Any sports fan can tell you that it’s almost better to lose a game by 30 points than to lose a game after coming back from 30 points in a heart breaker. As a fan, when your team loses by 30 you can call it a night early, go grab a cold one from the fridge and be none the angrier or sadder. But coming back from such a huge deficit, only to lose in dramatic fashion is as emotionally draining and taxing on the nerves as it gets. Afterwards, the what-ifs start to creep to the surface of your imagination and dreams. Your blood, which was at a full boil, is now just simmering from a near miraculous comeback where you were so close to elation and are now just sad and calling support hotlines. It may be the most disheartening way for a fan to see his team lose. However, I’m sure Green Bay Packers fans have a very good counter argument for most disheartening way to lose a game. Last night, the Portland Trail Blazers went down 25 points in the first half, came all the way back to take a 5-point fourth quarter lead with just over 2 minutes to go only to squander it in the final moments to lose to the Phoenix Suns. Yeah, this one hurt.
Of course, you can look at the positives of this game if you are Blazers fan. Nic Batum, before he missed a critical 4th quarter free throw, was the Nic Batum we have all been waiting to see all season. His shot was in fine form. He looked active and interested for the first time in what seemed like eons. If this game is the resurrection of Nicolas Batum, then maybe this loss will be forgiven in time. Batum ended the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists, clearly his best game of the season.
There was the Blazers heart and resilience, something that has been well documented for this team all year long and even going back to last season. With their leading scorer and rebounder (LaMarcus Aldridge) out and for as horrid as they started, the Blazers never called it a night until the final buzzer. Blazers fans should be proud this team never calls it quits, even when everything in the cards is going against them because while we have experienced the pain on nights like this when their efforts falls short, we have also experienced the euphoric opposite.
But, then there are the what-ifs. What if Portland had actually played some defense in the first quarter? Sure, the Blazers were without LaMarcus Aldridge, Robin Lopez and Joel Freeland, but you cannot give up 40 points in the first quarter and expect to win many NBA games no matter who is out there. The Suns shot well over 60% in the first half and at one point went on a blistering 32-4 run. 32-4! You could fall asleep on defense, walk the ball up to mid-court, take a leaning half-court shot on every possession and you probably still wouldn’t be outscored 32-4. That was some impressive futility by the Blazers. It would be nice if Portland played defense for 4 quarters some night soon.
What if the Blazers had rebounded better? They got outrebounded 50-44 and failed to grab some crucial defensive rebounds off of missed shots and missed free throws late in the game. Getting Robin Lopez, Joel Freeland and now LaMarcus Aldridge back will solve a big portion of this problem, but we don’t know when that will be. Still, you can’t block out off a missed free-throw? Second chance points have haunted the Blazers in recent weeks and they will need to find some solution until their big men can return to the court.
What if Batum makes that free-throw? With a chance to tie late in the game, Batum missed a free throw and altered the remaining seconds of the game. Of course, the Suns still probably would have won this game, but what if….
What if the Blazers don’t lob that pass over Damian Lillard’s head forcing him to go out of bounds on Portland’s last effort to tie the game. It was another sloppy executed play by the Blazers late in the game, something else that has reared its ugly head too many times this season.
What if Damian Lillard shoots better than 6-22 from the field? What if he just hits one more three instead of going only 2 of 10, including one miss late in the game that we are so accustomed to see going in.
What if the Blazers stop making the laziest passes of any NBA team I have seen this year?
What if, what if, what if……
The Blazers have the Boston Celtics on tap for Thursday night. At least these what-ifs will only last 24 hours. Here’s hoping Batum continues his resurgence. Here’s hoping the Blazers play better defense. Here’s hoping they rebound better, their passes crisper and that Damian Lillard grows another couple inches. Then, just maybe there will be no what-ifs tomorrow night. Just a win. I’m a Packers fan; I’ve had enough what-if moments this year already.
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