Portland leaves Las Vegas with an interesting draw.
In what is sure to be the biggest showdown between the two franchises this summer, the Portland Trail Blazers take on the Miami Heat in their fifth and final game of the 2023 Summer League. The Blazers were eliminated from the final four rounds of the tournament with a victory by the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Each participating team will receive a consolation game to complete their Las Vegas foray. The Blazers drew in Miami.
It’s hard to imagine the stakes between Blazers general manager Joe Cronin and Heat president Pat Riley being a final win in the annual competition. If Portland wins, they have a 4-1 record, level with the best in the league except for the eventual tournament winner. A loss to Miami would drop them to 2-3, a disappointing record that wouldn’t speak well of the franchise. nor its ability to attract and retain talent.
Should the Heat win, both teams would finish 3-2, a virtual tug-of-war over reputation with no way of distinguishing which organization is more attractive.
Given these realities, chances are that neither franchise will budge an inch. It could take an overtime or two, or maybe even months of overtime, to sort out this issue. If it can actually be resolved.
Rumor has it that Portland might prefer to play the Brooklyn Nets as this duel has more to offer. (With Brooklyn going 3-1, you know.) The rumor mill in the league is that certain Powers That Be won’t allow that move, which would force the Blazers into a tournament with the Heat, but there’s always hope or?
According to the schedule posted on NBA.com, the Portland-Miami bout begins Sunday at 8:00 p.m. East Coast/5:00 p.m. Pacific Coast. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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