While the depleted Blazers have continued to surpass everyone’s expectations, winning eight of their last 10 games, I have maintained that as long as Brandon Roy is in the game Portland has a good shot at winning. While the Los Angeles Clippers couldn’t keep Roy off the floor tonight, they made a concerted effort to center their whole defensive scheme around him. The fronted him, brought double teams when he received the ball, and used Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby to help off of their man to deny Roy the ball or help out once he received the rock. While this strategy often freed up other Blazers for wide-open looks, it was successful in disrupting Roy’s rhythm – holding him to just 6 points (on 3-12 shooting). Without a reliable Roy to turn to in the fourth quarter, the Blazers’ offense became stagnant and eventually led to a 105-95 loss.
That isn’t to say that tonight’s game was without bright spots. For the first three quarters, the Blazers played up-tempo, free-flowing, and inspiring basketball. With Roy’s struggles, the Blazers saw several players step up to keep Portland in this game.
Andre Miller, in particular, was fantastic tonight. Dueling with Baron Davis all-night, Miller had an electrifying first half (10 points and 10 assists) and finished with a 22 point and 16 assist evening. We saw Miller stealing passes, finishing at the rim, and making great decisions with the basketball. Not a bad return for the L.A. native and former Clipper.
Martell Webster had his second great game in a row, finishing with 25 points (5-9 from downtown). He was also active on the fastbreak, and was the recipient of two Miller passes that resulted in emphatic dunks. Webster is proving that when he gets consistent minutes he is capable of being a significant contributor. After scoring 17 first-half points, he was a bit more quiet in the second half. Webster again proved to be a player who thrives on positive team momentum when the defenses have to key on other players (like Roy, Miller, etc.), allowing him to find the open spot on the floor or the open cutting lane.
The other truly notable Blazer tonight was Juwan Howard. He did a great job of knocking down open mid-range shots when his defender would leave to help on Brandon Roy. At one point, Chris Kaman looked to coach Mike Dunleavy in dismay as if to say “Coach, if we keep doing this Juwan is going to have the night of his life.” While it wasn’t the night of his life, it was definitely one of his most productive games as a Blazer. In 36 minutes of play, Howard chipped in 16 points (8-11 shooting) and four boards. He also had one of the best highlights his aging career. Roy drove baseline drawing in Kaman and Camby, dished it off to a cutting Howard who threw down a posterizing dunk on Kaman. Posterizing is not an overexaggeration.
In the end, the Blazers just didn’t have enough in the tank to finish of the Clippers. Their hot start fizzled, and their defense became absent, but the Blazers gave an admirable effort given the players they had available. I think we can excuse an out-of-the-ordinary performance from Roy, who had averaged 27.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 4.9 apg throughout the month of December.
The Blazers won’t have to wait long for a chance to bounce back from tonight’s loss, as the Memphis Grizzlies come to town tomorrow. LaMarcus Aldridge is expecting to make his return, which should alleviate some pressure off of Roy, but I would imagine his mobility will still be somewhat limited if he does play. Still, the Blazers will welcome Aldridge back with open arms if only to have another big in their lineup. We’ll see if the second night of a back-to-back shows a fatigued Blazers squad, or if they approach it as an opportunity for redemption.
