I don’t have the time nor the inkling to delve into this game. I have to finish laundry, then pack, then sleep for like 3 hours, then wake up at 3am to catch a shuttle to the airport to hop a flight into the eye of a hellacious winter storm.
The extremely shorthanded Blazers, playing their fourth road game in five nights, played with more energy, more heart, and more passion. Missing their best player (Roy), most of their best supporting cast, and reaching to the depths of their bench, they completely outclassed us on our floor. In the end, it was too little, too late, as we made one final surge to climb within 2 with 27 seconds left. We got the stop we needed but could not secure a rebound. Ballgame.
Let’s get down to brass tacks: we are not a very good basketball team. This game was a litmus test for us (and if you don’t think Pop wanted it bad, just check out Duncan’s playing time in the second half), and again we failed. Despite four elite offensive players, we have no flow or rhythm to our offense. Everyone is afraid to shoot; we pass up open jumpers time and time again to drive into double teams and make poor outlet passes that very often result in turnovers. We can’t even run a fast break properly. The glory of our defensive dominance fades further and further into the rear view mirror everyday. We got torched by an undersized second year guard playing in only his second week of meaningful burn. Time and time again we are unable to secure critical defensive rebounds. We are getting by on reputation and Duncan alone. That’s it. Nobody else is having a season worth remembering.
Unless something changes soon, we will continue to beat the sub-.500 teams, continue to lose to playoff teams, finish in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, and be summarily swept out of the playoffs with a whimper, not a bang.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some laundry to attend to.
