-The Blazers TV crew decided to interview an assistant coach about how big this game is. He gave mundane answers, just like a head coach. They will continue to do this to get “inside” access in the future. It will add nothing.
Blazers Jump Ahead Early, Lead 15-8
-Brandon Roy might be hurt, but Marcus Camby is excited. See, all is well, Blazers fans!
-It didn’t take long for the Blazers announcers to insinuate some referee bias. LaMarcus Aldridge got his shot block by Jeff Green on the first possession, and Nicolas Batum fouled Green on the subsequent fast break. Mike Barrett said Aldridge got “hit hard,” and Rice later joked about how the crowd knows referee Ed Wood. We’ll see more of this going forward.
-Marcus Camby has an ugly looking jumper. It went in that time.
-Russell Westbrook dives down the lane for two. Mike Rice says that moves like that are why he has over 600 points in the paint. Nice stat, Mike.
-As Mike Rice talks about how the Thunder’s great defense has slipped in the last couple weeks, LaMarcus Aldridge gets a dunk in transition when Jeff Green doesn’t get back. Rice says that’s very much unlike Green, and that John Thompson III, Green’s college coach, would really get on him for that. I think Rice was actually referring to the elder John Thompson.
-Mike Barrett: “Kevin Durant gets more whistles than any young player in recent memory.” Barrett forgot to mention that Kevin Durant is better than any young player in recent memory.
-A Batum three-point play and an Andre Miller fast break leads to an OKC timeout. The Blazers lead 15-8 and they’re doing it again without Brandon Roy. The Thunder are still stuck in their defensive funk from the last couple weeks.
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