Some post-game thoughts (Spurs edition)

Another day, another improbable victory . . .

• With every win on this road trip, the Blazers have managed to win in even more improbable fashion.  Tonight, the team took the court without Brandon Roy and Joel Przybilla, both of whom were lost to injury last night in Dallas.  The team was missing 6 of its top 8 scorers from last season.  Jerryd Bayless and Juwan Howard started.  Jeff Pendergraph was forced to play big minutes in just his second NBA game, virtually all of them guarding Tim Duncan. And somehow the Blazers found a way to win.  In San Antonio.  On the second night of a back-to-back.  Incredible.  


• Everyone stepped up tonight, especially on defense.  And all eight guys that took the court deserve credit for the win.  But if you have to choose a hero, the obvious choice is Jerryd Bayless.  In his first career start, Bayless played 42 minutes, scored 31 points, and racked up 7 assists, 2 boards, a steal, and a block.  And he had ZERO turnovers.  The Spurs just had no answer for him. Bayless played with fearlessness, confidence, and poise.  He made good decisions with the ball and made several fantastic passes to get his teammates easy buckets.  He played solid defense all night.  And for good measure, he made both of his threes, including a huge one in the 4th quarter (he actually had another that was ruled a two because his foot was on the line).  For the record, that raises Bayless' 3-point shooting percentage to 43% for the season.   


• I'll go ahead and say it: the Blazers have found their point guard of the future, Brandon Roy's backcourt mate.  He was sitting under our noses the whole time.  There will undoubtedly be bumps on the road ahead for Bayless.  He won't be this good every night.  But he's shown enormous improvement in all the areas (shooting, play-making, defense) that were keeping people from believing he could be the solution at point guard.  The Bayless we saw tonight is more than capable of being a starting point guard in the NBA, especially on a team that has a player like Roy at the 2.  Bayless is the answer.  


• Juwan Howard also deserves honorable mention.  He had his second straight double-double tonight, scoring 12 points, pulling down 12 boards, and ending the night with a +22.  He really stepped up to fill the void.  It was his best game of the season.  


• LaMarcus Aldridge also had a solid game, getting 22 points and 8 boards.


• Andre Miller and Steve Blake both had forgettable offensive nights but played solid defense.  For the second night in a row, Miller sat for most of the 4th quarter but came in and drilled two clutch foul shots to clinch the game.  


• Jeff Pendergraph, playing in only his second NBA game, scored 4 points and had 4 rebounds in 17 minutes of play.  He also had a block and a steal.  I was impressed by his poise and comfort level, especially in light of the fact that he had to guard Tim Duncan for most of the time he was on the court.  He got healthy at just the right time and is going to get some valuable playing time now.  


• Overall, this was a gutty win for the Blazers at the tail end of an improbably successful roadtrip.  When the adrenalin wears off, though, the Blazers will have a tough road ahead of them, especially if Brandon's shoulder injury is at all serious.   Win or lose, though, it's going to be fun rooting for these guys.