. Until then we’ll stick only to the facts—like the game here about to unfold…
FIRST QUARTER:
8:11 – Both teams come out hot, trading buckets in an up and down couple of minutes. Brandon Roy scores on a smooth turnaround on an out of bounds play, JUST beating the shot clock.
7:00 – Nic Batum swings the long arm of justice to erase an easy Memphis bucket on the break. Unfortunately the Grizzlies corral and Rudy Gay ends up at the line.
5:27 – Man… It’s good to have ol’ Blakey back. He runs the break with ease, stopping at the three point line and hitting a streaking Brandon Roy for a wide-open corner three. Blazers get a stop and Roy knifes to the basket with the ball this time, scoring right at the rim. 20-16, Blazers.
3:28 – WHat the??! Who was that Great White Knight in a Memphis jersey, soaring down the baseline for a one-handed dunk? It was Darko! Darko is FREEEE! More up and down stuff and, with a Nic Batum two-hander the Blazers take a six point lead. Channing Frye is set to check in. That’s not a typo. Fans for the Preservation of Jocular Personality rejoice! This could well be the last time we see Channing, which would be a real hit to a whole lot tiny Portland eateries. I’ll pour a 40 out for him too, because dammit, he’s the coolest, smartest, most human player on the Blazers. (Shit, am I speculating?)
Hot damn. Portland got off to a pretty good start, which has become something of a rarity. Steve Blake back in the starting lineup is a huge part of this (Sergio just checked in and promptly threw it a guy in a Grizzlies uniform). But maybe take into account that Greg is out as well. Too many variables, I suppose. But just sayin… At the end of one, Portland 30, Memphis 27.
SECOND QUARTER:
Quick Quiz: (Without Googling) Who is Lionel Hollins?
10:44 – Griz assistant coach Damon Stoudamire appears on the big screen to a warm round of applause. Blazers second unit is trifling a bit. Sergio has to heave a three to beat the shot clock but it fails to draw iron. Rudy and/or Travis Outlaw will have to take the squad on his shoulders. And whoa, the two FUCKING DELIVER! Rudy tosses an alley-oop from near half court to a soaring Outlaw for a ferocious two-hander. Outlaw nearly chips a tooth on the rim. Portland 32, Memphis 29.
8:08 – Rudy swishes a three on the break. Did these dudes hear me? Can I be coach? After hitting one prior, Memphis bites on a Fernandez fake, drives and kicks to Sergio in the corner. The crowd holds it’s collective breath as the ball floats in slow motion towards the rim. It’s good! Exhale. On that note, no sign of Jerryd Bayless thus far. 10-0 Portland run. Blazers 40, Griz 29.
Holy Fuck Portland, you’re feeling RUDE! The BOOO’s are POURING on Darius Miles like nothing I’ve ever heard in well over 100 games. It’s as loud and continuous as a protest to a terrible call, late in a close game. Just insane. Somewhere John Canzano has a raging boner and a hand in his pocket. The insane BOO’s continue every time Darius even gets near the ball. He ends up with it, hoping to score a “fuck you too” basket, but Travis Blocks it at the rim. Ouch. Outlaw then streaks, catches an alley-oop that’s a little off target but is able to lay it in anyway.
6:06 – Rudy Gay is keeping Memphis afloat, barely. He’s got 12, but his team is down 11. Portland 44, Memphis 33.
4:19 – After scoring on a nice two-handed breakaway dunk Rudy Fernandez gets a little payback applause from the Rose Garden for the twisted, near-fixed Dunk Contest judging. Portland is opening this thing up as they should be against any team with a record of 15-38. They ought to win this one going away. 50-36, Blazers.
3:08 – Darius muscles his way to the rim, fakes out LaMarcus Aldrige and scores his first two. Boo’s are hushed.
2:43 – OJ Mayo just scored his 10th point. Where the fuck have I been? This whole Darius, Canzano thing has whipped me into a confused frenzy…
:00 – Aldridge rims out a point-blank dunk that Portland frankly needed, as the Griz have crept back into this game. That miss, combined with a Memphis make trimmed the Portland lead to just four. That’s a 17-7 Memphis run in the final four minutes of the half. EEek. I mean, not worried really, but still… Hey, at least now we’ve got a game.
THIRD QUARTER:
Quiz Answer: Lionell Hollins is the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and one of the stranger, lesser known member of the ’77 Blazers championship team. Seems like whenever Portland needs to drum up an event these days they retire another jersery from that squad. Why? I don’t know. It’s not like we’ve been clamoring for it. Or for Bobby Gross’ number to be hoisted up there either, for that matter. Now Sabonis—that’s a ceremony I could get behind. Fly the dude, full of Vodka, in from Lithuania and plop him at center court. Hell. Yeah.
7:50 – After Memphis tied things at 60 the Blazers woke up and scored six-straight, ending with a sick alley-oop to Nic Batum. The young Frenchman’s been having quite a game. He’s got nine. Portland 66, Memphis 60.
6:10 – ANOTHER alley-oop to Batum, this time from Roy, and this time a layup. But still, what is this? A Globetrotters game?
4:43 – Another thing to think about: The Grizz have a pretty good young team, a lot like the Blazers—lean, athletic, etc. With Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Mayo, and the like, their future would appear pretty promising. The thing they lack (aside maybe from Roy’s clutch… I don’t really know how good Gay is in the closing minutes) is a solid support system. They’re a crap franchise with no history, they’ve been moved and play in a city not known for basketball…. OK, rambling off topic again. What I’m trying to say is, YOU, Portland are the difference. The Blazers, now playing with a little more defensive intensity, are up 70-62.
:43.7 – With each teams second unit on the floor things have SLOOOWWWED considerably. 72-68, Portland. That’s six total point in the last four minutes. Darius just check back in, along with the thunderstorm of BOOOs.
:19 – Rudy sets the table for Frye underneath. He misses, but grabs the board, puts it back and is fouled. Three point play for my man. Unfortunately his defense on Darko is non-existant and the Big Serb’s dunk beats the buzzer. Portland up three, 75-72.
FOURTH QUARTER:
9:35 – Darius Miles dunks at the rim, the BOOOs continue, and he misses a chance to throw down the best “head bop” ever. Damn. That would’ve been a nice touch. On the next Grizzly possession Miles gets the ball in the same position but is called for traveling, much to the delight of this Rose Garden crowd. Tons of strange, disjointed, cross-court passing on the other end is capped by a Rudy Fernandez three. Portland up, 82-76.
7:10 – With a head full of steam on the break and gnarly intentions Darius Miles looses the ball under pressure from Rudy Fernandez.
5:29 – Joel Przybilla smashes back a shot attempt by Marc Gasol, who takes ugly lessons from his brother Pau. Unfortunately the ball ends up in Rudy Gay’s hands and he drains the three. Memphis has the fucking lead. So much for winning while going away. Portland 84, Memphis 85.
4:14 – It figures to be a lot of Rudy Gay vs Brandon Roy from here on out. Each are getting the ball on isolation plays and going at each other. Should be good. Brandon scores on a sweeping hook over outstretched hands to tie things back up at 86.
3:06 – It’s getting testy. Funky calls on a Brandon Roy travel (he did) and a Darius Miles foul (questionable) have led Grizz coach Hollins into a technical. Roy sinks it then Travis nails a three from the corner. Blazers up four.
2:27 – Now, I doubt it would happen, but this place would go into a collective and likely violent psychosis is somehow Darius Miles makes a game-winning play. Portland fans would be liable to chase him out to the state lines with pitchforks, torches and a cross-eyed bloodlust.
1:50 – Roy takes a pretty brutal charge from Mike Conley. Turnover Memphis, and on the ensuing possession Roy scores at the rim. Rudy Gay, on the other hand, misses from the perimeter. Blazer ball, up 92-88.
:31.8 – Brandon again goes one on one with Gay (that’s a strange sentence taken out of context…). He beats him on a crossover, the Grizz defense collapses and he dishes to a wide open LaMarcus, who misses a chance to seal the deal. But the Grizz miss to, Portland rebounds and calls time. It’ll take a Darius Miles Christmas Miracle for Memphis to pull this one out. It’s all but done. Portland 92, Memphis 88.
:15.2 – Rudy misses a three at the shot clock buzzer but it shouldn’t matter. Two-possession game and just 15 seconds to go… Meanwhile the Rose Garden crew gets in on the Miles bashing, making Travis’ block on Darius tonight’s play of the game. I can say with certainty there were better blocks than that one, athletically speaking. Haters aside, the play of the game was Rudy’s near half-court alley-oop to outlaw for a nasty jam.
:5.4 – The Grizz hit a two but, barring a phenomenal free throw meltdown, why worry? 92-90, Portland.
:3.9 – Roy fouled. At the line for two, and to ice it… First is…. good. He’s like fucking Alfred E. Newman up there. Easy and… swish. What, me worry? Portland up four and folks are streaming for the exits.
:00 – That’s it. A heaved three nowhere near the mark and the Blazers take it, 94-90. A little closer than might’ve been expected, but what the hell. A final question for y’all: at what point should the Blazers, if they are indeed headed for greener playoff pastures, start beating crummy teams with greater ease?