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The man who once brought an Iron Man mask to a game, and then wore it in the Trail Blazers locker room, couldn’t mask his pain Saturday night.
Wesley Matthews was hurt. That Matthews would let anyone see that, let alone write it, says a lot about the status of the Blazers’ starting shooting guard and resident Iron Man.
Matthews, who has never missed an NBA game in his four years, said he heard his left hip flexor pop during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 99-80 home loss to Sacramento. That came after the same hip was hobbled a quarter earlier when John Salmons kneed him.
He said if the Blazers had to play Sunday, he would have to sit out, ending his string of 250 consecutive appearances. It’s the second longest active streak in the NBA to Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (332 games).
The Blazers next play Monday at home against Toronto. Matthews said he would get electric stimulation throughout the night, rest during Sunday’s practice, then try to play Monday.
While he admits his streak of games played means something to him - he even has the game operations staff play Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” during his introduction - he says his desire to play through pain is for more than a note in his bio.
“It’s done not only out of stubborness, but out of sacrifice for the team,’’ Matthews said. “It’s not just an individual thing,I’m doing this so my team knows I’m going to fight for them regardless. As long as I can compete, I’m going to compete.’’
On Saturday night, though, Matthews struggled to put on his socks, unable to stifle a whimper of pain as he bent down to start the sock over his toes. While some athletes are not only willing, but like to promote, how beat up they are, Matthews rarely, if ever, lets on that he is hurting. After the 2010-2011 season, Matthews secretly had surgery after playing three months on a swollen and aching right ankle. And this year, after injuring ligaments in his right thumb, he quickly diverted questions and refused to associate his shooting woes to the injury.
It wasn’t until many of his teammates had showered and left that Matthews hobbled back into the locker room with a gait more like Hersey Hawkins or Fred G. Sanford than that of a 26-year-old. He begrudgingly admitted it was the most painful injury he has had since joining the NBA.
“But I’m more concerned about us losing,’’ Matthews said after scoring 14 points in 29 minutes.
In the big picture, I’m sure fans this season can get over a loss to the Kings sooner than they could get over a long-term loss of the Blazers’ heart-and-soul. If you don’t believe that, you should ask coach Terry Stotts about Matthews. I would be $100 that at some point Stotts says “Wes plays his butt off.” And that’s the kind of stuff that rubs off on teammates.
So it will be an interesting couple of days leading into Monday’s game against Toronto. A streak is in jeopardy. And so is a team’s heartbeat.
How will it turn out?
“I can’t give you an honest answer,’’ Matthews said.
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...sider_wesley_matthews_heard_a_pop_and_no.html
Wesley Matthews was hurt. That Matthews would let anyone see that, let alone write it, says a lot about the status of the Blazers’ starting shooting guard and resident Iron Man.
Matthews, who has never missed an NBA game in his four years, said he heard his left hip flexor pop during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 99-80 home loss to Sacramento. That came after the same hip was hobbled a quarter earlier when John Salmons kneed him.
He said if the Blazers had to play Sunday, he would have to sit out, ending his string of 250 consecutive appearances. It’s the second longest active streak in the NBA to Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook (332 games).
The Blazers next play Monday at home against Toronto. Matthews said he would get electric stimulation throughout the night, rest during Sunday’s practice, then try to play Monday.
While he admits his streak of games played means something to him - he even has the game operations staff play Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” during his introduction - he says his desire to play through pain is for more than a note in his bio.
“It’s done not only out of stubborness, but out of sacrifice for the team,’’ Matthews said. “It’s not just an individual thing,I’m doing this so my team knows I’m going to fight for them regardless. As long as I can compete, I’m going to compete.’’
On Saturday night, though, Matthews struggled to put on his socks, unable to stifle a whimper of pain as he bent down to start the sock over his toes. While some athletes are not only willing, but like to promote, how beat up they are, Matthews rarely, if ever, lets on that he is hurting. After the 2010-2011 season, Matthews secretly had surgery after playing three months on a swollen and aching right ankle. And this year, after injuring ligaments in his right thumb, he quickly diverted questions and refused to associate his shooting woes to the injury.
It wasn’t until many of his teammates had showered and left that Matthews hobbled back into the locker room with a gait more like Hersey Hawkins or Fred G. Sanford than that of a 26-year-old. He begrudgingly admitted it was the most painful injury he has had since joining the NBA.
“But I’m more concerned about us losing,’’ Matthews said after scoring 14 points in 29 minutes.
In the big picture, I’m sure fans this season can get over a loss to the Kings sooner than they could get over a long-term loss of the Blazers’ heart-and-soul. If you don’t believe that, you should ask coach Terry Stotts about Matthews. I would be $100 that at some point Stotts says “Wes plays his butt off.” And that’s the kind of stuff that rubs off on teammates.
So it will be an interesting couple of days leading into Monday’s game against Toronto. A streak is in jeopardy. And so is a team’s heartbeat.
How will it turn out?
“I can’t give you an honest answer,’’ Matthews said.
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...sider_wesley_matthews_heard_a_pop_and_no.html
