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For those who missed it... well, join the club. The NBA thought they'd play a joke on the Blazers, and show a David Stern press conference through the entire second quarter of tonight's game. They even showed the conference on Summer League Broadband. As a bonus, the Suns went on a 24-0 run during part of that stretch.
The Blazers mounted their usual comeback, but really could only close the gap to 10 before the Suns easily pushed away again. But we did get to hear the announcers sing "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" multiple times in the second half. Portland started a last-ditch effort, but it was too-little, too-late. The Blazers are out of the playoffs, but not done with Summer League yet (see "What's Next").
Player Report
No extended individual recaps today. A few quick comments, though:
Meyers Leonard filled up the stat column tonight. He looked alive out there, made some things happen, and that's all you can ask for in Summer League. Solid night for Meyers with a good stat line. 15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover.
CJ McCollum peaked in Game 1. He's had a rough stretch since, and a lot of poor shooting (9-26 tonight). He'll get plenty of practice time this Summer, and will get his chance to prove himself in training camp. 22 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers.
Thomas Robinson looks like a good backup for LaMarcus Aldridge. You can teach a lot of things, but you either have a "nose for the ball" or you don't. Still hard to say if he's starter-quality in the NBA after such a rough first season. 14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, 6 fouls (fouled out).
Will Barton is as aggressive as you'll see, but that's a double-edged sword. He makes so many plays where I think, "That wouldn't happen against NBA players". Despite the excited NBA TV commentary, his future is still murky for now. 21 points (8-21 FG), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 5 turnovers.
Victor Claver: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 5 fouls, 1 turnover.
Joel Freeland: 2 points, 8 rebounds, 3 turnovers.
Allen Crabbe: 3 points, 4 fouls, 1 steal.
What's Next
The Blazers will play a sixth game, tonight at 7:30pm as part of the consolation bracket. That will be their fourth game in four nights. Much like, I suspect, a few of the Blazer players, I probably won't be around for that game. -- Tim