Blazers: When to Watch (week of March 21-27)

When to Watch

WIZARDS AT BLAZERS

7 p.m. Tuesday at Rose Garden (CSN cable Channel 37)

Key match-up: Andre Miller vs. John Wall.

This will be a classic battle of smarts vs. speed, and speed is always something Portland has struggled with. The supersonic Wall came into the season as the Rookie of the Year favorite, and while the Clippers’ Blake Griffin has soared to stratospheric heights, Wall’s 15.9 points and 8.7 assists per game are more than respectable. The good news for the Blazers? The Wizards are 1-31 on the road.

To win: Pretend the Wizards are the Cavs. Some were worried that Portland would fall into a trap against Cleveland last week — playing its record instead of the game itself. Instead, the Blazers led 30-4 at one point in the first quarter en route to a 41-point win. The Blazers clearly outclass Washington, they just have to convince themselves that it’s not a sure thing. Because it never is.

SPURS AT BLAZERS

7 p.m. Friday at Rose Garden (Channel 8)

Key match-up: Manu Ginobili vs. Wesley Matthews.

Nate McMillan said a couple weeks ago that the Blazers acquired Matthews for the closing stretch of the season; and that in addition to his sometimes deadly outside touch, they need him to lock down on defense. Well, there are few greater challenges than San Antonio’s Argentine guard. Ginobili leads the Spurs in scoring at 17.8 points per game, although nobody on the team averages more than 18 points or 33 minutes. But if Matthews can help slow Ginobili, the Blazers could go 2-0 at home vs. the NBA’s best this year.

To win: Play as close to a perfect game as possible. Along with the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau, McMillan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich may very well be the league’s top Coach of the Year candidates. And Popovich hasn’t bagged four titles without knowing how to make an adjustment.

The Blazers may have trounced San Antonio 99-86 the last time they played, but they’d be best off to forget that ever happened and assume the underdog role.

BLAZERS AT THUNDER

5 p.m. Sunday at the Ford Center (Ch. 8)

Key match-up: Gerald Wallace vs. Kevin Durant.

Renovated Oklahoma City is as hot as any team the league right now and have certainly benefited from its added size since the trade deadline. That said, the Blazers made a bit of an upgrade themselves last month. Wallace is among the most athletic forwards in the league, and even though Durant’s 6-foot-10 frame makes him virtually impossible to vanquish, Wallace has enough length and more than enough speed to frustrate the NBA’s leading scorer.

To win: Just because Portland added an important piece to its team doesn’t mean it’s suddenly the favorite in this game. Durant is the league’s most prolific scorer two years running, and yet, many consider his teammate Russell Westbrook an equally worthy candidate in the MVP race. Throw in the size of newly acquired Kendrick Perkins — especially given the now questionable ankle of Marcus Camby, and the Blazers have their work cut out for them.