One game remains in the regular season for the Portland Trail Blazers, and they could face any of four teams in the first round of the playoffs: the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs. No matter which they face, they will begin on the road. And yet, even as that inevitable challenge awaits them, starting away from the Moda Center is the least of their worries. What plagues the Blazers is something of a nightmarish recurring theme, an injury bug that has cropped up over the years in heartbreaking fashion and reared its ugly head at the worst of times. And, given its magnitude, it could again lead to something else that is all too familiar: an early exit.
Just as that is a possibility, anything else can happen too. Sports in all its glory is unpredictable; Portland could win the championship or they could get swept in the first round. The team revolves around the play of ever-dependable power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who has shrugged off a torn thumb ligament to play magnificent basketball this season. At his side is Damian Lillard, the young point guard who, despite inconsistent play during the season’s second half, is capable of becoming the clutch and dangerous scorer who made plenty of noise before the All-Star break. Hurting their team, however, is the hard truth that these two are the only players Portland can consistently rely on to contribute.
This wasn’t the case a couple of days ago, nor a couple of months ago, when Wesley Matthews was healthy and not in a walking boot trying his darnedest to rehab from a torn Achilles. When he went down, so too departed Portland’s heart and soul. He was perhaps the team’s most valuable player, making an indescribable impact in ever aspect scoring with confidence on offense and as tenacious as ever on defense. It was a shot in the hip, and as a result the Blazers were left limping.
Before Matthews fell in agony, sidelining him for what he hopes is only five months but likely more, Portland thought it had added possibly the final piece to a potential championship puzzle. That piece came in the form of guard Arron Afflalo, who the Blazers hoped could be Matthews 2.0 off the bench, but while that piece was added a bigger one was lost. Not long after his acquisition, he was forced into a role no one foresaw: the pressure to fill Matthews shoes.
Despite his efforts, he isn’t Matthews. He isn’t the scorer Matthews had become, and try as he might he doesn’t provide nearly his energy on both ends. In addition, while he’s shooting an excellent 40 percent from three-point land, he is only averaging 10 points in 30 minutes per game. His play has been uneven, but his fluctuating production isn’t a concern at the moment. What is, is his ailing right shoulder, strained against Golden State and putting him on the sideline for perhaps two weeks.
That left Nicolas Batum and C.J. McCollum to try to fill his shoes, and what in turn befell them? Injuries. Batum, who has been an all-around contributor this season, scoring, dishing assists, grabbing rebounds and playing superb defense, crumbled to the floor in pain, clutching his knee in the first quarter of Portland’s loss on Monday against Oklahoma City. His knee looked to buckle up on him, and while an initial X-ray was negative he is set to undergo an MRI. McCollum, who had taken advantage of more playing time to score in double figures in April’s first seven games, sprained his ankle one quarter later and is questionable to play in Wednesday’s season finale against Dallas. Making matters worse was the injury sustained by center Chris Kaman, who left in the third with a back injury.
The dominos just kept falling for Portland. One can hope Kaman is the last in the row of those devilish black rectangles, but with the Blazers luck he won’t be. As is, even if Portland’s version of contagion stops here they might very well be decimated if the injuries sustained to any or all of these three prove severe. And even if they play through the pain, knees are needed to run, ankles to cut and shoot, and backs to jump. They will be hobbled; how badly remains to be seen.
The Blazers have weathered storms before, but this one might be too treacherous to push through unscathed. Afflalo could come back as good as new, and the injuries to Batum, McCollum and Kaman could prove to be mere nicks and scratches that need simply require a little rest before playoff adrenaline sets in; yet those are big ifs. These injuries, if minor or a little more worrisome, would be manageable if weeks remained in the season, but as it is one day does. And the NBA Playoffs are set to begin April 18th. The timing is horrible.
If, could, would: words often used in relation to the Portland Trail Blazers, largely due to setback after setback not just this year but over the last several. In spite of all of this, all of the hours Portland trainer Geoff Clark has logged tending to injury after injury, one thing is in Portland’s favor: perseverance. Just as they can be used to relay depressing realities, ‘if’, ‘could’ and ‘would’ can also be used to communicate hope–the pursuit of a championship or at least a satisfying postseason run. Aldridge’s play through injury mirrors the mentality of everyone else in that locker-room. They have the determination to play through; and while Matthews is irreplaceable, they all have a little Matthews in them. If the players who remain can take the court, they will. And while it could lead to more serious injury and in turn deflation, it could also lead to something unforeseen, something special.
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