One night after college football’s national championship comes the NBA’s city championship.
Rip City vs. Lob City.
The Trail Blazers play host to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in hopes of avenging their first loss of the season. The Clips downed Portland in Tinseltown on New Year’s Day thanks to same late-game theatrics from newly acquired point guard Chris Paul, but regardless of last week’s result, the Rose Garden would be teeming with anticipation when this revitalized club arrives.
Since Paul teamed up with Blake Griffin, the reigning Rookie of the Year who’s averaging 24.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, L.A. was dubbed “Lob City” because of its potential for incessant alley-ooping. After all, Griffin and teammate Deandre Jordan were second and third in the league in dunks, respectively, last year, while Paul is averaging 9.3 assists per game. to go along with his 15.2 points.
So far, that athleticism, blended with Paul’s precision, has translated to winning as the Clippers head into Tuesday’s game with a 4-2 record. And one of those four victories, of course, was a 93-88 win over Portland.
L.A. led that game by 15 points with less than nine minutes to go, but twice watched Portland climb back to within striking distance.