Was it a blip on the radar?
Or was it a blaring alert of a larger problem?
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a nice November. A nine-game winning streak has them perched near the top of the NBA’s Western Conference.
That’s a pretty picture despite some ugly moments.
Sure, the Blazers needed second-half rallies to beat winless Philadelphia and a bad Charlotte team. But they won, so that’s like having a blemish on your chin while wearing an Armani suit. Nobody dwells on the flaws.
But those who believe the Blazers Western Conference contender right now got a reality check Friday.
Memphis brought the NBA’s best record into the Moda Center and pushed Portland around.
There was no winning ugly. For stretches of Friday’s game, it simply was ugly.
It bolsters the skeptics who say the Blazers’ success has more to do with their easy schedule. Despite being 12-4, Portland is 2-4 against teams with winning records through Friday.
Wesley Matthews made seven 3-pointers Friday, but the rest of the team was 1-for-16. It shows the fickle nature of relying too much on outside shots; Portland attempts the fourth-most 3-pointers in the NBA.
That’s how Portland is built. Without a consistent scoring threat in the paint, Portland relies on outside shots when they’re available.
When those shots aren’t falling, the defense had better show up. Friday, it didn’t.
“Some nights are like that,” Matthews said. “In that nine-game stretch, our offense wasn’t perfect. We were missing shots, but then our defense was on point. It wasn’t tonight.”
While the Blazers were shooting blanks, the Grizzlies pounded the ball into the paint, where they outscored Portland 54-38.
In a battle of outside shooting, Portland has the advantage over most teams. Memphis basically said “we’re playing our game, not yours.”
“One of our big things is trying to keep the ball out of the middle,” Damian Lillard said. “They screened well and cut hard. That’s what allowed them to do a lot of the things that they do.”
Portland coach Terry Stotts preaches a defense-first mentality. So far, his players have been a loyal flock. Portland has the fourth-best defense in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions.
Friday’s defensive lapse shows how important that is. With their feet on a bedrock of defense, the Blazers can survive the ebbs and flows of their outside shooting.
“What we need to do to win games starts with the defense, then knowing the offense is going to come around for us,” Stotts said.
Portland has shown it can grind out ugly wins.
Portland has shown it can ride its defense when the offense isn’t clicking.
But until the Blazers do that against the best teams in the Western Conference, it’s too early to crown them as contenders.
Micah Rice is The Columbian’s sports editor. Reach him at 360-735-4548, via email at micah.rice@columbian.com or on Twitter @col_mrice .
