Blazers begin to believe again

Tough, in-the-body defense like Brandon Roy’s against Golden State’s Corey Maggette (50) has contributed to the Blazers’ recent success. (Rick Bowmer/The Associated Press)

PORTLAND — It was only a couple weeks ago that Brandon Roy was questioning the Portland Trail Blazers’ direction.

Were they tough enough? Were they doing enough on defense? Were they improving at the same rate as other teams in the Western Conference?

Roy openly addressed the questions at different points as the Blazers slogged their way through a stretch of inconsistent play against the elite teams they were battling for a playoff spot.

But as the Blazers (22-14) prepared for their first extended road trip since early December — having wrapped up a month packed with 11 home games with a 7-7 record — Roy is starting to believe once again.

Recent wins over Boston and Detroit — both coming with Roy on the sidelines with a hamstring injury — showed Portland’s leading scorer that the team can get dirty and gritty. Players see improvement in their defense, and Roy believes they are playing tougher.

“Before we would win games and I’d be like, ‘That’s not how we’re going to win in the second half,’ ” Roy said. “But now I’m seeing that we can win those types of games.”

Taking that step will be important if the Blazers hope to stay in playoff contention as the standings tighten and the intensity of games increases.

Portland is two games removed from first place in the Northwest Division and holds the eighth, and final, playoff spot in the Western Conference.

But Portland has already learned how fragile that position can be.

Last year — fueled by a 13-game winning streak — Portland was also 22-14 through 36 games before leaving on a six-game road trip as the NBA’s hottest team, having won 17 of 18 games.

But as the intensity of playoff battles increased from that point, injuries and inexperience prevented Portland from keeping pace. Play became more physical, shots more strongly contested, and Roy said games were sometimes played at a gritty, dirty pace.

That is why teams have to learn how the personality of games change from the first half of the season to the second, said Blazers coach Nate McMillan, who has warned that the same issues could trip up this year’s squad, as well.

“We’ve gotten off to a good start, and we’re right there as far as the race for first place in our division and being in the hunt right now,” McMillan said. “But how strong can we finish this race? That’s what it’s all about. The good teams, they get better as the season goes on. They get stronger as the season goes on. And then the ones that are not, they kind of fade.”

Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge believe this team is better prepared, though.

Roy believes last year’s experience taught Portland how to battle through the second-half grind. As that team started fading, Roy said, it continued to play like it had in the first half — looking to win high-scoring games while avoiding physical contact.

“It’s different basketball,” Roy said. “There’s more pushing, more elbowing, guys are cutting harder. ... It’s that time of the year.”

Portland’s recent wins over Boston and Detroit showed a greater comfort level with that style. In both games, the Blazers beat contending, veteran teams who favor a physical, defensive-oriented style, and did it while scores were held to the 80s or low-90s — the types of grind-it-out contests that went against them in the past.

That success is also why Aldridge believes Portland’s defense has started to turn around.

Steve Blake’s game-ending defensive stop on Detroit’s Allen Iverson — when Blake contained Iverson’s drive and forced a turnaround jumper at the buzzer — is one example of what Aldridge believes is improved ball containment.

Six of Portland’s last nine opponents have been held to 97 or fewer points, and while shooting percentages remain high, players see more discipline in their defense.

“Lately we’ve picked up our defense to be one of these teams that’s winning games right now,” Aldridge said.

Those are encouraging signs. But after an inconsistent month, McMillan said the Blazers need to learn to carry over what they have developed in recent games and make it more than just a short-lived trend.

“They say the strong survive,” McMillan said. “And that’s what we’re gonna have to show is how strong we are mentally and physically to be able to survive and make that run for the playoffs.”