In case you missed it, the Blazers are now 2-1. That's right, we've beaten more teams than have beaten us -- who woulda thunk it?
Last night's victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves was particularly sweet. It showed the poise which the Blazers need to pull games out -- poise beyond the years of a young team such as this. 88-86 was the final score and it was as tight a finish as what it sounds. It took two late three-pointers by Martell Webster (4-5 3PT) and a trey by Juan Dixon with 6.2 seconds left to seal it, despite the best efforts of Kevin Garnett, Ricky Davis and Mike James.
Here's a full breakdown of the finish.
I for one have been sceptical about the role that Dixon would play on the team, but it was his veteran savvy which was the final piece in this win and it would appear that he will often be called upon to fill that role -- that of scorer when the younger players are inconsistent.
Travis Outlaw was the story of this game. His 18 points and career-high 15 rebounds led the Blazers. Rookie sensation Brandon Roy was once again impressive with 16 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds in 41 minutes. Although we are only 3 games into the season, Roy's consistency is uncharacteristic of a rookie. He is averaging 18.3ppg, 5.0apg and 4.3rpg to date.
It will be interesting to see what our friends at the TwolvesBlog have to say about the game. Their big three (Garnett, Davis and James) performed well and it was a tight game, which just came down to the final shot. KG must really get frustrated with losing games like this -- the big hurdle in his career is beating the teams they should be beating and being regarded as a top force in the league, rather than an 'also-ran'.
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