Recap: Blazers beat Clippers 119-114

The Blazers’ first win of the pre-season was sloppy but fun.

Both teams didn’t look like they had things together.  Court movement wasn’t crisp; screens weren’t set right; baskets came about because of luck more than planning.

When crunch time came and Jamal Crawford’s back to back to back threes lit a fire under the Blazers, it wasn’t clear they could hold out and hold off the challenge.

They did, beating the Clippers 119-114.  But it seemed like it could well have gone the other way around.

Still, it is only the preseason, and what the Blazers lacked in rigor they made up for in sheer brilliance of improvisation which made for a wonderful first broadcast.

This in turn testified to an exciting chemistry among this group, between starters and non-starters, veterans and new additions.

The improbable shooting of the team summed up the tone of the night.  The Blazers went 17 for 25, or making 68% of shots.  These were not pretty shots, often made in chance openings, in defenders faces, off balance, but they all went in.

The effort was led by Wesley Matthews.  Usually an extremely disciplined player, Matthews looked carefree, wild even, and was rewarded for taking chances by going lights-out.  He shot 6 for 7 from beyond the arc, and was the Blazers’ highest scorer.

McCollum was also full of flash, and had an amazing shooting night.  Starting instead of Lillard—kept out another game with minor strain on his foot—McCollum looked a little out of rhythm at first, but proceeded to go 7 for 12 and 5 for 8 from three-point range—an effort that would have been the highlight of the night were it not for Matthews’ golden touch. McCollum ended up with 19 points and had 6 assists.

Even Allen Crabbe made three out of four three point attempts.  This was a legendary night.

Steve Blake, after a solid effort last game, also showed his utility.  While not scoring much, he had a plus-minus of +16, and could be seen swooping through the air to grab his 5 rebounds throughout the night.  He also had 7 assists.  One of them was a beautiful alley-oop to Will Barton at the beginning of the first quarter.  Barton laid the thing in with grace.

It was all part of the fun of the game: the sheer improvisatory brilliance that the Blazers are now displaying, however much they may still have to tighten things up before the regular season.

When the Clips put the pressure on, and holes were exposed, the Blazers didn’t respond as quickly as they might have.  And yet, even then, they never let control of the game pass into their opponent’s hands.

Aldridge is a rock, we know.  But in games like this, with the Blazers lacking Lillard, he showed that he too was capable of the creativity the rest of the team displayed.

The Blazers often have used him as a last-ditch option for baskets, when the rest of the play goes sour.  In this game, however, Aldridge showed he could take over the role of facilitator when the primary point guard is absent.  LaMarcus whipped passes around to cutters or to spot shooters in the corners or on the wings throughout the contest, coming away from the game with a remarkable 5 assists.

And it’s clear that now, besides Aldridge, there is another steadying force who can come to rise to the occasion.

Chris Kaman again was amazing.  He went four for 8 from the field with 12 points.  Even better was the chemistry between Aldridge and Kaman.  Two of Aldridge’s five assists went to Kaman cutting to the hoop with surprising quickness and formidable force—and ended in two layups.  On the second one, Kaman also finished with remarkable deftness, moving to the side of the hoop to gain its protection.

The effort between the two, combined with the dazzling three point shooting, left the Blazers able to stay in the lead for most of the game, and not let the thing slip away when things got rough.

In many ways though, the Clippers were never going to win the game, and the threat was hollow.  They were only coming back because of Crawford’s bizarre run.

Meanwhile, their supposed third-best player DeAndre Jordan has 5 fouls with two to go in the third.  They were not in the game down the stretch, though they kept it close.  The win would come through the Blazers giving things up, rather than the Clippers posing a genuine challenge.

One of the reasons they almost fumbled was because of the surprisingly poor performance of Robin Lopez. Lopez went 0 for 4 with a plus-minus of -14, playing almost 19 minutes.  He managed to grab 6 rebounds, but looked generally unspectacular. 

Nevertheless, Kaman had 9 boards, 7 defensive, and had a plus-minus of +17—more than enough to make up for the effort.

This left fans with a pleasing takeaway: if the Blazers bench makes up for a lack of stamina from some of their players, and sloppy play generally—well, that’s just what a bench is supposed to do.  The Blazers may finally have a bench.  And this means they might be even more of a contender in close contests this year.  No slumps, like those in the Spring of last season.

Meanwhile, what’s clear is that we are in for another amazing season of basketball.  The sheer fun of watching this team is hard to equal, and they are doing more interesting, more stylish, more creative work on the court than ever before.