The Blazers continue to give it the ol’ college try despite losing half their team to injury (including their coach splitting an ACL- seriously, what did Portland do to the Fates?). Granted, sometimes the ol’ college try is interpreted literally, clanging mid-range jumpers and lacking a consistent defensive force inside, but you know what we mean. Last night they continued that effort, staying in a close game with the Thunder all the way until the final quarter, at which point Jeff Harden and Kevin Durant took over, the Blazers had no one to score with, and the hometown crowd fell into a disappointed lull. Long before then, though, Blazers coach Nate McMillan considered his squad to be starting in an energy deficit. And in the midst of a frustrated press conference following a frustrating loss in a frustrating season, McMillan finally turned on an ally, everyone’s ally, the energy drink Red Bull. From Oregon Live’s transcript of McMIllan’s postgame comments:
“I thought before the game we looked like we were a little flat. I saw a lot of cans of Red Bull up to guys mouths and (it) looked like we crashed. Seriously. We were flat from the start. I was hoping that the (new starting) unit that I put out there would give us some spark (but) we got off to a slow start. So we weren’t sharp at all.”
Taken in context, McMillan was just spouting off randomly to show how meaningless trying to identify the culprit is. The All-Star break could not come at a better time for the Blazers.
That said, Coach McMillan has no right to attack the tasty beverage that is Red Bull. Sure, you can go that route, laud the upside of Monster and 5-Hour Energy, but eventually, you have to dance with the one that brung you. And for all its inconsistencies, Red Bull has been there for the Blazers before Greg Oden, and it will be there after. Lashing out shows a lack of leadership, and advertising slogans. It gives you wings, coach. Duh.
In all seriousness, McMillan struggled early in the season integrating Andre Miller, dealing with Greg Oden’s growing pains, finding enough touches, and then injury after injury hit, and McMillan actually improved. His best work has been with a ragtag group of leftovers, and for that he deserves to be commended. It’s a shame that talent is such a determining factor in this league, because two of its better coaches, McMIllan and Houston’s Rick Adelman, face a daunting future simply because the succubus of injury have swept into their villages and plucked away their players to Suitland.
Either way, I’d expect a healthier pre-game assortment for the Blazers next game. Perhaps some V-8, or some mango juice.
