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Opinion
Being swept in the conference finals by the champion Spurs is never an easy pill to swallow.
Some teams cope by vowing to embody excellence, to the fans and to themselves, almost like a geeky superhero. Some teams just freak out and drop off the map faster than you can say: “faked it until they made it”.
But other teams embrace the frustration, relish in the pain, and eventually let the build-up of their raged temper act as the compass for the rest of their actions, kind of like a supervillain.
The so-called Jail Blazers were everything you can want in a perfect NBA supervillain. Firstly, they were convinced they were the good guy. This team constantly sprouted how the media and the officials were out to get them.
Second, they are worthy enough opponents to make the hero, who in this case are the beloved Lakers, look good. Portland finished 59-23, they were no fools or bumblers.
Lastly, the villain has many of the same characteristics of the hero, but they’re misdirected. The Lakers mirrored the playing style of Steve Smith-Rasheed Wallace Blazers.
Instead, the always-sunny Lakers never had a bad team, mostly because they stole stars left and right, tempting the all-time greats with bandwagon fans and celebrity status.
But the Jail Blazers represented an almost entirely different ethos – one that didn’t care if they were liked or not and one that relied heavily on drafted players and a street-style mentality.
The Blazers brought in players that fit this code, including Scottie Pippen, a veteran of the classic Pistons-Bulls war, who defended some of the best players of the previous decade while winning six championships.
(Photo by Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The previous season, the Blazers got rid of their leading scorer, Isaiah Rider, who had off-court issues. This was not an example of a bad runt in a good litter, in fact the Jail Blazers got their name from their shenanigans on and mostly off the court.
But even with the departure of Rider, the Blazers started the season strong, holding a 10-1 record. The team was very deep, but lacked that go-to guy who raises his hand in a time out with eight seconds left on the clock to seal the game.
They lacked the guy who everyone depends on to get a bucket when a bucket is really needed, and who takes the responsibility whether the team wins or loses.
In fact, per 36 minutes, every single player on the roster averaged close to 15 points per game. Teams with superstars don’t look like that. But Rasheed Wallace was the closest thing they had to this description, as he made his first All Star game this season, solely representing the black-and-red uniform.
Portland finished the season 59-23, securing the third seed in a tough Western Conference, and ready to avenge the previous year’s early playoff exit. After bulldozing Kevin Garnett’s Timberwolves then Karl Malone’s Jazz, the Blazers were up against their sworn enemy the Los Angeles Lakers in what many believed was the real Finals of the NBA.
Scottie Pippen was up against familiar faces, his old coach Phil Jackson and point guard Ron Harper. In pursuit of his seventh NBA title, the Blazers shocked the league as they took a commanding 3-1 league. They became the first team the Lakers lost three consecutive games to that season and were now trying to be the first team to beat LA in two consecutive home games at the new Staples Centre. But the Lakers didn’t give up and miraculously fought their way to a Game 7.
But with a 71-55 lead in the third quarter, after outscoring the Lakers 29-19 in the third, it looked like the Blazers were heading to the NBA Finals for the first time in eight years. Shockingly enough, Portland’s 0-13 streak from the field contrasted with the Lakers’ 15-0 run.
The Blazers officially choked, blowing a 16-point lead over the final quarter to lose 88-82. To be out-scored 31-13 in the fourth quarter while missing 18 of 23 shots from the field might just be the greatest playoff disappearance in NBA history.
People called the game rigged, because of the disparity of free throws attempted: 37 for LA to 16 for Portland. But if you’re up double digits in the fourth quarter, you should still be up at the end of the fourth quarter, regardless of rare dodgy calls.
Like in all movies, the heros were tested and knocked down but eventually prevailed. This season would be the one of the best in the Jail Blazers’ history, as what would come put the Jail in the term Jail Blazers.
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