Portland Trail Blazers Get Blasted By Phoenix Suns in Game Two

The Phoenix Suns are a very dangerous team. and they showed it last night against Portland. I was already mentally past this game once the lead reached 30 in the third quarter. It was one of those games where the Suns played outstanding basketball, vented their frustrations from Game One, and proved to everyone that this series is far from over.

There aren't too many good things to take from this beat down. Perhaps the old adage is true, losing by two and losing by 30 is still losing. But do the Blazer players feel that way? Can they just let this one slide? I don't know.

There is much more to this than everyone thinks. In fact, I'd say game two is more indicative of how games will go from here on out. The Suns may think Portland is a bad matchup per se, but they have two guys on their team who are better than anyone on our team. Should they decide to continue their individual dominance, this could be a rough two games in Portland.

No matter how any of the players feel about the game, Portland still took a split in Phoenix which is a huge accomplishment. It puts the pressure back on the Blazers who are now in control to an extent. I'm worried about the chances of winning both home games in Portland, as our home court advantage this season has been less than stellar. LaMarcus Aldridge must step up, Rudy Fernandez needs to get "his" on offense, and the Blazers need to be aggressive, matching the intensity the Suns showed last night. It's go time in Portland!

I don't have much more to say about the loss, but here's some Busts and Buckets to take me out!

Box Score

Losing by 29, Shooting 38 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3. Rudy wilting on pressure, two shot attempts in 27 minutes. LaMarcus getting into foul trouble early, then completely disappearing. Allowing Phoenix to shoot 52 percent and not being able to guard Richardson or Hill.	A loss is a loss, no one really expected to win Game Two after winning Game One, just too improbable. Martell Webster theoretically finding his confidence on both ends. Seriously, splitting the games in Phoenix is huge, it gives Portland a chance. I'm happy with that.