CUE MARK MASON VOICE: “Blazer fans, ARE YOU READY?!?”
Are you ready to tune out the news, tune in to the hardwood, focus on what’s between the lines and tip it up for another showdown between the Portland
Trail Blazers the Golden State Warriors?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s hard not to be cynical about the integrity of the league when the team to which I’ve dedicated so much attention and passion over the years is mentioned (for the second time) in a sports gambling investigation.
Just as with pro wrassling, I want to believe the NBA game is real. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently assured Terry Gross “In professional wrestling, it is always and only real blood.” And while no literal blood was shed in the Blazers’ season-opening loss to the Timberwolves, the team ran the floor with a tenacity that would be hard to fake. They played at a furious clip of 106.88 possessions per 48 minutes.
Even as the league recoils and recalibrates after the arrest and indictment of head coach Chauncey Billups, in what FBI director Kash Patel called, “the insider trading saga for the NBA,” it’s a long season. We must get on with it. There is a game to be played. And, until proven otherwise, I’m going to choose to believe the blood in the game is real.
What You Need to Know
Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) vs. Golden State Warriors (2-0) – Fri. Oct. 24 – 7pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: See your options on the Rip City Television Network.
How to watch via streaming: BlazerVision in Oregon and Washington; League Pass everywhere else.
Trail Blazers injuries: Scoot Henderson, Damian Lillard, Robert Williams III (out)
Warriors injuries: Alex Toohey (day-to-day); Moses Moody, De’Anthony Melton (out)
SB Nation Affiliate: Golden State of Mind
What to Watch For
Tiago Splitter. The Blazers’ interim leader is undefeated as an NBA head coach. He’s jumping into the deep end with a crisis around his neck. Can he harness the momentum the Blazers had coming out of camp and give this season a positive shape?
Change the Narrative. The great Bill Walton is probably rolling in his grave right now, but he once said he was “a better person because of [his] failures and disgraces.” The entire Blazers organization must take those words to heart and become better in the face of their most recent trial. Beating the bricks out of the Warriors would be a step in the right direction.
Fatigue. Golden State is the second oldest team in the league. This season the Warriors added Al Horford (39) to the veteran core of Steph Curry (37), Draymond Green (35) and Jimmy Butler (36). Their seasoned squad comes into Portland on the second night of a back-to-back. In order to win, the younger, more rested Blazers must continue pushing the pace.
Jerami Grant. It’s not always easy to tell how passionate Grant is about the game. Will he play with the same competitive fire he displayed in game one when he came off the bench to score 29 points in 28 minutes?
Shaedon Sharpe. He scored just 15 points in his first regular season appearance after signing a four-year, $90 million extension with the Blazers. He must take each game personally and score the ball ruthlessly if the Blazers are going to succeed this season.
Yang Hansen. The rookie sensation played his first NBA minutes, scored a couple points on free throws, was blocked by Rudy Gobert and was posterized by Jaden McDaniels. How will he be featured in fellow big man, Tiago Splitter’s, game plan?
Steph Curry. At 37, he continues to play like an MVP.
Jimmy Butler. Make some extra noise when he steps to the line.
What Others Are Saying
Expectations are Sky High for this Warriors Squad
Who knows how many of these gray beards will make it to the playoffs, but ‘Olden State knows how to close. They easily dispatched the LeBron-less Lakers on opening night, and choked out the championship caliber Nuggets in overtime last night. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton likes what he sees – he projects the Warriors will win 56.1 games this season:
The Warriors might have the single most surprising projection for any team, nearly four wins clear of the non-Oklahoma City field. Having added RAPM superstar Jimmy Butler III for a full season — they won at a 63-win clip (76.7%) with Butler in the lineup last season — the Warriors also have 11 players who rate better than league average, tied with the Thunder for most of any team.
The Golden Formula
Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard says that projection stems from the team’s recent success:
The formula, if I can summarize, is this: The big sprint last season after acquiring Butler was very meaningful, they’ve shown they can play the kind of defense that keeps things together during scoring slumps, and yes, there’s always Curry.
If You Go:
It’s Hispanic and Latinx Heritage night at the Moda Center. Celebrate with tacos pizza.
