First, credit where credit is due: Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers won their second game in a row in Texas for the first time since 2001, and they did it with two players, some chewing gum, a ball of twine, and a lot of heart.
Remember Wayne's key to the game? Remember what Pop said?
Key to the game: Don’t take the injured Blazers lightly.
Pop said he didn’t talk to the team about it. Pop said if they are taking the team lightly, then he would take a time out and, "ask them nicely to pick it up" and go from there.
Yeah.
How it Happened
The injury-riddled Blazers played a gritty game, leading much of the first half and hitting some key 3-pointers late in the second quarter. The Spurs were plagued by turnovers once again, committing 9 in the first 24 minutes alone. However, they put together a nice little run capped off by a classic Manu bucket to reach halftime down by only 1.
The second half was a wild ride. The Spurs were down by 11 at one point, but managed to close to within 1 behind a charge led by Timmy and Mace. After that, though, Portland ran off 10 straight, and the Spurs never recovered. Jerryd Bayless (a sophomore) and Juwan Howard (an ancient) were too much for the men in silver and black tonight.
Your 3 Stars
Tim Duncan - Timmy made free throws! Timmy got a double-double! Timmy had the most points and the most rebounds! Furthermore, he was the only starter to end the night with a positive +/-, a whopping +3. He may be playing the most efficient and fundamentally sound basketball of his career right now. No wonder he got so frustrated during this game.
Richard Jefferson - RJ must read PtR. He showed more fire tonight, attacking the rim and looking like the aggressor we all want him to be. Too bad about the 0-3 in 3-point shots, though. Two of those would have won us this game.
Third star--NOBODY. That's right, we don't get a third star tonight. We don't deserve a third star tonight. But if you forced me to pick one, it would be Romaju.
Random question of the night: Why didn't we see Youngevity? Did I miss something? Probably. I did manage to get about 7 gifts wrapped, though. Big whoop. I'm pissed off. Happy holidays, everyone. And happy birthday, LatinD. I wish the Spurs had made it a better one!