It’s no secret, the Blazers have struggled to find their identity and style of play while coping with the loss of so many integral players on their roster. Their last two losses came in heart-wrenching fashion, revealing a multitude of weakness including a lack of rhythm and purpose offensively in crunch time. Tonight against the Sacramento Kings, the Blazers looked like a team that was beginning to feel comfortable in their new skin and were able to come away with a 95-88 win.
While the Kings aren’t a top-tier opponent, the Blazers can’t complain about where they get their wins. That, and the Kings are better than they’re given credit for. They have a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate in Tyreke Evans, and talented (and competitive) players in Jason Thompson, Beno Udrih and Andres Nocioni, among others. These guys are no pushovers. What I liked most about the Blazers’ performance tonight was that each player filled their role effectively. Brandon Roy handled much of the offensive playmaking responsibilities, and had an efficient 25 points and 10 assists. Roy also looked assertive on offense, taking what the defense was giving him without overthinking his options. He also worked the pick-and-roll beautifully with LaMarcus Aldridge, who battled through an ankle injury to have another solid game with 25 points and 9 rebounds. When the Blazers can get this type of performance out of their stars, they will always be in a position to be successful.
But it wasn’t just the stars who were on point tonight. Joel Przybilla manned the glass, Martell Webster was an active contributor (and threw down another monster baseline dunk tonight), Juwan Howard and Dante Cunningham provided valuable spot minutes off the bench, and Steve Blake decided to dust off his long-lost shot in the fourth quarter when the Blazers needed it the most.
But the most notable contributor from the role players tonight was Jerryd Bayless. Amidst trade murmurs and speculation, Bayless’ aggressive brand of basketball elevated the Blazers in the fourth quarter and put them over the top. Especially as the game’s tempo began to escalate, it was Bayless who
was able to put the pressure on Sacramento by attacking the defense and taking it hard to the rack. Interestingly, Andre Miller (even more subject to trade rumors right now) started the game but was ice-cold from the floor and never got into sync during the game. While Miller logged the most minutes of the three point-guards, it was Blake and Bayless who took over during the final stretch. Clearly the Blazers have yet to establish a comfortable rotation in the backcourt, and Bayless’ recent emergence makes the distribution of playing time even more difficult. The Blazers will have to keep tinkering until they find a combination that truly clicks. Otherwise, a trade certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.
This game was extremely important for the Blazers to win. They are depleted, yes, but if they hope to make it to the playoffs this year these types of games are must-wins. They are also heading into a very difficult stretch, and need to build up as much momentum as possible. After they play Phoenix at home on Thursday, the Blazers will head out on a treacherous road trip where they will make stops in Orlando, Miami, Dallas and San Antonio…only to come home to have division-rival Denver waiting for them. Tonight’s win helps bolster their confidence and should help to establish a productive rhythm within the group.