The Portland Trail Blazers have received criticism from basketball fans for showing Game 2 of the playoff series against Utah on pay-per-view at a cost $24.95. The game was broadcast nationally by the TNT cable channel, and blacked out within a 35-mile radius of downtown Portland. Responding to the criticism Harry Hut, the Blazers Senior vice-president for marketing said: ``People get the idea there's an obligation on the part of the team to televise a game, but there isn't.? The team, he said, wants ``to protect the home gate ... to provide a sold-out crowd atmosphere'' at the Rose Garden. However, Sunday's Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, shown on NBC, attracted a capacity crowd of 20,351.
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