The Blazers are tough AF

Josh Hart continues to set a tone and the Blazers sweep a huge back-to-back

Injuries. Close games. A string of losses. More injuries. The Blazers have dealt with the gauntlet that comes for every NBA team, with the added obstacle of traveling more miles than any other team, which happens every season. But the NBA season isn’t graded on a curve. Nobody will feel sorry for you and you certainly can’t feel sorry for anyone else, let alone an Indiana Pacers team missing both of their point guards. And the Blazers don’t feel sorry for anyone, least of all themselves.

And although Lillard has set the culture for the franchise, the difference in this year’s team can be seen through the talents of Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, but they would be nowhere without Josh Hart.

During a first-half drive to the basket, Hart landed awkwardly in a way where you could tell his left ankle was still bothering him. And he just kept playing through it, even though logic tells you he shouldn’t. And then you see the tone it sets in Drew Eubanks, who struggled to move around on the floor so much that Chauncey Billups had to take him out of the game in the second half. Yes, the NBA is in the load management era. But players are rarely 100 percent through a whole season. And Hart’s grit is a big reason why the Blazers took care of business tonight. Everybody can see it and is quick to give credit where credit is due.

“That dude is just a warrior man,” Billups said of Hart after another gritty double-double. “We feed off his edge, toughness, and grit. He’s established himself as the heart and soul of our team pretty much every night. If he can jog he’s going to play. That’s what we’ve grown accustomed to seeing out of him and it’s a pleasure coaching him.”

Having Lillard back was the biggest story and he proved that with some huge shots to keep the Blazers in a comfortable lead. But the inspiration he draws from Hart is indicative of what the rest of the team feels.

“He’s doing everything. Defensive rebounding. Offensive rebounding. Getting deflections and making a shot. Pushing the pace and putting pressure on the defense where I’m getting opportunities I’ve never got,” Lillard said as his eyes widened to express his appreciation for Hart. “Just when the defense reacts to his push and they got to load up and I’m finding open opportunities. The type of sacrifice that he plays with, he’s willing to make the winning plays. You might not see the impact on the scoreboard but a two-year-old watching the game would know the impact he has on it. It just sticks out when you watch the game. He’s been having a special season for us.”

Simons, Grant and Nurkic are tired as hell. Hart and Eubanks are banged up. And the Blazers lost Nassir Little earlier this week for at least six weeks.

The Blazers just had four games in five nights and now they get some much-deserved rest at home. They’ve found many different ways to win this season. But it all starts with a quality Hart brings to the table every night: they’re tough AF.

Notes

·       Here’s my game recap for the Associated Press. The Pacers play hard, space the court and play athletic big men pretty much the entire game. Even without a real point guard in the lineup, with Tyrese Haliburton and TJ McConnell both out, I was impressed by their commitment to their style of play. It’s the only reason Billups had to put the starters back in during the fourth quarter.

·       Nassir Little could be seen in the bowels of the Rose Garden getting around on crutches. He’s going to be out for a while but he seemed in good spirits after the Blazers win.

·       Jerami Grant post-ups continue to be a staple of the Blazers offense. It slows the pace down and it also lets guys like Lillard and Simons not have to go 100 MPH all game long. Dame also took advantage of the extra help tonight by playing way more off the ball.

·       Speaking of Grant, Jusuf Nurkic said “All-Star’ when walking by Grant’s locker on the way out of the locker room.

·       Nurkic had a tough match-up tonight against Myles Turner, but I thought he performed pretty well given how clearly tired he and everyone else who played on Saturday was after their Utah back-to-back. Perhaps other than the Denver back-to-back, the Blazers just swept arguably the toughest back-to-back in the league. Sure, it helps that both teams’ backcourts were banged up. But when Game 55 rolls around, nobody will remember that. All they will remember is the record. The Blazers deserve kudos for getting through the past five days 2-2, even though they have every right to be upset that they didn’t go 3-1.