Portland Trail Blazers Trends
Top Shelf: The real Thomas Robinson has stood up.
When Robinson was shelved for a four game stretch in early May (including a DNP in a blowout of Atlanta), I thought that this might be the kicker for the former top five pick. If he can’t beat out Dorell Wright and Justin Beaker Meyers Leonard for any minutes at all, then maybe he is a total bust, or so I thought. Once Robinson got back in the rotation he looked like his same old self until, after the loss to the Golden State Curryers, T-Rob began to put together solid game after solid game. Over the last nine games, he has one game with less than two field goals, one game with less than three rebounds and no games with less than 12 minutes. Moreover, Robinson has played solid defense against both power forwards and centers which allows Terry Stotts to leave lineups with Mo Williams, Dame Lillard, Wes Matthews and Nic Batum in for longer stretches. This was a huge factor on Sunday against Memphis, when Robinson answered the bell in the second quarter by cooling down Zach Randolph and getting a crucial and-one that opened the game up. Even though Robinson won’t be taking over for LaMarcus anytime soon, this kind of production from him could stabilize the rotation and might swing a game or two come playoff time.
Middle Shelf: Playoffs coming early.
In case you haven’t heard, the playoff picture in the Western Conference is hard to figure out and right now, the Blazers start out against Houston, Los Angeles, the Warriors or perhaps nobody at all. These last six games are all meaningful, and some are huge barometers of what these guys can do in the playoffs. Tonight, the Blazers can all but clinch a playoff spot against a Phoenix team that has burned them before, then in comes New Orleans who, despite being out of the playoff races for months now, is showing no signs of tanking and has Anthony Davis playing out of his damn mind. After that comes two snoozers against tankers (Sacramento and Utah) and two games against playoff point guards (Chris Paul and Steph Curry) that are going to give the Blazers fits. If the Blazers win tonight and then take three of the last five, they might be able to get out of the first round. Any worse than that and it might be time to scout another team to root for in May.
Bottom Shelf: The “Rivalry” with Golden State
Don’t get me wrong, I love rivalries and there is nothing I would like more than to have a mutual loathing with an NBA fanbase (every Laker fan I know is decidedly “Meh” on the Blazers). Nevertheless, I can’t understand Blazers fans had to choose the most likeable team in the league to hate on. I jumped on their corner when they were playing the San Antonio Spurs in Round Two and there wasn’t a moment they didn’t have an awesome player on the floor: Klay Thompson is a ticking time-bomber from deep; Harrison Barnes never fails to entertain; Andre Iguodala is one of the most complete players in any conference; Jermaine O’Neal is somehow still in the league; Steph Curry is a demigod (I’ve watched that video at least 27 times now). Throw in some beautiful jerseys, a deserving bunch of fans and the coolest play in basketball and there is no reason not to love this team. So what if there was a petty scuffle back in November or that Curry taunted the Portland fans after hitting this beauty. We should all love the Dubs and save our disdain for Houston (you know that team that stole Drexler, beat that Brandon Roy team in 2009 and has almost every annoying player in the league? Yeah those guys).
NBA Playoff Speculation
Top Shelf: The New York Knicks as the eighth seed
When you think about it, this is more hilarious than Melo on Co. missing the playoffs. As if getting swept by Miami wasn’t enough, we will also have the most emotionally drained Madison Square Garden crowd ever. They will be perplexed, anxious, boisterous and pathetically hopeful throughout. While the league is better off when teams like the Lakers and Celtics are among the elite, I prefer the Knicks to be the shitavious gruntfest I grew up watching. Long live King Dolan!
Bottom Shelf: The San Antonio Spurs … again.
What took last year’s finals from great to extraordinary was the thought hanging over game that this could be the last chance for this Spurs team to win it all. Then Greg Popovich finds another way to head into the playoffs with a full head of stream, a feat that is less extraordinary than it is just plain annoying. At least it is fun to hate the Spurs again.
Final Four Reflections
Top Shelf: The rise of tall point guards.
I have always enjoyed fast quarterbacks, slow-throwing pitchers and mullet-clad hockey players, but no subsection of players brings me more joy than the tall point guard. Whether it is an old tape of Penny Hardaway or the current basketball stylings of Michael Carter Williams, I always enjoy watching 6’5 guys who can score and distribute with equal effectiveness. Kyle Anderson, Zach Levine and the Harrison Twins are all guys who can run an offense at the next level while creating matchup problems all over the floor and we have still yet to see 6’6” Australian Dante Exum, who might be the best of the bunch. With combo-guard Marcus Smart also set to enter the draft we could see the most stacked class of point guards in history, tall or not, and if this is the future of the NBA then count me in.
Middle Shelf: CBS’s announcers.
I remember watching Kentucky beat Michigan on Sunday and thinking to myself, “This is the first time all tournament that I’ve heard Jim Nance call a game.” Nance is great in his own right, but one of my favorite parts of March is hearing guys like Ian Eagle and Verne Lundquist call some of the biggest moments. I wish this could happen in football where Nance and Cris Collinsworth get old by week four (just thinking about another year of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman is unbearable). There needs to be an announcer-exchange program where Vin Scully can call Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers and Doc Emrick can team with Charles Barkley for the only soccer broadcast I would ever want to watch. WHY HASN’T THIS HAPPENED YET?
Bottom Shelf: Great White Hopes.
Another year, another team with an over-celebrated white player that can’t get past the first weekend. This year we had Aaron Craft and Doug McBuckets both ride their hype all the way back home after having their college careers ended in the first weekend. This happens almost every year now. J.J. Redick? Cut down by LSU. Kyle Singler? Meet Lehigh. Even the whitest hope of all—Tyler Hansbrough himself—needed that stacked team from his senior year (Ty Lawson anybody?) to do any damage in the Big Dance. Remember this when Nik Stauskas is inspiring Gottleibgasims next year.
NFL Draft Hypotheticals
Top Shelf: Johnny Football to Houston.
Top Shelf: Johnny Football to Cleveland.
Top Shelf: Johnny Football to anywhere.
Right around the NFL Combine the buzz at the top of the draft was getting kind of stale. Everyone knew that, if the draft had started that day there was only two situations possible, depending on your feelings towards Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles. Now no one knows what’s going on. Houston could trade down to the Buffalo Bills at number nine. Jadeveon Clowney could go first overall. Manziel could go … anywhere. It’s been a while since we have had a first round that was as unpredictable as this one. Look for contenders to try to take advantage of the market and trade up for instant playmakers.
Weekend Fare
Top Shelf: Billy Donovan’s revival.
I am glad to have Billy Donovan back in my life, if not just to remind me of that time he became for a week before having the balls to think better of it. It might be easy to get sick of Donovan with all of the CBS puff pieces and takes on how Donovan coaches “The Right Way” but when you watch his team win it all on Monday, there won’t be a team that will make you miss college basketball more than his Gators.
Middle Shelf: Chinatown.
It’s on Netflix now, so it’s time for us all to watch it again. What’s that? You haven’t seen Chinatown? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? Stop reading this right now and go watch Jack Nicholson brood for two hours (this was made back when that was a good thing).
Bottom Shelf: The Seattle Mariners getting your hopes up.
3-1! RESERVE YOUR PLAYOFF TICKETS NOW!
If you took the Pittsburgh Pirates of the last 20 years and traded their Karma with the New York Mets, then you would have a sense of the state of the Mariners right now. I am holding back all playoff aspirations until the ownership situation is rectified so that the team is no longer a neglected asset of the Nintendo Corporation. Until then I’m only watching when Felix is pitching or when “All I did was eat” Jesus Montero steps to the plate. I might watch his at bats too.
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