Get Jack'd!
posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 9:32 PM
Jarrett Jack will go back to the line for two...
First one... Uhhh YES! It clanged off the back of the rim and then splashed down for point number 100!
Second one... An intentional miss...
Arenas for the game-tying runner..... NO GOOD! NO GOOD! NO GOOD!
The Trail Blazers win 100 - 98!
LaMarcus Aldridge deserves every ounce of credit for filling in for Zach Randolph. Aldridge finished with 25 points and 8 rebounds.
Not enough can be said about Brandon Roy either. The rookie is just flat out amazing. Tonight, he scored 19 points, most of which came in the clutch, and also grabbed 12 rebounds.
To make it three-for-three, Sergio Rodriguez was also a difference maker. Rodriguez was too fast for the Wizards, and his combination of speed and court vision led to 9 points, 2 rebounds and 9 assists.
If this game is any indication of the future, the NBA better recognize! These kids can play!
Agent Zero... for two!
posted: at 9:30 PM
Arenas has cut the Trail Blazer lead to 1 point with 10.4 left in regulation.
Portland has taken a quick timeout to design what is hopefully the last play of the game.
But one more free-throw wouldn't hurt. That would make it a Chalupa Night at the Rose Garden!
Oh no!
posted: at 9:28 PM
The Wizards hit a three to make things really interesting with 14.7 left in the game.
Jack will shoot two free-throws to try and extend the Trail Blazers lead.
First one..... Get Jack'd! It's good!
Second one.... B-e-a-utiful!
We're up 3!
25.8 left...
posted: at 9:25 PM
And Stevenson's three is short!
Aldridge grabbed the rebound and he will go to the line for two free-throws.
It's 96 - 93 Trail Blazers!
First one- off!
Second one.... GOT IT!
It's 97 - 93!
ROY ROY ROY!
posted: at 9:23 PM
No chance!
Roy drove the lane like a '57 Buick and laid it in for two points.
The Rose Garden will take "Agent #7" over "Agent Zero" any day!
Get on the L-Train!
posted: at 9:19 PM
It's another offensive board for LaMarcus and this time, he tipped it in himself!
Aldridge has 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists to lead the Trail Blazers.
There's 32.1 seconds left, and the Trail Blazers lead 94 - 93.
It's the fourth quarter! Let's grill 'em!
R.O.Y.!
posted: at 9:14 PM
You saw it coming.
The Wizards didn't.
Roy's tear-drop jumper from 9 feet away and then his left-handed "I Wanna Be Like Mike" reverse lay-up just tied the game!
AND MARTELL WEBSTER JUST ENDED THE TIE!
Aldridge pulled down the offensive rebound and found Webster for an old fashioned "And 1."
The Trail Blazers lead 92 - 89 with 1:03 left.
Deee-fense!
posted: at 9:09 PM
With 3:52 left in regulation, it's 84 - 83 Wizards, but LaMarcus Aldridge is shooting two free throws...
Take the first one to the bank, it's cash!
And the second is MONEY!
Trail Blazers lead by 1!
T.O.!!!
posted: at 8:58 PM
It's not that Portland needs a timeout, it's that the Wizards need a Travis Outlaw!
After a Fred Jones steal, Travis "T.O." Outlaw leaked out on the fastbreak and slammed it home for two points with authority.
Sergio followed up T.O.'s dunk with a three-pointer of his own and then provided an alley for Fred Jones' oop, giving the Trail Blazers the lead!
It's 82 - 81 Trail Blazers! Find a TV, get to the Rose Garden, turn on your radio, just don't miss a minute!
Martell for three!
posted: at 8:55 PM
From Sergio!
And then for a sequel, they connected again! That's two three-pointers to start the fourth quarter and two assists for Sergio Magnifico.
It's 74 - 71 Wizards but it's heeeeeating up here in the Rose Garden.
Third quarter comes to a close...
posted: at 8:45 PM
The stage is set for another nail-biter here in the Rose Garden as the Trail Blazers have battled back to really push the Washington Wizards.
LaMarcus Aldridge now has 18 points and 4 rebounds to lead the Trail Blazers and his fellow rookie Brandon Roy has also played stupendously.
Roy has 13 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Trail Blazers need to stay aggressive as they start the fourth quarter, because the referees tend to award the more aggressive team. So far, Washington has gotten the benefit of the doubt on multiple plays, but that could change if Portland starts to play a little bit more aggressive.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Trail Blazers are down 5, 65 - 70.
Portland leads! Portland leads!
posted: at 8:36 PM
The Trail Blazers have stormed back on the Washington Wizards and with 5:48 left on the clock they're in a position to tie or go ahead in the game.
The starters have found their strokes midway through the third quarter and it's caused all sorts of problems for the Wizards.
Jarrett Jack has stepped up his game after being held scoreless in the game against the SuperSonics. Jack now has 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Trail Blazers.
LaMarcus Aldridge has done a great job of filling in for Zach Randolph down low. He has 16 points and 4 rebounds.
And then there's Brandon R.O.Y. In what's becoming a Portland tradition, Roy has done everything but sell tickets for the Trail Blazers. The rookie shooting guard has dove after loose balls, tipped passes, grabbed boards, challenged shots, and even found his famous UW shooting touch.
Roy has 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists for the Trail Blazers.
It's 65 - 64 Trail Blazers with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
Clyde's debut...
posted: at 8:26 PM
For those of you that don't know, Trail Blazer legend and one of the 50 Greatest Basketball Players of All-Time Clyde Drexler debuted on "Dancing with the Stars" last night.
Clyde faces an illustrious history of former athletes who do well on the show, like Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith, but he also faces a severe disadvantage.
Drexler is well over 6 feet tall, standing somewhere around 6'7" and his height makes nearly every dance move look a little awkward.
His height also makes it seem like his partner would struggle to ride most roller-coasters at the average amusement park.
Regardless, you have to love the fact that Drexler is out there and since he's a Northwest legend, he'll be getting a lot of love from the Rip City.
Nate's subs....
posted: at 8:21 PM
The biggest thing that it seems like Coach Nate is trying to do in this game is play the match-ups.
Although Sergio and the rest of the second line did a great job out-gunning the Wizards first team, the Trail Blazers need both lines to find their shots if they want to win.
Coach Nate may have expected that the first line would be able to find some easy, confidence boosting baskets against the Wizards second line that would've got them back to form.
With any team, you have to feel like you have an advantage when your starters are playing against the other team's backups.
Halftime...
posted: at 8:07 PM
As the Groove Nation rocks the half-time show and the Rose Garden crowd, the Trail Blazers head to the locker room trailing by 7 points, 48 - 41.
LaMarcus Aldridge has done a nice job in the first half filling in for Zach Randolph. He has 12 points and 4 rebounds, but it's no surprise that the Trail Blazers are missing Zach's big body down low.
Even though they're facing a poor rebounding team in the Wizards, Portland only leads the category by a single rebound, 23 - 22.
Sergio Rodriguez, and his fast paced play, is a big reason why Portland has stayed close to their Eastern Conference opponent. Rodriguez has 4 points and 6 assists off the bench, but it's been Sergio's ability to spread the floor that has kept the Trail Blazers close.
Brandon Roy has struggled a little bit offensively, thanks especially to some extremely physical defense from the Wizards, but the rookie shooting guard has still managed to make his presence felt. Roy has 7 points, 9 rebounds and has also dished 3 assists.
On the other end of the floor, "Agent Zero" has already matched his production from the first game. Gilbert Arenas has 9 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Best Mascot in the NBA...
posted: at 7:55 PM
Whether he's dropping a beat up car on a rival mascot's head or shooting free tee-shirts to the highest seats in the 300 level, there's no question that Blaze, the Trail Blazers flying cat, is the best mascot in the NBA.
The Trail Blazers, after bringing their starters back in the game, have been hurt by both some questionable calls by the referees and some hot shooting by Antawn Jamison.
Jamison now has 9 points and 7 rebounds.
It's 48 - 41 Wizards with 4.1 seconds left in the half.
Whew...
posted: at 7:49 PM
The game couldn't be played at a faster pace than it has here in the second quarter.
Sergio Rodriguez has been one of the biggest stories of the night with his basketball wizardry. The rookie point guard has 4 points and 6 assists.
LaMarcus Aldridge, however, has filled in the shoes of fellow front-liner Zach Randolph. Aldridge has 10 points, 3 rebounds, and a blocked shot that was so brutal, it would have made Simon Cowell of "American Idol" jealous.
Some sharp-shooting has helped the Wizards regain the lead, but the Trail Blazers aren't far behind. Right now, it's 35 - 37 Wizards.
RRRRRaw-dreee-guezzz
posted: at 7:42 PM
It's official- Portland fans are going to have to learn Spanish.
Sergio has been absolutely en fuego and his spark has set this Rose Garden on fire! After already connecting with Roy and Jones for big baskets, Spanish Chocolated zigged and zagged through the Wizards transition defense and found LaMarcus Aldridge for a reverse lay-up.
He's averaging a highlight-per-minute and he's given the Trail Blazers the lead! It's 31 - 29 Trail Blazers...
Call it a highlight!
posted: at 7:35 PM
Even though it's early, we might already have our "Play of the Day."
Sergio Rodriguez found a streaking Fred Jones on a fastbreak and Jones stuffed it like a Thanksgiving turkey.
At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers are down 24 - 19 but they have to be pleased with the play of their bench.
Travis Outlaw has entered the game early and played aggressively on the offensive end. He has 4 points.
Sergio Rodriguez, as always, has also been a sparkplug. Spanish Chocolate has 2 points and 3 assists for Portland.
Sergio! Sergio! Roy!
posted: at 7:26 PM
After checking in for Jarrett Jack, the rookie out of Spain split two defenders and then found Brandon Roy in the corner for three points.
Sergio Magnifico may be the X-Factor in tonight's game, because his ability to create offense will help the Trail Blazers who are without their number one option in Zach Randolph.
Defensively, Sergio will give up a little bit of size, but if there's one weakness in this Washington backcourt, it's their ability to play with their backs to the basket. Neither Gilbert Arenas nor DeShawn Stevenson are known for their ability to back an opponent down in the key.
Portland's high energy line of Sergio, Jones, Outlaw, Webster and Magloire has the Trail Blazers within striking distance. It's 18 - 15 Wizards.
New look tonight...
posted: at 7:17 PM
Without Randolph, the Trail Blazers are featuring a new look offense which features a heavy dose of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Although he's gotten his looks at the basket, Roy has yet to score but has grabbed 6 rebounds.
So far, it's been Jamaal Magloire who has provided the offense early. The "Big Cat" has 4 points and 2 rebounds.
Portland trails but they're making an early move. It's 14 - 8 Wizards.
Wowza...
posted: at 7:13 PM
If the first three possessions are any indication, the Wizards have no intention of bringing the ball within the three-point line.
Three times up the floor resulted in 3 three-point attempts for Washington.
Fortunately, however, only two of them found the bottom of the rim.
With 8:33 left, it's an 8 - 4 Wizards lead.
Starting lineups introduced...
posted: at 7:02 PM
There's a great crowd out tonight at the Rose Garden as starting lineups are introduced...
Stevenson, Haywood, Blatche, Arenas and Jamison get the nod for the Wizards and the Trail Blazers will send out Jack, Roy, Udoka, Aldridge and Magloire.
Without Randolph, the Trail Blazers will need a big performance out of the "Big Cat" in order to make up for Randolph's big body.
Magloire has a small size advantage over Brendan Haywood but for the most part it should be a heavyweight fight all game long.
As expected, the Rose Garden will boo Gilbert Arenas everytime he touches the ball. It might just be a long game for "Agent Zero" and the rest of his Washington Wizards.
No Zebo Tonight...
posted: at 6:51 PM
Although the injury to Caron Butler is big for the Washington Wizards, the Trail Blazers will also be without one of their HUGE Superstars.
Power forward Zach Randolph and his 23.5 points and 10.1 rebounds will not be active in tonight's contest.
ZeBo was given a leave of absence from the team and is expected to return during the Trail Blazers 4-game road trip.
Looks like the Trail Blazers will depend even more on their youth as rookie LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to start at the power forward position and Travis Outlaw will also be called on to play both forward and center.
Elsewhere in the NBA...
posted: at 6:26 PM
Well, it's not necessarily in the NBA, but the Willamette University Men's 5 on 5 Intramural Championship is on the line tonight at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Tip-off is set for 9:00pm.
The game, more than anything, is a chance for 5 seniors to finally win that elusive 5 on 5 Intramural Championship tee-shirt which has evaded them for the previous 3 years.
Standing in their way is a team named "Remember Us Forever" but the only thing they plan on remembering is an Intramural Championship.
So tonight, whenever you cheer for the Trail Blazers, don't forget to shout-out "Guaran-tee-it" of the Willamette University Men's 5 on 5 Intramural League....
Good luck boys!
One hour to tip-off!
posted: at 6:07 PM
On a night where Oregon basketball is split between two great match-ups, the Rose Garden is almost ready to tip-off...
The Trail Blazers do battle with the Washington Wizards tonight in what has turned out to be a meeting between two teams trying to rebound from rough patches in their schedule. Since Caron Butler's injury, the Wizards have been unable to find any consistent scoring behind Gilbert Arenas, who continues to light up the scoreboard despite starting at the point guard position.
And no one really needs to be reminded about all the drama between "Agent Zero" and Portland Coach Nate McMillan. After vowing to score 50 against each of the former Team USA Coaches, including both Suns Coach D'Antoni and Coach McMillan, Arenas ran into a brick-wall who Trail Blazers fans know as Jarrett Jack.
Jack locked up his All-Star competition, holding Arenas to just 9 points, and the Trail Blazers went on to blow out their Eastern Conference opponent.
LaMarcus Aldridge turned in one of the game's best performances, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but it was Jarrett Jack's defense that stole the show.
Arenas was 3 of 15 on the night including 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.
Portland's 1-2 Punch was also noticeably quiet despite the big Trail Blazers victory. Brandon Roy scored only 7 points on 2 of 8 shooting and power forward Zach Randolph finished with only 10 points but he also grabbed 8 rebounds.
Tonight, however, it should be a different story. Brandon Roy couldn't have been more disappointed with the Trail Blazers performance against his hometown SuperSonics and there's a strong chance that Portland's future Rookie of the Year will come out firing against the Wizards.
Jarrett Jack, once again, draws the big task of guarding "Agent Zero" but if the first match-up was any indication, he may just be "Zero's" kryptonite...
The lights are on, the crowd is filing in, and the stage is set for another great night of Trail Blazers basketball! Don't miss a minute!
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BlazerRed said...
They sure can, play! Go Blazers.
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