Clippers 99 Blazers 86
Boxscore
This recap is going to be quick and dirty because the simple story is that we got steamrolled by a playoff-bound team. If you looked over at our bench to see Zach Randolph, Ime Udoka, and Joel Przybilla--our entire starting frontcourt for most of the year--all in nice looking suits you'll understand a large part of why. The offense was bad but the defense and continuity were horrible, and that's just not surprising. With the Clippers needing to win this game we didn't stand a chance, and rightfully so. Erase it from your Tivos and your minds and just go on.
A few things of note:
--Lamarcus Aldridge went to the hospital early in the game. The official explanation given was "dizziness" but the Mikes updated us saying Kevin Pritchard termed it "heart arrhythmia" while Maurice Lucas said, "It was something with the chest and he didn't look well." This is not uncommon for athletes but of course anything involving the ticker can be scary. We'll all watch for updates and keep Lamarcus in our thoughts and prayers.
--Brandon Roy had a heck of a game despite the Clippers keying on him continually. He shot 9-14 and was perfect from the line on the way to 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nate played him a lot at point guard and he looked decent.
--Martell Webster shot 50% and tried to play some active defense but we probably didn't get him enough shots (8) for the minutes he played (31).
--With Lamarcus out Raef LaFrentz got some PT and ended up the team's second leading scorer with 15. Way to go, big man!
--Do you like Travis' 9-10 from the foul line or hate his 2-10 from the field? Take your pick.
--Minutes played for the non-Roy point guards:
Sergio 20
Dickau 15
Jack 10
This is the first time we've seen Nate do that to Jarrett. Sending a message?
--The Clippers' Sam Cassell, struggling with injuries coming into the game, went flat on the floor, apparently with back trouble, after only a couple minutes of play and never came back.
Those are really the only things of interest. I wouldn't make much more of the game than that. We'll try not to get drubbed on Wednesday against Utah.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)