Norman Powell didn鈥檛 exactly end the regular season on a high note. Career highs for the Raptors made him the subject of trade rumors, and, true enough, he found himself changing addresses by the deadline on player movements. He started in the Blazers鈥 last 27 games, and while he saw his minutes rise, his productivity dipped enough for pundits to wonder if he was truly worth acquiring vice rotation regulars Gary Trent, Jr. and Rodney Hood. The jury was out, and he figured he needed to show his worth sooner rather than later.
Yesterday, Powell proved the Blazers did not make a mistake targeting him. In what could very well turn out to be the pivotal match in their first-round series against the favored Nuggets, he put up 29 points on 15 shots to make up for leading scorer Damian Lillard鈥檚 off-night. In fact, he did much more than just pick up the slack; he was likewise active at the other end of the court, coming up with a steal and two blocks 鈥 a reflection of the unique mix of speed and power he possesses at 6鈥3鈥, but with a 215-pound frame and a 6鈥11鈥 wingspan.
So effective was Powell yesterday that Nuggets head coach Michael Malone saw fit to note, 鈥淚f you told me going in that Damian Lillard was going to be one of 10 from the field and we鈥檙e going to get blown out, I probably would have had a hard time believing that.鈥 He castigated his starters, saying they 鈥渨ere awful鈥 I thought we had some guys that were tentative, that looked a little scared, who played soft.鈥 Indeed, no member of the starting lineup had a better net rating than minus 17, with presumptive Most Valuable Player awardee the worst at negative 32 in 27 minutes on the court.
To be sure, all the Blazers did was knot the count in the best-of-seven affair to two wins apiece. Next up is the challenge of claiming yet another contest on the road, no mean feat in high-altitude Ball Arena, with victory securing for them homecourt advantage in the series. Meanwhile, they can claim confidence in the shellacking they dealt yesterday. If nothing else, it proves that they鈥檙e not just ready and willing, but also able 鈥 especially if Powell continues to live up to potential.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
