FanPost

Overreacting to Game #46: Dallas 133, Portland 125

LET'S GO WITH THE ONLY NEWS OF THE NIGHT: HOW WAS THE TRADE? Slam Dunk. Sometimes you have to wait a while. But when Trevor Ariza has a better game in his first time out than any single effort Bazemore had in 40+ games, we already have a verdict.

Here is what Trevor didn't do: He didn't fix the Blazer defense. My God, the defense was still terrible. Ariza was easily the best defender on the court for the Blazers. But that's like having the best seat with a view on a plane with a massive crash; Portland went down in flames at that end of the court. Several times Trevor looked ready to recover on his man off screens, but the Blazers stayed with a switch. Whiteside on Luka? No problem. What's the worst that could happen? Disaster. But Ariza had decent movement, is not under-sized, knows positioning, and didn't look creaky at age 34.

His shooting stroke is much more efficient and repeatable than Bazemore's/ His dribble is much lower and tighter than Baze. Ariza attacks the rim under control and with a purpose. He was 4-6 from deep on his way to 21 points, with 7 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. With a full Blazer squad, those numbers were a winning effort.

If Neil is going to turn around and dump Ariza, please do is soon, before we begin to rely on such performances. When this deal was made, I automatically assumed that Portland would take the $1.8 million dollar buy-out this summer. If he can stay this sharp, the Blazers may find keeping Ariza into next season may make a lot of sense.

HURRY BACK CJ! HELP IS NEEDED QUICK. True. Tonight, Caleb Swanigan was the 2nd best player off the bench. Hezonja looked like he was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. If he never has another minute on the court for Portland he would not be missed. Mario is signed through next season. Neil, please find a way to throw him into a trade.

On a macro level, how far can Portland go giving real minutes to forward/centers who can't get minutes with the Kings? Swanigan does look slimmer and gave effort on the court. But do you have any chance to win throwing the ball to Caleb to go 1 v 1 on the low block? No. Bring on Wenyen Gabriel!

Melo has done well taking tough contested shots. But Anthony looks best in measured doses. He forced up 21 shots, and he had to since he was Portland's 2nd option to create a shot on offense. 7=21 seems about right when you are shooting with a man in your face all night.

HOW WAS THE NEW GAME WE CALL "PLAYER DEVELOPMENT NIGHT"? 1 out of 4. Hoard and Little did not play. Ant did hit one 3 in three tries, but he looked over-matched on both ends tonight. Trent, Jr. was the story of the night. Again. He now has three straight games in double figures, with just over 20 ppg in that stretch. Despite his miserable 1-10 on Monday, Gary is 12-26 from behind the arc in that span (46%). He had 20 on 6-7 from deep tonight. His confidence is soaring and he's backing it up. Consistency is the next step, but Trent has raised his potential ceiling dramatically in the past week.

LILLARD IS A FREAKING ALL-STAR. True. How do you back up a franchise record 61 points? With 47 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 8-15 shooting on 3's, that's how. 108 points in back to back games has to be a Blazer records, as does the 19 made three-pointers. Only the constant 2nd half double teams kept him from 50. Watching his efforts, even in defeat, is nothing short of amazing.

FINAL GRADE: Watching Dallas right now is like watching Denver over the last couple of seasons. The Nuggets with Jokic seem unstoppable at times. Now the Mavs come at you so many ways. They were incredible from deep, especially with 10 in the first quarter on the way to 45 points!! Doncic is frustrating and unstoppable in the lane. Dallas was scorching from behind the arc, shooting 47% on 21-47. Yet Portland was even hotter, shooting 54% on 21-39. Portland lost all of the other battles, giving up way too many offensive boards, committing more turnovers, among the negative stats. The Blazers did come flying back from 25 down, and the 17-0 run in the 3rd was thrilling. But this was a never-doubter, as Portland had yet another game in which they could not hang with a team that is over .500. Being at home, with enough time for an actual practice should have given Portland extra energy, yet the Mavs made the extra efforts tonight. While it was nice to get some help, incorporating new guys can often cause teams to overthink and underperform. The offense was cooking. but the defense was cooked. A for Ariza and Dame, but C- for the team.