Blazers Sweep The Timberwolves In a 110 - 91 Win

Last night the Blazers played the second in a back to back against the Timberwolves in Minnesota. After a devastating loss in overtime against Chicago the night before, the Blazers were looking for a strong win propelling them into their Monday game at Memphis. The Timberwolves on the other hand have had a rough season and were looking for a good win to help them go towards the end of the season with some positives to look back on.

Starting Five:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Nicolas Batum
Marcus Camby
Andre Miller
Brandon Roy


Top honors of the night go to none other than Frenchy himself, Nicolas Batum! Batum had an outstanding night with a career high 31 points and 7 assists! Not to mention he was in triple double territory with 7 rebounds as well. Nico has been consistently doing great things since his return from shoulder surgery and I couldn't be happier with his progression. LaMarcus Aldridge continued his excellent play from the night before with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. For the past couple games LaMarcus has been a major factor for the Blazers. He's been extra aggressive on both ends of the court and has out hustled the other teams. It's great to see all this energy from LaMarcus. You can tell he's happy to have Brandon Roy back on the court because when he was gone, he was the number one go-to guy and now he has his co-captain back sharing the responsibilities. The Euro Connection was in full affect tonight as Rudy Fernandez also had himself a good night with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Rudy seems to be finding his touch again and is gaining more and more confidence on the court.

Here's A Look At The Rest Of the Box Score:

After a rough loss in OT the night before, the Blazers came out with extra energy pushing them to a pretty easy win over Minnesota. The number of jumpshots we were taking made me nervous but luckily we were able to live by the J last night. Nicolas Batum, what more can you say about his performance? The guy went crazy on both ends of the court showing everyone how the game of basketball is meant to be played. I know Nico won't be having 30+ every night but I'm glad he was able to have a great night giving him confidence going into the sprint to playoffs. Also, I have to give a shoutout to the Euro Connection as Rudy and Nico were making big shots and helping each other do it! AND we can not forget to give a big shoutout to the Aussie, Patty Mills was able to get himself a career high 8 points! Congrats Patty! All this Blazer energy led to a 110 - 91 win over the TWolves. This win gave the Blazers the best record on the second of a back to back in the NBA so far with 12 - 3.

Photo(s) Of the Night:

BATUM SHAKA-LAKA! Go get yours Nico!

The Blazers next travel to Memphis, Tennessee to take on ex-Blazer, Zach "ZBo" Randolph and his Memphis Grizzlies.

•  Memphis leads the season series, 2-1, with the road team winning each game. The Grizzlies have won just one four-game series between the teams in series history (3-1, 2004-05), and their two-game winning streak is one shy of a series best for Memphis.
•  The Trail Blazers have won the last six contests in Memphis, Portland’s longest current road winning streak against any team.
•  In three meetings this year, Portland has shot 42.4% from beyond the arc and 46.3% overall, while Memphis has shot 47.7% from the field and 36.7% from deep.
•  Brandon Roy’s 24.3 points and 8.3 assists in three series meetings lead all players, while Martell Webster has added 18.0 points (51.4% FG) in three contests.
•  O.J. Mayo’s 21.0 scoring average (54.0% FG) has led Memphis in the series. Zach Randolph (19.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Marc Gasol (19.0 ppg, 11.0 ppg) have averaged double-doubles in their three appearances vs. Portland this season.
•  Portland swept Memphis last season for the second consecutive year by winning all four series contests in the span of 49 days, from Feb. 18 to April 7. The Trail Blazers averaged a 9.5-point margin of victory (94.8-85.3) in the four wins.
•  Greg Oden and Memphis guard Mike Conley played together on Ohio State’s NCAA runner-up team in 2006-07 and at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.
•  Rudy Fernandez and Grizzlies center Marc Gasol are both members of the Spanish National Team, which finished second to the USA in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
•  Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph averaged 16.0 points (46.6% FG), 7.7 rebounds and 28.9 minutes in 387 games for Portland from 2001-07.
•  Memphis Head Coach Lionel Hollins played five seasons for Portland from 1975-80, posting averages of 13.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.90 steals. Hollins and Memphis assistant coach Johnny Davis played together on Portland’s 1976-77 NBA Championship team.
•  Grizzlies assistant coach Damon Stoudamire played for Portland from 1997-2005, averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

1. Get stops, play defense - Memphis has been known to go on big runs against us. We have been able to bring it back in some games but in others the deficit was just too great. In our last game, we allowed Memphis to go on a 21 - 0 run between the first and second quarters allowing them a 32 - 15 lead and they never trailed for the rest of the game.
2. Beat them to the line - We've been really good at getting to the line and getting the other team in the penalty early in recent games and that should definitely continue tomorrow. I am counting on you Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Roy, Andre Miller and LaMarcus Aldridge! Put your head down and get to that line!
3. Crash the Boards - Zach randolph has been crashing the boards for Memphis, especially on the offensive end, he leads the NBA with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. Last game agains the Knicks, he also tallied a career high 25 rebounds. That's huge for them and we need to make sure we do everything we can to keep them off the baords. (That means you Marcuses! LaMarcus/Marcus)
4. Beat them to 100 - I have a feeling that whoever reaches 100 first tonight will take the game. We have a losing streak against teams who reach the centennial before we do so lets get ourselves some chalupas!!
6.  Watch Their Js - Memphis is 15-5 this season when making as many or more three-pointers than its opponent, so we need to protect beyond the arch if their Js start to fall and it'd be really nice to see a Marty Marty Downtown Party or a (....Rudy Party?) streak from Rudy or Nico.

Though it is looking like Memphis won't be making the playoffs, it is crucial that we get a win tomorrow. We're coming up close behind San Antonio so all games are critical from here on out. Come on Blazers, finish strong!

Also, a Happy Early Birthday is due for former Blazer Brian Grant who will be celebrating his big day on March 5th!!

Lastly, here is a little video I took from the season ticket holder party a couple weeks ago of the players being introduced. WARNING turn your speakers down, Blazer fans know how to get loud.



(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

Bulls Best The Blazers

Last night, the Blazers met with the Chicago Bulls in Chi Town. The Blazers were 2 - 0 on their roadie going into this game and were hoping to make that 3 - 0 after this game.

Starting 5:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Nicolas Batum
Marcus Camby
Andre Miller
Brandon Roy

Marcus Camby returned from an ankle sprain in this game and immediately made a difference on the boards and defense especially. Camby finished the game with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. The high scorer of the night was none other than LaMarcus Aldridge who had a spectacular game with a season high 32 points to go along with 7 rebounds, and 1 steal. LaMarcus was extremely aggressive down low, got position and boxed out nicely. My favorite play of the night had to be when Brandon Roy was at the line for two, he missed the first and missed the second on purpose because he trusted LaMarcus to do his thing which was tipping in the ball! That was a huge bucket for the Blazers. It really is a shame that LaMarcus' best game of the season came with a loss. Brandon Roy took silver last night with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists. It seemed like BRoy was just off tonight for most of the game, now 23 points is pretty good for an off night but it just seemed like he wasn't 100% throughout the game. Jerryd Bayless had a great game as well with 15 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. You can always count on JBay to get you to the line and Nate put him in when we were able to get Chicago in the penalty early and Bayless put his head down and racked up the free throws shooting 5 - 6 from the line.

Here's a look at the rest of the box score:

This game presented way too many opportunities for the Blazers to take the win but we just weren't able to close it out. Sloppy play from the Bulls kept letting us back in all the way through overtime but the Blazers were never able to take advantage of that. LaMarcus had an excellent game but unfortunately that just wasn't enough. Our offense late in the game completely fell apart as it has in past games. Teams live and die by the jumper and in this game Chicago lived and we died. Bulls went on to win the game in OT 115 - 111.

Photo(s) Of the Night:

LMA throwin' it down with authority against the Bulls (who traded him to us back in the day) way to go L Train!!

The Blazers next head to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves on the second of a back to back.

•  Portland has won 11 consecutive games vs. Minnesota, its longest current winning streak against any NBA team. The Trail Blazers have taken eight meetings in a row at the Rose Garden and five straight games at the Target Center. 

•  The matchup marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season, with Portland winning each of the first three games by 23 points or more, accounting for three of its four largest wins of the year. The Trail Blazers have outrebounded the Timberwolves, 138-102, and held the advantage in assists, 93-46. Portland has shot 51.7% from the field (42.2% 3-PT) in the three contests, compared to 42.2% shooting by Minnesota. 

•  Portland’s 23-point margin of victory, 107-84, on Nov. 11 against the Timberwolves marked its largest win in Minnesota in franchise history. 

•  Nine Trail Blazers have averaged at least 8.0 points in their games against the Timberwolves this season, led by Greg Oden (15.0) and Martell Webster (15.0). 

•  The Timberwolves have failed to reach 100 points in each of the last 13 meetings between the teams, with Portland hitting triple figures eight times in that span. 

(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

Blazers Go 2 - 0 With a Win Across The Border

Tonight the Blazers went across the border to Toronto to take on the Raptors. Newly acquired center, Marcus Camby was out for Portland with an injured ankle but Toronto had an ankle injury of their own with Chris Bosh, who also sat out. After a too close for comfort game last night against New Jersey, Portland was looking for a strong win to go 2 - 0 on this road trip so far.

Starting Five:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Nicolas Batum
Brandon Roy
Andre Miller
Juwan Howard

This was Portland's 14th different starting line-up this season! It's rough being unhealthy. Top honors of the night,
I'm happy to say, go to EL MACHETERO! That's right ladies and gents, Rudy Fernandez played, undoubtedly, his best game since coming back from back surgery earlier this season. No he didn't score the highest but his performance gives him the gold tonight. The 6'6 Spanish guard tallied 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. Tonight we saw a much more aggressive and confident Rudy who carefully calculated his movements and made things happen for this team, not to mention he clocked in a good 31 minutes of play. See Rudy, when you play like this you get minutes!!! When you play like you were playing...you don't get minutes. Crazy how things work like that. Brandon Roy was the top scorer of the night with 20 points that went along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. It's great to see B Roy getting back in the swing of things and I'm sure that if he wouldn't have had a 20+ night tonight we would not have gotten the win ('specially since LMA had a forgettable night - 9 points, 2 rebounds). Andre Miller had a fantastic night as well with a near triple double, 18 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Miller has been such a vital player for this team, anyone who thinks otherwise is obviously not paying attention. The guy is putting up double figures in scoring and assists, so when you think about it, technically Dre had an extra 20 points on those 10 assists! Keep it up Dre, we need you!

Here's a look at the rest of the box score:

The Blazers got their act together tonight for this win but that doesn't mean there weren't spots of adversity. Once again, Portland saw themselves with a 15 points lead and watched that lead decrease quickly. Portland needs to sit down and learn how to get a lead and hold on to it! Besides that we played a pretty good game of basketball. The Blazers came out with a sense of urgency and got the job done. Portland won the game 101 - 87.

Photo of the Night:

GO GET IT OL' MAN! Juwan throwin it down, proving he's 37 years YOUNG.

The Blazers next travel to Chi-Town to take on the Chicago Bulls on Friday at 5 PM PST.

•  Portland has won five straight games in the series, tied for its second-longest active
streak against any NBA opponent (Minnesota, 11; San Antonio/New Jersey, 5).
•  The Trail Blazers won, 122-98, Nov. 23 in Portland in the first game of the series behind
double-doubles from LaMarcus Aldridge (24 points, 13 rebounds) and Greg Oden (24
points, 12 rebounds). Portland shot 57.5% (42-73) from the floor.
•  In 2008-09, Portland swept Chicago for the second consecutive season and the 10th
time in franchise history. The Trail Blazers won by an average of 28 points in two games
(112.5-84.5), their largest average margin of victory against any team last year, while the
112.5 points marked their highest scoring average against any opponent a season ago.
•  Portland’s 42-point win (116-74) against Chicago on Nov. 19, 2008, marked the Trail
Blazers’ largest margin of victory since Nov. 17, 1997 (120-75 win vs. Dallas), and Port-
land’s biggest win vs. Chicago, all-time.
•  The Trail Blazers held the Bulls to 38.9% field goal shooting and a 14.3% (4-28) mark
from downtown, both lows by a Portland opponent last season, in two Trail Blazers wins
in 2008-09. Portland converted on 48.7% of its field goal attempts (18-39 3-PT).


(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

Blazers Start Off Their Last East Coast Road Trip Of The Season Right

The Blazers met with the New Jersey Nets in frigid New Jersey at the IZOD Center tonight. The Nets, the worst team in the league, were looking for their 6th win of the season and the Blazers were looking to bounce back after a rough loss at home against the Jazz.

Starters:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Marcus Camby
Brandon Roy
Andre Miller
Nicolas Batum

Nico moved back into the starting rotation tonight in place of Martell Webster and didn't do a whole lot offensively but had his very own Batum Block Party with 3 blocks. Nicolas has been huge for us on defense and continued to have an impact defensively for us tonight. Brandon Roy played as close to 100% as we've seen since his return to the court and tallied 28 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. That hamstring looked great out there tonight allowing B Roy to get back to his usual fade away, drive to the hoop self. LaMarcus Aldridge also had an amazing night with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. LMA has scored 15+ points in the last 18+ games! Aldridge has been playing with a new sense of urgency. Though having B Roy and GO go down was rough, I think it's done huge things for LaMarcus' confidence and aggression. Consistently we've seen LMA go to the center of the key, draw contact and knock down the and 1. Keep it up LaMarcus!

Here's a look at the rest of the Box Score:

The Blazers led most of the game by big numbers but just like Sunday, their lead started to dwindle and Portland allowed New Jersey back in allowing them within 7 at one point. Luckily, the Blazers got their act together and closed in on defense and picked the lead back up to win 102- 93. Big news of the night for Portland though was Marcus Camby and no the news was not very good. After 5 minutes of play, Camby got his ankle stepped on by Brook Lopez and Marcus immediately went down. CENTERS OF THE TRAIL BLAZERS BEWARE!! Fortunately, Camby's X-Ray was negative so as of now he is listed as day to day. Hopefully it's a simple sprain and he'll be back in action against the Bulls or Timberwolves. What a tough injury though, I bet the guys really think that position is cursed.

Photo Of the Night:

It's good to have you and your hammy back B Roy.

The Blazers play the second game in a back to back tomorrow night in Toronto against the Raptors. This will be another early game for us west coasters, tip off is at 4 PM PST on CSNW.

•   Toronto is the last of all 29 NBA opponents to face Portland this season. The teams have not met in more than a calendar year, since Dec. 27, 2008. 
•   The Trail Blazers and Raptors had split the last five season series before Portland nabbed its first series win last year since 2002-03 and its fifth two-game sweep overall. Toronto only has one sweep over Portland in 13 series contested (1996-97). 
•  Portland outrebounded Toronto, 88-67, including a 30-16 margin on the offensive glass last season. The Trail Blazers gained a 35-23 edge in second-chance points. 
•   Brandon Roy notched team highs of 23.5 points (57.1% FG) and 8.0 assists in two contests vs. Toronto last year. His 10 assists in Portland’s double overtime loss on Jan. 13, 2008, in Toronto are the most recorded by a Trail Blazer in the 13-year history of the series. 
•   Chris Bosh led Toronto with 24.0 points (15-15 FT) and 7.0 rebounds in two games vs. Portland a season ago. Bosh’s 38 points in Toronto’s Jan. 13, 2008, double overtime win are the most ever scored by a Raptor against the Trail Blazers. 
•   The Raptors did not miss a free throw against the Trail Blazers last season, shooting 25-for-25 from the line. Portland went 29-for-36 (80.6%) in two meetings. 

Bringin' it Back:

1. Contain Chris Bosh - Bosh has consistently led the Raptors against Portland in their past match-ups averaging 19.2 points in nine games against the Blazers. If we can contain Bosh to under 20, it'll be a good game.
2. Ciao Bargnani - Andrea has also been a big part of Toronto's wins averaging 17.5 points per game and leads the team in made three-pointers (81), three-pointers attempted (221) and blocks (80). It'll be interesting to see who Nate matches up with Andrea, LaMarcus, Juwan, Dante or Jeff. Toronto has a lot of shooters including Bargnani so they'll look to spread the floor and we can't let wide open shots fall for them.
3. Gotta Make Your Free Throws - It's been painful in the past couple games to see guys go to the line. Tonight against NJ, we did well shooting 82% but that needs to continue. Free throws make or break a game y'all and Toronto with the help of former Blazer, Jarett Jack will do everything they can to get to the line, so we need to beat them there.
4. *UPDATE* Chris Bosh will be out tonight, as will Marcus Camby - Chris Bosh is a centerpiece of this Raptors team so we need to take advantage of that fact and attack the paint! Having Camby out just means that between Juwan, Dante, Jeff and LaMarcus, fouls need to be kept at a minimum and they need to work that much harder once again on defense since there's no true center to back them up.

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports)

Blazers Blow a 25 Point Lead Resulting in a Jazz Win

Last night the Blazers took on the Utah Jazz at the Rose Garden. After an embarrassing match for Portland when the Jazz last came to the RG, the Blazers were looking for a nice division win.

Starting Five:
LaMarcus Aldridge
Brandon Roy
Martell Webster
Marcus Camby
Andre Miller

Brandon Roy played better than we've seen as of late and was the high scorer of the night with 23 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 blocked shot on 34 minutes of action. He shot 7 - 15 from the field and 7 - 11 from the free throw line. Andre Miller tallied 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in 39 minutes of play. He shot 5- 18 from the field and 7 - 9 from the free throw line. LaMarcus Aldridge was huge for us in the first half but foul trouble caused him to foul out late in the game and he walked away with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

Here's a look at the rest of the box score:

This game was definitely a frustrating one for Blazer fans everywhere. The Blazer came out with intensity and played a great first half, only allowing the Jazz to lead 8 - 6 at the beginning of the game. The Blazer lead continued, getting to 25 points at one point and things seemed to be in Portland's favor, but the fourth quarter came along and Portland struggled once again. LaMarcus Aldridge got in foul trouble and was forced to watch most of the 3rd on the bench and things continued to go down hill from there. The 25 point lead kept going down, down and down until the Jazz were finally within 2 with less than 10 seconds left. Carlos Boozer tipped in a lay up and we went to overtime. OT has never been very pretty for the Blazers this season and this one was no different. Portland started the OT with missed jumpers and poor defense which allowed the Jazz to cruise to a 93 - 89 win. I love this team and that'll never change but losses like these make me so frustrated! I've never been a Nate McMillan hater but you have to wonder what he was or wasn't telling his team as their lead kept declining. It just seems ridiculous to me that we were ahead by at least 20 for a good 3 quarters and then we just let the Jazz back in. You have to close that door Blazers!! Get a lead and keep it please, for the fans' blood pressure sakes at least.

Photo of the Night:

You better look over your should DWills cause BATUM's BLOCK PARTY is coming for you!

Portland next takes on the New Jersey Nets as they start their last east coast road trip of the season.

•  Portland has won four consecutive games over New Jersey, six of the past seven meetings and 10 of the last 13. The Trail Blazers have won each of the last three games at the IZOD Center, including last year’s 105-99 comeback victory at the Nets on Jan. 15, when Jerryd Bayless scored his rookie season-high 23 points (11 in fourth quarter). 

•  A win Tuesday would give the Trail Blazers consecutive season sweeps over the Nets for the first time since 1992-93 and 1993-94. 

•  The Trail Blazers’ overall winning percentage (51-19, .729) and home winning percentage (30-5, .857) vs. the Nets are their bests among all 29 NBA opponents. 

•  Portland never trailed in knocking off New Jersey, 93-83, at the Rose Garden on Nov 25. Six Trail Blazers scored in double figures, as Portland shot 50.0% (35-70) from the floor and 52.9% (9-17) from downtown. 

•  Portland gained a 33-point advantage from the foul line last season against the Nets by shooting 65 for-78 (83.3%). New Jersey went 32-for-40 (80.0%) from the charity stripe in two games. 

•  The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Nets, 82-66, including a 25-14 advantage on the offensive glass, in two series meetings a season ago. 

•  Portland outscored New Jersey on the fastbreak, 29-15, in its two wins last season. 

•  Devin Harris led New Jersey with 25.0 points and 8.0 assists in two appearances against the Trail Blazers last season. Brook Lopez added 19.5 points (72.7% FG) and 6.0 rebounds in two games. 

•  Trail Blazers assistant coach Maurice Lucas owns a share of the high for rebounds against New Jersey in franchise history with 18 on Oct. 23, 1976. 

•  Brandon Roy’s 30.0 points (28-33 FT) in two games against the Nets last season led all players in the series. LaMarcus Aldridge added 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds (4.0 offensive) in two contests. 

•  Nets General Manager and interim Head Coach Kiki Vandeweghe played for Portland from 1984-89. His 23.5 scoring average over five seasons is the highest of any Trail Blazers player, all-time. 

Hopefully the Blazers get a nice win to propel them on this 5 game roadie!

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports)

Boston Celtics end the Blazers Two Game Winning Streak

Last night, the Blazers welcomed the Boston Celtics to the rose garden for something that was sure to be an  interesting match up. The Blazers were unveiling a new line up with the recent acquisition of Marcus Camby and hoping it would be enough to keep the 2008 champs at bay.

Starting Cinq:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Andre Miller
Brandon Roy
Martell Webster
Marcus Camby

Marcus Camby made his Blazer debut last night at the RG and did precisely what we brought him in to do. Camby walked away with 7 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 2 points. Just keep rebounding and blocking Marcus and people will be happy. Andre Miller was our high scorer with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 3 blocked shots but I'm unhappy to report that he had a big 0 assists. That's pretty uncharacteristic of Dre but then again a lot of things felt uncharacteristic in this game. LaMarcus tallied only 15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assits and 1 blocked shot.

Here's a look at the rest of the box score:

Nothing really went right for Portland in this game. The Blazers shot a dismal 33.8% from the field and 75% from the free throw line and not to mention 16% from beyond the arch shooting 2 - 12. That's rough, especially on top of 18 turnovers. It just really felt like there was little fight in Portland down the stretch and Boston capitalized on that. The Celtics were the more aggressive team so they were able to get the calls and that's all she wrote. Portland ended up losing the game, snapping their two game win streak, 96 - 76.

Photo of the Night:

Lookin' good in that Blazers jersey Camby. Welcome to Portland.

Portland next takes on the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday night on ESPN and CSNW at 7:30 PST.

•  Utah leads the series, 3-0, guaranteeing a win in the series for the first time since 2005-06. The Jazz have won by an average of 13.4 points (110.7-97.3) in the three games. The Jazz have shot 61.2% from the field (45.0% 3-PT) while limiting the Trail Blazers to 40.9% shooting (26.2% 3-PT) in the first three contests of the 2009-10 series. 

•  The home team had won eight straight games in the series, and the Trail Blazers had won six consecutive games in Portland, before Utah earned a 106-95 win at the Rose Garden on Jan. 27. The Jazz jumped out to a 21-2 lead and never trailed. 

•  The Trail Blazers and Jazz split last season’s series, 2-2, for the fourth time in the last six seasons. A win Wednesday would give Utah a series win for the first time since 2005-06. 

•  In their two wins against the Jazz a season ago, the Trail Blazers posted two of their four highest point totals of the season. Portland’s 125 points on March 31 marked its highest scoring effort against the Jazz since April 14, 1988. 

•  Both the Trail Blazers (51.5%) and Jazz (51.2%) shot better than 50.0% from the floor during the series in 2008-09, with Portland’s 51.5% marking its best vs. any team last year.

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports) 

Blazers Clip Past the Los Angeles Clippers

Last night, the Blazers met with the Clippers at the Rose Garden after a nice long rest during All-Star weekend. This game came directly after Blazers general manager, Kevin Pritchard, made a deal with LAC to trade Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake & money considerations for Marcus Camby (see last post). With the 2009-2010 season dwindling down, the Blazers were looking to come off AS Weekend strong with a nice win propelling them into a rough hunt for the playoffs.

Starting Cinco:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Martell Webster
Andre Miller
Juwan Howard
Brandon Roy

You're eyes do no deceive you, Brandon Roy is finally "back." I say that cautiously though since BRoy didn't finish out the game, he had to come out after only 15 minutes of play and then stay out because his hammy fired up. He finished with only 4 points. The high scorer of the night for Portland was none other than Marty Marty DOWNTOWN Party who tied his career high of 28 points and also tallied 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Martell Webster threw the Marty Party at the RG last night and made big shots down the stretch for the Blazers to help keep an edge over the Clippers. LaMarcus Aldridge took a close silver spot with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assits, 3 steals and 1 block.

Here's a look at the rest of the box score:

The Blazers played a great game overall shooting 49.3% from the field, a big 55.6% from 3-pt range and 78.1% from the line. With only 9 turnovers and 25 assists the Blazers went to work on the Clippers and never let up. Portland went on to win the game 109 - 87.

Photo Of the Night:

You can just hear Roy screaming: "UGH my leg is falling off!!" Get well soon BRoy, we need you 100%

Portland next faces the Boston Celtics on Friday. (This game will also be Marcus Camby's debut as a Blazer)

•  The Trail Blazers scored five straight points to force overtime, but Ray Allen’s three-
pointer with 41 seconds to play in the extra period proved to be the game winner in Boston’s 98-95 victory on Feb. 10 in the first game of the 2009-10 series. Andre Miller led all players with 28 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists.
•  Portland and Boston split last season’s series for the first time since 2004-05, with
each team winning on its home floor.
•  The Trail Blazers snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Celtics with a 91-86 win
on Dec. 30, 2008. In the absence of an injured Brandon Roy, Rudy Fernandez made his first career start, scoring eight points.
•  Portland’s 78 points (to Boston’s 93) on Dec. 5, 2008, are the fewest scored by either
team in series history. The Trail Blazers averaged 84.5 points in two games last season, the fewest against any NBA opponent.
•  The Trail Blazers held the Celtics to 43.6% shooting (22.2% 3-PT) last season but posted only a 44.0% shooting mark (30.8% 3-PT) of their own in two games.
•  Portland recorded 10 blocks to Boston’s two rejections in two meetings last season.
•  The Trail Blazers tallied only 25 assists on 62 field goals in two games vs. Boston in 2008-09. The Celtics had 35 assists on 61 baskets.
•  Portland’s .406 (39-57) all-time winning percentage against Boston is its lowest mark among all current NBA opponents. The Celtics are the NBA’s only active team with a winning record in Portland (25-23).
•  On Draft Day 2006, Portland dealt Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and a 2008 second round pick to Boston in exchange for Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau and the draft rights to Randy Foye. Foye’s rights were then traded to Minnesota for the draft rights to Brandon Roy.
•  Nate McMillan coached Boston guard Ray Allen from 2003-05 in Seattle.
•  The Celtics’ Rasheed Wallace ranks No. 8 in points, No. 6 in rebounds, No. 7 in 3-pointers made, No. 3 in blocks and No. 5 in minutes played among Portland’s all-time leaders.
•  Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers for two seasons, averaging 10.4 points in 161 games from 1990-92.

(Pictures: ESPN Sports)

Trade Day Results Are Bittersweet

Trade day results are in and they are bittersweet. What we desperately need right now is a center and Kevin Pritchard worked his magic to get one. We've all heard rumors and conflicting reports but it has been confirmed that Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake and money considerations have been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Marcus Camby.

The Portland Trail Blazers have acquired the Clippers' Marcus Camby, the center they've desperately needed since they lost both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla to season-ending injuries.

In return, Los Angeles receives point guard Steve Blake and small forward Travis Outlaw.

Portland will also send $1.5 million to Los Angeles in the trade and is responsible for $2 million in incentives Camby will earn before season's end, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher on Tuesday.

(From ESPN.com)


Camby is a great acquisition for Portland. The one thing we need to be in playoff contention is a true center and Marcus will fill that role nicely. I'm excited to see how this addition will help give LaMarcus more confidence down low knowing he has someone else down there to have his back. Camby has been averaging 7.7 points per game, 12.1 rebounds per game and 3 assists per game. Marcus will be wearing jersey #21 in his Portland debut on Friday against the Celtics.


Though I am excited to see what Camby can do for this team, this trad is also a bittersweet one. Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake will be leaving Portland for Los Angeles. Steve has been with the team for 4 years and despite the fact that he's been pretty inconsistent this season, he's done a lot of good for us and has made huge shots for us down the stretch. Travis Outlaw. Where do I start? I am a HUGE TLaw fan. He has been this team's 6th man through and through making big shots at crucial points off the bench and just adding to team morale by being everyone's best friend. Travis has been on the team longer than any Blazer as Portland drafted him out of high school and has been on the team for 7 years. Most notable is Travis' close friendship with both Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, it'll be interesting to see how those two especially handle this loss. 

We'll miss you TLaw and Blakey!!! On be half of Blazer Nation, we wish you the best of luck in Los Angeles!!

Portland Blazes The Suns In Phoenix

Last night the Blazers traveled to the valley of the sun to meet with the Suns in Phoenix. This game was the second of a back to back coming after two devastating losses at home to LA on Saturday and OKC Tuesday night. A win was much needed to go into the All-Star break in a positive light.

Comenzar Cinco:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Juwan Howard
Andre Miller
Martell Webster
Steve Blake

Another line-up switch last night, Nicolas Batum was taken out and Steve Blake was put in. I was a little nervous of this line-up but it seemed to do good things. LaMarcus Aldridge, who was named to the USA national team prior to the game, was the high scorer of the night! Apparently, that announcement did good things and pumped LMA up because he came away with 22 points on 11 - 17 from the field, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. The difference in LaMarcus' game last night compared to the OKC game was drastic. Aldridge seemed much more confident in his shots and was eager to get the ball down low and take on former teammate Channing Frye. The man had 16 points at the half, I'm just sayin. Our guards were huge for us last night as both Andre Miller and Steve Blake had big games with 20 points. I think Blake's contribution was a bigger deal though because we haven't seen a game like this from Steve in a while. Blake shot 7 - 12 from the field and 2 - 5 from behind the arch tallying 2 rebounds and a big 12 assists. My boy, DANTE INFERNO CUNNINGHAM had another HUGE night with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. DC has been playing great these past couple games, he is really playing for a starting position and doing it with stride. He just keeps getting better and we have to mention his FACE MELTING super dunk on Amar'e Stoudemire coming after Amar'e had a nasty dunk on DC. Unfortunately, Amar'e's dunk was featured on SportsCenter and such and Dante's dunk but forgotten, such is the way of life.

This game was an excellent rebound game after Tuesday's heart breaker. The Blazers came out with a sense of urgency and energy right from the beginning and never allowed Phoenix to lead throughout the entire game. An excellent and surprising game through and through.

The Blazers went on to win the game 108 - 101.

Photo of the Night:

This dunk will forever be engraved in my mind and every time I see a picture or watch a replay I will hear Wheels screaming: "OOOOOH THAT WAS NASTY" because it was. It was.

The Blazers get a nice little break this weekend as All-Star weekend starts up in Dallas but will next play the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.

•  Portland has won four of the past five games and seven of the last nine against the 

L.A. Clippers, including two straight wins at the Rose Garden. 

•  This season series between the teams is tied, 1-1, with each team winning on their home 

floor. Both teams have shot better than 50.0% from the floor (Portland, 50.6%; L.A. Clip- 

pers, 53.4%). Martell Webster leads Portland with 20.0 points in two series contests. 

•  The Trail Blazers bested the Clippers, 3-1, in the 2008-09 series, Portland’s second 

straight series win over the Clippers and 18th since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles 

in 1984-85. 

•  In four contests last season, the Trail Blazers outscored the Clippers, 107.0-91.8, and 

shot 48.7% from the floor while holding Los Angeles to 41.8% shooting in four games. 

•  The Trail Blazers dished 100 assists and turned the ball over 50 times, good for a 2.00 

assist-to-turnover ratio in four series games in 2008-09. The Clippers’ ratio was 1.32. 

•  Portland outscored Los Angeles in the paint in each of the four meetings last season, 

compiling a 202-152 edge overall. 

•  Portland earned a 186-160 (54-42 off.) rebounding advantage in four games in the 

series last year. 

Hopefully the Blazers get a nice, well deserved rest this weekend and come back strong on Tuesday for a good game against LAC. 

(Photos: Yahoo! Sports)

Thunder Rolls Over Portland

Last night the Blazers met with the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Rose Garden. It was an exciting match-up with both teams being young and up and coming. The Blazers were looking to erase a devastating loss on Saturday to LA and OKC, winners of five straight, were looking to extend their winning streak and get a long awaited win in Portland. For both teams this was a big division game since the playoff race is extremely tight in the west.

Starting Cinco:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Martell Webster
Andre Miller
Juwan Howard
Nicolas Batuuuum

Nico joined the starting five once again last night in a line-up change hinted by Nate McMillan during the practice before the game. Andre Miller was our top scorer of the night with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Dante INFERNO Cunningham had another BIG night and was one of the few guys making things happen for us last night. Inferno scored a new career high, 14 points and also tallied 6 rebounds and 1 steal. Dante has been doing BIG things for us and I am so excited to see more from him.

Here's a look at the complete box score:

This game just wasn't good. The Blazers had no fight, no energy and just seemed to be going through the motions during this game. The cringe-factor was evident for both teams though as turnovers plagued the entire game for both sides. Once again, shots just didn't drop for us and getting to the paint was difficult, despite the fact we actually outscored OKC in the paint 40 - 30, but I think turnovers were a big deciding factor. We had a total of 24 team turnovers which were converted into 30 OKC points. Those stats are painful to the eyes and really hard to witness in person. It was just a real shame of a game knowing that this game had potential to be a big confidence booster for the Blazers if they came out with the right confidence and attitude.

Oklahoma City went on to win the game 89 - 77.

The Blazers are currently on a plane to Phoenix to take on ex-Blazer Channing Frye and the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night. 

•  Portland has won three straight games in the series (all in Portland) for the first time since a four-game win streak March 25-Dec. 5, 1999. 

•  The winning team has scored 100-plus points in 19 of the last 20 games in the series. 

•  Jerryd Bayless scored 16 of his 29 points (9-15 FG) in leading the Trail Blazers from 13 down in the fourth quarter to a 105-102 triumph over the Suns on Dec. 17 in the first meeting of this year’s series. Brandon Roy added 27 points and eight rebounds. 

•  Portland and Phoenix split last season’s series, with the home team winning all four games. Portland scored 110.3 points per game while allowing 109.3 points, both highs for the Trail Blazers in a Western Conference series last season. 

•  In 2008-09, Portland earned its first home sweep of Phoenix since 1998-99. In the wins, Portland posted two of its three highest scoring outputs of the season (124 points on Dec. 18, 129 points on March 26). 

•  Phoenix shot 53.5% from the floor in four games last season vs. Portland, the highest mark allowed by the Trail Blazers to any team, and 43.8% from long distance. The Trail Blazers shot 49.0% and 41.2%, respectively.

•  The Suns outrebounded the Trail Blazers, 152-138, in four contests last season while outscoring Portland, 202-156, in the paint.
The Trail Blazers held a 52-39 advantage on the offensive glass and a 64-51 edge in second-chance scoring.
•  The Suns had knocked off the Trail Blazers 11 consecutive times, the longest series streak against Portland at the time, before Brandon Roy’s career-high 52 points, tied for the second-most by a Trail Blazer in franchise history, lifted Portland past Phoenix, 124-119, on Dec. 18, 2009. Roy’s 19 free throws (of 21) also marked a franchise record.
•  Rudy Fernandez was acquired by Portland from Phoenix along with James Jones for cash considerations on July 11, 2007.
•  Phoenix center Channing Frye spent the past two seasons in a Trail Blazers uniform, averaging 5.6 points (46.4% FG), 3.5 rebounds and 14.8 minutes in 141 games. He attended the same college (Arizona) and high school (St. Mary’s, Phoenix) as Jerryd Bayless.
•  Suns center Jarron Collins participated in Portland’s 2009 training camp and preseason before being waived on Oct. 22.
•  Suns President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Steve Kerr played for Portland in 2001-02, netting 4.1 points in 65 games.

(Photos: Yahoo! Sports)

Thunder is Brewing in Portland

*cheesy title I know*

Tomorrow, the Blazers (30 - 23) welcome the Seattle Sonics Oklahoma City Thunder (28 - 21) to the Rose Garden.

•  Portland has won five straight games in the series at the Rose Garden, doing so by 12.8 points per game. The Trail Blazers have won four straight series meetings overall.

•  Portland earned an 83-74 win in the first meeting of this season’s series on Nov. 1 in Oklahoma City, marking Portland’s first road win of the year. The Thunder recorded a Trail Blazers opponent franchise-low six assists and shot just 34.3% (24-70) from the field.

•  With a 3-1 edge in 2008-09, the Trail Blazers won the series vs. the Thunder franchise for 

the first time since 2002-03. Portland outscored Oklahoma City by 26.3 points per win. 

•  Two of Portland’s league-best five wins by 30 points or more in 2008-09 came against 

the Thunder, including Portland’s largest margin of victory in series history, a 107-72 rout on April 3 in Oklahoma City. 

•  In four games between the teams last year, Portland held a distinct edge in field goal shooting (48.1%-41.5%) and three-point shooting (39.7%-18.9%). Both of Oklahoma City’s shooting marks were the lowest of any Western Conference team against Portland in 2008-09. 

•  The Trail Blazers outrebounded the Thunder, 196-146, in four games last season, including a 58-42 margin on the offensive end. 

•  Brandon Roy led the Trail Blazers with 22.3 points in four contests against the Thunder last season. Travis Outlaw netted 17.8 points (56.9% FG) and LaMarcus Aldridge added 17.3 points (51.7% FG) and 10.5 rebounds. Aldridge counted a season-high 35 points (14-24 FG), one short of a career best, and a career-high 18 rebounds (seven off.) on April 3, 2009, at Oklahoma City. 

•  Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 18.5 points but shot 27-for-68 (39.7%) from the field in four contests vs. Portland a season ago. 

•  Nate McMillan played 12 seasons with the Thunder franchise from 1986-87 to 1997-98, averaging 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.94 steals in 796 games. His 19 assists on Feb. 18, 1989, are tied for the most in a game vs. Portland in the history of the franchise. 

•  Jeff Pendergraph and Oklahoma City’s James Harden were the two leading scorers and rebounders at Arizona State during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons … The Trail Blazers and Thunder feature a combined six former Pac-10 players.

•  Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks posted a 162-139 (.538) mark in three-plus seasons as head coach of the Trail Blazers from 2001-05. Oklahoma City assistant coach Mark Bryant played seven seasons for the Trail Blazers, posting averages of 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 431 games in the red and black. 

1. Kevin Durant - OKC's all-star has been averaging a big 29.7 points per game. One of the leaders in the NBA in scoring. It will be crucial for our guys to play good defense on KD, as we did back when we played them earlier this season in OKC, we held Kevin to 16 points on just 3 - 21 from the field.
2. Fast Pace Game - Oklahoma likes to run and we need to keep up with them. OKC is going to want to keep this at a fast pace game and if we can control the tempo to get an early lead that will be essential to a Portland win.
3. Ball Don't Lie, Gotta Make Your Free Throws - For all that is good in the world please make your free throws Portland! I used to be able to count on LaMarcus for a good 2 - 2 from the line but now, I don't really know...free throws can make or break a game in the end.

Not a lot of keys tonight, it's been a long day and we tend to play really well against OKC so I'm crossing my fingers for a nice win after Saturday's devastating loss to the L*kers. As you can tell, I honestly didn't want to talk about it *hence the super short post*. I know if I would've tried writing about it I would've gotten really frustrated and thrown my computer out the window annnnd well, I can't afford a new computer. I'm always excited to see Kevin Durant play, I love Greg Oden and all but I will admit that back during the pre-draft times I was rooting for us to pick KD. 

*Special Note To My Fellow Bitter Sonic Fans: Tune in to the local Blazers broadcast Tuesday at 6:15pm! Sonicsgate director Jason Reid is on TV before the PDX vs OKC Blunder game! (For those of you who haven't been able to see it yet, Sonicsgate is an EXCELLENT documentary about the dealings that led up to the Sonics moving to OKC with interviews from sports writers and former Sonics players. The film will also be showing at the Portland Beer & Movie Fest check out the deets here: www.sonicsgate.org