Skip to main contentOh, the things you miss by watching at home. The pre-game music here at the Rose Garden is the worst stuff I've ever heard, and it's inescapably loud. Listen, I love the place, but the music is terrifying.
Tonight is Terry Porter night and Geoff Metts from Western Aerial is playing a shredding version of the national anthem on his guitar. Dude is wearing the shirt from the band's press photos, but he looks good in it so what are you gonna do? The guitar tone is the same as it is on the band's albums, which I have actually spent an awful lot of time with. The Blazers' video intro also features Western Aerial, doing an instrumental version of the Who's "You Are Forgiven."
The photo is of Jason Thompson, the Kings rookie who ought to make an impact on tonight's game, and who will eventually replace Mikki Moore or whoever it is that this team is calling its power forward, along with the oft-sensational Spencer Hawes.
FIRST QUARTER
Big. G.O. wins the tip.
If the first couple minutes of a basketball game can tell us anything, this one would tell us to keep our eyes on LaMarcus Aldridge and John Salmons. Salmons picks up nine convincing points in the first four minutes of the game, and LaMarcus Aldridge looks solid with six thus far.
8:13
Blazers call an early full timeout after an embarrassing opening run. 11 - 6 Kings.
7:50
Salmons connects on another three, but Batum gets it back on the other end. This Salmons guy means business, fellas.
6:34
It took until this point for the Blazers to really find Greg Oden in the paint, and his layup misses but he sinks two free throws to reward the find. The Blazers are hustling again, though, with two quick steals coming in the last minute or so.
5:50
Nicolas Batum throws down a big putback dunk, and another steal on the other end turns into free throws for Brandon Roy. Again, this is all coming from some hustle on the part of the home team. Roy hits two to put the Blazers up 15 - 14.
5:00
B-Roy steals the ball from the great John Salmons, and that makes five steals for the Blazers in this first quarter. They're also stealing fans hearts. Which is legal in Oregon.
4:45
John Salmons hits another. I don't remember him being this good.
4:30
Funny to see Terry Porter on the sidelines, sharing a bag of popcorn with a kid I'm assuming is his son. When the camera focuses in on him he gives a legitimately giddy-looking thumbs up. He looks happy to be on the sidelines tonight, watching as a basketball fan. I'd imagine the stress level is a little lower than coaching the somewhat disappointing Phoenix Suns and wondering if he's the next Sam Mitchell/Reggie Theus/Mo Cheeks/Etc.. I hope not. They need to give Terry a real shot.
2:28
Jason Thompson checks in, and he's defending LaMarcus Aldridge. Good luck, dude. Marc puts a move on him. Francisco Garcia moves in for the double team and hacks Aldridge across the arms to a convincing flailing effect. Garcia goes out, Salmons comes in. Not sure if that's a switch anyone in white will be happy about. Aldridge knocks down both free throws.
1:52
Rudy Fernandez steals the ball and runs it all the way back. He could probably throw down, but he kicks it directly behind him to a trailing Joel Przybilla, who is still shooting uncomfortably close to 100%. Uncomfortable for other teams, of course, not the Blazers.
After a Bobby Brown three (hold your jokes until the end of the blog, please) and an effortless-looking John Salmons layup, it's 28 - 27 Portland.
15 seconds
Sergio Rodriguez checks in, so the Spanish Connection is online. But there really isn't time for the duo to get anything done, and the quarter ends at 28 - 27.
SECOND QUARTER
Joel P. screws up his average with an a silly reverse layup attempt.
Channing Frye is checked in, and he bonks a mid-range jumper of the rim. The Blazers keep snagging boards and keep the ball alive for what amounts to a minute and a half long possession, but CHanning can't hit on his second attempt, either. Next trip up the court he misses another one.
You can see the nervousness in his body. He's never afraid to shoot, but there's an eagernes to the attempts that make them seem destined to bounce out.
8:55
Terry Porter's old coach, Rick Adelman, came onscreen earlier to say he didn't think Porter would be able to play under him—that his body was too old and worn out. There's a twinge at the corner of his mouth to make you think he's ribbing Porter, but it's a pretty dry sense of humor. This time it's Clyde Drexler doing the joking ("I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but some of us have to work for a living and not just play golf"). I look down at the monitor on the press row and Drexler is there, too, talking Rockets with a headset on. And there's Adelman on the sidelines. Houston is almost certainly out to get us.
7:21
Rudy conects on his second straight drive to the basket, and this time he picks up a foul as well. This guy is a ticking timebomb of awesomeness.
5:56
The Blazer Dancers are dancing to "Bust a Bucket." It has been a while since I've heard that one. They're doing elements of the Kid N Play dance to the music, combined with moves from some long-forgotten Sir Mix-a-Lot video. Next thing you know, Jerryd Bayless is on the big screen with his Burger King crown on, letting fans know about Burger King Row. Poor rookie. He almost looks young enough to be really wearing a Burger King crown at a Burger King.
5:33
NBA feet are so big. I'm surprised there isn't a kick ball on every possession.
5:13
Greg Oden with the nice rebound and subsequent layup. The crowd cheers louder for him.
4:33
Wow. Bobby Jackson just got thrown out of the game. He was arguing for not getting a foul call, and when he got his first T, he followed it with more arguing.
4:14
This Kings team has gotta be rough for a lot of guys. On one hand, there's the young talent. Thompson and Spencer Hawes and Kevin Martin (injured for most of this season) are all trying to stay on the court, but there's an ocean of guys who might make fine sixth men knocking on the door at the same time. It's a whole tam of sixth men, really. Francisco Garcia, John Salmons, Quincy Dooby, Beno Udrih, Bobby Jackson...all of these guys would be a great addition for somebody, coming off the bench for some big minutes. But when you're trying to make a team out of a bunch of role players, I don't know where you start. Apparently Reggie Theus didn't know, either. Maybe you just blow it all up and start again. But the moment this team is blown up, the relocation talk is going to get louder and louder. The team's jet-setting owners, the Maloof brothers, have been itching to move the whole thing to Vegas for years, from what I understand.
But man, I don't think the Kings have hit rock bottom just yet.
2:11
As I blab away, Brandon Roy is having what could wind up being one of the best games of his career. He already has 19 points and there are a couple of minutes left in the half. On cue, he dishes to Steve Blake, who knocks down the three. 52 - 40 Blazers.
18 seconds
Roy starts the last possesion, he kicks to Blake who ceates his own mid-range fadeaway jumper. Oden rebounds on the other end, and Stebe Blake launches a full court shot that hits a photographer straight in the face. Jeeeeezus, that looked bad. She waves to the crowd to say it's o.k..
HALFTIME
The Terry Porter Retirement party is starting up, with a grainy video tribute and some Van Halen victory rock soundtracking it.
I'm sure there are more than a few misty eyes in the building, folks who were here for those accomplishments. Man, why does Memorial Colosseum lok so much bigger than the Rose Garden on T.V.?
The Shonz is moderating this quick halftime ceremony.
There are 16 minutes on the clock, so Bill better hurry this thing along.
The last time I was here for one of these, Kevin Duckworth was sitting on court alongside Jerome Kersey and Drexler.
Wow, I didn't even recognize Buck Williams! Looking good, Buck!
Porter comes out with his wife and kids, and the crowd gives a hearty standing ovation. Nice crowd on an icy Tuesday night. What else are you gonna do, I guess? Chants of "Terry" take over the arena. Though they might have been saying "Harry." Glickman is on the mic now, his features ever more pronounced with the passing years. He looks like RIchard Nixon in his later years. Glick says "congratulations on your new job with the Phoenix Suns. We hope you win 78 games a year."
Geoff Petrie gives him the Dean Martin roast treatment. "When he wanted to be a better player, he worked harder. When he wanted to be a better coach, he worked harder. When he wanted to be a better golfer, he stopped counting strokes."
Porter gets his turn. "Rip City, Baby!"
"I'm truly touched by this evening. His eyes well up." He thanks his parents, who he says passed away while he was in Portland. He has to take a long break after that.
Growing up is tough, isn't it? I mean really tough. Tough in a way that you don't get when you're a kid. I would have just thought this speech was boring as a kid. But when you start to feel your years a little bit, you get it when older folks talk through their former glory. "It's not about the end of the journey, it's about the journey itself. And that journey was unbelievable." I never really understood the sadness that went along with events like this. But I get it now. Old Shonz, old Porter, old Buck and old Harry Glickman. It's not their time anymore, maybe, but to be appreciated this way after all these years is a really big thing. Least that's what I'm getting from all this.
"You guys will always be the best fans for me. I appreciate that so much. And Rip City!"
THIRD QUARTER
Let's see if Brandon Roy can keep this up, shall we?
11:20
B-Royslides in for an easy layup that may or may not have also been a travel. Next time down the court he does the same thing from a different part of the court. Nice drives, young man, nice drives.
10:25
Greg Oden with what may well be his biggest dunk yet as a Blazer. Maybe he caught that Terry Porter speech and got all worked up. Looked like an Amare dunk!
9:29
60 - 47 Blazers. Beno Udrih really would make a good sixth man. That's what he was before Bibby left, right? And then they were just like "hey dude, mind being the starter?" That might work in Willamette Week's music department (you know, sorta), but I'm not sure it works in professional basketball. "Hey Leon Powe, wanna replace Kevin Garnett? We expect you to get the same kind of numbers."
Oden just turned all incredible Hulk Oden. Maybe Charles Barkley's advice was what turned him into the beast he is tonight.
7:33
I say Oden is playing like a Beast, and you might look at his numbers and be all "uh, since when is 8 points and 9 boards beastly? But a) it's the way he scored those eight, and b) he has played well under 20 minutes tonight. So I'll take it. On cue, there's his 10th rebound.
5:48
CHANNING WATCH:
He went 0 for 3 in the first half and hasn't been seen yet in the second. I'm not sure how he's going to get those minutes back without someone (knock on wood, of course) going down with an injury.
Aldridge, meanwhile, is knocking down his mid-range jumpers on the regular.
3:01
Roy has 27 points, and it's way more than that. He's getting steals, rebounds, he's hustling and generally being a nuisance for the Kings. The Blazers are up 22 points, and this is exactly what they needed.
Also, old people probably shouldn't sit in the front row. I'm not discriminating, I'm just saying--at that age if Joel Przybilla falls on you, that could end it all. He breaks your hip and you never really recover after that. I mean, Glickman can handle it, but these other old people I just dunno.
1:50
I may have been wrong about Jason Thompson. His contribution has been minimal, and he now has three turnovers to his name. Rough second game for a brand new coach. His boys are down 25.
1 minute
Brandon Roy is playing like this is the last minute of a tight game, but he's been playing like that all night. The steals have been really impressive. He just bolted down court to grab one from behind Francisco Garcia. Nice moves, young man. That's his fourth official steal, though I'm pretty sure I've seen five tonight.
FOURTH QUARTER
Rudy Fernandez is back in the game for the Blazers. He dishes to Joel P, who misses another one, amazingly. That's going to hurt his average. Next possession the ball is kicked around a bit and lands in Travis Outlaw's hands for the corner three. That's his dagger this year.
10:01
John Salmons is up to 21 points, but the Blazers are now ahead by 86 points.
Joel has a huge block on one end, Sergio gets the alley-oop to LaMarcus Aldridge on the other end.
The stat guy drops off a little note:
Brandon Roy stats update.
"Last time Blazers had streak of individual players scoring 30 points in a game in four or more consecutive games:
From Dec. 30, 1994 to Jan. 9, 1995: six in a row
Clyde Drexler (39) - 12/30/95
Cliff Robinson (30) - 1/3/95
Cliff Robinson (32) - 1/4/95
Clyde Drexler (35) - 1/6/95
Rod Strickland (31) - 1/7/95
Clyde Drexler (31) - 1/9/95
Last time same Blazer scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games:
Clyde Drexler [11/22/91 - 11/29/91]"
8:14
There was a nice Spanish Connection alley-oop layup a moment ago. The Blazers are now up 31 points and Brandon Roy, who is on the bench and shouldn't retun, has scored 29. So the stat sheet we got is a little bit strange. I guess they were anticipating one more shot. Unless the kings can put together a hell of a run, we shouldn't see Brandon again tonight.
That aside, what an incredible run for Roy! Tonight his teammates are coming through with impressive contributions of their own (especially the Blazer bigs), so the team should go to 16 and 10. I'm sure Roy'd tell you that's more important than any scoring streak, but jeez, don't you suppose he wants to come in for a minute and log a legendary jumper?
"Chalupa" chants. That sucks so bad.
5:57
With the Blazers up 95 - 62, this is officially garbage time. That should mean some action for the Channing Watch. Let's see if he can break that ugly streak. Unless his bad streak is the yang to Brandon Roy's good streak, in which case it might be best for Channing to keep putting up bricks.
5:38
Jez, I'm wrong. Ike Diogu and Joel Przybilla are anchoring the middle. It's 33 points, Nate, can't Joel sit? He has 14 rebounds, after all. Ahem, 15.
Rudy hits a three. Insult to injury . 98 - 62 Blazers. Jason Thompson banks a hookshot in to pad his stats a bit.
4:38
Nate, clearly reading my blog, inserts Channing Frye. Diogue hits his second free throw to get the crowd chalupas. They erupt. I've never understood that.
Jerryd Bayless loses Bobby Brown and throws down a two-handed dunk. How'd he do that?
CHANNING WATCH:
Still ineffective for the time being. Chan's man knocks down a jumper over Crinkle Cut's outstretched arm. Next time the kings come down, he fouls Donte Green. His stat line isn't looking so hot. This is a contract year, big fella!
Channing Frye, who is clearly reading my blog (I'm a big fan of his as well) drops the close-in layup through traffic.
Jerryd Bayless looks really good, also.
2:46
Bayless at the line. They play the Bust A Bucket video. The scout and Sacto reporter on my left and right, respectively, look transfixed. I guess that's a little piece of Portland's dirty laundry that the outsiders will never understand. And who knew they filmed it in HD???? Looking good, Jerome! Bayless knocks down a pair.
2:08
K-Pritch stroaks his new goatee while he chats with Paul Allen. Garbage time is interesting for those two guys. They're on Channing Watch, too. Chan wraps up Shelden Williams for the shooting foul, but he's too late, Williams already got it off. And one. C'mon, Chan!
He runs out hella fast for the fast break opportunity, but the pass is long and he has to save it. Comes back for the layup opportunity and gets fouled. Misses the first, drops the second. This is the best line our boy has had in a while, and the most minutes he's had in a long time as well.
Sergio tries a half-court alley-oop to Bayless, who just misses it. Man, that kid can jump!
14 seconds
Sergio passes to Batum, who should probably run out the clock but takes the three instead. It's a brick, fans. Game over. Portland 109, Sacramento 77. I'll see you next time!
WWeek 2015