Play it again, Cam – Blazers roll Thunder at home
Jan 16th, 2010 by Aaron Hotchner
Portland, 4/12/10 Traded by the Clippers in February he may have thought this was it, the last stop. His fifth team, Portland would be the place to quietly fade away, as old soldiers do.
Portland fans found themselves on the ropes. In an implausibly injury-cursed season, losing shining light/All Star guard Brandon Roy was only the most recent of indignities. Instead of giving into defeat though, they reached out to their newest Blazer. On a night where the franchise marked a second consecutive 50-win season, they chanted his name from rafters to benches.
Marcus, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Fresh from leading Portland in a victory 103-95 over Oklahoma City, Marcus Camby reminisced over the last time more than a decade ago with the New York Knicks when the fans held him up like that.
”Wow. I haven’t heard anything like that since I was in the Garden. It means a lot.”
As much as that meant to him, his 30 points & 13 rebounds meant more for Portland, who desperately needed the emotional lift as they head into uncertain playoff territories. Known primarily for his defensive talents, the 36-year-old Camby last topped the 30-point notch more than five years ago while playing for the Denver Nuggets.
With Roy unavailable (torn meniscus in his right knee) for the upcoming seven game series against high-scoring Phoenix, the Blazers will need strong efforts from Camby & others to fill the 21.5 ppg gap his absence creates. Point guard Andre Miller should be an important part of that equation, & the 22-points/7 assists he contributed to the win was certainly a positive sign. Miller has gone WAY BIG before witness his 52 points against Dallas earlier in the season, but that may be an exception instead of a realistic expectation.
For Oklahoma City, the loss was a letdown, but no crushing blow. Their successes this season fueled primarily by a nitro-burning scoring machine named Kevin Durant has put the League on notice that a new power is rising. Helming one of the NBA™s youngest teams, Thunder coach (and Coach of the Year favorite) Scott Brooks has presided over a remarkable turnaround 50 wins for the ™09-10 season, more than double last campaign™s total. Perhaps more important than those wins will be playoff experience in the wild, wild, Western conference where the Thunder will face the reigning champion Lakers in what will certainly be a very entertaining seven game series.
Against Portland, Durant put in 30 points, though his 8/20 FG% showed that the usually silky-smooth shooter could have been more selective. Former Hoya Jeff Green added 17 points & OKC point man Russell Westbrook had 11 but not a single assist. That lack of dimes by a player who averages eight per game certainly hurt the Thunder, slowing down their game to the slower pace preferred by Portland.
While both teams are sailing into playoff waters, their futures could not be more different. Injury after injury from Roy to Portland centers Greg Oden & Joel Pryzbilla, and Portland coach Nate McMillan even robbed the Blazers of a season that began with great promise. Making the playoffs is more anticlimactic for them than anything. The Thunder whom few expected to make it this far are soaking up every moment they can, hoping (and probably knowing) this won™t be the last time they™re playing this late in the year.
Apologies to Michael Curtiz & the immortal Humphrey Bogart for mangling parts of a great flick like Casablanca for cheap narrative gimmicks.