(Photo by Steve Dykes/USA TODAY Sports)
A culmination of struggles.
Each season, there are a handful of games that can be seen as landmark or team-changing. When it comes to how the Trail Blazers have performed this season, there still has not been that one game that has brought all the elements of this season together.
Look no further than the Portland Trail Blazers’ gutsy and determined victory over the Boston Celtics 116-109 on Thursday night. Portland improves to 40-36 on the season, while the Celtics fall to 43-32. The Blazers are just a game and a half back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. That was not a typo.
Boston and Portland are cut from the same cloth. Both are over-achieving teams who are extremely well-coached and are surprising a lot of teams in the NBA. In their last tilt in Boston, the Celtics handled the Blazers somewhat easily and it loomed as this game got closer and closer to being played, especially the timing of it.
The Blazers are not only in the midst of a playoff chase, but also in the midst of trying to keep several teams from catching them at the sixth seed position. The Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are all switching places below Portland and the Blazers have no margin for error or slippage.
This homestand was exactly what Portland needed, but the Boston game as well as the upcoming matchup against the Miami Heat are incredibly important games, but much like the Blazers do not look too far ahead.
The Celtics present their own problems, not the least of which in that Avery Bradley is an elite perimeter defender and essentially snuffed Damian Lillard in their first meeting, leaving the bulk of the offense to C.J. McCollum and company. At the time, that was obviously a recipe for disaster as Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Harkless were not exactly reliable offensive options.
This game would be no different. Bradley finished the night with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting, 0-of-2 from three with four rebounds, two assists and two steals all while holding Lillard to just 14 points on 3-of-16 shooting, 1-of-6 from three with four assists, one block and one rebound. Lillard was in a box once again and other options had to show up.
The Blazers have elected to run Harkless at the small forward position in their starting line-up, forcing Aminu to play the power forward slot. It has produced extremely positive results. The Blazers can get out and run, Harkless attacks the boards and Aminu produces matchup problems for more traditional power forwards.
It was a typical Boston game from the jump. While the Blazers tied it at 14 apiece in the first quarter after a sluggish start, it was tenacious and consistent defense from Boston that wore Portland down, making it a game of runs. Neither team seemed to get the upper hand. However, Portland was able to convert on their three-point shots, which kept them afloat when Boston was in control for most of this game.
Until the fourth quarter happened as the Blazers broke down Boston’s defense. With Aminu shooting from distance, it softened up the middle, allowing McCollum to work his magic and for Gerald Henderson and Allen Crabbe to weave around defenders and attempt mid-range and three-point shots.
Henderson was the top scorer in the fourth quarter, scoring ten points on 4-of-5 shooting. Portland ran a simple curve around a defender and set Henderson up in his typical mid-range spots, he happened to hit them.
The Blazers got more active on defense, causing six Boston turnovers, resulting in eight points for the good guys. The Blazers shot 55 percent in the quarter, while the Celtics mustered just 37 percent.
However, after a block from Aminu turned into a corner three-pointer for Jae Crowder that gave the Celtics a one-point with 1:07 remaining, it seemed like another one those “here we go again” moments. But, McCollum, not wanting that feeling to marinate, whisked down the court and made a tough fade-away jumper to regain the lead.
It was from that point that the tide turned. Isaiah Thomas attempted his fourth quarter takeover, but found himself too deep in Blazer territory with no way out, even at one point slipping on one play. It culminated in the Celtics not making shots and Lillard icing the game at the line, swishing four straight free throws to end the back-and-forth affair.
Whether it was the matchup or if Aminu ate something before the game, he showed up and had not just the biggest game as a Blazer, but the biggest game of his career finishing with a career-high 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, 6-of-11 from three with nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and three blocks.
Aminu, known for his elite defense and frustrating three-point shooting, finally exploded and gave Portland something they did not expect. With Boston playing the percentages and focusing more on McCollum and Lillard, Aminu had wide-open looks from the perimeter and he swished most of his attempts. When he was not making three-pointers, he was driving to the basket, completing dunks, lay-ups and anything in between. With Lillard not being able to get out of his box, Aminu stepped in and provided the spark and then some.
The bench play was enormous. Crabbe, Henderson and Ed Davis combined for a +30 on the night with a combined 30 points. Davis, while fouling out in the end, got Portland into shape and responded to the Celtics rough defense with his own. He gave the Blazers a wake-up call and deserves a lot of the credit.
To say this was an important win would be an understatement. The Blazers have now won three in a row in a crucial point of this season as the teams below them wait for their moment to pounce. With Memphis having two games against the Golden State Warriors coming up, the fifth seed is not out of the question.
Next up, the Blazers take on the Miami Heat on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. PST.
Stay tuned!