AND IN JUST A MOMENT, EVERYTHING CHANGES. True.We will go into the implications of Jusuf Nurkic's major injury in a moment. First, let's take a second to feel for the player. Nurk has brought a joy and power to the game and the Blazers that has been joyful and frustrating. But the big Bosnian has worked hard to eliminate the stinker games and plays that have driven us nuts. Jusuf has made himself one of the key reasons that Portland's hopes have justifiably grown this year. He suffered the injury. He feels the pain. The fear. The disappointment. We feel the aftershocks; Nurk is at the epicenter and he deserves our thoughts and support first and foremost.

现在看来很明显,本赛季draBUstically different. Keeping home court is going to be that much tougher, playing without 2 of the Blazers' 3 best players. Winning a play-off series seems less likely then last year, and would be considered a huge success. An injury this severe can reverberate into next season and can alter the course of a franchise. There is no sugar-coating the impact: this one play is a game changer to everything the players and coaches and fans can hope for.

Does Kanter now start? If so, can Mo and Chief prop him up on defense? Will Leonard be dusted off, so that everyone else can keep their current roles? Will the loss of Nurk hurt the defense, the offense or the boards worse? The final 9 games now become a huge experiment in improvisation.

BUT IT WAS A GLORIOUS WIN. True.This was a shootout of epic proportions. D'Angelo Russel proved once again that we need to stop talking about his potential and recognize that he is a star. Brooklyn will speed you up until your play is almost recognizable. When they are bombing away and drawing fouls left and right, you better have plenty of firepower to respond. Even without CJ, Portland was up to the challenge.

The numbers are crazy: The Nets got up 103 shots, but were dwarfed by Portland 121. Portland shot 36 free throws (though a large number of them in the crazy last minute), but yielded a whopping 44 to Brooklyn. The teams combined for a huge 87 three-pointers. Portland accumulated 35 assists while giving up a microscopic 5 turnovers. Nurk was having one of his best statistical games ever: 32 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals.

In a vacuum, sweeping this 4 game home stand against 3 play-off teams would be huge. Portland had set the table for a clear run to home court and a shot to repeat as the #3 seed. It was a great and gritty win. Yet the lingering taste is sour, not sweet.

PORTLAND HAS MORE TOOLS TO RECOVER FROM THIS BLOW. True.I had written an extensive comparison of the losses of Napier, Davis and Connaughton versus the addition (or expanded role) of Curry, Kanter, Layman and Hood. Clearly this is a deeper, more talented squad. Yet right now such analysis rings hollow.

FINAL GRADE: Good for Simons to be beckoned off the bench to take 2 crucial free throws as Nurk's injury replacement. He sank both. 66 bench points should be a cause of massive celebration, but allowing 59 points is alarming. 7 guys in double figures is awesome; zero points for Layman as a starter is not. Lillard piled up 12 assists without a turnover, but took an inefficient 30 shots to get his 31 points. Winning this game is very nice, but the over-all result is not. B+ for the play; F for the impact on the season. Get will Nurk. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.