Pre-Season Game 7 vs. Utah Jazz

This was my first game of my half season package, so I was really excited to see with my own eyes what all the talk is about, meaning, I wanted to see Greg Oden dominate with another double double! But alas, to my dismay before the game I was informed that not only would Rudy Fernandez be sitting out again, but also Greg Oden. Not to mention that LaMarcus Aldridge was pulled out at last minute due to a shin contusion. You might recall that LA sat out on Sunday's game as well due to a knee contusion. Poor Head Coach, Nate McMillan, probably feels like his team is dropping like flies! Within a minute of the game Nicolas Batum took a knee to his hip and was taken out for the rest of the game. At half time he tried to run and stretch it out but you could tell from the grimace on his face that he was in immense pain. It's still up in the air whether or not he will even be traveling to the Couve, Vancouver BC, with the rest of the team for Thursday's game against Phoenix.

All in all Thursday was a tough, painful game. I distinctly remember a fan sitting behind me who left during the 3rd quarter to get drinks and came back during the beginning of the 4th saying, "Is it any better? Man...it's been awhile since a game has been this painful to watch." And I agree. Looking over at the bench I saw heads lowered and smiles were erased. Brandon Roy looked like someone had punched him in the gut, LaMarcus Aldridge who had been sitting on the bench in his warm-ups despite his injury, and Greg Oden didn't even stick around for the second half.

Chemistry was a big factor in last night's game. Plays went awry, guys were looking at each other like 'Why weren't you over there?' 'You were supposed to be here.' I think Brandon Roy summed it up best saying, "We just look like we've never seen each other today." It's definitely a disheartening thing to see especially this close to the regular season.

But, with a good number of our regular starters and big players injured, it gave some of the new guys a chance to show Portland what they got. Dante Cunningham had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 21 minutes and Jerryd Bayless had 16 points in 21 minutes. Those two were big for Portland last night in the 4th quarter cutting Utah's 25 point lead down to 10 at one point. Also, Juwan Howard is continuing to show that he's not only good for locker room talk with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and even 2 steals! Not to mention he was called for a technical foul for regulating the law on the court ;-) not that I encourage that sort of behavior but he basically acted on everyone in the Rose Garden's feelings towards the Jazz that night.
(Thanks to Blaze of Love for the stat box below)

Jazz ended up winning the game 108 - 97. (So close to a chalupa)

Next up the Blazers play their final pre-season game in The Couve!! Vancouver BC to be exact, against the Phoenix Suns! We're all waiting to see what kind of lineup Nate McMillan will present since usually, this kind of game is one where the rookies and new kids get the most playing time so our starters and big guys can relax before the season opener, but with the way the Blazers have been playing we might see something different.
A fun fact about last night's game, I was able to meet up with a good friend of mine from Italy, Gulia. It was her first Blazer game and she loved it and the atmosphere, definitely a Blazer for life ;-). But she was a little dismayed to discover that her beloved Rudy would not be playing. Rudy's very popular in Italy apparently. Hopefully we will be able to venture to more games in the future and maybe even meet her beloved Rudy along the way.

Here are some not so awesome pictures I was able to snag with my phone. Don't worry, for future games I will use a real camera :-)

 

 

 

 

Onto game 8!