McMillan:

'Mentally, they

were drained'

JOE FREEMAN

LOS ANGELES --It wasn't a victory against a Western Conference juggernaut. The intensity inside the Staples Center was anything but playoff-like. And the Trail Blazers practically sleepwalked through the better part of the game.

But the Blazers' 87-72 victory over the lowly Los Angeles Clippers Saturday night served as perhaps the perfect reminder of how far this once-beleaguered franchise has come.

It's easy to forget, as the Blazers rack up convincing victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs and fight for home court advantage in the playoffs, that just four seasons ago the Blazers were a last-place laughingstock coasting to a 21-win season at this point.

But the reminders were sprinkled all over Staples Center Saturday night. They were evident in the uninspired arena that seemed to feature more Blazers fans who started shouting "Fire Dunleavy" in the closing minutes. They were visible in every Zach Randolph brick. And they were apparent in an overmatched Clippers team that shot a woeful 38 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers.

"I just appreciate being on this side," center Joel Przybilla said. "For the guys who have been here and been through the rough times, especially the coaching staff, the organization and the fans, it's nice to finally see that all the hard work is paying off. A lot of (teams) put that hard work in and it doesn't pay off. We're making big strides and it's gratifying."

So go ahead and bemoan the fact that the Blazers had their own shooting issues for lengthy stretches of the game, failed to register a single turnover in the first quarter and looked lethargic for most of the game. And go ahead and gripe about how the Blazers were trailing 68-66 with less than eight minutes in the game before finally mustering the will to take things over with an emphatic 18-0 run.

The reality is, the Blazers (52-28) gutted out a scrappy victory while playing for the fourth time in five nights, and in the process, registered their eighth victory in 10 games. They not only kept alive their increasing hopes of securing home court advantage in the playoffs but also moved up in the Western Conference standings --into a tie for third place with the Houston Rockets (52-28).

With two games remaining in the season, the Blazers find themselves one-half game ahead of fifth-place San Antonio and one game behind second-place Denver (53-27). The Blazers ensured that they will finish no worse than fifth in the West.

"If I had a hat, I would tip it to our guys because they've just been gutting it out," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "I knew what they felt and what they were going through, and (the struggles) weren't because of a lack of effort. It was heavy legs, a lot of traveling, a lot of ball that they've played in the last two weeks. We come off a four game road trip, we're home for a game, we unpack, we repack, and we're back out on the road . . . Mentally, they were drained. We just had to find a way to push each other for that 48 minutes."

Actually, it took a dominant stretch of just over seven minutes for the Blazers to win. After Eric Gordon's jumper gave the Clippers a two-point edge with 7:43 left, Rudy Fernandez got hot, Travis Outlaw finally hit a jumper and, before you knew it, the Blazers had scored 18 consecutive points to put the game away.

Outlaw started the rally with a jump shot with 7:23 left to put a dreadful shooting night behind him (he finished 3 for 14 from the field) and Fernandez, who finished with 13 points, swished two three-pointers and had eight points during the game-sealing finish.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 21 points and nine rebounds, Przybilla added 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Brandon Roy contributed 15 points and four assists.

It was hardly the Blazers' strongest performance of the season, but at least they didn't have to rally from a double-digit deficit as they have in their last three victories.

"Right now it's about taking care of business, playing hard and getting the win," Fernandez said.

Besides, after being on the losing end of one of these games for so long, at least one Blazer was all too happy to leave Los Angeles with a victory.

"I've been on the other end many, many, many, many times," Przybilla said. "And let me tell you, it's not fun. It's good to be on this side."

Notes:

With the victory, McMillan tied his career-high in victories as a coach, matching the 52 he registered during his last season with the Seattle SuperSonics in 2004-05. . . . Randolph, the former Blazers forward, missed nine of his first 11 shots and finished 6 for 18 from the field with 13 points. . . . The Blazers made just one of their first 11 field goals. . . . The Blazers improved to 5-1 in April to secure their sixth winning month of the season. They last had six winning months during the 1991-92 season.

Joe Freeman: 503-294-5183;

joefreeman@news.oregonian.com

To read his Behind the Beat blog,

go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/

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