Oh man, this one was so close, a near upset of the superstar-laden first place Golden State Warriors. It came down to the final shot and and what a thrill that would have been. It was a good game though, if that's any consolation. Reigning MVP Steph Curry sat this one out on account of a stomach flu, but Golden State rolls deep and didn't miss a beat. Our Blazers fought hard, but it was the big shots from the Bay Area who ended up ahead on this night, 113-111.
It used to be that Lakers games brought the most away-team fans to Portland, but now that title belongs to Golden State. The popularity of this team coupled with its close proximity to our little city to the north has made it a worthy road trip for hardy Warriors fans and Portland traitors alike. I'd say roughly a third of the bodies present were rooting for the wrong team.
Things started out poorly for the Blazers. They had little answer for the one-two punch of Kevin "Durantula" Durant and perpetual scowler Klay Thomspon. The game looked to be about over midway through the second quarter when Golden State opened up a 21 point lead. I swear the cheers were louder for the Warriors than the hometown Blazers at times.
But then things turned around! CJ McCollum, who has been having a heck of a season, started draining shots and Evan Turner played some solid defense and what do you know the Blazers went on a 20-2 run to close out the half. The crowd got right back into it and the Blazers were only down 3 at the break. Here's my halftime survey of the various fans ensembles:
Father/Daughter!
This dude was wearing a Sonics jersey, which at first made no sense to me since it was a Golden State/Blazers game, but he reminded me the Kevin "The Sim Reaper" Durant played for the Sonics his rookie year before OKC stole their team. "We want 'em back!" he told me.
Obligatory bearded dudes duo:
These two drove all the way from San Jose for this game. NBA tickets are way cheaper in Portland!
Blazer family!
Father/Son!
These kids traveled from Yakima...where Golden State fever has infected them all.
Mother/Daughter!
The woman sang the national anthem before the game!
Anyway, back to the action. The second half was a tightly contested affair. The Blazers seemed always to be clawing back for a few points down, but they never let things totally get away from them. The final minute or so was a real heart stopper. Time after time the Blazers showed grit and heart. Finally, they had the ball, down 2 points, with just over 5 seconds left on the clock. The obvious play would be to get it to Damian Lillard and hope for his usual heroics, but Golden State wasn't having any of that. They forced the ball to Evan Turner who shook loose for a good look at a 3 point shot to win the game. It went up...and clanged out. Ouch. Hey, we almost had it.
The Blazers are looking like an improved team heading into the All-Star break. There's been a lot of trade rumors swirling about, but role players like Alan Crabbe and Evan Turner have started to gel and while the team still seems to lack a rim-protecting big man, one wonders if there's really good cause for breaking up this unit at this point. Their next game is Tuesday night, at home against former Blazer Nic Batum and the Charlotte Hornets. They're not a bad team and a win against them would be meaningful.