| 05 November 2010
It was a bad day for the Portland Trail Blazers.
We first learned that rookie guard Elliot Williams will miss the season with a dislocated right patella, an injury the team knows far too well.
A short time later, we learned that Fabricio Oberto, who was signed because other knee injuries depleted the frontline, was forced to retire due to a recurring heart condition.
And, with an important game against the Oklahoma City Thunder approaching, the late Maurice Lucas was in the thoughts of so many. Safe to say, Portland needed a pick-me-up in front of the Rose Garden crowd.
The Blazers came out firing on all cylinders. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was especially efficient, possessing an array of moves that would have made Lucas proud. He hit six of seven first quarter shots, but although the Blazers were shooting a high percentage, Oklahoma City was relatively unstoppable in the opening period largely due to the production of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Portland, looking to improve their record to 5-1 and gain some respect in front of a national audience, turned the tables in the second period, as Wesley Matthews provided a huge jolt off the bench while Marcus Camby showed off his passing skills. Matthews was aggressive, attacking relentlessly to fuel a 13-5 run to open the second quarter, while Camby lobbed a pair of passes towards the rim from the top of the key for Aldridge to slam.
Their performance was indicative of the entire team’s to that point. The Blazers' passing was fluid, their spacing was adequate, and their defense stepped up. They were running a blistering up-tempo style to try to keep up with the Thunder’s fast pace, and it paid immense dividends by translating to balanced scoring, a high number of assists, and a halftime lead.
That advantage grew to double digits in the third. Then the lead was lost entirely. The passing lanes shrunk, the offense turned stagnant, and Oklahoma City made a run. Their 7-2 spurt to end the fourth combined with a terrible shot by Brandon Roy at the end of regulation sent the battle between two of the Western Conference’s most promising teams to overtime.
The wheels were already starting to fall off for Portland, as exemplified in their inability to close out the fourth. Those wheels completely fell off in the extra session, as the Blazers -- and not the team playing second of a back-to-back, the Thunder --looked tired. For their part, though, Oklahoma City wasn’t hitting shots either, so the game remained tied at 100 for much of overtime. Then, fittingly, the Thunder broke through as James Harden drove in for a layup, took the contact, and made the ensuing free-throw. What was a three-point deficit for the Blazers felt like much more.
Portland couldn’t muster enough to overcome the slim margin. Their sleepy offense played a role, but an inability to rebound was the deciding factor. Behind by one point with 20 seconds remaining, one of many misses by Durant caromed off the rim. Westbrook, who was active throughout and finished with 11 rebounds, deflected the ball and ultimately allowed Jeff Green to remarkably save the ball while cascading into the front row.
Durant grabbed his heave into the backcourt, swished two free-throws upon being fouled, and then watched as Westbrook put an appropriate capper on his night. Blazers guard Wesley Matthews shook his defender on the left wing, drove into the lane, and took a hard foul made worse by a scary fall. With 8 seconds remaining, Matthews should have been trying to make both free throws. He made the first to bring Portland within two, but clanged the second. Whether he was trying to miss the second is moot, as Westbrook flew into the lane and skied high for the rebound. Securing it secured the win. Two free-throws by the rising star point guard made the three-pointer Armon Johnson hit at the horn fall a point shy of forcing a second overtime.
Portland lost in heartbreaking yet deserving fashion. They ultimately held a large advantage in the paint, outscoring Oklahoma City 50-32, and also scored more points off turnovers. The Blazers' defensive rebounding was awful down the stretch, and the team's shot-selection was equally poor. Roy didn’t deliver as he usually does, running out of gas late as an equally deflated supporting cast watched chance after chance go by the wayside in loss.
In the end, the defeat made Thursday—both day and night—tough to swallow.
photo: espn.com
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