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The Blazers were led by the starters, as per usual.
First Half: Let's pretend the first half never happened. The Blazers barely showed up, getting a small lead then falling quickly behind the Cavs. Poor shooting, missed defensive assignments, you name it, it happened. Plus Kyrie Irving reminded Portland why he's the up-and-coming point guard, while Lillard wilted under Cleveland's pressure. Thanks to Batum, the Blazers stuck within 5 after one quarter, but fell behind by 19 in the second quarter as the Rose Garden crowd howled in frustration. The woe-is-them Cavs, minus their best rebounder, led by 17 at halftime.
We are getting schooled by the 2nd worst team in the league. The 9-31 Cavs.
by cavejunctionblazer
Third Quarter: Here come the Blazers! The "usual" comeback began, and hit its stride with a monster Hickson dunk on the break. Within 3 minutes, the lead was single digits. However, the Cavs held their ground there, preventing the lead from dropping further. From there, it turned into a game of "which team is playing uglier?". They also played that game to a standstill, as the Cavs still led by 9 after three.
The first half was like getting beat-up by a big dude. The third quarter is like getting beat-up by his sister.
by MiledAnimal
Fourth Quarter: The Blazers started crawling in again, finally tying the game, 75-75, on a rare Lillard bucket. However, as the 6 minute mark passed, Cleveland regained a 4 point lead. Each time the Blazers get close, Irving has the answer. When CJ Miles hit a three off the inbound pass, Cleveland took a 6 point lead with under 3 minutes left. In turn, Hickson was fouled on a score, missed the free throw, and Batum tipped it in for a 4 point play. After Cleveland missed, Lillard nailed a three to give the Blazers their first lead since early in the first quarter. It lasted three seconds before Irving again had an answer. With under a minute left, Aldridge had a chance at the lead but threw away a pass. At the other end, Lillard played nice defense on Irving, who shrugged him off and banked in a jumper with 26 seconds left. That three point buffer was enough to hold on for an improbable Cleveland victory.
Box score | Portland Trail Blazers tickets via TiqIQ
Stay tuned for more analysis from Blazer’s Edge later tonight. In the meantime, check out the upcoming Blazers schedule. -- Tim [blazer.timmay@gmail.com]