Game 39: Cavaliers 106, Blazers 94

Brandon Roy was once again stellar with 34 point. But Portland failed to capitalize late in the game, and Cleveland beat the Blazers 106 to 94 in front of the Rose Garden faithful Sunday night.

"You Gotta Make Your Free Throws"

Critical missed free throws by Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, devastating turnovers late in the game and no answer for LeBron James led to an up and down game that Portland could have won.

From the beginning, it looked like James might have a monster game. He came out with 20 points in the first quarter and could not miss. The ESPN announcers were wetting themselves with excitement, and I was getting frustrated as James drove the lane with no resistance and shot jumpers with no defender in sight. All the while, Roy was still working. The Blazers offense was slowly getting better, but the Blazers found themselves down 15 at halftime.

Portland stormed back in the third quarter and made it a game. In the final period, they tied it up with a big Roy three while James was busy thinking about his next teletubby dance move. But that was where the fun ended for Portland. After going much of the game with only a few turnovers, Portland started pressing and turning the ball over. Cleveland hit a few big shots, and before we knew it, the game was over.

Box Score

The Good

Brandon Roy was great throughout. Despite being overshadowed by the media hound that is LeBron James, Roy played just as well overall. He kept Portland in it with critical jumpers and had another very efficient game going 14-for-23 from the field, three of seven from deep and scoring 34 points overall.

Andre Miller was solid again; his 14 points and eight assists with only one turnover helped keep Portland grounded when the game was getting out of control early. Despite what some people think, Miller is a good fit. In fact, the whole "does he fit?" thing makes no sense; he's a basketball player right? That means he fits. It's not like we are letting Ronaldinho run point for Portland.

Aldridge had a solid night with 18 points and 13 rebounds—just what we need from him every game. Hopefully, this will lead to bigger and better things. Aldridge is such a big key to Portland's success the rest of this regular season.

The Bad

The defense on James was nonexistent in the first half. He scored 31 of his 41 points in the first half and appeared destined for 60. It wasn't so much that the Blazers couldn't guard him, it was more like they wouldn't guard him. James drove into the paint with zero pressure or physical resistance.

I'd say if you are going to get a foul anyway (foregone conclusion when within five feet of Stern's King James), put him on the floor, get in his head, or at least make it worth it.

Free throws were a problem for Roy. He missed five of his eight attempts and, at one point, it was making the difference in how the game played out. Aldridge also missed two critical free throws down the stretch, and it left me wondering about the team's ability to clutch up.

The Ugly

Speaking of clutch, how about that collapse again? Sure, it wasn't losing an eight-point lead to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, when you're tied up with all of the momentum, and you start throwing the ball away, that's just as bad as a collapse.

Letting teams feel this confident twice in a week's span is not a good sign. The Blazers need to get aggressive and slam the door on their opponents when the momentum and the crowd are on their side. Hopefully, that will change later this week.