The Portland Trail Blazers achieved something that, at the beginning of the season, seemed like a crazy fan’s prediction. With Portland beating the New Orleans Pelicans 100-94 on Sunday night, the Blazers hit two noteworthy milestones. Not only did they finally clinch for the playoffs, but they also hit the very impressive 50-win mark. With this win, Portland improves to 50-28 on the season, while the Pelicans fall to 32-45 and look forward to the lottery in a couple of months. It is times like these where you take a step back and realize just how ridiculous this season has been.
Fans and analysts alike talk a lot about the early season success and that 11-game winning streak that really helped the Blazers down the stretch. However, not a lot of people talk about what everyone thought this team was going to be. All predictions for Portland coming into the season were along the same lines. A team that might be competing for the 8th seed in the Western Conference if all went well and I team who might win 40-42 games. Keep in mind that was the best-case scenario. I still remember LaMarcus Aldridge saying that it didn’t seem ridiculous to think about a 7th seed. At the time, I think most fans probably laughed and thought he was stretching. With most teams improving in the West and the non-splashy aspect of Neil Olshey’s off-season moves, fans were bracing themselves for another mediocre year. No one could have predicted this. Also, keep in mind that this was before people saw how Phoenix was going to be playing. Initially, that team was supposed to be at the bottom of the barrel and trying to rebuild. Watching the Suns play now as they are 15 games over .500, that is the weirdest rebuilding project I have ever seen.
Looking back over the season as it winds down, Robin Lopez has to be the biggest and most important addition in the off-season. A center who most fans thought was going to be a temporary solution until Portland could get someone of higher-caliber like Omer Asik. Well, let’s compare. Robin Lopez is averaging 10.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a game. Asik, last season, averaged 10.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks a game. Both centers played all 82 games in their respective seasons. Aside from maybe a little extra rebounding, I say that Portland got the center it needed and really who is better in the NBA beside the Dwight Howards and Roy Hibberts of the league? Not to mention that Lopez is one year younger and has a lot more experience in the NBA than Asik has. Also, you just have to look at Aldridge’s growth with Lopez. LA could now just play a power forward and guard power forwards. With both of them, it is no surprise that Portland is the number one team in rebounding.
The New Orleans game is a perfect example of how Lopez has helped Portland this season. Struggling with foul trouble all night, Lopez could only play 23 minutes. However, despite what the stats say as he finished with just 4 points on 2-for-2 shooting and 2 rebounds, Lopez registered a +17. The highest of any Trail Blazer in that game and furthermore he had no blocks. I would also add that I think there have been plenty of times where Lopez’s determination on defense has started some really impressive defensive performances from Portland as a whole.
Now onto the game, with New Orleans taking a seven-point lead into halftime, it was puzzling as to why Portland just could not get stops or really have a lead against a struggling and injured New Orleans team. Anthony Davis is a freak of nature and it is rough to stop him from anywhere, but having a guy like Brian Roberts run in for a lay-up is groan-inducing. How about Tyreke Evans continuing to drive down the lane numerous times without much resistance? Portland’s offense got into a rhythm early, but really lost their edge in the second quarter. Prompting the question from fans “what is going on?”
In the first half, Tyreke Evans went 3-for-5 and had 8 points. Brian Roberts was 3-for-6. Anthony Davis made his usual mark by going 5-for-9 in the first quarter.
Well, the defense button was punched at halftime. Portland, wanting to officially secure their fates by going to the playoffs, came out with a sense of urgency that was sorely lacking in the first half. The Trail Blazers outscored the Pelicans 29-14 in the third quarter. Nicolas Batum started the ball rolling by playing sensational defense on Tyreke Evans. Evans only took four shots in the entire second half and went 1-for-4. Furthermore, Brian Roberts went 3-for-10 in the second half. The Blazers also contained Anthony Davis effectively as he only made one shot in the second half. The offensive weapons and options that the Pelicans were using to stay ahead against Portland were no longer working. A little bit is the fact that the Pelicans just stopped making shots. In the first half, they were hitting mid-range jumpers and going to the rim for easy lay-ups, but in the second half, the lucky bounces that New Orleans was getting were no longer there. Plus, I think New Orleans’ immaturity crept in. Some of the offensive possessions were interesting as it would end with Roberts throwing up a prayer or Greg Stiemsma forced to take an outside shot (that should never happen). However, I do not want to take away from what Portland did. That was an impressive defensive display that Portland should remember. In the playoffs, that is the kind of defense you need to play.
What was also impressive was the amount of steals that Portland got in the second half. It seemed like the same play. Roberts would dribble up the court and either Mo Williams or Damian Lillard would swat at it and easily get the ball back. Portland doesn’t usually force turnovers, but Portland finished with five steals and 11 fast break points.
Statistically, Portland finished going 41-for-87 from the field and shot 47%. The three ball was lacking once again as they finished going just 5-for-22 and shot 23%. Portland ate the Pelicans on the glass as they out-rebounded New Orleans 50-38. What was probably the most important stat against this team, points in the paint; Portland outscored them 52-50.
Individually, the starting lineup really did a number on the Pelicans. LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 25 points on 11-for-25 shooting, 18 rebounds (eight of which were offensive) and had 4 blocks. LA played superbly, especially going up against Anthony Davis. Even with back spasms Davis is a handful to deal with on both ends of the floor.
Damian Lillard had a solid game finished with 20 points on 9-for-19 shooting, 0-for-2 from three, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. It would be great to see how Lillard develops as a defensive player. With some of the steals he had, it makes you wonder if that will be his defensive weapon. Other than that, Damian sealed the deal at the end of the game when he made a lay-up to push the lead to five with 0:22 remaining.
Nicolas Batum finished with 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting, 2-for-7 from three, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Looking back, that first Aldridge injury was a blessing in disguise. Ever since then, Batum has been crashing the glass and being active on that aspect of the game.
Wesley Matthews got the Blazers going in the first half as he finished with 21 points on 7-for-13 shooting, 3-for-7 from three and had 5 rebounds. In the first quarter he went 5-for-7 including two made three- pointers.
Even though Blazer fans can take a little bit of breather knowing that there is no way that Portland can miss the playoffs, there is still some work to be done before Portland can focus on that entirely. Golden State is still looming in the background and with a bit of spurt could challenge that 5th seed if the Blazers are not careful. There is still time for a team to do that. However, that is not Portland’s immediate concern. Their next matchup, the Sacramento Kings. This game could go either way depending on which Kings team shows up. Is it the one where Rudy Gay goes 14-for-17? Or, the one where DeMarcus Cousins gets ejected and Rudy Gay goes 5-for-15? Either way, tip-off is on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. PST at the Moda Center. The regular season is winding down and I have developed a new tag line, “I Care in April!” Congratulations to the Trail Blazers for getting back to the playoffs after a two-year absence . Stay tuned!