The last few days have been pretty rough in the Trail Blazer camp. Looking like the home squad has so far this season, a loss at the hands of the Warriors on Saturday wasn’t gonna be a big shock. But getting trod upon like the Blazers did and losing by 45 points?! That sting takes a while to wear off. Then, dropping one to the Kings on Tuesday when we should have usurped them handily, well, that was salt in the wound. And if you fans out there are feeling disturbed, dejected, or disillusioned, imagine how the Blazers feel?
Winning only one of the last eight games, the Blazers seem determined to continue their frustrating quest for fire this season. Despite it all, the flame still burns outside the Moda Center. A comfy four games in a row at home might just be the medicine the Blazers are looking for. Standing on that home pine and hearing the roar of the legendary Portland crowd will ideally be the spark they need.
Last night the Blazers went toe to toe with the Dallas Mavericks. Like the Blazers, the Mavs didn’t have much shift in their core line-up in the off season, but this season they are bringing up the rear in the western conference with a 7-21 record. To add another thorn in their side Wednesday night, Andrew Bogut and Dirk Nowitzki were on the inactive list. That meant that they had no true bigs in the paint, and they were sans Dirk’s ice cold jumper. Even though Evan Turner’s foot was still in a boot from an injury he sustained at practice, last night should have been a breezy walk through the park for the Blazers.
Alas, no matter how easy a game looks on paper, the Blazers still can’t seem to cross the finish line first.
The Blazers were a little clunky and sluggish to start. It looked like someone filled their sneakers with concrete. Coach Stouts had to call an early time out after the Mavs went for a confident 9-2 run in the first three minutes. Towards the end of the quarter the Blazers were shooting 28% and 16% for field goals and three pointers, respectively. The Mavs were on top in every column.
Then just under the two minute mark, Shabazz Napier came out of nowhere and flipped a switch. He popped a smooth three, then followed it with a steal and no look pass on a fast break to Maurice Harkless for a dunk. He ended up scoring or facilitating the Blazers last eight points of the quarter. Napier’s burst was helpful, but the Mavs took a solid ten point lead into the second.
The Mavs continued to plow through the Blazers on both sides of the court in the second. The Blazers went from sluggish to standing still. It was like watching a quarter long segment of Shaqtin’ A Fool. Their turnovers were spiking like the fan’s stress level. The Mavs strutted into the locker room with a 23 point lead at the half. Something needed to change quickly.
The deep freeze continued into the third. Right around the half way mark Damian Lillard started plugging baskets. He brought his point total up to 20 and chiseled the Mavs lead down from “how the hell are they up by so much?!” to 12. The Blazers were able to keep the Mavs lead down to ten going into the fourth. It wasn’t a huge hill to climb, but it was still a hill, and the Blazers haven’t been well equipped for turning up the volume in the fourth.
The Mavs and Blazers went shot for shot for a bulk of the fourth. It wasn’t until the four minute mark when a visible change came over the Blazers. It was as if they realized the weight of their situation; losing to one of the worst team in the league. They started a slow climb, but in typical Blazer fashion, their push wasn’t enough to finish on top. The heartbreak continues…
