Posted 04/01/2010 1:09 AM

 Post-Game Thoughts

"After the [opening] jump ball, it kind of went downhill from there," said New York coach Mike D'Antoni.

Everything went according to plan tonight for the Trail Blazers and then some. No starter played more than 28 minutes, preserving them for tomorrow night's divisional battle in Denver. The Trail Blazers jumped out on the Knicks early, leading 31-20 after the first quarter, and kept their foot on the gas pedal the entire rest of the way, pushing the lead to as high as 36 late in the 3rd at 80-44. They used their size advantage inside to conquer the paint, 46-34, and absolutely wanted this game so much more, obliterating New York 68-36 on the Hustle Board (rebounds, steals, blocks). Finally, maybe most importantly of all, our bench showed up by outscoring their Knick counterparts 46-32, including Webster finding him shot to the tune of 14 points and Bayless running the show with a purpose as he filled the stat sheet with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.

"They just stopped playing," forward Nicolas Batum said. "Next week, they go home."

In a game that saw each and every member of the Trail Blazers not only play but score, it's difficult to choose who was most impressive, but two players who stood out in my mind were Nico Batum and Andre Miller. As I thought he would, Nico had a huge night, but he did so much more than the usual spot up three-point barrage. Although he was a steady 3-7 from I-5, he scored in a variety of ways. Whether it was rubbing his man off of Aldridge and taking the hand-off for a wide open flush or nailing a long-range jump shot off of the dribble drive, Batum was flourishing on the offensive end the entire night. In total, he dropped 20 points on 7-13 shooting and also found time to grab 5 rebounds and players such as Gallinari, McGrady, and Rodriguez. As important as the bench is to playoff success, Batum's output on a nightly basis could give Portland that extra oomph needed to get out of round 1. Last year Batum had to be bench in the playoffs, because Houston was sagging off of him and he wasn't able to knock down the jump shot as he is now. The more weapons Roy has at his disposal, the more lethal Brandon is going to be able to be.

His line won't blow you away, 6 points (3-5), 7 assists, and 2 rebounds, but Andre Miller was in complete command of the entire game and doing so with ease. Nearly all of his dimes resulted in highlight-reel alley-oops or wide open attempts in the lane. If there are 10 better point guards playing in the NBA right now, present them, because I don't believe it. Dre wanted the respect to be regarded as one of the game's best point mans and right now, I don't think you'll find many naysayers. With the way he is operating on the court, my fan swagger has gone through the roof. Earlier in the year, even when healthy, I hoped to win, when we got depleted from injuries, I prayed for win, and now I expect to win no matter the opponent or location. Analysts can continue to brush us aside in the conversation as to whom is L.A.'s biggest threat but let them. A small market team like Portland is used to being underestimated an thrives off of it. Hopefully the team is just as, if not more, confident as I am and I must thank Mr. Miller, because his addition has been the complete difference maker.

Even though many would have rather seen Houston defeat San Antonio and Memphis upset Dallas, by virtue of Portland's win and their losses, the Trail Blazers are playoff bound for the second straight season for the first time since the 02 and 03 seasons. Although there were no bottles of champagne being popped in the locker room after Coach told them of the news, its still nice to see the team accomplish their goal of getting back to the dance, especially considering the amount of adversity the team has inquired this season. While a great feat, the team will not be happy with or simply settle for making the playoffs; the goal now is to put themselves in the best possible seed and peak at the right time. Tomorrow night will go a long way in terms of both. A win gives the Blazers a realistic chance to work their way up to 5th in the standings and not many places can boost momentum and confidence like the Mile High City can.

"It's a great accomplishment," McMillan said. "Losing so many guys, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but it remained a goal to get here.

"Now we get that opportunity [to participate in the playoffs] again. This is what it's all about. This is what we play for. And we still have games remaining that we're going to focus on, starting [Thursday] in Denver."
Official Game Photos


Box Score