Trail Blazers posted anti-Spanish players sign in locker room

— -- MEMPHIS -- The Portland Trail Blazers had a laminated card in their locker room at the Fedex Forum on Sunday that included the phrase, "We Don't Lose to Spanish Players."

The Memphis Grizzlies, the Trail Blazers' opponent in their Western Conference first-round series, feature one of the NBA's most prominent Spanish players in All-Star center Marc Gasol.

"First of all, that wasn't the only thing that was on that [card]," Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said Monday, a day after his team's 100-86 Game 1 loss to the Grizzlies.

"I wouldn't classify that as the only message of the day. But that being said, it was a motivational thing and I think the Spanish thing was a little light-hearted. It was the things we needed to do to win the series."

A team spokesman said the card wasn't intended to be public, but it was reportedly still affixed to a television monitor when media entered their locker room before Game 1. The card was first mentioned in a column in The Oregonian.

The column noted that the card was titled, "We are Rip City" and included the following messages: "We will be tougher," "Nobody can beat us eight times in one year," "Win the dog fight," "We will play as a team and outwork Memphis each and every night," "We are better when we come to play," a promise to be "(Expletives) on defense," and "Staying together through adversity."

The Blazers lost to the Grizzlies 100-86, Game 2 of their series is Wednesday in Memphis.