We all tend to get a little romantic when viewing our sports, our teams, and our heroes. We love to come up with nicknames, labels, and titles for famous games and moments. Tales of antiquity are often used to draw comparisons to today’s warriors, and they’ve all been used – or perhaps overused.
Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake, who is a devout Christian, gets a bit of an embarrassed smile on his face when people bring up the David vs. Goliath story when describing his style of play and attitude. Yes, he knows the story, and that tag, very well.
It didn’t take long to see it on display this season.
In a recent home game, he dropped a shoulder into 6-9, 230-pound Kenneth Faried, knocking him flat on his back. Blake then stood over the burly Faried and the two exchanged words. A second earlier Faried had slammed into the back of Blake, extending his elbows while setting a blind pick, and was perhaps excessive with his contact. Blake, despite being 6 inches and 60 pounds smaller than Faried, didn’t like it, and he did what he always does – he stood up for himself.
This should have surprised absolutely no one, and Portland’s fan base, which knows Blake very well, showed its appreciation with a loud roar when the replay was shown on the Moda Center’s big screen. A smaller man dropping a much larger man to the hardwood usually gets that kind of response.
The Trail Blazers, and their fans, knew this is what they were getting when Blake was brought back to the team during the summer – a tough, gritty veteran, who absolutely hates losing, and is seen, despite his size, as a bit of an enforcer. Not a Maurice Lucas-style enforcer, but an enforcer nonetheless.
“It’s kind of cool, I guess, that people think of me in that way,” says Blake, with a smile on his face. “It’s not an act, or anything. I’m just very competitive in the heat of battle. And, that’s what games are – a battle.
This is hardly the first time Blake has shown his willingness to not only stand up for himself, but teammates. During Blake’s second stint with the Trail Blazers, in 2010, Dwight Howard, a behemoth, and then a member of the Orlando Magic, tried an intimidation tactic on Blake. Steve turned, squared up with Howard (looking up), and didn’t show an ounce of fear, even as Howard shoved him away. Blake’s teammates, along with the fans, loved it.
“There’s a fine line,” says Blake, when describing his attitude on the court. “You don’t want to cross the line, and I try not to take it that far (it should be noted Blake has never actually gotten into an incident that would be considered an actual fight in the NBA). I just want to be intense, and I’m always ready to defend myself and my teammates.”
While the intensity, and willingness to mix it up, has long defined Blake on the court, he insists he’s a different person than he was when he signed with the Trail Blazers the first time, in September of 2005. The edge is certainly still there, but it’s a different Blake off the court.
“When I signed with the Blazers the first time, I had just gotten married. It seems so long ago.” Blake says. “I didn’t have kids, and I hadn’t yet become a Christian. I just wasn’t very mature, compared to where I like to think I am now.”
Steve and his wife, Kristen, fell in love with the Portland area, bought a home in West Linn, and have maintained it as their base, even though he’s played with the Bucks, Nuggets, Clippers, Lakers, and Warriors, since his first shift with Portland.
Steve is now the father of three boys, Nicolas, 8, Jamison, 5, and Zachary, 4. All three were born in Tualatin.
“It’s so great to be back here, and it feels so natural. There’s been no adjustment necessary. We’ve got our friends, our church, and my wife and kids are comfortable. I’ve certainly changed and matured on the court since my first time here, but it’s the changes off the court that I’m most proud of.”
It’s tough to have a conversation with Blake that doesn’t end up getting around to his faith, and how it’s helped him in all areas of his life – even as an athlete.
“It’s just been a process of going through life experiences, searching for something, and just God finding me. Most importantly perhaps, I found Him,” says Blake. “It really changed my life. It changed my heart through relationships, and made me a better husband and father. I really lean on my faith for sure, and have such great leadership and friends around me.”
It helps that one of those leaders, and one of his best friends, is the pastor at his home church, Grace Chapel in Wilsonville. Mike Tatlock is that man, and he also now happens to be one of the team chaplains for the Trail Blazers. Yes, Blake has had something to do with that too, and Tatlock has had a profound impact on Blake over the years.
“Mike is a very big part of my life,” comments Blake. “I love listening to him preach on Sundays, and he’s such a good friend. When I go through tough situations, I can call him, and he always gives great advice. Everyone needs someone like that. It’s cool having him around on game days to talk with. He and Al Egg (longtime Trail Blazers chaplain) are great resources for the players, and that’s something that doesn’t get talked about enough – our support crew. They’re great for not only me, but for my teammates. Keeping our hearts healthy is so vital to being successful in all areas.”
Blake also takes pride in the fact that he’s the first player in Trail Blazers history to ever serve three tours of duty with the team. His experience is respected by his teammates, as they know he’s been here twice before. And, as Blake says, the third time has quickly become perhaps the best time.
“It feels very good that management and ownership wanted to bring me back,” says Blake. “The things Paul Allen said about me when I signed were humbling, and I want to make him proud.”
Blake wouldn’t expand on what exactly was said to him in describing the reasons he was brought back to this team, but admits it involved his toughness and leadership. And, he admits, on occasion, the “David” lurking inside him can always bubble to the surface if the situation warrants.
He says, with a laugh, “Oh, he’s in there. He’s always in there.”
At least that part of Blake hasn’t changed, and the team is certainly happy about that.
The biggest difference between this team Blake joined, as compared to his first and second trips to Portland, is the expectation of greatness. The innocence, in many ways, is gone. That happens when you win a playoff series and bring back a very solid core of players. Like many of his teammates, Blake embraces the high standard the team is being held to this season.
“This year we know we’re good, and everyone else knows it too. We expect it from ourselves. The team chemistry and talent is just awesome. It’s a fun group to be around. It’s a great system, we’ve got a great coach, and we’re going to keep getting better and better. Hopefully, I will too.”