The Portland Trail Blazers finally did something that they haven’t done since LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum joined the team and that is win a game in Boston. The Blazers had yet to win a game there since March of 2004. I was 12 guys. I don’t have many good memories of recent games in Boston. The last couple games there have been blowouts by halftime and, I hate to say it, but I would turn the TV off and watch something else. Tonight, I had my fears as usual when it comes to playing the Celtics in Boston, but I also had a feeling that things might be different this time around. I guess I was right as the Blazers beat the Boston Celtics 109-96 to improve to a 7-2 record on the season and a 3-1 record on the road while also extending their current winning streak to 5. As Blazer fans, I think the road record is the one that we are happy about. The Blazers have never been great at winning on the road the past few years. Last year we had a record of 11-30 on the road and the year before that we had a record of 8-25. I don’t want people to get their hopes up just yet because it is still early in the season, however, when you finally win in a place that has been basically a death trap and you are able to extend a winning streak to 5 by doing it, the end result might be very different this year than it has in the past.
Again, the Blazers used their many weapons to seal the deal tonight. Nicolas Batum got going, then Mo Williams decided to lead the charge, then Damian Lillard nailed a few buckets, and then LA finished the night off. It has been nice to see that the Blazers can win in different types of games. This game was more of a test of being able to put a team away and not give them confidence in their own building which, as we will talk about below, seemed like it was going to be a problem. The Phoenix game was a defensive, ugly, and a rough game that the Blazers were able to squeak out. The Sacramento games were very offensive, but also showed the defensive capabilities of this team. As you can see, the Blazers have been able to respond to multiple challenges and come out on top. I credit that to our bench and team chemistry. Tonight was a good sign that no matter where the Blazers have had struggles in the past, this is a different team and the results are changing dramatically. I have also really been impressed on the Blazers’ starts in games. We jumped out with a 12-5 lead before the Celtics started responding. When the Blazers faced Detroit we did the same thing. Far cry from last year where it seemed like the Blazers were always in a 10-point hole from the start of the game and had to dig out the rest of the way whereas now it seems like we are taking control early and setting the tone. I hope this trend continues as I think it has been HUGE for the Blazers overall.
One negative thing to take away from this game was that the Celtics were able to take the lead a few times in this game. Blazer fans watching this game probably thought that it was going to happen again and that we were going to let one slip away. The Celtics were up by as much as 7 in the second quarter and seemed to not miss a shot after starting off very poorly offensively. I expected the Celtics’ run and we did ultimately outscore them in every quarter, but I was worried. It seemed like we weren’t really playing defense and we were taking bad shots on the other end or they just weren’t falling. One thing I am hoping the Blazers continue to work on is to not let the defense get lazy in stretches. Teams like Oklahoma City or Miami will take advantage of those lapses and the Blazers might find themselves down by more than just 7. Luckily the Celtics cooled off and the Blazers, with another sign of growth for this team, were able to take control back and really shut this game down in the fourth as it just got really, REALLY ugly for Boston offensively.
Like I said above, the Blazers attacked from every player tonight, but the MVPs in my eyes were LaMarcus Aldridge, Mo Williams, and Nicolas Batum. Let’s get to statistics.
LaMarcus Aldridge is showing us that he might just be a walking double-double now as he notched his fourth double-double in a row by scording 27 points on a very nice 11-for-18 shooting and was able to grab 12 rebounds (3 offensive). Aldridge found his shot tonight and was able to abuse rookie Kelly Olynyk down low early in the game to not only get easy buckets, but also to get Olynyk into foul trouble and ultimately not have no impact as Olynyk just scored 2 points and 2 rebounds with 4 personal fouls in 16 minutes. Not a good outing for the rook. LA’s shot was fluid and he was able to hit one in the fourth to really ice the game and send the fans out into the chilly Boston night. LA has been great in the fourth quarter as of late. There has always been talk from Blazer fans how LA is a great player, but is not really that clutch. LA has made it his personal mission to be clutch this year and he has already shown that he can be as cold-blooded as any superstar (see the Denver game earlier in the month). LA no longer looks lost in clutch situations and it able to take shots with ease.
Mo Williams, again, was an incredible spark off the bench with 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 8 assists. I am not expecting this every night from Mo, but I would think the Blazers win almost any game when Mo is close to a double-double. Mo seemed on has he was hitting mid-range shot after mid-range shot and creating something out of nothing as he would be able to create his own shot and save an offensive possession. I think we are also starting to see the effects of have Damian and Mo on the floor at the same time. Teams are having a hard time figuring out who to guard so it ends in easy buckets or a wide open three. Mo was the last pickup of the off-season and, honestly, I am not so sure where this team would be without him. I would not think the Blazers would be 7-2 without him. Overall, Mo is finding his offensive game that you knew was coming. Boy, am I glad he is on my side for a change.
Nicolas Batum was able to provide a little offense tonight as well as do his usual do-it-all game that he does every night. Batum ended with 18 points on 6-for-15 shooting, 4-for-10 from three, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Batum was hot to start the third quarter as he made a 25-foot three point jumper, followed it up with a field goal, and then made a lay-up a few minutes later. Batum hasn’t been the best offensively so far this season, however, I think that will come as the season progresses. The consistency issue with Batum is still there in terms of the scoring, but in terms of the assists and rebounds he is solid as a rock. People need to stop complaining about him if there any of you left out there. Batum is doing just fine right now and, if you have been watching, his defense has really kicked up.
Overall, this was a game that Blazers were supposed to win and were able to kick that awful 0-9 losing streak in Boston. The Blazers were able to put the foot on the gas and close the game out when they needed to and were able to get a very crucial first win on this road trip to start it off nicely. Next up, the Toronto Raptors who got beat by the Chicago Bulls tonight by 16. You can expect the Raptors to be ready and Toronto is another place where the Blazers have struggled in the past couple of years. The game will be on Sunday and 10:00 AM PST (that is early!). Stay tuned!