The last time Tim Duncan took on the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs, the year was 1999, we were all preparing for the Y2K bug, and Duncan was on his way to his first of four titles.
And while much has changed since then, one thing has not: The Blazers don’t have an answer for Duncan and who he lines up with. Not yet, anyway.
The San Antonio Spurs picked up where they left off in a masterful game 7 win over Dallas on Sunday, and continued using a deep rotation of forwards and centers to make life miserable for Portland, all but LaMarcus Aldridge that is, who finally started pushing back in the second half en route to a 32 point, 14 rebound effort that ultimately fell 25 points shy of a victory.
The Spurs play the most team-oriented basketball of anyone in the league, and it takes a whole team to beat them. Sadly, LaMarcus was a one-man show for the first time in these playoffs, and the Blazers’ bench may as well have been a no-show.
Part of the bench’s struggles could have been attributed to the rest of the starting five, as the bench undeniably felt compelled to overdo some things as the starters fell in to an early hole and shot just 25 of 63 overall with Aldridge accounting for 12 of the 25 made shots. Nicolas Batum was the only starter to make a 3 point shot all game long, as the starters shot just 1-9 from beyond the arc and the team went just 4-16.
Starting point guard Damian Lillard, the savior of the game 6 and series clinching win against Houston, looked overmatched and overwhelmed against Tony Parker. After averaging 25.5 points and 6.7 assists on 46% shooting and making at least two treys per game in the series against Houston, Lillard managed just 17 points and missed his only attempt from beyond the arc. He contributed 6 field goals, 3 assists and 6 turnovers in 37 minutes. Parker had 33 points, 9 assists, and 6 turnovers in 36 minutes.
Reserve combo guard Mo Williams accounted for 6 points, 4 assists, 4 fouls, and 4 turnovers. Williams was on the court for 28 minutes, made just three field goals, missed eight, and played at least 19 more minutes than any other player coming off the bench. Reserve guard Will Barton contributed three treys in 8 minutes, and was the only bench player to make a basket other than Williams, as the second unit went 6-17 on the night.
Robin Lopez quietly put up a double-double with 11 boards and 10 points. And as valuable as Lopez is, if he is going to be the second best player on the Blazers in this series, they are in deep trouble.
Wesley Matthews and Batum combined for 15 points, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 9 rebounds, production either is capable of matching or exceeding on their own on any given night.
Simply put, against a team that was one-Ray-Allen-series-turning-3-point-shot from winning the NBA Finals in game 6 last year over LeBron James and the Miami Heat, this just can’t happen again. Especially if Duncan is allowed to “quietly” put up 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action.
And the good news is, it won’t happen again. Not in game two, at least.
The Blazers simply need to forget about how good Duncan and Parker are, and the intimidating mystique that goes with playing against them on their home court. Forget that Gregg Popovich is the 3rd best coach in the history of the NBA (behind Red Auerbach and Phil Jackson). Forget that San Antonio has arguably the deepest bench of the remaining teams left in the playoffs.
And forget that Portland lost game 1 in humiliating fashion, after going toe-to-toe with Houston, who is arguably more athletic and physical, and prevailing without even needing a game seven. Just forget about all of that.
Chalk this up to game one jitters on the road against the best team in the NBA this year, the second best last year, and the greatest dynasty since Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls teams.
Portland has pride, and so do the players on the Trail Blazers. This is the first time the team has been in the semi-final round since 2000. And no one on the team is going to forget that, or lose this series without a fight, even though it’s still a series they can and should win.
Aldridge and Lillard didn’t let their game 3 loss in Portland prevent them from claiming game 4, or their game 5 loss in Houston stop them from playing their hearts out in game 6 and ending the series a game earlier than most expected. In the four wins over Houston, Aldridge came out firing and Lillard followed suit and helped finish the job, and that’s what needs to happen now.
Batum and Matthews need to contribute more on both ends, end of story. Yes that’s easier when Lillard and Aldridge are having good to great games, but both are very good players who can create their own shots and play quality defense, and that needs to happen regardless of who is or isn’t playing well.
Game 2 is tonight, and Portland needs this win. You know they need it, and they know they need it. Even San Antonio knows they need it. But the truth is that Game 1 was just one game, and while Portland fell flat, they took the Spurs’ best shot, and haven’t even come close to hitting the Spurs with everything they have.
When the bench and four of the five starters play lousy and the team still loses by 24 points, that’s actually a good sign. And a good sign that with a total team effort, Portland will prevail in game 2, regardless of what the Spurs do.
Don’t lose faith, Rip City, it was just one game. The Blazers have not lost consecutive games in these playoffs, and that streak will continue in to game three.
It was just Game 1, and any series against the Spurs is a marathon, not a sprint. Game 2 is tonight with opening tip at 6:30pm/pst.
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