Double Boredom in Portland

The NBA scheduled in its calendar, in which situations that sometimes occur more typical of phrenopathy than of a sport, two consecutive confrontations at the Moda Center between the Blazers and the Mavericks. And without difference days, with the two games on Saturday and Sunday. A back to back to the bravas between two of the teams that are called to pass among the top ten of the Western Conference to the next phase of the tournament. It was fertile ground for them to rotate with the squads and they did so, but adding the ingredient of injuries in the visiting team to give even less meaning to this infernal double. Added to the absences due to physical problems of Green, Kleber and Smith was Tim Hardaway, injured the day before, and Jason Kidd also reserved his great star, Luka Doncic, so that he would not play for two days in a row. The result was almost the same as in the first duel.

140-123 on this second occasion. A good job of correction was done by the Dallas coaches after the bleeding suffered on the rebound during the first, but it was to neglect other aspects. The Trail Blazers move the ball judiciously and made the opponent dizzy almost constantly. Damian Lillard, the best of the night, left the role of director to become executor and scored 40 points for the Mavs while Grant, Nurkic and Simons accompanied with 20 more each, a round hundred.

The NBA executes a sensible criterion for having done this double in this way: saving on travel, one of the union’s complaints with so many games on the calendar. The problem is that the show lacks shine. For the amateur, and even the chronicler, the capacities for surprise or novelty are strangled. Seen from the perspective of the Blazers, who benefited here, they were able to tie the season duel with the Mavericks, break a streak of five straight losses and stay alive in the positions that give access to the play-in by the West occupying the ninth position. In the case of the Texans, they opted for the first to burn all the ships, knowing the limitations they have in the infirmary and that Doncic was going to be given a well-deserved rest, and everything has gone in a chain to see the worst face possible Once again the miseries of this team came to light.

In the boredom in which we were submerged, it was seen that Dinwiddie maintained the good tone pulling the car for the Mavs and the difference, without counting Luka Doncic, was in going from good to bad moment in Bullock and in seeing the best of Hardy reappear . For Dallas it was that, the count of the rebound and little else. The margin for improvement was minimal without the Slovenian: 0-5 already this season on the days when he has not been available. What made you think there was going to be a revolution?