1 KEY PLAY

Jan 06

After beating the Lakers just 20-some hours earlier, the Blazers were blown out by the Suns. Not many positives in this one. It was one of those nights when you glance at your phone for a few seconds and look up to see the Blazers down 6.  You grab a drink during a timeout and get back to the couch to discover the Suns are up 10.  All of this in the first quarter! Being down 10 felt like 20, and 15 felt like 30.  I live on the East coast so "when should I call it a night because it's 12 am" games are tough.  But I'm an eternal optimist, so I watched it all.

Gerald Wallace had 1 point.  For those scoring at home, that's 30 less than the previous night.  The Blazers shot 32.5% from the field. That's a recipe for an L in the NBA.

It would be lazy of me to say the key play was the opening tip off.  The Blazers looked flat all night, so why not start from the very beginning?  Well, I've seen some big comebacks in my 20+ years watching the Association.  So what was my 1 Key Play?  The Suns hit plenty of big shots and the Blazers certainly had their fair share of missed opportunities.  Watching the game live, I thought for sure it would be Aldridge traveling with 8 minutes left in the 3rd, down 51-39. But the Suns missed their next shot. Fast forward a minute and change, the Suns got a defensive rebound and called a timeout.  The timeout is my 1 Key Play.  Both teams were playing sloppy, uninspired ball. The Suns came out of the t/o and scored, Felton missed a 3, Dudley got 3 the old fashioned way, Wallace got his shot blocked by Hill and Nash hit a 3 ball.  In 75 seconds the lead went from 12 to 20. The Blazers called a timeout, but it was too late.


Up Next: Cleveland Cavaliers.  Go Blazers!