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Portland Trailblazers
The Portland Trail Blazers managed to win three games on a four-game trip, none they were expected to win. They lost center Joel Przybilla early in their contest against the Dallas Mavericks, and won that game without a true center. Then, riding on the back of Jerryd Bayless, who was making his first career start, the Blazers won without star guard Brandon Roy, something that was presumed unthinkable.
To quote famed baseball announcer Jack Buck, the game against the San Antonio Spurs was an “I don’t believe what I just saw!” victory, one that put Bayless on the map, increased the team’s confidence, and kept the momentum train going for Portland.
Juwan Howard did his part, notching his second straight double-double. LaMarcus Aldridge was excellent in the second half after a foul-plagued first two quarters. Andre Miller struggled from the field, but hit the deciding free-throws in the closing seconds, and Steve Blake once again made an impact both offensively and defensively. All greatly contributed to the victory, but it was Bayless’s night to shine.
In an article by The Columbian’s Brian T. Smith, McMillan and Bayless talked about the win. Here are a few excerpts from the post-game interviews compiled by Smith:
McMillan: “This team, tonight, they showed again that they do have character. You talk about resiliency with a group. There’s no words. I’m so happy for this group. Even though we go 3-1 on this road trip, it’s the best road trip I’ve been on. With everything that has happened with this group and having to play this tough schedule, we knew we would be challenged on this road trip. Our guys responded and a lot of adversity as far as losing some guys and asking some guys to play tough basketball, but they hung in there and gave themselves a chance.”
McMillan on Bayless’s performance: “We knew what [Bayless] was capable of doing if given the opportunity. He’s playing off the ball and we need him to score. He’s showing that he’s capable of scoring. Once again he showed it tonight. We realized Brandon wouldn’t be able to go and I told him he had to step in. I told him to have fun with it. We gave it to him, moved him around, and he delivered. I’m more happy to see him come along defensively, to see him playing off the ball. His game has definitely picked up.
He had the green light. I thought tonight he did a nice job of not only scoring, but when he made the defense commit he gave up the ball.”
Bayless on his extraordinary play: “If you give me the opportunity I’m going to try and help this team win in any way possible. It’s not about me, it’s about the team. I had a pretty good game, but LaMarcus [Aldridge] had a good game and Steve [Blake] stepped up. This whole team stepped up all around. With all these injuries it’s just showing the heart and character of this team. Hopefully we continue to win.”
More of the same from Bayless: “I was making some plays, but LaMarcus [Aldridge] was making shots, Steve [Blake] was making shots, and Martell [Webster] was making shots. If they’re all making shots then it makes it easy for me to get in the lane and create shots for myself and everybody else. It was a great overall win.”
Bayless is a scorer first and foremost, but there is definitely some point guard in him.
To him, it’s more about the team than his own play. He is very unselfish, very modest, both signs of a leader. He not only has a little point guard in him, but a little of Roy mixed in as well.
Roy will take over the shooting guard spot when he returns, which is hopefully Friday against Denver, and Miller will continue to assume the point guard duties, moving Bayless back to the bench. Though he won’t be playing 42 minutes anymore, he should get 25-30 minutes of court-time. He is the type of aggressor that can score a point a minute, shown by his 29 points in 29 minutes earlier this season. With his knack to get to the rim, he can rack up fouls on the opposition and make a living at the foul-line. An improved jump-shot only helps his chances of making a consistent, longterm impact with this team full of surprises.
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