For most basketball teams, a scheduled trip to McArthur Court is synonymous with intimidation.
For the Portland Trail Blazers, Thursday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings at Mac Court was a two-hour trip to a small home arena.
“This was our home crowd,” Portland head coach Maurice Cheeks said. “We’ve been used to playing out on the road, so we’re getting better and getting more accustomed to it every time we play.”
The trip to McArthur Court brought out memories for many of the Trail Blazers, whether or not they played at the cozy gym in college.
“It kind of reminded me of my high school gym, kind of a field house-type atmosphere,” guard Bonzi Wells said. “You’ve got the fans really going crazy out here.”
While it was the first time playing in Mac Court for Wells and many of his teammates, three Blazers had previous experiences in the Ducks’ home arena.
“It’s been a while (since I’ve been here),” former Bruin Tracy Murray said. “My last year as a junior and then my first year as a Blazer — that’s the last time I was here. This has always been a very good arena to shoot the ball in. It’s a shooters arena.”
Murray scored 14 points, grabbed one steal and posted two blocks.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming in here,” Murray said. “I enjoy the atmosphere.”
Along with Murray, two of his teammates — former Duck David Jackson and former Wildcat Damon Stoudamire — also spent some of their Pacific-10 Conference days in Eugene.
Stoudamire has been gone nine years, graduating from Arizona in 1995. Jackson’s last year playing in Mac Court was 2001, while Murray played his last game in Eugene in 1993.
“It was cool but it wasn’t the same,” Stoudamire said. “This is preseason and last time I was out here playing it was for something a little more significant.”
The last time Stoudamire played in Mac Court was a 97-76 Arizona win against the Ducks. The Wildcats finished second in the nation his final collegiate season.
“I like Mac Court,” Stoudamire said. “It’s definitely a nice gym. It’s one of the best arenas in the country in terms of college basketball. The crowd is always very supportive for Oregon. It’s always been one of the better places to play.”
The only Blazer who didn’t speak highly of Mac Court was former North Carolina standout Jeff McInnis.
“The court was good but the building was kind of raggedy,” McInnis said.
McInnis fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter after scoring eight points.
The two-hour trip allotted the Blazers a chance to play in front of fans that don’t often get to make the trip to Portland. For the team, that just added to the excitement of a game at Mac Court.
“It is intimidating for the visiting team because the crowd is right on top of you,” Cheeks said.