Blazers hang tough for 7/8ths
Almost halfway through the fourth quarter, the score was tied. C.J. McCollum and Carmelo Anthony pumped in a lot of points. Anfernee Simons played well. Jusuf Nurkic rebounded okay and passed excellently, but shot poorly. Gary Trent, Jr. played almost the whole game, shot decently, and defended as well as anyone can against the Lake Show. Hassan Whiteside was a bum. Wenyen Gabriel didn't play due to some sort of last-minute injury.
With about six minutes to go, Portland turned the ball over several times, and that was that.
The Blazers all wore headbands in honor of the late Uncle Cliffy.
And so the craziest season in Trail Blazer history comes to a close. Out of the "bubble" and home to an uncertain fall fly the Portland hoopsters. But wow, did they ever give us a great month.
Wait 'til next year! Or whenever. I think they're supposed to start playing again in December.
The passing of Cliff Robinson helped put this great Blazer run in Orlando in perspective. Yes, for 9 games it was some of the most entertaining heroic hoops the Blazers have ever pulled off. It was storybook like when Dame's 3-point shot bounced up above the shot clock before dropping back down through the rim. But let's not get crazy. At the risk of sounding like an old timer, you should have seen it back in the day, when the Drexler-era Blazers were rolling through the playoffs. I distinctly remember one time when I got on the bus to work and every single person on the bus was in an enthusiastic conversation about the Blazers with the people around them - people they didn't know. The entire city was electric with excitement. Yes, we lost twice in the Finals, but damn, the ride was incredible. And Cliff Robinson was a major part of all that. So rest in peace, Cliff, and thanks for the Hoop Memories.
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