Saturday, February 3, 2018

J-Speaks: Record Scoring Night for Trail Blazers' C.J. McCollum


When the question is asked, who are the top scoring backcourts in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the top point guard/shooting guard duo that is mentioned is “The Splash Brothers” of All-Stars Stephen Curry, the two-time MVP, and Klay Thompson. Another dynamic backcourt is perennial All-Star John Wall, and first time All-Star Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards. All-Star duo Chris Paul, and James Harden of the Houston Rockets, and All-Stars DeMar DeRozan, and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors. One duo that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is three-time All-Star Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers. That duo though has been very prolific, especially over the last three seasons. While Lillard has established himself as one of the elite scoring guards in the NBA, McCollum has been a great compliment to him, and in the middle of this week, he had a scoring night where he not only joined a list of some of the best to every play in “Rip City,” but showed how dynamic he has become. 
In the Trail Blazers (29-23) 124-108 victory versus the Chicago Bulls (18-34) on Wednesday night, McCollum scored a career-high 50 points, hitting a career-high 18 shots on 25 attempts, including 6 for 9 from three-point range, and 8 for 8 from the free throw line in 29 minutes of work. 
McCollum became the seventh player in Trail Blazers team history to score 50-plus in a game, and it marked the 10th time in franchise history that has taken place. 
Lillard has the team record with a 59-point performance he had on Apr. 8, 2017. Second is Portland, OR native Damon Stoudamire, who scored 54 on Jan. 14, 2005. Tied for third is Andre Miller, who scored 52 points on Jan. 30, 2010, and Brandon Roy, who scored 52 on Dec. 18, 2008. Lillard had 51 back on Feb. 19, 2016, and Geoff Petrie hit the 51-point mark twice on Jan. 20, and Mar. 16, 1973. Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler scored 50 points back on Jan. 6, 1989, while Lillard had 50 on Mar. 4, 2016. 
The 2016 NBA Most Improved Player recipient got the Trail Blazers (29-22), who won their eighth straight at Moda Center, off to a stellar start scoring a franchise record 28 of the Trail Blazers season-high 43 points in the first quarter, hitting 11 for 14 from the floor, which included 4 for 5 from three-point range, and 2 for 2 from the charity stripe. 
To put into perspective, the kind of night it was for the No. 10 overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Lehigh University, NBC Sports Northwest sideline report for the Trail Blazers Brooke Olzendam said before her postgame interview with McCollum that he could have sat out the second, third, and fourth quarter, and he would have still be standing at center court being interviewed by her at the end of the game. 
“Guys did a good job of getting me open,” McCollum, who scored his 50 in just three quarters said to Olzendam after the win. “I had some good looks early in our motion offense. I was able to hit some pullups, and some threes, and once I saw a seen the ball go in I knew it was going to be a good night.”  
What inspired McCollum, who had enough energy to grab five rebounds, and dish out two assists to put on the kind was his 92-year old great aunt who paid a visit to Portland, OR for the first time, and her nephew put on quite a show, where he fell just nine points shy of tying the team record for points in a game that Lillard, who had 13 points, and seven assists on the evening. 
“During the game I was thinking, she probably thinks this is a really good game to come to,” McCollum, a native of Canton, OH said laughing after the game of his performance his great aunt witnessed. 
He added about falling short of the team single-game scoring record, “I’m not into chasing records, man.” “Even throughout the game, I looked up, and I was like, I can get 40. And then Ed (Davis) was like, ‘No, you need 50.’ And Dame was like, “Get 50.’ I was like, ‘OK, I’ll get 50 if you guys want me to.’” 
McCollum was on the mark with his shooting versus the Bulls, that he tied his previous career-high of 43 points a three-pointer that Olzendam described her postgame interview with McCollum from Corvallis, OR, and surpassed it with a mid-range jump shot. 
“I just tried to be aggressive, and take what the defense gives me,” McCollum, whose previous career-high was 43 points in a 95-89 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves back on New Year’s Day 2017 said to Olzendam. 
“I spent a lot time, a lot of hours working on my game. Working on different shots. Off-balance pullups, transition threes, finishes in the lane, and tonight most of them went in.” 
McCollum at times this season has had some shaky moments at the charity stripe, in clutch moments, and it is fitting on the night he joined the list of Trail Blazers to score 50 in a regular season game that he reached the half century mark on a foul shot. 
“I tried to draw some contact, and once I went to the line, couple of teammates said ‘Don’t choke. Go be great.’ So once the first one went in, I knew the second one was going to go in just based off of repetition,” McCollum said to Olzendam. 
This game also allowed a moment of reflection for McCollum, who was on the shelf the first six weeks of his rookie season in 2013-14 with a foot injury that ended his collegiate career, where he averaged 23.9 points per contest in his four-year career at Lehigh. He averaged just 5.3, and 6.8 points per contest respectably in his first two seasons with the Trail Blazers. 
His announcement as a player to be reckoned with scoring a then career-high 33 points in Game 5 of the Trail Blazers 99-93 opening round series loss versus the Memphis Grizzlies on Apr. 29, 2015. The Grizzlies won the series 4-1.
That moment propelled McCollum to earning him the NBA’s Most Improved Player honor with a scoring average of 20.8 points on 44.8 percent from the floor, 41.7 percent from three-point range, and 82.7 percent from the free throw line. He bumped that up 23.0 points per game last season, connecting on 48.0 percent of his field goals, 42.1 percent of his triples, and 91.2 percent of his foul shots. This season, McCollum is averaging 22.0 points, on 45.4 percent from the floor, 43.1 percent from distance, and 87.8 from the charity stripe. 
During McCollum’s first quarter offensive explosion, he got two standing ovations, and received cheers every time he got his hands on the basketball after that. When the game was well in hand in the fourth quarter, the 19,441 in attendance at the Moda Center chanted to put McCollum back on the court. One of those fans in the stands had a sign that said “CJ mcKill’EM,” in appreciation of his performance. 
“They were great, man,” McCollum said about the love he got from the fans in attendance on the night. “I appreciate the support they’ve shown me over the course of my career. I had a slow start being hurt, and things of that nature, and they were patient with me. So, I’m thankful, and every time I come out here I know that when I shoot the ball I know their going to be saying, ‘Three.” 
“So, I appreciate all the love, and hopefully we continue to win. I think that’s seven, or eight straight at home, and looking forward to a long run this season.” 
After a great night like the one McCollum had, that is a cause for celebration, and Olzendam asked him was this a night where he would enjoy some pinot grigio with his postgame meal. 
McCollum’s answer to her, and those left at the Moda Center, “Oh we’re going to have a lot of pinot tonight.” 
Coming into Wednesday night’s tilt versus the Bulls, the main headline besides the Trail Blazers looking for eighth straight home win, Lillard needed 25 points to become the fastest player to 10,000 career points, McCollum became the story with his 50-point performance. 
As McCollum got it going, the rest of the team as he mentioned to Olzendam continued to find ways to get him open to get shots, and he made a lot of them to reach 50.

This night put on display the Trail Blazers team work where their top scorer in All-Star Damian Lillard took a back seat to his backcourt mate C.J. McCollum, who put on a show and joined his teammate, and six other Portland Trail Blazers to score 50 points or more. 
As he walked off the Moda Center floor after his interview with Olzendam, he put his arms to the air with joy as those remaining gave him one last cheer. 
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