Blazers Busted for Pre-Game Video?

Before the Trail Blazers were set to take on the Lakers in Portland last Friday, the team showed video of a certain play that went down between the clubs in their previous meeting. As a result, they may be in a bit of trouble with the league office.

The NBA is investigating Portland for replaying a clip of Trevor Ariza's flagrant foul on Rudy Fernandez. The play didn't appear to be malicious on Ariza's part at the time, but Fernandez fell awkwardly, remained down for several minutes, and was later hospitalized.

Showing the clip was an obvious attempt to whip the fans in Portland into a frenzy before the game, but it's one that's supposed to be prohibited by the league, as Phil Jackson explained the next day at practice.

"That's something that NBA clubs are not supposed to do, show video before a game that incites crowds," Jackson said Saturday. "Portland took a big risk doing that, and that's a finable thing from the league. That's something that they try to prevent in the spirit of good sportsmanship, but Portland has been like that."

League spokesman Tim Frank confirmed Jackson's assertion, and stated that teams are prohibited from showing replays of flagrant fouls or other altercations from previous games.

It was a classless act by the folks in charge of such things up in Portland, but what can the league really do about it? The damage was done, and Trevor Ariza was obviously affected by the extra attention, as his four point, two turnover performance would indicate. Sure they can hand down a fine, but if the team was helped in the slightest by the extra-angry crowd or the more-timid-than-usual Ariza, the organization would probably have no problem cutting that check with a smile.

The thing is, it wasn't even necessary. The Lakers seemingly never win in Portland, and have now lost eight in a row to the Blazers on the road.

Kobe Bryant said afterwards that he would "[expletive] love to" face Portland in the playoffs. With stunts like this being pulled by the franchise, it's easy to see why.