Jimcs50
03-25-2006, 10:47 AM
Friday, March 24, 2006
NBA: Spurs 98, Blazers 79
By JASON QUICK
THE OREGONIAN
Joel Przybilla wants a different story about the Trail Blazers today.
“Change it up, man,” the Blazers center pleaded. “Write about the weather changing, about how nice that is. Write something different.”
Well, since the Blazers on Friday couldn’t provide a different storyline, losing their seventh straight — 98-79 to San Antonio at the Rose Garden — how about that weather?
That’s about as different as it’s going to get.
Other than that, it was the same old story Friday. The Spurs (54-15) showed why they hold the Western Conference’s best record with in-your-face defense and unselfish ball movement, and the Blazers (20-49) showed why they are entrenched in the West’s cellar, hoisting up five air balls while struggling to keep up with the hot-potato passing of the Spurs.
“We were just outmatched, outmanned, simple as that,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “They are the World Champs. That’s just a stronger team.”
Of course, 21 of the last 24 teams the Blazers have faced can boast they are a stronger team as one of the worst stretches in franchise history continues.
But this time, it was hard to find fault in the Blazers because the Spurs were so crisp and powerful, dominating in every facet. And when reserve guard Brent Barry, the former Oregon State standout, made his first seven three pointers to threaten the NBA record for three-pointers without a miss (nine, set by Latrell Sprewell in 2003), it was bound to be a long night.
Barry finally missed from three-point range with 2:15 left in the game, but he ended with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with four assists.
“He was in a zone. He shot the ball well. I don’t know why he doesn’t do that more often,” said Blazers guard Juan Dixon, who led the Blazers with 24 points. “But they just move the ball so well as a team; everybody gets open looks. Just a great team over there, man.”
Outside of Dixon’s aggressive and productive shooting night — he hit 9-of-17 shots — about the only bright spot for the Blazers was an inkling of spunk, which has long been missing. With two minutes left in the first quarter, McMillan screamed from the sideline for the Blazers to get on the floor for loose balls, and five minutes later, there was Dixon, doing a head-first dive in pursuit of his own missed shot. :smokin
The ball caromed out of bounds off Dixon, but a solid Rose Garden crowd of 17,018 gave a surprising and resounding response of elongated applause.
“And I brought that to (the team’s) attention,” McMillan said. “That’s what the fans are asking for, and what we as a staff have been asking for. You appreciate that, everybody — your teammates, even the opponents. I certainly recognized that, and that’s the scrappiness we can do. We haven’t seen a lot of it, but regardless of the score, the time of the game, the time of the season, that should be seen every night.”
Dixon, too, said he noticed the reaction from the crowd.
“Yeah, I heard that, too,” Dixon said. “They appreciated it, and I heard a couple of people saying like, ’Good hustle’. Fans appreciate things like that, hustle plays. It’s not all about putting it in the basket or dunking the ball. I think fans appreciate the hustle plays more than the dunks and the threes.”
In the next locker stall, Travis Outlaw looked up while putting on his socks and addressed Dixon.
“Are you saying that because you can’t dunk?” Outlaw said, smiling. :lol
Dixon shrugged off the good-natured ribbing, but returned to his quest to find something, anything, positive from the night.
“Hopefully that is something we can give to these fans, because they are great fans who have supported this team for many, many years. That’s the least we can do.”
Jason Quick: 503-221-4372; [email protected]
Notes: General manager John Nash said the team plans to send center Ha Seung Jin to the Fort Worth Flyers of the Development League early next week. The Flyers don’t play again until April 1, and Nash said the Blazers’ director of player programs Darnell Valentine will accompany Ha to Texas, where he will take part in practices before playing. Nash also said he had rookie Martell Webster, who spent two weeks with the Flyers in January, talk to Ha about his experience ... Blazers center Theo Ratliff did not play for the fifth straight game because of a sprained left ankle ... The Blazers’ losing streak is a season high and ties last season’s longest streak, which was the longest since the 1985-86 season ... Eva Longoria, a star on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and the girlfriend of Spurs guard Tony Parker, was in attendance and spent the second half watching the game courtside with Yasmin Patterson, the wife of Blazers president Steve Patterson.
NBA: Spurs 98, Blazers 79
By JASON QUICK
THE OREGONIAN
Joel Przybilla wants a different story about the Trail Blazers today.
“Change it up, man,” the Blazers center pleaded. “Write about the weather changing, about how nice that is. Write something different.”
Well, since the Blazers on Friday couldn’t provide a different storyline, losing their seventh straight — 98-79 to San Antonio at the Rose Garden — how about that weather?
That’s about as different as it’s going to get.
Other than that, it was the same old story Friday. The Spurs (54-15) showed why they hold the Western Conference’s best record with in-your-face defense and unselfish ball movement, and the Blazers (20-49) showed why they are entrenched in the West’s cellar, hoisting up five air balls while struggling to keep up with the hot-potato passing of the Spurs.
“We were just outmatched, outmanned, simple as that,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. “They are the World Champs. That’s just a stronger team.”
Of course, 21 of the last 24 teams the Blazers have faced can boast they are a stronger team as one of the worst stretches in franchise history continues.
But this time, it was hard to find fault in the Blazers because the Spurs were so crisp and powerful, dominating in every facet. And when reserve guard Brent Barry, the former Oregon State standout, made his first seven three pointers to threaten the NBA record for three-pointers without a miss (nine, set by Latrell Sprewell in 2003), it was bound to be a long night.
Barry finally missed from three-point range with 2:15 left in the game, but he ended with a season-high 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with four assists.
“He was in a zone. He shot the ball well. I don’t know why he doesn’t do that more often,” said Blazers guard Juan Dixon, who led the Blazers with 24 points. “But they just move the ball so well as a team; everybody gets open looks. Just a great team over there, man.”
Outside of Dixon’s aggressive and productive shooting night — he hit 9-of-17 shots — about the only bright spot for the Blazers was an inkling of spunk, which has long been missing. With two minutes left in the first quarter, McMillan screamed from the sideline for the Blazers to get on the floor for loose balls, and five minutes later, there was Dixon, doing a head-first dive in pursuit of his own missed shot. :smokin
The ball caromed out of bounds off Dixon, but a solid Rose Garden crowd of 17,018 gave a surprising and resounding response of elongated applause.
“And I brought that to (the team’s) attention,” McMillan said. “That’s what the fans are asking for, and what we as a staff have been asking for. You appreciate that, everybody — your teammates, even the opponents. I certainly recognized that, and that’s the scrappiness we can do. We haven’t seen a lot of it, but regardless of the score, the time of the game, the time of the season, that should be seen every night.”
Dixon, too, said he noticed the reaction from the crowd.
“Yeah, I heard that, too,” Dixon said. “They appreciated it, and I heard a couple of people saying like, ’Good hustle’. Fans appreciate things like that, hustle plays. It’s not all about putting it in the basket or dunking the ball. I think fans appreciate the hustle plays more than the dunks and the threes.”
In the next locker stall, Travis Outlaw looked up while putting on his socks and addressed Dixon.
“Are you saying that because you can’t dunk?” Outlaw said, smiling. :lol
Dixon shrugged off the good-natured ribbing, but returned to his quest to find something, anything, positive from the night.
“Hopefully that is something we can give to these fans, because they are great fans who have supported this team for many, many years. That’s the least we can do.”
Jason Quick: 503-221-4372; [email protected]
Notes: General manager John Nash said the team plans to send center Ha Seung Jin to the Fort Worth Flyers of the Development League early next week. The Flyers don’t play again until April 1, and Nash said the Blazers’ director of player programs Darnell Valentine will accompany Ha to Texas, where he will take part in practices before playing. Nash also said he had rookie Martell Webster, who spent two weeks with the Flyers in January, talk to Ha about his experience ... Blazers center Theo Ratliff did not play for the fifth straight game because of a sprained left ankle ... The Blazers’ losing streak is a season high and ties last season’s longest streak, which was the longest since the 1985-86 season ... Eva Longoria, a star on ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and the girlfriend of Spurs guard Tony Parker, was in attendance and spent the second half watching the game courtside with Yasmin Patterson, the wife of Blazers president Steve Patterson.