Week 7

Hello losses, my old friend. The right-hand column is quickly filling up, compared to the left, and it’s not as fun to watch this team accumulate just porous losses. With the New Year around the corner, trade rumors are happening, and you’d assume just about anyone on the Blazers is up for grabs, except for Scoot, Shaedon, and Clingan. That being said, time will tell when this roster looks nothing like its current state. Maybe we’ll get some wins in December. Perhaps we won’t. Either way, we’re headed for the lottery in 2025, and it’s time to embrace that reality 24 games into the season.

Game #22 - 12/3 @ LA Clippers (127-105 L) NBA Cup Group Play

Welp, that was fun while it lasted. It's definitely a bummer not to advance to the Quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, but it was a long shot from the jump, anyway. James Harden and Norman Powell came to play in a game that really only mattered for the Blazers. The Clippers had no shot of making it to the knockout round, but with a Portland win and some luck from a couple of other games, they would’ve moved on. As much as the two aforementioned players balled out, you can’t give up 51% from 3-point and expect to win any game. Pretty disappointing to see a squad that isn’t great defensively give up that kind of success in a game that was essentially do-or-die. Maybe we can rebound with a home trip against an equally pitiful Jazz team.

Game #23 - 12/6 vs Utah (144-99 L)

LOL, maybe not. What a tremendously lousy showing by the Portland Trail Blazers. (Yes, they deserve to be referred to their full name). I get that we aren’t a great team, but there is no way we’re outscored by 7+ points in each quarter by a team like the Utah freaking Jazz?!? We didn’t score 10 points until 4:27 left in Q1. How does that even happen? I have so many questions about this game, but the team should be embarrassed by this performance. There is only one positive to this game: Shaedon throws down the highest recorded vert on a dunk since tracking started last season. This is definitely a “forget it and move on” type of game for the Blazers. And let’s hope that’s what happens.

Game #24 - 12/8 @ LA Lakers (107-98 L)

It was another loss, but this time against a LeBron-less Lakers team. AD, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell wanted to ensure this wasn’t a trap game for the Lakers as they hosted Portland. Yeah, the first half was competitive, but once the second half started, it was nothing but purple and gold – they took the lead midway through Q2 and never relinquished it. Once again, the Blazers are bad on defense, which seems to be this team's personality. We have quality players that have quality offensive abilities, but we can’t seem to figure out the defense. Unsure if that’s a tactical thing or if we are just bad individually. Who knows. But we ended the week on a low note, having given up our 4th loss of four games in December. Hopefully, we can crawl out of this hole and become more competitive soon.

Record: 0-3 (8-16)

Next Week’s Games: 12/13 @ San Antonio, 12/15 @ Phoenix, 12/19 vs Denver, 21/21 @ San Antonio

Week 6

Another week, another win coming from NBA Cup Group Play. This Blazers team is clearly better than last season. Although it might not seem like it, they are doing more with less star power. Clingan (when healthy) is proving his worth as the #7 overall pick, Anfernee and Shaedon are back making plays, and our role players are playing their roles to a T. One can only assume we won’t have this squad come the All-Star Break, but seeing them compete and contend for a spot in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals is fun.

Game 18 - 11/25 @ Memphis (123-98 L)

Ja was back for the Grizzlies, and that showed in a dominant outing. A poor shooting performance (34/102) isn’t gonna get it done. With Clingan and Ayton both out, we had to resort to Time Lord down low, and it didn’t prove to be too threatening. Essentially, playing small-ball the whole game is tough when you’re going against JJJ and the ferocity of Ja Morant. This game was a bit of a taste of how we’d stack up against the more elite Western Conference teams, and it clearly went as we’d expect – a spanking. Definitely a “move onto the next one” kind of mentality.

Game 19 - 11/27 @ Indiana (121-114 L)

Another close loss is in the books. This team is clearly better than last season. This time last year, we were competitive, but there seemed to be games where there was nothing but crying and a massive performance gap. But this season is different. Is it the rag-tag-ness of this team? Is it the fact we aren’t in the shadow of the Dame trade? Maybe we are just playing basketball, and the guys are having… fun? At this point, the reason doesn’t matter. All that matters is we’re showing genuine progress. This Pacers team hopes to defend their Eastern Conference Finals appearance from last season, so staying within firing distance throughout the game is excellent.

Game 20 - 11/29 @ Sacramento (1115-106 W) NBA Cup

We ain’t done yet! How we keep winning these NBA Cup games befuddles me, but I’m not complaining. Dominayton was back in Sac-Town and gave us 26/9 on our way to a 2-1 record in West Group A. Sadly, we need some help to make it into bracket play because of the tie-breaker. The long and short of it is that we need to beat the Clippers and then hope OKC and Dallas lose so that we can get in based on a 3-1 record and not lose the tie-breaker. Or, we beat the pants off the Clippers and win by about 50 to secure a spot. It would be a massive W for this young squad if we could get into the quarterfinals and feel competitive. Like the Summer League Championship from two years ago, it might not be the most significant trophy, but it is a trophy.

Game 21 - 12/1 @ Dallas (137-131 L)

Sadly, Luka is too much to contain for the Blazers and the whole NBA. The League is always better when their stars are healthy, and it took an insurmountable effort from Anfernee only to lose by 6. The Mavericks got Luka back but were without Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, and a few others in their win. As painful as it is to watch a team lose to another down all their stars, we did get this season’s first Anferno. With 24 of his 27 points in the 3rd quarter, watching him set the court ablaze is always a pleasure. One of these days, we’ll get a complete performance out of this team. Even though we saw 6 players score over 14 points, we didn’t have much production outside of that. It was encouraging to see Deni come through late on both sides of the ball, but overall, our defense is still trash, and any progress we see will only come if we step it up on that side of the ball.

Record: 1-3 (8-13)

Next Week’s Games: 12/3 @ LA Clippers (NBA Cup), 12/6 vs Utah, 12/8 @ LA Lakers

Week 5

We’re back on track to #CapturingTheFlagg after an undefeated week. It featured two not-so-great losses and an excellent win on a back-to-back to end the week. If someone were to say that after 17 games, this team would be 7-10, I think we’d all be surprised. Clingan is posting MONSTER numbers and is only proving to doubters why we took him #7 overall. I think it’s safe to say that Ayton being out is NOT hindering his development as he continues to block everyone and amass tons of rebounds.

Game 15 - 11/20 @ Oklahoma City (109-99 L)

Good things don’t last forever (especially with this squad). And coming across the Thunder will do that to a team. As much as we had hope in the first half against this juggernaut – jumping out to an early 10-point lead in Q1 – reality hit us hard and fast. This game was tightly contested until Jalen Williams and SGA took over late in the fourth. As much as this game wasn’t on the list of “winnable games,” it was nice to see our ability to compete with a high-caliber team like OKC. Last week featured a lack of points and a lot of rebounds/blocks from Clingan, so it was great to see him get some points and continue to thrive on the defensive side sans Ayton. 24 turnovers won’t win you any games, so the Blazers need to clean it up if they want more W’s.

Game 16 - 11/22 @ Houston (116-88 L) NBA Cup Group Play Game 2

Simply put, getting outscored every quarter will not result in any victories. Statistically, that’s how it works. The only real positive to this game was getting Anfernee back from injury. Otherwise, the Rockets outplayed us in every capacity. This Rockets team is feisty, especially if Dillon Brooks is in a groove and his high-octane villain mode. We move to 1-1 in West Group A but have a -11 differential, so unless we win out and Houston gets smoked, we most likely will not move to the next round. The Blazers did the right thing with this game, giving minutes to EVUHREEONE. The only people who didn’t play were Ayton and Scoot, who had a new quad injury. BUT, seeing Clingan record a franchise-setting 16 consecutive games with a block is incredible, especially when this breaks the late, great Bill Walton’s previous record of 15.

Game 17 - 11/23 @ Houston (104-98 W)

There's nothing like back-to-back games against the same team to get you back on track. Too bad it wasn’t the NBA Cup game we won. But beggars can’t be choosers! Seeing Jerami, Ant, and Shaedon all score 22+ points is exactly what this team needs. That and Clingan posting a hilarious 0-point 19-rebound box score. The man was on a mission, and I’m sure it wasn’t posting crazy stats like this. Clingan has continued his streak of blocks to 17 to start a career, only behind Alonzo Mourning, Shaq, and Pau Gasol—quite the company. Overall, it was beautiful to see the bounce-back result from the Blazers, especially with it close late. I might be turning my opinion of Chauncey as a coach, and it seems like he’s starting to see these guys hustle, play together, and not give up down the stretch.

Record: 1-2 (7-10)

Next Week’s Games: 11/25 @ Memphis, 11/27 @ Indiana, 11/29 vs Sacramento (NBA Cup), 12/1 vs Dallas

Week 4

To say Week 3 ended on a sour note is an understatement. The team looked horrible. Billups called out the team for being dreadful. And nothing is exciting to look forward to this week as we get Minnesota twice and a feisty Atlanta team. But who would’ve thunk we’d not only win our first NBA Cup game but smack the crap out of the TWolves, who just thumped us TWICE IN A ROW!? And these wins without Ayton or Simons. I’ve been saying it since the beginning, and I still believe it to be accurate, that we need to ditch Ayton and let ClingKong cook in the paint. He still has a lot to learn, but he loves defense. What more could you ask for, not just growth from this young team but an undefeated week featuring our bright future Blazers?

Game 12 - vs. Minnesota 11/12 (122-108 W) NBA Cup Group Play Game 1

The NBA Cup just means more. That is the most apparent thing after tonight’s game that featured the first start for Clingan, a monster night from Robert “Time Lord” Williams III, and an early exit for Simons. Not only did we play wonderfully as a team, but we shot *checks notes* 15/23 through the 3rd quarter from three before finishing 18/32 for the game. This is coming from the team who just shot 4/42 on Sunday. What a turnaround! I don’t know what exactly was the spark: Williams III finally looking like his old self, Billups reaming the team for their piss-poor performance, or maybe it was just The Emarites NBA Cup and the NBA’s best alternate court.

Game 13 - vs Minnesota 11/13 (106-98 W)

We’re back and beating Minnesota on back-to-back nights. Maybe we could have guessed an exceptional performance from Clingan during his second start, or perhaps it was because it was Donovan Clingan's limited-edition pint glass night. We’ll never know, but 8 blocks is why we picked him #7 in the 2024 NBA Draft. He’s on quite the tear right now with 13 straight games with a block to start a career and is joining some elite company. Clingan was the big story of the evening, but there is nothing better than seeing Shaedon Sharpe back from injury and looking elite. He took the lead with Simons still injured and had almost double the next highest-scoring Blazer with 33 points, also logging the most minutes in the game. He is a difference-maker, and his intangibles are starting to show.

Game 14 - vs Atlanta 11/17 (114-110 W)

Is this the Shaedon Sharpe everyone was talking about? This man is rude in the best ways possible for Rip City. He doesn’t give up on a play. He’ll thrash your face under the rim on a dunk. He even has a step-back reminiscent of the letter O. It’s clear he’s a stud; it’s just taken some time for him to be healthy enough to show it to The League. Although each W we collect puts us further from “Capturing the Flagg,” Shaedon, paired with Clingan and Scoot, is the future of this franchise. He balls, man, and it’s such a nice breath of fresh air to see someone who was a question mark of a prospect turn into a foundational piece for a young, rebuilding team. There are many things to figure out with the Blazer roster, but Shaedon is quickly becoming an unquestioned pillar.

Record: 3-0 (6-8)

Next Week’s Games: 11/20 @ Oklahoma City, 11/22 @ Houston (NBA Cup), 11/23 @ Houston

Week 3

“We’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em” is probably what people are saying about the Blazers. They look competent enough to keep games competitive (minus the 3rd quarter) and bolster the value of the “trade deadline guys.” This team was destined for the top of the lottery with their lack of 3-point defense and mix of youth and veteran players. If the OKC mold of collecting picks like Thanos and utilizing them to figure out a team that can compete at a higher level in the next 2-5 years, this team is slowly trending towards that outcome. Although there hasn’t been enough proof in the pudding to prove it’s working.

Game 8 - @ New Orleans 11/4 (118-100 W)

Has Dalano Banton arrived? Most likely not, but he did outscore the entire Pelicans roster in the 4th quarter. So that’s something. But seeing this team emphatically pull away in a wire-to-wire game against a beatable team was incredibly encouraging. Somehow, the Blazers keep figuring out how to keep things close with this New Orleans team and would be 3-0 if it weren’t for a Brandon Ingram buzzer-beater. They played like a team and didn’t create too many forced errors – something looming over this team the last few seasons. This type of basketball is enjoyable to watch in Rip City, and hopefully, we can see more of it this season.

Game 9 - @ San Antonio 11/7 (105-118 L)

It was the first iteration of the Clingan Castle Cup, and Castle emphatically won. Donovan Clingan is in a tough spot with the Blazers as he’s not getting the necessary minutes to really gain the experience needed to fit into the NBA quickly. It probably doesn’t help that Ayton isn’t an ideal role model based on how the media and other players view him, so hopefully, there is some movement with him so Clingan can slot into the starting role, fitting the direction of this team’s future. Clingan has moments of showing his worth with his offensive rebounding, but until he’s at the start of the show, he won’t get the crunchtime minutes he thrived in during his time at UConn.

Game 10 - @ Minnesota 11/8 (127-102 L)

It only took 4+ minutes for the Blazers to score their first points in Minneapolis, which is a good summation of this game. Anthony Edwards took over from the jump by scoring 37 points while sitting out the entire 4th quarter. It was a haranguing, to say the least. There weren’t a lot of positives from this game other than the fact that we’re actually starting to see the losses stack up and that Robert Williams actually saw playing time. As I said previously, it’s hard to root for your team when you know they’re supposed to lose. But it’s good to see this team isn’t competitive against the teams who should win. We are still very much in the realm of shoveling out trade pieces, so seeing those guys get minutes, even in losses, is excellent.

Game 11 - vs Memphis 11/10 (134-89 L)

There’s nothing like back-to-back routings from top-tier teams. Billups was not coy with his response to the Blazers loss on Sunday. It was embarrassing indeed, Chauncey. As much as you’d think the absence of Ja Morant and Desmond Bane would have a positive result for the Blazers, it was not that. There’s been a recent shift in the NBA when star players sit for a game. The teams don’t see the effect as much. And that’s what happened – the Grizzlies demolished the Blazers and even had Rip City rooting for Japanese National Team breakout sensation Yuki Kawamura. It was a sight to behold. There isn’t much to root for in Portland other than losses, so you might as well root for the other team to score, right?

Record: 1-3 (3-8)

Next Week’s Games: 11/12 vs Minnesota, 11/13 vs Minnesota (NBA Cup), 11/17 vs Atlanta