THE NBA : Trail Blazers Seek to Apply Finishing Touches to a Title

Terrific talent. No title.

For two years, that’s been the story line for the Portland Trail Blazers.

They may have been the best, but not necessarily the brightest.

“We need to learn to play with more smarts,” Jerome Kersey said, “and not rely so much on our athletic ability.”

As they enter the season as a team again picked by many to win the NBA crown, the Trail Blazers and coach Rick Adelman say they’ve learned from two near-misses.

“I think we’ve matured,” Adelman said. “I think we’ve gone through a lot of experiences that helped us. We’re a different team because of that. But the hunger is still there, and the confidence and ability are still there.”

The first thing the Blazers must work on, Buck Williams said, is their attitude.

“We need to really come out and play like professionals,” he said, “like a team that went to the NBA Finals two years ago and the Western Conference championships last year.”

That includes an end to whining.

“I think we can play a lot smarter,” Clyde Drexler said. “I think we can be a little more professional with the officials, which is something that is very hard to do.

“But I think experience has taught us that complaining doesn’t help you. If anything, it takes away from your performance.”

Still, the Blazers don’t want to tamper too much with their emotional approach to the game.

“One of the things that makes our team so good is we are very emotional and a team that really gets into the games,” Adelman said. “Sometimes we let that emotion spill over to the officials, which can hurt us. It’s something we know we have to work on.”

The Blazers also want to respond more effectively to changing situations. Portland is at its best in a high-flying, slam-dunking, run-and-gun game. When the Lakers used a double-teaming, half-court strategy in last season’s conference finals, the Blazers struggled.

“There were certain situations when we didn’t play well,” Drexler said. “We’ve got to recognize those situations quicker as a team and then counter them.”

Drexler figures Portland’s failure to make the finals can be traced to one bad quarter at home in Game 1 against the Lakers. It was the most critical of a series of temporary lapses.

“If there’s anything we’ve learned it’s that we have to take it to a different level now,” Adelman said. “We have to learn some patience when things aren’t going too well for us.

“We also learned you have to be ready not only for every game but for every quarter or you let that chance slip away.”

Still, Adelman points out that this is not a team with serious problems. After all, the Blazers had the league’s best regular-season record at 63-19 and ended the Lakers’ nine-year reign as Pacific Division champions.

If Cliff Robinson hadn’t dropped the ball on an uncontested layup or if Terry Porter had made his open jumper at the buzzer in the one-point loss in their last game against the Lakers, the Blazers may well have played Chicago for the title.

The starting lineup of Drexler, Porter, Williams, Kersey and Kevin Duckworth may be the best in the NBA.

Drexler, in his ninth season, is the unquestioned star of the team. He’s the Blazers’ all-time leader in scoring, minutes played and steals. He was a second-team all-NBA choice last season and has averaged more than 21 points per game each of the last five years.

He and Porter have been Portland’s starting guards for five years. Porter has become one of the league’s top playmakers and 3-point shooters. He played in the All-Star Game this year.

Williams, in his third season with the Blazers, is the heart and soul of the team, the leading rebounder and a first-team all-NBA defender.

Kersey is the most underrated of the Blazers. The improvement of his outside shooting has made him one of the league’s most dangerous players, especially because of his leaping ability.

Some say the only weakness in the starting five is at center, where Duckworth packs a delicate psyche in a 7-foot frame that carries close to 300 pounds. A strong scorer who played in his second all-star contest last year, Duckworth had a miserable series against the Lakers.

The criticism he got from Blazermaniacs stung.

“Because you’re a big guy, you’re not supposed to have feelings or be sensitive to little things,” Duckworth said. “I took a lot of things personal that I shouldn’t.”

Adelman continues to support his center, noting that he played well most of last season until his troubles against the Lakers.

“I don’t see any carryover from that Laker series. If anything, he’s come in with a fresh attitude and a very positive attitude,” Adelman said.

The coach admits some concern about Duckworth’s weight, though.

“He is a big man and that’s something he’s always had to deal with throughout his college and pro career,” Adelman said. “That’s a problem we’d like to see him continue to work on.”

Off the bench, Portland has one of the league’s best in Robinson, who can play all three front-line positions. Expect the Blazers to use him considerably in the middle against the league’s more mobile centers.

Danny Ainge returns as the top backup guard. Ainge had a poor shooting performance against the Lakers and he’s embroiled in a contract controversy, but he has played well in the pre-season.

Then there’s Walter Davis, the 37-year-old six-time all-star guard-small forward who has yet to find his role on the talent-laden Portland roster.

Danny Young continues to back up Porter. Mark Bryant will see considerable action at power forward. Wayne Cooper and Alaa Abdelnaby also can play reserve front-line roles.

The team would seem to be in its prime. Drexler is 29, Porter 28, Kersey 29 and Williams 31.

There’s a saying in the NBA that a team has to come close and lose before it is ready to win. The Blazers feel they’ve learned the necessary lessons.

“We’re a much better team now,” Williams said, “and I think we know exactly what we have to do to win it.”