The Portland Trail Blazers played like you always feared they might on Wednesday night versus the San Antonio Spurs. All the inspiring, devil-may-care, fight-for-every possession joie de vivre that has typified Portland’s approach since the trade deadline went right out the window. Instead they played like the pregame team dinner consisted of 800 pounds of valium-laced fruitcake.
The Spurs came to win. The Blazers are still in the locker room, buffering. The result was a 133-96 loss that took ugly to a new level.
Portland’s defense was, in a word, atrocious.