SPURS – TRAILBLAZER game 1. A view from Italy
SPURS – TRAILBLAZER game 1
Ciao a tutti!
The alarm went off at 3:30 a.m., and today I drank espresso to stay awake at work, but I couldn’t miss out on my first playoff game in six years, and our alien’s first playoff game.
It was a real game worth watching, with Portland not holding back and playing their cards under the guidance of the old black-and-silver heart Splitter, who showed he knew what was happening on the court since he played here in Europe as a youngster.
The Trailblazers tried to dry up our transitions and build a barrier composed of Holiday, Camara, and Thybull on the line from our guards to the basket, passing through our big men.
We did well to adapt (a crucial quality in playoffs), not to force things, and, when they came back in the third quarter, to make it clear to our opponents that our basket wasn’t their territory.
Vassell was extraordinary in this. As Bill Russell used to say, it’s crucial to make opponents understand that what they’re doing won’t work, and indeed, the ensuing black-and-silver surge had built to over a 20-point lead, only to be halted by a nasty fall from Victor and some arbitrary whistles that, throughout the evening, seemed rather out of place to me. Also because Avdija doesn’t need gifts every time he throws his head back after a contact that always looks like he’s been hit with a baseball bat.
Fox finished it off in style, making me toast with yet another cup of Italian coffee while the sun rose, illuminating my garden with the same colors that painted the interior of the Frost Bank Center… Too poetic, you say? Well, after six years, I can afford it!
Castle, Harper, and Bryant bit the hard bread of the playoffs and didn’t break any teeth. Having gotten to know them as kids, first and foremost, intelligent, they’ll be able to do even better next game.
Final words go to Victor and Mitch: our most important rookies. Both demonstrated their strength by always remaining calm and controlling the game. I remember two moments. One when Victor reassured his teammates with a facial expression that meant, “No matter what’s happening, we’re here. Stay calm and we’ll win.” The other when Mitch, after receiving an unfair technical, immediately calmed down, refusing to get drawn into the controversy.
Well, that’s all on this side of the pond!
GO SPURS GO!
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