So, here we are again. It seems like we have been here before, haven’t we? It seems as though it happens in the cruelest of times, when hopes are high and the sun seems to be finally shining after months of rain and doubt. And then it happens again. It happened again last night during Portland’s win over the Dallas Mavericks when Wesley Matthews ruptured his Achilles’ tendon and was declared done for the season. At first, we had hope. We were told that it was just a foot injury and he was just out for the rest of the game. But we knew better, didn’t we? We knew when we saw him hobbling off the court after a non-contact injury. We knew when Wesley didn’t come back to the bench ready to play like he has always done after an injury scare. We knew. Of course, we knew. The Blazers played on and eventually won the game last night, though they lost much more. The fans cheered the rest of the game, though they did so with a sinking feeling in their stomachs.
Sometimes, I think the Blazers are the basketball version of the story of Sisyphus, a man who was punished by rolling a huge boulder up a hill only to see it roll back down again and having to repeat this action over and over for eternity. Are the Blazers doomed to keep rolling this boulder of assembling a championship caliber team only to be destined to have it fall back down again and again? This has been the narrative of this team for what seems like forever. It’s tiring. It’s frustrating. It’s maddening.
As a team, the Blazers will re-group and press on because that’s their job and that is the only thing they can do. Wesley was the heart of Portland’s defense; he was hustle wrapped in a Blazers jersey and he was the scoring threat that opened Portland’s offense. Now, the Arron Afflalo trade looks even more critical for Portland. Because of Afflalo, the hit to the starting five will not be as severe as the hit this team will take in depth. This team was perfect with Afflalo coming off the bench to lead the second unit. Now, the Blazers biggest weakness is once again a major concern with their lack of depth. But the leadership Wes brought to this team, the toughness, the grit, that cannot be replaced and will be sorely missed.
As for us fans, we will continue to cheer every game because that is our job and that is the only thing we can do. We, through the years and decades, are the heart of Portland. We have asked ourselves, “Why do we keep believing in this team?” “Why are we still fans for such a cursed team?” The answer is simple: we are Blazers fans. We are the best fans in the world for a reason. We, through all this insane amount of injury woes and unbelievable bad luck will continue to keep the faith, maybe the same faith that kept Sisyphus rolling that boulder up the hill. And, maybe one day that boulder will reach the top and stay.
My hope is that maybe one day this team will be a 30 for 30 story on ESPN. That maybe one day we will tell our kids about a team that crawled through a mile of shit and came out clean on the other side. Maybe, one day we will be rewarded for all this heartache, for all the Walton’s, the Oden’s, the Roy’s and now the Matthews’. No, not maybe. One day we will be rewarded. We have simply gone through too much and have gone too far to think otherwise. This Wesley Matthews injury, this latest setback in a long line of setbacks, is one more obstacle this team must overcome. I still believe in this team. I still believe good things will happen for this team. They will have to fight harder, play harder and outwork everyone on the court to do so. And really, isn’t that everything Wesley Matthews is? Wes is the underdog who went undrafted and beat the long odds to become a starter on a very good basketball team while becoming an excellent player himself. The Blazers will have to encompass everything Wesley Matthews is, they will have to embody his heart, they will have to symbolize his hustle and they have to embrace everything that has motivated him throughout his entire career. Wesley Matthews did it as an individual and came out on top. Why can’t the Blazers do the same as a team?
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
