After busting out of the gates to a 7-2 start, the Portland Trail Blazers looked like they could be one of the big surprises in the Western Conference. Many people, including myself, thought the Blazers were now the team to beat in the West. When that team is firing on all cylinders, they look unbeatable, but now that they’ve lost 4 of their last 5, and all the magic seems to be disappearing.
Wednesday night after a 92-89 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Blazers decided they needed to make some changes. Oregonlive.com is reporting the Blazers held a players-only meeting after the game, keeping the media and everyone else out while they tried to figure out what’s been going wrong. For the most part, all the players kept quiet about the meeting, saying they wanted to keep it within the team, but LaMarcus Aldridge provided a little bit of insight.
“We are having breakdowns and making mistakes and the chemistry is so good, and you are so close to the next guy, that you are not getting on him,” said Aldridge. “We have to get to the point where we can get on anybody, and get on everybody. You know, to where everybody can get on me, and I can get on them. But this guy is making a mistake, and it’s ‘It’s OK, it’s cool. Shake it off.'”
This is one of the first times I’ve ever heard of a team having too much chemistry, but it makes sense. If you’re not willing to get on your teammates to get better then no one is going to give their best out there. Accountability is what keeps a team striving to win.
The Blazers are showing signs of maturity by calling each other out for lack of effort. Especially during a losing streak, it’s tempting to start pointing fingers and calling out your teammates rather than accept the blame as a unit. They know what they need to do together, and if they can right their ship they still have a chance to put a deep run together.
