All Blazer-Killer Team

by torridjoe on Mar 8, 2011 2:53 PM PST

For some reason--and maybe this isn't very unusual among fans--when it comes to other teams I'm usually more interested not in their stars, but the lesser, supporting players who nonetheless have the knack for killing my team with their play. Last night's Magic (the) Gathering provided an excellent example: even without Dwight Howard in the lineup, my main source of in-game angst was going to be Jason Richardson. Why? Do I have powers of divination that tipped me to J-Rich burying about a dozen threes in a row last night? Of course not--I was worried because Richardson has a history of putting up big games against the Blazers.

I looked through the BEdge archives and while there are several references to BK's in the past few years (Sam Cassell, anyone?), I did not find any attempts to catalog the various death-dealers, nor even a Rogue's Gallery of the most damnable. (Can I say that here? Darnable?)

So I propose an exercise: please submit your All-Time Blazer Killer Team, or suggest individuals for consideration. Superstars like Kobe, Garnett, LeBron, MJ et al are ineligble. If you have to ask "is this guy too much of a star to count?" then he probably is. I'm talking about guys who rarely if ever would make the pregame discussion as absolutely key to the other team's fortunes...except as one of the BKs.

Here's mine, mostly off the top of my head. Feel free to take issue. I used actives, but anybody in NBA history is eligible.

C Chuck Hayes (really a F but seems to play C against us a lot)

F Grant Hill

F J-Rich

G Beno Udrih

G Trevor Ariza

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Comments

Vinny Johnson

"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith

by blzrfan on Mar 8, 2011 2:56 PM PST reply actions

+1.

I saw the fanpost and had to add the microwave. appropriate, since it was the first recommendation. Stupid Vinny Johnson.

by sfiles on Mar 8, 2011 9:08 PM PST up reply actions

Vinnie's #'s

Vinnie’s numbahs

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:40 PM PST up reply actions

Chris Wilcox seems to do pretty well vs. us.

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Mar 8, 2011 2:58 PM PST reply actions

scola

by Rep- on Mar 8, 2011 3:02 PM PST reply actions 1 recs

I was going to nominate Scola.

If that greasy lump played all of his games against the Blazers he would be a first ballot hall of famer.

by jtkerr79 on Mar 8, 2011 8:36 PM PST up reply actions

hey, here's an idea

Not promising anything, but this is a good way to test your instincts with some numbers: I’ll try to pull the “games vs Portland” link for that player from basketball-reference.com. For instance:
Chris Wilcox

Good choice! His best 5 games of 20 are all basically double-doubles.

Vinny Johnson? Not finding him.

I almost put Scola in for Hill.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 8, 2011 3:03 PM PST reply actions

I remember him earlier on in his career.

He used to murder us.

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Mar 8, 2011 3:10 PM PST up reply actions

I misspelled his name.

Vinnie Johnson. Killed the Blazers in the 90 Finals.

"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith

by blzrfan on Mar 8, 2011 4:41 PM PST up reply actions

dalembert, he is the DPOY when he plays portland

fire barrett
start wallace
i don't hate the heat

by thomasikehara on Mar 8, 2011 3:27 PM PST reply actions

and he drops turnarounds like he's a go-to post player on offense!

"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'

by sammymohawk on Mar 9, 2011 5:45 PM PST up reply actions

Corey Maggette. . .

doesn’t literally “kill” the Blazers, but maims them via knee-on-knee contact. (And shoots a LOT of free throws vs TBs)

by setshot on Mar 8, 2011 3:37 PM PST reply actions

and is aldridge's kryptonite

Jeff Pendergraph:
FGM - 3
FGA - 111
Min - 30
Reb - 10

by Tofu Anonymous on Mar 8, 2011 4:46 PM PST up reply actions

Winner

28 of 32 games in double digits, with multiple 30s.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:41 PM PST up reply actions

David West

Hot sauce in my bag.

by JmarcL4 on Mar 8, 2011 3:45 PM PST reply actions

also great choice

a 34/18 game tops his bill, but also a 19/13 and 10+ in 21 of 23 gms

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:43 PM PST up reply actions

Carl Landry

He murdered Porltand last season. I thinkn he only played against them once this year though.

pts/reb
16-3
23-9
17-8
18-6
14-9

That’s what he posted last year against Portland.

by Dustructo on Mar 8, 2011 3:50 PM PST reply actions

thats one game above 18 points and no games above 9 'bounds

meh

by POV on Mar 8, 2011 4:07 PM PST up reply actions

Meh

He’s an ancilary player putting up those numbers…meh.

by Dustructo on Mar 8, 2011 4:37 PM PST up reply actions

he averaged 12/5 last year

so when he scorches the Blazers for 16/3 i dont read too much into it

by POV on Mar 8, 2011 5:29 PM PST up reply actions

OOPS!!! He actually averaged 18/6.5 last year (with Sac.)

16/5.5 with Hou

by POV on Mar 8, 2011 5:31 PM PST up reply actions

You're looking at his PER 36..not what he averaged for the year...OOPS!!!!

11.7/4.7 AVG 26 minutes of play.

Yeah, so that’s somebody who was performing above the average against Portland…

by Dustructo on Mar 8, 2011 5:54 PM PST up reply actions

I dont know what to tell you

other than you are completely wrong

18/6.5 last year with the kings

by POV on Mar 9, 2011 8:52 PM PST up reply actions

pretty solid

Looks good, but he’s pretty productive in general

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:45 PM PST up reply actions

until recently

andre miller

by lostkauze on Mar 8, 2011 3:59 PM PST reply actions

Andre Miller

Dictated, not read. The management.

by Samsara on Mar 8, 2011 4:06 PM PST reply actions

And Gerald Wallace

Dictated, not read. The management.

by Samsara on Mar 8, 2011 4:06 PM PST up reply actions

disagree

but I still lol’d

by CaptainSexyJacob on Mar 8, 2011 11:37 PM PST up reply actions

Absolutely

Wow, a lot of pain dished out, along with a lot of dimes.

Did everyone know he averaged 10.9 AST one year, for a total of 882 in a season? Niiiiice. HoF.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:47 PM PST up reply actions

Brandon Roy in the first round of the 09/10 playoffs

by POV on Mar 8, 2011 4:08 PM PST reply actions

but not any other time

by POV on Mar 8, 2011 4:09 PM PST up reply actions

he is the reason we on game 4

nate playing him in the 4th of game 6 might have cost us that game, he was a nonfactor in game 5

fire barrett
start wallace
i don't hate the heat

by thomasikehara on Mar 8, 2011 4:20 PM PST up reply actions

JJ Barea

by joelor on Mar 8, 2011 4:28 PM PST reply actions

+1

was looking for this. He torches us.

by CaptainSexyJacob on Mar 8, 2011 11:37 PM PST up reply actions

meh

One 20+ gm, and it took him 35 min to do it.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:49 PM PST up reply actions

honestly J-Rich has to be #1

he MURDERED us in the playoffs against Phoenix…our defense seems to allow the shots he likes to take.

Ron Artest also seems to catch fire from outside when he plays Portland, He was light-s out in that Houston series a couple years ago, and when we played the Lakers a couple weeks ago, he was on fire again

by rip_city_swagger on Mar 8, 2011 4:40 PM PST reply actions

Knee Injuries.

Jeff Pendergraph:
FGM - 3
FGA - 111
Min - 30
Reb - 10

by Tofu Anonymous on Mar 8, 2011 4:47 PM PST reply actions

rec

by CaptainSexyJacob on Mar 8, 2011 11:38 PM PST up reply actions

sad but so so true

"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'

by sammymohawk on Mar 9, 2011 5:47 PM PST up reply actions

Robert "I bear an uncanny likeness to a certain rapper/actor" Horry!

"Every time I make one, it always feels like the first time," Roy said. "I was just so excited and so blessed to make a shot like that. It never gets old, it always feels like the first time. I was excited and the fans cheering, teammates jumping up and down."

by AtlBlzr on Mar 8, 2011 5:49 PM PST reply actions

Get jiggy wit it!

#20

by hohowan on Mar 8, 2011 5:58 PM PST up reply actions

Welllll

Numbers say prolly not. 35 of 50 games, not even 10 points. Not a single double double (although a nice 15/8/7 once).

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:51 PM PST up reply actions

Sean "Twinkle Toes" Elliot

#20

by hohowan on Mar 8, 2011 5:57 PM PST reply actions

Years later and that three STILL ticks me off.

If only there were replay back then.

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Mar 8, 2011 8:37 PM PST up reply actions

Replay? Are you kidding me???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1EL38SKyX8

The reason for the “twinkle toes” referense hohowan made is because Sean Elliot managed to stay on his toes shooting that three while his heels hovered above the OOB line. It was a legit three.

That was the series when I lost all respect for Damon Stoudamire. Elliot’s 3 took a lot of wind out of Portland’s sails. But in the days following, Stoudamire was all over in the media talking about how upset he was that he wasn’t closing games, Greg Anthony was. Greg Anthony had hit some clutch threes late in games that year for us, and had played some top notch defense against John Stockton in the Utah series. Damon was being a cry-baby malcontent, and I think that did as much damage to the fragile psyche of that team as Sean Elliot’s Memorial Day Miracle.

by Rodney Gustafson on Mar 9, 2011 8:27 AM PST up reply actions

Pretty good choice

although he would typically play a TON of minutes against us

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:54 PM PST up reply actions

All Time? Bill F'n Laimbeer...

KILLED us, CONSTANTLY. I’ve never seen someone draw so many fouls against a team, I remember being a kid and SCREAMING at the TV “HE’S FLOPPING!”

by Jason T Richmond on Mar 8, 2011 6:41 PM PST reply actions

One great game

of 30 and 14 (while fouling out), but overall it doesn’t look all that scary.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:55 PM PST up reply actions

MJ

also D Fish as a reserve.

"AND THE GAME IS OVER! THE GAME IS OVER!! THE PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS HAVE WON THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!" Bill Schonely, game 6 of the NBA Finals, 1977 and 2011

by dirtboydave on Mar 8, 2011 7:04 PM PST reply actions

Earl Watson used to tear us up.

"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez

by bfan on Mar 8, 2011 7:59 PM PST reply actions

Interesting call

He may fit the bill better than anyone, because he’s a lifetime 7ppg player, but even then there aren’t a WHOLE lot of serious numbers there.

I only take my petz to Bunfeeld Pet Oz-pitzal!

by torridjoe on Mar 9, 2011 4:57 PM PST up reply actions

Ron Harper

never dominated us. but hit us with daggers at end of games. maybe it was damon’s “lock down” D on him?

My favorite teams are the Blazers and any team that is playing the Lakers.

by OCBlazerFan1 on Mar 8, 2011 8:39 PM PST reply actions

Robert Horry and Rick Fox

with a dose of D-Fish thrown in.

by Iluvdisteam on Mar 8, 2011 10:55 PM PST reply actions

Agree... And Fox was soooo smug.

Horry always hit clutch threes against us. But I think the play that ticked us off was in… hmmmm… Maybe 2002? Late game possession, I don’t recall who was inbounding the ball, but Robert Horry was clearly holding Steve Kerr as Kerr was trying to curl out top to get the inbounds pass. It was so obvious and blatant.

Another time, might have even been the same game, Dale Davis was set for a rebound, Robert Horry came down and basically planted himself in Davis spot, knocking Davis out of bounds (think Andre Miller’s hit on Blake Griffin, but under the hoop). Davis responded be coming back onto the court and throwing an elbow at Horry’s face. Of course Davis was called for a flagrant. Horry was called for nothing.

by Rodney Gustafson on Mar 9, 2011 8:31 AM PST up reply actions