The Portland Trail Blazers - sometimes dominant, sometimes mediocre, always enigmatic. Just when you think that you've figured this team out, they take another sharp turn away from predictability. The Blazers have won 15 of their last 19 games, but dropped three of the last five. Still, they sit atop the Pacific Division with a 32-14 record and a half-game lead over the Sacramento Kings.
Last Monday, the Blazers were embarrassed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, losing 84-58 - a nearly historic night of misery on offense. After wins in Chicago and Indiana, the Blazers took another step backwards this past Saturday, losing 93-80 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on national television.
It's no secret that the Blazers have loads of talent. The entire second string could well have starting roles elsewhere in the league. Currently, the Blazers' statistics reflect this balance with five players averaging double figures and center Arvydas Sabonis averaging 9.8. Entering play on Tuesday against the Bulls, the Blazers are a league-best 22-5 against the Eastern Conference, and have already won more inter-conference contests than in any of the past 22 seasons.
But through mid-December, the Blazers were unimpressive and far from championship form. The team hovered close to first in the standings, but was still getting beaten by lesser clubs. If the Blazers' season ends in success, the Dec. 22 loss to the Denver Nuggets may well have been the turning point. In an unenthusiastic, lackluster performance, the Blazers lost by 20 and gave up a season-high 116 points to the Nuggets.
That did it. A team meeting was called, and finally emotions and animosity came to a head. The band of struggling superstars asked their animated coach to back off a little. Ease up from the sidelines and let things flow more. A frustrated Mike Dunleavy didn't have much choice, and with the Washington Wizards next up on the schedule, he said "why not?"
The immediate result was a victory, even if it was just the Washington Wizards. But more importantly, that win proved to be the beginning of a ten-game win streak which included a nationally televised Christmas Day win in Los Angeles against the Lakers and another important road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Team defense has improved immensely for the Blazers. After sagging considerably in the early going, Portland now stands sixth in the league in points allowed, giving up only 90.6 per contest. The rival Lakers are 25th in the league, giving up 100.8.
Aided by the defensive improvement, the Blazers are scoring more in transition, and getting more easy baskets. The Blazers are now shooting at nearly 47 percent, third in the league, trailing Utah and LA by fractions of a percentage point.
The composition of this team has changed greatly from the one that lost a championship bid in the fourth quarter of Game Seven against the Lakers in last year's Western Conference Finals. The most significant change has not come from personnel moves, but adjustments in style and structure.
One critical reason is the emergence of forward Rasheed Wallace as the team's go-to player. No team in the league has managed to neutralize him. He's averaging 19.4 points, 8.2 boards, and 2.7 assists per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the floor, 78 percent from the line, and can knock down the outside shot. The league can only wonder how to defend this guy.
Point guard Damon Stoudamire has also come a long way from last season. He has vastly improved his decision-making. He's taking better shots, doing a better job of setting up the offense, and is hustling on defense. He is averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 boards, and 5.7 assists per game, and shooting at a 43 percent clip. Although he is generously listed at 5'10", and is still a liability in some situations, his quickness with the ball is nearly unmatched. Stoudamire definitely deserves All-Star consideration.
Bonzi Wells has also become a force in the Blazer backcourt. Wells is the fourth leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.5 points per game, and shooting an unprecedented 53 percent from the field. Wells is usually too strong for guards to match up with, and too quick for forwards. Furthermore, he benefits from constant double-teaming of other players.
Dunleavy's switch, putting Wells in the starting line-up, and bringing 2000 Dream Teamer Steve Smith off the bench, has surprisingly been an enormous success for Smith as well. ESPN's David Aldridge discussed Smith's new role in his Jan. 29 column. According to Aldridge, Smith looked dead the first six weeks of the season, largely due to his Olympic stint in Australia in the late summer. During December, he shot 50 percent from the floor only once in 13 games, and shot 32.7 percent (36-110) for the month. Through the end of Portland's road trip on Sunday, he'd shot 50 percent (33-66) from the floor in seven games off the bench. Though Dunleavy has cut back Smith's minutes slightly, he has run more plays for him, allowing him to maintain his productivity.
This combination of adjustments and improvements has sprung Portland back on to center stage, but the recent slumping demands explanation. Is it simply a small lapse in an 82-game season, or a sign of weakness to the high powered Western Conference competitors? It's hard to say for certain.
The Portland team is a difficult one to understand. The players are emotional and demanding, sometimes lapse into individual dazes, settle for outside shots, and shy away from leadership responsibilities. The loss to the Cavaliers was evidence of that. The team shot a dismal 28 percent from the floor, no player scored over 12 points, Wallace added to his league leading collection of technical fouls, and, as things fell apart, Dunleavy got himself ejected.
The Trail Blazers have enough talent to win the championship this season, though they face serious challenges in unseating the Lakers and surviving the Midwest-leading Spurs. But the team that has the best shot at beating the Portland Trail Blazers is the Portland Trail Blazers. If the team can manage these intangibles through the rest of the season and into playoffs, there could be a parade in the Rose City come June.
Notes
Scottie Pippen was placed on the injured list Thursday. Pippen banged his elbow in the Jan. 8 game in Boston, and has since experienced pain and swelling. He's been sidelined for seven of the past eight games by tendonitis in his right elbow. Pippen last played on Jan. 20, scoring two points in 24 minutes against Sacramento. He did not play in the next game and was not in uniform Tuesday night in Chicago. He is averaging 10.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in 36 games this season.
