Road Weary Blazers Full of Fight in LA
posted: 10/25/2006 at 9:52 PM
There was a glaring negative statistic in the final box score following the Trail Blazers 97-89 loss to the L.A. Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday night. But, despite committing 34 turnovers, an amazing number, the Blazers, who were playing their third game in three nights, had a chance to win late in the game. That fact alone made it an impressive night for the young Blazers.
Zach Randolph, who didn't play at all against Golden State on Tuesday night, had a monster game for Portland on Wednesday. Playing against L.A.'s Elton Brand, and facing constant double teams on the low block, Randolph scored 33 points, on 9 of 17 shooting, and was also 15 of 16 at the free-throw line.
The fact that Portland was in a position to get the win was even more impressive, given the fact the Clippers, through the first three quarters, took advantage the young, tired Blazers. Mike Dunleavy went primarily with his regulars, and his team built a 16-point lead in the third quarter. They took a 13-point lead to the final quarter. It would have been very easy for the Trail Blazers to fold the tents and begin looking forward to a day off in Sacramento on Thursday. But, they fought back to tie the game at 83, with 4:54 left, and battled to the wire, before eventually falling.
The Clippers were led by Brand's 20 points, and got 18 from Corey Maggette, and 15 each from Sam Cassell, Shawn Livingston, and Cuttino Mobley. All those Clipper regulars played heavy minutes, as Dunleavy was clearly playing for the win, and needed solid performances from his stars to hold off the Blazers.
It was another great offensive night for Portland, as they shot 60 percent from the field, 84 percent from the line (31-37), and recorded 20 assists on the night. But, the 34 turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
Wednesday was a very nice debut effort by Stephen Graham, the newest Blazer. Graham, who was claimed off waivers on Tuesday afternoon, played 31 minutes in the game, and made the most of the opportunity. He ended with 15 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and even added a three-pointer. He was also 6 for 8 at the free-throw line. Nate McMillan gave Juan Dixon a rest. Jamaal Magloire, who played big minutes on Tuesday while Joel Przybilla rested, also had the night off, while Joel racked up 27 minutes. Ime Udoka was back in Portland attending his father's funeral.
It was another solid performance by Blazers rookie Brandon Roy. He scored 14 points, and led the team with 8 assists. Jarrett Jack had 9 points and 3 assists, but also turned the ball over 5 times. Travis Outlaw played 22 minutes, and ended with 8 points.
McMillan had to be proud of his team's effort, in battling back and having a chance to win, but will undoubtedly be focusing on a way to reduce the amount of miscues by the Blazer offense. At least it was very clear, on this night at least, that if they cut down on turnovers, they can easily play with some of the playoff teams in the west.
The Trail Blazers flew to Sacramento following the game, and Friday night wrap up the pre-season with a game against the Kings.
Thursday night it's the debut of the new
Trail Blazers Courtside, presented by L.A. Weight Loss, radio show. This will be the new permanent home for the show, and we've got a great opening night planned. We'll be joined by McMillan, Kevin Pritchard, and veteran NBA writer Frank Hughes, of the Tacoma News Tribune, and ESPN.com. Brian Wheeler will join us from Sacramento, Antonio Harvey will debut his new segment "Off the Court with Antonio" and Mike Rice will have his "Rice's Rant." Join us from 6pm to 8 on KXL-AM 750 in the Portland area, or listen on line, world wide, on kxl.com. You can click on the link at the top-right portion of this page to hear the program. You can e-mail the program at
courtside@trailblazers.com, starting now, and we'll get in as many as we can during our e-mail segment at 7:50. Talk to you Thursday night.
RSS FEED
Hey Mike great job on the blogs, better than any newspaper I've read. Two questions, how many games can I catch on TV this year? And is there anything we fans can do to help Outlaw get in the dunk comp in Vegas this year??
Well, I was at the game last night. It was great seeing my team close up...I was like 8 rows up from the court! I got to see Zach hit all his free throws except one. At one point I even shouted an encouraging Lets go Zach...he turned to me and nodded, everyone else around me ( all clippers fans kinda gave me a dirty look..but I was unfazed. I was not pleased by the many turnovers...and was disappointed to see sergio struggling..but I had to remind myself he is only 19. Roy looked good. Other than that everyone else did not perform to what I know they can. Outlaw got great lift on his jumps but that was about it. Wanted to see a little more of Dickau..he seemed to knwo how to run the offence well as did Roy. I twas great to see Nate yelling and pacing the court. I believe we will be strong and competitive when the season really starts. I will attend as many regular season Clipper Blazer games as I can...NO LAKER GAMES THOUGH,I CAN'T STAND THEM.
Mike..........I like this team. KP wanted the "culture" of the team to change. It has transformed from effete to one of hope and determination. Nate spoke of adding "scrap" as a team trait, something that was absent, last season. This team fights, scraps, and doesn't give up. I can cheer for this team with pride.
I can't get over how well Randolph is playing. Passing out of double teams is opening up opportunities for him, and i finally feel he's buying into that philosophy. I mean, have you ever seen him play better? Wait until team chemistry starts coming together. Once players start getting to the right spots, and he gets more comfortable, hitting guys sooner, Zach could find himself over the hump and into the elite.
The work he's done on his right with Bayno is definitely showing. Imagining his game extending to either block, where he's able to turn either direction with equal effectiveness gives me goose bumps. I've criticized Randolph in the past, and rightfully so, but i'm giving him all the credit in the world for his hard work and approach, starting this off-season, to improving his game.
Post a Comment
<< Home