If you watched the game last night, it was plain to see that the Blazers inability to take care of the basketball killed them repeatedly (a few times I thought I was watching the Celtics play, yeesh). Currently 26th in the NBA in turnovers per game, the Blazers coughed up the rock 24 times, leading to 30 points for Kevin Durant & co. That's the ballgame right there, folks, and you can thank some surprisingly stifling defense from the Thunder for making that happen. OKC is a long and athletic squad, and they swarmed the Blazers mercilessly and took Portland right out of their game from the get go. Andre Miller and others were routinely met by two, three and sometimes even four bodies when they got into the paint, and the Thunder did a great job of cutting off passing lanes and running shooters off of shots on the perimeter when the Blazers were able to kick the ball out to the perimeter.
Now, Portland missed plenty of looks that might normally go down, but explaining the loss that way would be selling the defensive effort of the Thunder and the progress they've made this year woefully short. I am a firm believer that basketball is a game of rhythm, and taking a team out of that rhythm makes good shooters miss open shots after long enough. That's what happened to Portland last night, and on the other side of things, the Blazers just didn't have an answer for the length, athleticism and overall game of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and the rest of the Thunder.
Not that I'm in the business of letting the Blazers off the hook, but they just got outplayed by a healthier team that right now is more talented than Portland and has been giving even the top squads in the NBA boatloads of problems this year. The Thunder are vastly improved on both ends of the floor and seem poised to make some noise down the stretch of this season. And although Kevin Durant was fantastic again (33/11), the Thunder are more than just him, and they proved it last night. Jeff Green did the little things (including mediating a shouting match between Durant and Russell Westbrook in the second half), played great defense on LaMarcus Aldridge (he only got 10 shots all night and had 4 turnovers), and rookie James Harden hit some big shots just as Portland was attempting to close the gap in the second half.
Looking ahead to tonight's game against Phoenix, the Blazers should have an easier time running their offense, which can hopefully translate to more makes and a Portland victory. Phoenix plays no defense at all and don't rebound particularly well, so they don't seem well equipped to exploit Portland. That doesn't mean they aren't a threat, the Suns have been playing fantastically and have as much offensive firepower as anyone in the Association. Still, I like the Blazers to go get a win tonight, partially because of a few match-ups but also because they got embarrassed on their home floor last night and most NBA teams respond well after a loss like that.
The caveats, however, are as follows. First, this is the second of a back-to-back for the Blazers, and they had to travel to Phoenix after the game last night, so fatigue could be an issue against a team that runs and guns as much as the Suns do. Also, life will be difficult for Portland if Martell Webster can't go at all or is limited in his ability to impact the game. His nasty fall last night visibly affected his game on both ends and the Blazers desperately need him to have a chance at success tonight and for the rest of the season. Also, there is potential for a Channing Frye revenge game, as the Suns new sixth man may be keyed up and determined to show Portland what he can do in a system that isn't as restrictive as Nate McMillan's is.
on the flip side, I actually like the match-ups for Portland a lot more in this game than I did against the Thunder. Andre Miller should be able to post up Steve Nash all night long and exploit his defensive deficiencies easily (not possible against the physical specimen that isRussell Westbrook), and if they take Nash off of Miller Captain Canada will have to try and contain Jerryd Bayless, who shreds the NBA's quickest perimeter defenders off the dribble on a nightly basis. And while we're on the subject of Bayless, I like the potential of him against Leandro Barbosa. On the interior, LaMarcus Aldridge should have an easier go of things against Channing Frye and Amar'e Stoudemire, both of whom have never been accused of playing a lick of D in their respective NBA careers.
Still, this game is a toss up at best and the Blazers, as they have had to do all season, will have to find a way to win and compensate for the talent and health differential. If shots fall for Portland tonight, they should win (there's my push for the John Madden Memorial Captain Obvious Award), otherwise things could get ugly once again. Win or lose, the All-Star break is coming and on the other side of it hopefully lies a healthy Brandon Roy, so let's try and hang on one more time and gut out another impressive win.
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