Blazers Have A Sign In Their Locker Room That Says "We Don't Lose to Spanish Players"

Slam – Memphis won Game 1 of its first-round series against Portland on Sunday, 100-86. It was a fairly easy victory for the home team, but the game’s result was perhaps not the most interesting part of the matchup. Reportedly, inside the Blazers’ locker room, there’s a laminated sign with keys to victory for Rip City, and one of the bullet points reads, “We don’t lose to Spanish players.” Grizzlies center Marc Gasol—who is from Spain—posted 15 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks in Game 1. And Portland lost. We’re still not entirely sure what to make of the supposed “sign” in the Blazer’s locker room, but it definitely made us do a double-take when we read this column from John Canzano of The Oregonian. (Also, no love for ex-Blazers Rudy Fernandez and Victor Claver?) Read it for yourself below:

The Blazers have a laminated motivational card affixed to the television monitor in the visiting locker room. It’s titled, “We are Rip City.” It lists all the ways in which the No. 4 seed Blazers will find a way to win this series against the No. 5 Grizzlies. It begins with “We will be tougher,” and ends with, “Staying together through adversity.” But the middle part is what has to alarm anyone following this matchup closely.

 

Because that middle section included such oddities as, “We don’t lose to Spanish players,” and “Nobody can beat us eight times in one year.” Also, it includes a vow to, “Win the dog fight,” and, “We will play as a team and outwork Memphis each and every night.” Also, “We are better when we come to play,” and a promise to be, “(Expletives) on defense.”

 

Hey this is the playoffs right? Time to pull out all the stops and do whatever it takes to win. Maybe you play a little dirty. Maybe you use a little gamesmanship here and there to gain an edge. And maybe you use racially motivated war cries to rally your team. Whatever it takes. I mean just ask the Harrison Twins about losing to players of a different race. They were absolutely demoralized losing to that white boy Frank Kaminsky. You think the Blazers wanna be the guys who lost to some Spaniard? For sure not. A little racist bulletin board material never hurt anybody.

My only question is if they end up facing Blake Griffin or Steph Curry & Klay Thompson, what do they put on that poster? “We Do Not Lose To Pale Black Gingers.” “We Do Not Lose To Half Black Albinos.” Like I said, whatever it takes.