NOW THAT PORTLAND FACES A DECENT TEAM, WE SEE THE NIGHTMARE OF LIFE WITHOUT NURKIC. Not Really.Just as there was not much to celebrate or conclude after wins over 2 of the weaklings of the East, we can't be too quick to judge based on tonight's putrid performance. We did see some warning signs however.

The first story of this game was that both teams were dealing with the impact of a major injury. Detroit is in a furious battle to stay in play-off position. Then they were notified just before game time that there would be no Blake Griffin for the game. The Pistons' first reaction was: shock. They came out with all of the cohesion and focus of a team playing their first exhibition game. Detroit jacked up tough 3's. They literally could not hit a shot. They had to rally late to break into double digits for the 1st quarter. The Pistons should have been down 15-20 points; instead they trailed by only 3.

Portland has had longer to deal with the loss of Nurk. But this game was testament to what happens the moment adrenaline wears off and fatigue sets in. Back to backs are tough for a fully healthy team. Add in travel. Will power is a wonderful force, but there is not an endless supply. Portland brought effort defensively for a half. But it was painful watching plays being run without a clue and shots being launched without a chance.

The ironic thing about this game is that the biggest problem was supposed to be whether Kanter could hold his own against the monster Drummond in the middle. For a half, Enes competed admirably. When the game crumbled, Drummond put up some giant numbers, finishing with 22 and 19. But Kanter countered with 20 and 15 of his own. The center position was not the reason Portland lost tonight.

THE CASE FOR PESSIMISM: WE SAW SOME FAMILIAR ISSUES TONIGHT. True.On short notice, Detroit gave Lillard a heavy dose of play-off defense tonight and Dame was frustrated. He constantly faced double teams off of screens. Lillard was given no space and was bumped and pushed all night. He couldn't find assists, finishing with only 3 to match 3 turnovers. Obviously fatigue was a factor as Dame went 8 for 25 (with some of that when the game was lost). Lillard has been carrying this team lately. But he will see even more defense like this from better defenders in the post-season.

I discussed last night the question of who is the 2nd best scorer without CJ. Aminu answered the call last night. But then followed up with a goose egg tonight. Mo and Jake each tossed in 10, but their work was almost entirely at the rim as Portland had 66 points in the paint. Those 3 starters were 0-7 from deep. Portland needs more consistency and spacing from the other starters to have any hope of success.

THE CASE FOR OPTIMISM: THIS IS A BETTER TEAM THIS YEAR. True.We discussed last summer whether Portland would rue the loss of Napier, Connaughton and Davis. Portland added Curry and Stauskas in July. Then Oshey obtained Hood and Curry during the season. All along, Jake Layman has developed his game. Let's examine players in/players out between the last 2 seasons:

Napier/CurryShabazz has been an integral part of Brooklyn's play-off push, averaging 9 ppg. Napier may run a 2nd unit offense slightly better than Curry. But Portland has play-makers in Dame, CJ and ET. The Blazers need shooting. Shabazz is shooting under 33% from deep, while Curry is coming on strong with his overall scoring and is 45% from behind the arc. Big advantage new guy.

Pat C./Jake LaymanBoth Blazer development projects blossomed in their 3rd year. They waxed hot and cold from deep. Certainly Portland has to be concerned about Layman;s 18% shooting from deep since the All-Star break. But Pat trailed off last year as well and in the play-offs he was shooting only 20% on threes as well. From rim attacks, to versatility, to size on defense, Layman as a better game in virtually every facet of basketball than Pat. If Jake regains his stroke from deep it is a huge up-grade; if not Layman is still better.

Davis/KanterThis more of an apples/oranges comparison. Clearly Big Ed is a better defender, although he is somewhat under-sized. Both are monster rebounders. Enes has an offensive game you can count on. Davis is playing great off the bench for the Nets. Kanter puts up the numbers, but does his lack of defense make him a net negative? This one is closer to a draw if both are reserves. But Portland's offense can stay functional with Kanter as a starter for Nurk. It would crater with Ed.

No One/HoodDespite not shooting at the level we expect, Rodney gives Portland an element off the bench that they have been missing: a wing who can knock down a 3 or drive into the lane and create his own shot. Hood remains the Blazers' biggest wild card and he has the potential to be an element that just didn't exist last year.

The shame of Nurk's injury is that we wont get a chance to see if these guys could have lifted a healthy team to play-off success. But the added experience and potential give Portland some chance to salvage the season despite the injury. As bad as tonight's performance was, look at the production from these 4:

Curry: 11 points and 3 assists

Layman: 10 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists

Kanter: 20 and 15 rebounds

Hood: 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists

Portland is a deeper team than in the recent past. Alas it may not matter.

FINAL GRADE: The first quarter of this game threatened to throw the NBA back to black and white TV. Portland won the boards by 14 and had 18 offensive rebounds. The Blazers had 18 assists and 16 turnovers. Yecch. You knew 1 of the 2 teams would wake up after the half. Unfortunately it was Reggie Jackson and the Pistons. With Blake missing, Portland squandered a golden opportunity despite the obstacles of the schedule. Looks like homecourt may go down to the wire. CJ was sorely missed tonight as he may have been the spark to get Portland going. With any decent shooting at all, the Blazers would have wrapped up this game by half time. Hopefully the roster got rid of all of their shooting demons at once. There is no time to dwell on the poor performance. Portland has too much at stake not to be fully ready at the Timberwolves on Monday. F