That’s more like it! After the Portland Trail Blazers lost a heartbreaker to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night, it was rough for Blazer fans to look ahead and see the daunting and scary Cleveland Cavaliers coming to town. LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were all handfuls on their own last season for Portland. It was not a pretty sight to see them so soon, especially with Portland playing some really sloppy basketball.
Well, Portland took some offensive juice and woke up for the first time this season. The Trail Blazers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 101-82 Tuesday night at the Moda Center.
This game was much more what the fans expected from Portland from the beginning of the season. The offense was efficient, three-pointers that went in, hard-nosed battling for rebounds and players finding their roles and fulfilling them. That is what people expected and that is what they got in an important game early in the season.
The start of this game, however, was frightening for Blazer fans. Both teams got off to a hot start as Cleveland hit their first 10 shots. Portland kept pace by responding with lay-ups and crisp offense. However, with Cleveland having an offense that is lethal and seeing them shooting that well, it did not bode well. But, Portland kept their composure and started tightening up the defense. Eventually, Cleveland missed a bucket and the Blazers were actually up by two with 3:02 remaining in the first. Let me say this again, Cleveland made their first ten buckets, but were behind. That should say something.
The Blazers, having not started well in their previous two games, shot a blistering 54% from the field and 40% from three. Robin Lopez, of all people, was the offensive threat Portland always knew he was (really?) as he went 4-for-7 and had eight points in the quarter. Wesley Matthews continues to be rock solid and keeping this team in ballgames early on. He went 3-for-3 in the quarter, including one three-pointer and had seven points. All starters scored five or more points in the quarter. Good sign, but Cleveland shot even better. They shot 62% in the quarter and 83% from three. James went 3-for-5, including 2-for-2 from three and Kevin Love went 3-for-4, including 2-for-2 for three. A lot of shots were made on both sides and Portland was staring at just a three-point deficit.
The second quarter is when momentum shifted. The Blazers outscored the Cavs 24-16. Portland kicked it up on the defensive end while still keeping that offensive intensity. They shot 50% from the field in the quarter and 38% from three. The Cavs deflated on offense. They shot just 26% from the field and 14% from three. Damian Lillard went 2-for-3 in the quarter, both three-pointers and had 10 points. Lopez, again, provided five points on 2-for-2 shooting.
The Blazers continued to press in the third quarter as they outscored the Cavs 21-19. Tristan Thompson was providing Cleveland with hustle and good minutes of their bench. He went 2-for-3 from the field and had five points and two rebounds in the quarter. However, LaMarcus Aldridge got into a rhythm as he went 4-for-6 in the quarter and had 10 points. Portland’s defense, once again, was bothering the Cavs. Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving combined to go 3-for-10 with six points in the third quarter. James only took two shots. Portland shot 44% from the field while Cleveland shot 35%.
In the fourth quarter, the Blazers finished it as they are finally figuring out how to put it to a team and seal it. Portland outscored the Cavs 25-13. They shot 47% from the field and Matthews and Lillard combined to 5-for-8 with 18 points. Again, it was those timely three-pointers and better defense in those key possessions. I was impressed.
The game itself was nothing spectacular, but it was the stats that were interesting. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters combined to go 6-for-28 with just 13 points on the night. LeBron was just 4-for-12, 2-for-4 from three and had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. The only offensive threat was Love who finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds on 7-for-14 shooting, 5-for-8 from three. The Cavaliers offense is going to be good. Irving does not have nights like these very often and obviously LeBron does not either. There were some sequences in this game where it was obvious that this team will be a machine on offense eventually. However, the biggest question in the off-season is slowly becoming a reality. The defensive end of the floor is lacking, particularly in the backcourt. The Blazers were able to get to their spots and breeze by defenders to get better looks. Portland got more open looks at three-pointers and seemed to be able to do what they wanted with ease. Cleveland is going to have to tighten their defense. There were sections of this game where they did and it was effective. They got into passing lanes, caused havoc and fought for rebounds. But, the Cavs could not keep it up.
The Cavs might have had an off-night offensively, but I think Portland showed that they can play defense. There are still kinks and obviously the Blazers are nowhere near a team like the Grizzlies, but to force LeBron to only take 12 shots and to force Irving to go 3-for-17 on a night. That says something. The Blazers crowded the three-point line, helped out and surrounded LeBron or Love to force them to pass out. Was this a case where Cleveland just could not make the Blazers pay? Absolutely, there were plenty of opportunities for the Cavs to seize momentum or make a run, but they could not capitalize. They only scored four buckets until the final one minute of the game when garbage time arrived. The Blazers were making shots, but the Cavs were ice cold. But, there is a reason why the starting line-up for Cleveland shot so bad, Portland got in the way.
Portland, on the other hand, enjoyed a night that they have been wanting since the season started. The backcourt for Portland exploded. Lillard finally came out of his slump, as predicted and he finished with 27 points on 6-for-13 shooting, 5-for-10 from three, with six rebounds and seven assists. Matthews finished with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting, 3-for-8 from three with six rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge finished with just 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting, while Lopez (seriously?) finished with 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting and had six rebounds. Lopez was the reason the Portland kept up with Cleveland in the first quarter. His baby hooks and ugly shots found the basket. I would not go as far as to say that he is an offensive juggernaut and a threat, but he is respectable enough that teams should guard him. He still is able to make a shot when the Blazers need him too; it is just not always pretty.
The Blazers did not get much production out of the bench tonight scoring-wise as they combined for 11 points, but they did not need them to. Chris Kaman finished with five points on 2-for-4 shooting and provided seven rebounds. Kaman’s rebounding ability has been a godsend on some plays and has really allowed for Portland to corral rebounds that were even beyond their reach last year.
Impressive win to say the least. With all the hype surrounding this Cleveland team, it is obvious they still have work to do, particularly on the defensive end. However, I do not see this team becoming like the Laker Catastrophe of three seasons ago. But, they are not clicking yet. When Portland meets Cleveland again in January, I think the game will be a different story entirely. The Blazers played great defense and it is starting to become a pattern. There has been defensive improvement and it is showing, particularly in the backup point guard position. Lillard got out of his slump in a big way and out-dueled Irving. The Blazers got a big win this early in the season and it was good for their confidence going forward.
Next up, the Dallas Mavericks as they come to town on Thursday at the Moda Center at 7:30 p.m. PST. This marks the first return of Chandler Parsons since the series-ending game-winning shot by Lillard in the playoffs this year. But, the Mavericks have been revamped in a way as well. Tyson Chandler has returned and, like I said, Parsons is now filling that starting small forward role. It will be tough, as it always is. Dallas games always tend to be thrillers. Portland has momentum and should feel good about this win, but it some cases Dallas will be tougher. Stay tuned!