“COME ON BLAZERS, WAKE UP!” a disgruntled fan yelled down from the stands Friday night at the Moda Center.
Three minutes into the first quarter, the Portland Trail Blazers already trailed the wayward Utah Jazz, 13-3, as fog from the pregame pyrotechnics had only just cleared the air. It was early, but the arena could sense it. The Blazers were going to put up one of their infamous duds unless they dramatically changed the energy. That momentum change never came.
The Jazz sucked the life out of the arena by adding 10 points to their lead each quarter like clockwork.