Blazers Come Home and Treat the Rose Garden to A Win

Last night, the Blazers met up with, former Blazers, Sergio "El Chacho" Rodriguez and Ime Udoka and their Sacramento Kings. The Blazers were coming off a disappointing 1 - 4 game road trip and were looking for some fire to propel them into a tough schedule ahead. The Kings on the other hand were looking to prove themselves having only won one game on the road so far.

Starting Five:
Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Joel Pryzbilla
Martell Webster
Andre Miller?!

Nate McMillan tipped his hat to Dre last night and gave him the start over Steve Blake, this was Blake's first time coming off the bench since 2007. Miller had a pretty quiet night with only 4 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. LaMarcus Aldridge had a fantastic night once again. The 6'11, All-Star hopeful tallied a near double-double with 25 points, 9 rebounds and a season high 5 assists in 41 minutes of play. Fellow captain, Brandon Roy had a fantastic night as well tallying a double-double with 25 points, 5 rebounds and a season high 10 assists. The captains came through big for the Blazers last night and carried this team to a much needed win. Both of our 2010 All-Star hopefuls tallied a season high in assists which means excellent ball movement and great team work. Despite these performances from LA and BRoy, the star of the night was undoubtedly young guard, Jerryd Bayless.

Since the start of the season, Bayless has been fighting for more minutes on the court. Stories have constantly come out about frustration and anger in the sophomore guard and he finally had his moment to shine last night. Jerryd Bayless tallied a season high in both points and minutes with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes of play. JBay also showed his aggression getting to the line 10 times and shooting 80%. I offer a tip of the hat to Mr. Bayless for his excellent play and hope his minutes continue to increase. At the end of the game when they announce stats for the night, when Jerryd's numbers were announced everyone cheered, as they should.

You could tell the guys were happy to be home and have the crowd behind them. If you were following my Twitter updates you might have been worried when I updated saying LaMarcus was taken out of the game and wen straight to the locker room with a pained face, well he did return but, as revealed in post game interviews, he did in fact twist his already tender ankle. Never fear though, it seems a simple ankle sprain will not keep LaMarcus down. The Blazers fought hard and were able to come away with the win, 95 - 88, finally giving the team and the fans something to smile about.

The Blazers next play, former Blazer, Channing Frye and his Phoenix Suns on Thursday at 7:30 PST. This game will be broadcast nationally on TNT so be sure to check it out! You might recall that the Blazers hosted the Suns at about the same time last year and Brandon Roy EXPLODED with a career high 52 points! I'm just sayin, he's due for another spectacular performance! Let's go for 60 tomorrow BRoy!

Series Notes:

•  Portland and Phoenix split last season’s series, with the home team winning all four games. Portland scored 110.3 points per game

while allowing 109.3 points, both highs for the Trail Blazers in a Western Conference series last season.

•  In 2008-09, Portland earned its first home sweep of Phoenix since 1998-99. In the wins, Portland posted two of its three highest

scoring outputs of the season (124 points on Dec. 18, 129 points on Mar. 26).

•  The winning team has scored 100-plus points in 18 of the last 19 games in the series.

•  The Suns had knocked off the Trail Blazers 11 consecutive times, the longest series streak against Portland at the time, before Brandon Roy’s career-high 52 points, the second-most by a Trail Blazer in franchise history, lifted Portland past Phoenix, 124-119, on Dec. 18, 2008. Roy’s 19 free throws (of 21) also marked a franchise record.

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports)

Blazers End Road Trip In a Heated Battle with Milwaukee

The Blazers ended their four game road trip in Milwaukee on Saturday. Going into this game the Blazers were 1 - 2 on this road trip, so they were in a must-win situation in order to keep their conference stance and keep morale high.

Starters:
Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Steve Blake
Joel Pryzbilla
Martell Webster

Time for a tip of the hat to LaMarcus Aldridge. Coming into this game, LA had an extremely sore ankle (he twisted it in the previous game) and many were on edge wondering if he would have to opt out of this game giving us a healthy bench of 8 but he pushed through and had one hell of game. Aldridge tallied a season high 31 points, and 16 rebounds in 52 minutes of play. LA was fantastic in this game. He really stepped his game up and helped to keep the team afloat throughout 4 quarters and 2 overtimes. Brandon Roy notched 23 rebounds, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. Once again Roy took it upon himself to fight through to the end of this game, making huge baskets at times when the Blazers needed it most. Martell Webster also got on a hot streak and tallied 16 points and 4 rebounds and a crazy four point play. I've been careful to stay out of the Bayless, Blake and Miller drama but I just have one thing to say:

Jerryd Bayless - about 18 minutes of play - 9 points, 3 rebounds - +5 - 3/6 from the field
Steve Blake - about 42 minutes of play - 7 points, 5 rebounds - -8 - 3/10 from the field

I think the numbers speak for themselves.

The Blazers played well in this game despite a slow start. The Blazers had the lead for the first half and in that half the young Buck, Brandon Jennings was non-existent. He didn't shoot, he never scored. The second half was another story. Jennings came rocketing out of the gate and helped the Bucks tie the game up. Andrew Bogut thought he had a buzzer beating, game winning tip in at the end of the fourth but he clearly touched the ball after the shot clock expired so into overtime we go.  I'll say it again, I won't ever completely blame the outcome of a game on the referees but in this case, I think all those who witnessed this game can say that the refs made a game changing call. The Bucks had possession, they missed the basket, LaMarcus and Mbah a Moute went up for the rebound, LMA had it in his hands and Mbah a Moute clearly pushed it out of his hands which initially resulted in a Bucks turnover, Portland ball. The refs went to review the play and ended up changing the call after several minutes of review. Good call? I think not.


Despite the Blazers energy and push throughout this battle, Milwaukee ended up winning 108 - 101.

Portland next hosts former teammate, Sergio Rodriguez and his Sacramento Kings tonight at 7 PM PST. The game will be aired on KGW with pre-game at 6:30 PM. This also means you can purchase the game  to view it online if you won't be near a TV, check out info for that HERE.

Due to a mountain of work with little time before the game, there are no keys tonight, just some series notes:

•  The Trail Blazers swept Sacramento, 3-0, in last year’s series for the first time since posting a 4-0 win over the Kings in 1999-2000.
•  Portland outscored Sacramento, 105.7-87.7, in three wins a season ago. The Trail Blazers shot 45.6% from the field while holding
the Kings to a 42.7% clip.
•  The Trail Blazers outrebounded Sacramento, 145-99, in three games last year, including a 50-25 edge on the offensive glass that
led to a 53-14 advantage in second-chance scoring. Portland’s 59 rebounds vs. Sacramento on Dec. 16 marked a season best.


•  Sacramento Kings President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie played for Portland from 1970-76, averaging 21.8 points per
game, including a team-best 24.8 points during the Trail Blazers’ inaugural campaign.

I will be at the game tonight, so I will do my best to twitter updates as often as possible with pictures when I can.

(Pictues: Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

A Close Game Results in a Blazer Loss at the King's Court

Coming into this game there was no expectations for the Blazers to win. Cleveland was coming off a two game losing streak, Portland was coming off a win but when the Cavaliers are at home you can bet they'll bring the energy.

Starting FIVE:

Brandon Roy

LaMarcus Aldridge

Martell Webster

Steve Blake

Joel Pryzbilla

Brandon Roy stepped up once again leading the Blazers in scoring with 23 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. Roy shot a mere 9 - 25 from the field and 2 - 7 from three point range. LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 22 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Andre Miller added 20 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists to the mix. Also Notable: Juwan Howard went to work tonight and tallied 15 points and 1 rebound to the mix.

Box Score:

I have said it before, I will say it again, I will never be the one to blame the whole game on the referees but the officiating was shaky in this game. So, I'll just leave it at that. The effort was definitely there for the Blazers. They had an EXCELLENT first half out-scoring Cleveland 54% - 50% from the field and an outstanding 42% - 17% from 3-point range (due in high part to Martell Webster's hot start). Yet, as LeBron has been known to do, James had a quiet start and came out of the gate strong in the second half. Roy had it right saying, "If we relax for even one quarter we can get blown out by anybody." And that's precisely what happened. The Blazers relaxed for that fourth quarter and Cleveland took advantage of that and ran with it. Rebounding hurt us badly, Cleveland out-rebounded us by 10 total rebounds in the game. Things seemed to still be salvageable at the end of the 3rd when the score was tied 76 all but the Cavs pulled away in the fourth and despite an impressive 5 points in about 2 seconds by the Blazers with 12 seconds left on the clock, it just wasn't enough.

Cleveland went on to win the game 104 - 99.

The Blazers next play the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee to end their four game road trip tomorrow at 7:30 PM CT or 5:30 PM PST. They are currently 1 - 2 on the trip.

Keys & Notes:

1. The Bucks’ .717 (38-15) winning percentage is the best of any Eastern Conference team on its home floor against Portland, but the Trail Blazers have won seven of the last 10 games in Milwaukee.
2. The Trail Blazers have won five consecutive meetings against the Bucks, including three straight at the Rose Garden. With a win Saturday, Portland would tie its longest win streak against the Bucks, all-time (six). Portland has won 14 of the last 20 games between the teams overall. 
3. Keep the Bucks Under 100 - The Bucks have a strong winning record when they reach 100 so far this season, they're 5 -2, so the Blazers need to keep this a low scoring game if they want to come away with the win. 
4. Contain Brandon Jennings - Bucks Rookie, Brandon Jennings has been key to the Bucks wins. Milwaukie is 6 - 3 when Jennings hits 3 or more threes and that's not even mentioning his points in the paint.
   

(Pictures: David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images & Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Blazers Find the Will to Win in Indiana

After a tough loss in New York left Blazer fans worried, Portland traveled to Indiana for a match against the Pacers. Having lost Danny Granger to injury, Indiana was in a similar situation to the Blazers. Both teams were looking to over come adversity once again.

Starters:

Brandon Roy

LaMarcus Aldridge

Steve Blake

Martell Webster

Joel Pryzbilla

Once again, Brandon Roy led the team to the win with an outstanding 29 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assits. Great to see the all-star effort come out in this game. LaMarcus Aldridge also shined with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Not to mention he had a pretty dunk late in the game. Also notable was Joel Pryzbilla's performance, 12 points 8 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. The big guy is really stepping his game up in the wake of Greg's absence. He was getting physical in the paint and even getting in on some pick and roll action.

Box Score:

It was hardly perfect but the Blazers came out with energy and a will to win which led to a 102 - 91 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Blazers next play the Cleveland Cavaliers at Cleveland on Friday at 5 PM PST. The game will be aired on Comcast Sportsnet and on ESPN.

Apologies on the super short post for this game, but sickness and a fever prevent me from going into much detail. For more information and post game discussion be sure to check out posts from www.blazersedge.com and www.bustabucket.com!

(Picture: Yahoo! Sports)

Blazers Struggle to Find Rhythm In Front of a Star Studded Crowd at MSG

Portland  started a four game road trip last night in New York playing the New York Knicks in front of a star studded crowd including the likes of Rihanna, Celine Dion, Spike Lee and Chris Rock. After a night of emotional events, including the injury to Greg Oden that will take him out for the rest of the season, and a huge win against the Rockets in the books, the Blazers were once again facing adversity in the big apple. Head coach Nate McMillan underwent successful surgery on his achilles heel, but this meant he would be a no show on the road trip. Also, beloved Spaniard, Rudy Fernandez satyed home to rest a hurt back. Needless to say, the Blazers had a lot working against them and were looking to start the trip with a win against a New York team they had beaten 5 consecutive times.

 Starting Five:

Brandon Roy

LaMarcus Aldridge

Martell Webster

Steve Blake

Joel Pryzbilla

High scorer of the night for Portland was, once again, Brandon Roy. B Roy knows his role and has been fighting harder than ever to keep the team within striking distance but the problem is that we need more than Roy, Aldridge and Miller to step up. A big problem we saw in the game last night was players standing around and waiting for someone else to step up. Roy tallied 27 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. He shot 9 - 19 from the field and 9 - 10 from the line. Aldridge had a great night as well producing a double-double with 19 points, 16 rebounds and 2 assists. When our two All-Stars play like this we should be winning. Also notable is Jerryd Bayless. J Bay has been given more and more minutes over the past couple of games, something I am a strong supporter of especially when Jerryd puts up numbers like these. Bayless tallied 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Bayless was one of few to go on a hot sreak but as per usual was benched. I think the coaches need to trust Bayless more and let him stick it out on the court. It's a shame that a player like J Bay who is aggressive and hustles isn't being rewarded.

It was a battle to the end but the Knicks prevailed wining the contest 93 - 84. Despite a 14 - 0 run late in the 4th quarter, the Blazers just couldn't keep up. You could definitely tell that morale and energy was low for this team. Too many times we saw a lack of communication and players simply standing on the sides watching the game rather than participating.

Times are tough but something's gotta give. This Blazers team has seen adversity before so I still refuse to count them out. It's not what we want, but I think we might have to settle with a late season surge at this point. Jeff Pendergraph, rookie forward (injured), has been quoted as saying that he could be back in action as early as Christmas so maybe he could make some changes for this team. Also, Patty Mills, rookie point guard (injured), is supposed to be ahead of schedule on his recovery as well. The more bodies we have the better right now, especially when we can only play 9 guys giving us a healthy bench of 4. Not quite an ideal situation.

The Blazers next play the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday December 9th at 4 PM PST. Remember, we're on the east coast so games are playing earlier.

Keys Keys Keysssss:

1. Fast play - We've got to continue working the fast break plays. Indiana likes to play fast so we need to keep up with that intensity and play fast right back at them.
2. Miller & Webster Step It Up - Andre Miller had 4 points against NY. We need Miller to stay consistent in the high numbers. Webster also needs to step his game up. He's the replacement for Outlaw who would come off the bench and give us baskets, so he needs to start making those baskets. If we can get Miller, Roy, Aldridge and Webster with a good scoring night we can't be beat.
3. STOP TURNOVERS - In last night's game we had 15 turnovers in the first half alone. Those turnovers led to 31 NY points. We need to clean up our passes and play and keep turnovers to a minimum.

(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

A Win for the Blazers is Overshadowed Amidst Oden's Devastating Injury

Last night the Blazers met with the Houston Rockets at the Rose Garden. The Blazers, who were on a three game losing streak were looking for a win to gain confidence going into a four game road trip. Hosuton however was looking for a perfect road trip having already won three of three. The match-up which has brought intensity out of both sides in their recent meetings was looking to be a good one.

Starters:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Martell Webster
Greg Oden
Steve Blake



Rumors were abound prior to the game that Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller would start, but Rudy sat out of this game due to back spasms. Maybe, in the future when Rudy is healthy and McMillan is back from surgery(more on that later) we will see that line-up on the court.

Brandon Roy took top honors but with a different effect last night. We have seen Brandon as the top scorer in recent games but it was a different Roy, it wasn't necessarily the all-star we have come to know. Last night's game showed Brandon Roy the All-Star. He pushed the tempo, created plays and was aggressive. Roy tallied 28 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and was 9 - 15 from the field and an AMAZING 9 - 9 from the line. It was great to see B Roy back on his game and hopefully it's something we continue to see.
Andre Miller also had a spectacular night racking up 24 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He shot 9 - 14 from the field and 5 - 7 from the line. Like Roy, Miller was determined and aggressive tonight driving to the basket and creating plays for the team. It was great to see play like this out of these guys, especially with Oden's injury on the minds of everyone watching.

Box Score:

The Blazers fought hard and were rewarded with the win 90 - 89. The game came down to the wire but Brandon Roy, our All-Star, stayed confident and got the basket leaving Houston with 3 seconds to answer and luckily they failed. Despite the good coming out of last night, the game will be plagued with the injury of Greg Oden.

In the 1st quarter with 7:45 left on the clock, Aaron Brooks went up for a lay in and Greg Oden followed. Only one of them came down safely. Greg fell to the floor immediately grabbing his knee, Brandon Roy came to his side and alerted the referees to stop game play while Houston's medical staff ran to Greg's aid(this all went down in front of the Houston bench). A silence went across the Rose Garden as medical staff rushed onto the court and the Blazers coaching staff followed. I, myself was not in the Rose Garden for the game, I was observing from the media truck outside and saw every camera angle of the incident. It appears that Aaron and Greg didn't touch but that the injury occured as Greg left the ground.

This injury was painful in more ways than one. It looked painful, his knee was indented but at the same time there was pain in knowing that all expectations for this team came crashing down in that moment. I will never forget seeing the shot of Greg Oden, with a pained look on his face that said 'sorry', look up at Brandon Roy who kneeled at his side and held his hand throughout this ordeal. The team all rushed onto the court to help Greg onto the gourney and everyone hugged him on his way out. This moment showed how close the Blazers are and how much Greg means to this team. Brandon Roy, who was by Greg's side as medical staff were helping him, was asked Did You Talk to Him and said, "I just told him, 'man, keep your head up.' On the court he looked at me like 'sorry' and put his head down. I was like, 'nah, no way, man, no way.' You can't predict these things. You've got to do your best to stay positive. We're going to do our best to fill in for you. I just kept trying to tell him, man look, we love you. Get better."

It was determined that Oden had a fractured patella(knee cap) on his left knee. Greg underwent knee surgery last night and had two screws placed on his knee cap and it was noted that no ligaments were damaged. Which is a damn good thing because it means that full recovery is not only possible but likely. The 7 foot center will be out for about four months. I think Kevin Pritchard (GM of the Blazers) said it best with, "The challenging part for me is sometimes life's not fair. You know. I've seen this kid work his tail off here. He has put in the work. He has done absolutely everything we've asked him to do. And more. And he's going to go through that again."

This is devastating for the Blazers, but I believe if any team can beat adversity, it's this team. True, we don't have a back up center now but just look at the Houston Rockets, they have no center at all! I think this injury gives the Blazers the chance to work on fast play and pushing the ball. I will keep faith in the Blazers. I believe they can make it out of this but, hey Nicolas Batum.....can we speed up the healing process? Please?

Also something to note, as mentioned earlier, Nate McMillan will not be joining the Blazers on this road trip. He is also injured and will be under going surgery on his foot. The Portland Head Coach sported a walking boot cast on his right foot at the game last night. Assistant Coach Dean Domopolus will be filling in the role of head coach and Monty Williams will take on the Assistant Coach role for the road trip. Rudy Fernandez will also be staying home for the trip resting his back.

Portland next plays the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden on Monday, December 7th.

Keys, Keys, Keys:

1. Keep it clean Joel - With Greg Oden out, there is no back up center for Joel. I'm assuming we'll see LaMarcus or Juwan play a kind of forward center position at some point to give Pryz a break but with that said, Joel needs to keep fouling to a minimum. Luckily the team was able to get in a practice today where they undoubtedly went over the changes with GO out.
2. Keep it under 100 - As I said in the last post, the Blazers thrive when their opponent scores low and the Knicks thrive when they're able to score high so we need to keep this a low scoring game for NY
3. Fast Break It - With GO out we have more chances then ever to play a fast paced game. We need our guys to run the floor and take advatage of all fast breaks. Which leads to:
4. Points in the Paint - We have constantly been outscored in the paint so far this season. That needs to change! We need more guys to get aggressive and not just settle for the outside shot.
5. Free Throws - As always, getting to the line is extremely important. If we can beat NY to the line, we can beat them in this game.

(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

Miami Heats Things Up In the Rose Garden

Tuesday night, the Blazers met with the Miami Heat at the Rose Garden and after two losses, Portland was looking for a win against one of the best players in the league to boost their spirits.

Starters:

Brandon Roy
Steve Blake
Martell Webster
Greg Oden
DANTE CUNNINGHAM?!

That's right, your eyes do not fool you. LaMarcus Aldridge had a knee bone contusion and opted to sit out of the game(On the positive end, LA looked damn good in his suit)so none other than rookie, Dante Cunningham stepped up to fill in his spot. He tallied a respectable 6 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 18 minutes of play. I think nerves got the best of him in his first NBA career start, but that's just me. I am officially a member of the Team Dante movement, which is not slowing down! The rook offers some much needed hustle and energy on the court. He'll definitely be one to watch to see how he'll develop with more playing time and experience.

Box Score:

Brandon Roy was once again on top with 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The shooting guard shot a measly 9 - 25 from the field and 3 - 8 from 3-point range. Andre Miller takes the silver spot with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Juwan Howard played some serious game and tallied 14 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assits. Also, Greg Oden had a remarkable game with 13 points and a career high 20 rebounds, count 'em 20! Yet all of these stats were not enough to win the game.

Miami came away with the win 107 - 100.

It was a close battle in the end but the Blazers couldn't stand the heat (pun not intended). This game ended with the Blazers not having a lead in 11.5 quarters. The ability was there but the drive just wasn't. Things still aren't clicking quite right for Portland. Too many times I saw turnovers from lack of communication or no communication at all. Hopefully we get out of the slump and get out of it soon! This loss means a 3 game losing streak for the Blazers, the first in over a year.

The Blazers next play the Houston Rockets on Saturday at the Rose Garden.

Keys:

1. Keep Houston out of the Paint - With the loss of Yao and TMac, Houston's game relies much more on speed and drives into the paint. If we can stop players like Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola from being permanent fixtures down there, we have a good chance of pulling a W out of this thing.
2. Low Scoring Game - If we can keep Houston under 100 points that will mean good things for us. We play better and win more games when we keep the opponent under 100.
3. FREE THROWS - whoever can get to the line the most will have a better chance of winning. Plain and simple.
   

Things Get Jazzy In Utah, but Not for Us.

On Saturday night, the Blazers met in Utah with the Utah Jazz. After a heartbreaking loss to the Memphis Grizzlies the previous night, the Blazers were once again in the under dog seat looking for redemption. The Utah Jazz had other plans, coming off a strong win against the Chicago Bulls, they were looking to continue their dominance and prove to the NBA they are still a threat in the west.

Starters:

Brandon Roy

LaMarcus Aldridge

Martell Webster

Steve Blake

Greg Oden

Brandon Roy took top honors that night with only 19 points. Unless all players are in double digits, 19 points is pretty low for a high scorer. Roy also tallied 4 assists and 4 rebounds. He shot 7 - 13 from the field and 0 - 1 from 3-point range but was perfect in free throws with 5 - 5. Roy only made it to the line twice Saturday night, being fouled on a 3 - point shot and 2 - pointer. LaMarcus Aldridge did his part Saturday night as well with 14 points, 2 assists and 4 rebounds. He was also perfect at the line, though he only got there once.

Blazers ended up losing 108 - 92.

It's the second loss in a row for the Blazers and they continue to look tired, confused and lost on the court with no chemistry. I see five guys out there, not one team. Which is a real shame, but hopefully something that was cleaned up in practice today and yesterday in preparation for tonight's game.

Utah outdid themselves Saturday night. They came ready to play and were full of energy. They played like a team sharing the ball, they had 36 assists compared to our 19. They shot the ball 60% from the field compared to our 45%. From 3 - point range they shot 58.3% compared to our 16.7%. You see where I'm going. No need for anymore depressing stat comparisons. (At least we beat them in free throws!! 72.4% compared to their 55.6%! Suck on that Utah!) Basically, Utah outplayed the Blazers. I will not condone jumping off a cliff because of these past two losses. It's still early in the season and there are soooooo many factors that need to be addressed before the Blazers can reach their full potential. But that is why you see Blazer fans heading for those cliffs, because they know the Blazers' potential. We have one of the deepest benches in the NBA, full of talent, you've been hearing that all season and pre-season long, and for all that talent to go to waste is a terrifying thought. But what we all need to realize is our team is young and this is the first BIG change to happen to the team since the Roy-LA years began. Team members have left and new ones have come in, new ones that are veterans and have talent. The team is still struggling to discover what to do with all that talent and make sure it gets utilized properly. So, am I worried? No. Am I disappointed? Yes. Will I be jumping off a cliff anytime soon? Hell no. I think we've got a season or two before we fully reach that potential and contend for a championship, this season, I'll settle for second round of the playoffs, Western Conference finals contenders at most. Before you get your pitch forks out Blazer fans, note that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be wrong. If we go even further than that and this team finds its rhythm sooner rather than later, I will join you all in the happiest of happy dances. But at the same time, I'm a realist and making it in the playoffs alone is a satisfying thought especially considering how packed the western conference is this year. So keep the faith Blazer fans!

Tomorrow night, the Blazers next play the Miami Heat! The Heat experienced an amazing opener to the season but have been experiencing a losing streak as of late, most recently losing to the Boston Celtics, and we hope to continue that streak. Portland swept Miami in 2008-09 for the second straight season. The Trail Blazers have swept 11 out of the 20 season series played between the teams, all-time. So hopefully, this will make for an interesting match up.


Some Keys:

• Dwayne Wade Must Be Stopped - Wade is a driving force and knows how to work on both ends of the court, anywhere on the court whether it be outside or in the paint averaging 27 ppg. Greg Oden especially needs to move his feet and be careful of Wade's skills because Dwayne knows how to draw those fouls and he'll be looking to take GO out of the equation.
• Boo Beasley! - This kid is having a great season alongside DWade averaging a solid 14 ppg and being a rebounding machine, he is seconds on his team with 35 rebounds. Which brings me to:
• REBOUNDS - Offensive and defensive. We need second chances if our shots are cold and we need to make sure the other team isn't getting second chances. Rebounds determine how many posessions you get in a game, so the more the merrier. 
• FREE THROWS - don't even need to explain this one.

The Miami v. Portland game starts at 7 PM PST. You can catch this game on KGW Northwest News Channel 8, which also means it is available for purchase on trailblazers.com if you can't make it to a TV but you have a computer with internet in front of you. You can catch the call of the game on 95.5 the Game in the Portland area with Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey. And be sure to catch the LIVE game chat with Casey Holdahl and Max Mandel on TrailBlazers.com! I myself will be attending this game rocking my ROY MVP shirt from squirrelevant.com! And no, that was not a paid advertisement, these guys have some awesome Blazer shirts and all Blazer fans should definitely check them out, what with the holiday season in full swing they would make an excellent gift! :)

(Picture: AP Photo/Colin Braley)

Blazers' Winning Streak Against Cities Beginning With An 'M' Takes A Hit

The Blazers met up with the Memphis Grizzlies at the Rose Garden tonight. In a game predicted as a win for the Blazers all fans were looking for that big win going into a road trip to Utah and alas, those hopes were destroyed with an ugly performance early on for the Blazers.

Starting 5:
Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Martell Webster
Greg Oden
Steve Blake

Martell Webster is continuing to earn that spot on the starting roster. Though he was not the high scorer of the night, he started the game off hot and was the only player for the Blazers to have a positive +/- with +3. Webster walked away with 24 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 nasty blocks. He shot 9 - 14 from the field and 6 - 11 from 3-point range.  He made huge baskets when it really mattered down the stretch and I think we'll definitely be seeing much more of Martell to come if his game continues to improve from this already high level.
Brandon Roy was the high scorer of the night with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. A near triple-double for the All-Star tonight, but the stats look better on paper than in the actual game. He shot an ugly 9 -22 from the field and 2 - 6 from the arc. Roy's fellow captain, LaMarcus Aldridge didn't play much better with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist. He shot 7 - 16 from the field but at least he was 100% from 3 - point range! LA made a big 3 when Portland needed it most but unfortunately it still wasn't enough. Roy and LA played the entire 4th quarter despite putting in heavy minutes earlier in the game. Roy totaled 42 minutes and LA played 44 minutes.

Sloppy moves and turnovers really hurt the Blazers and allowed Memphis to dominate the first half with a 32 - 1 run. Memphis came out on the court with an intensity and will to win whereas the Blazers seemed to have eaten too much turkey, looking slow and confused. Our 2nd unit didn't help too much either with only two of them scoring, Rudy Fernandez tallied 4 points and Andre Miller tallied 13 points. Miller was huge down the stretch though with fast paced plays and penetration at a time when Memphis was outscoring Portland in the paint badly. Head Coach Nate McMillan attributed the poor play to lack of energy saying, "There was none. I mean, energy? There was no energy out there in the first half. That team comes in here and jumps on us like that. No energy. I thought for most of the game there was no energy and really no excuse for no energy." McMillan also called out talked about the need for Roy and LA to step up and lead their team, "I think Brandon and LaMarcus are our captains and our leaders. We need to feed off of that. That emotion. Not allowing us to play this way. Not that we're calling them [out] -- they are the guys we feed off of, they are the guys that can do a lot, encouraging support. We need that. We need that. We're going to play off of them. Greg has done some good things. We brought Miller in here. Our guys, that we feed off of, are those two. And when they have a nice rhythm going those guys on that floor gain confidence.....Those are our go-to guys. Those are guys that have made it happen. That we're playing off of. We need them. We need them." I liked Ben Golliver over at BlazersEdge's remark on Nate playing Roy and LA for all of the fourth quarter saying, "Although he couched his post-game commentary with "not calling them out" I thought McMillan's lack of fourth quarter substitutions for his captains told the whole story: this embarrasing deficit is your bed, captains, you'll dig us out of it or sleep in it."

Memphis came away with the win in the end: 106 - 96. The Blazers were able to cut the lead down to 10 by the end but the damage had already been done. At a time when Portland needed to make stops and get on a run, they simply traded baskets with Memphis allowing the Grizzlies to maintain and keep their lead. Martell Wesbter commented on this late comeback (that he was a huge part of) after the game, "We all pushed to try to make that comeback. It's not a one man show. But we just couldn't quite put 48 minutes together. We just gotta learn from our mistakes." Too true Marty. With this loss the Blazers winning streak against cities that start with 'M' ends at 27 games.

The Blazers next face the Utah Jazz in Utah tomorrow night. The Trail Blazers and Jazz split last season’s series, 2-2, for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The home team has won seven straight games and 12 of the past 13 in the series. Portland has taken six straight meetings over
the Jazz at the Rose Garden, while Utah has taken the last three in Salt Lake City. All in all we're looking at an interesting match-up and a good opportunity for the Blazers to come back once again. The game is set to air on KGW at 6 PM PST and the call will be on radio station 95.5 the game with Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey. If you're not in the area or won't be near a TV but will be near your computer this is one of the games you can purchase to view on-line, more deets can be found at trailblazers.com. Also you can check out the LIVE game chat moderated by Casey Holdahl and Max Mandel while you're there too.



On an off topic note, I apologize for the lack of posts! I have missed two games, one of them being the beautiful Bulls v. Blazers game in which Greg Oden and LaMarcus played some of their best basketball this season! I was really excited to post about that one but life has hit me hard and unfortunately my first post back is for a game I was not excited to write about but whatcha gonna do?

I hope each and every member of Blazer Nation had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday! I am thankful for YOU, that's right you! Thank you for reading and supporting this little blog! I appreciate your support more than you know!

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports)

Blazers Find Redemption Against Minnesota

Last night the Trail Blazers returned home for a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. After a devastating loss to Golden State the previous night, the Blazers were looking to bounce back against a team they had beaten in each match up so far this season.

Starting Five:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden
Steve Blake
Martell Webster

No, that wasn't a typo. McMillan decided to switch up the starting line up last night based on the need for a stronger second unit with Travis Outlaw out of the game and last night it worked like a charm.

I am proud to give top honors of the night to my man. Martell Webster! Webster had a career best game with his first double - double! He tallied 21 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists. What a game for Marty and not to mention he was the Chalupa man of the night upon his dunk off of Juwan Howard's miss. Webster has definitely had a rough start to this season which is understandable to a point seeing as how he was injured for basically all of last season. It's really nice to see Martell back in old form and I think this line up will allow him to thrive. Webster credited his fantastic night to his teammates saying, "Nobody on this team is selfish, when someone gets hot they get goin' to that person and it's out of respect, you know, if you've got a hot hand keep feelin' the ball and we do that, I mean we play as a team but at the same time if there's somebody playin' good we roll with that."

Brandon Roy once again took the silver. He tallied 18 points and 5 rebounds. He was definitely happy to see the old line up back saying, "Of course I like it, I'm back in my natural position." Steve Blake and Joel Przybilla each tacked on 14 points and Greg Oden tallied 16 points. Blake had a great night shooting 5 - 7 from the field and 4 - 6 from 3-point range. The team did an excellent job holding back the Timberwolves last night. They yielded only 78 points. We were 1 point away from a 30 point blowout. Blazers ended up winning the contest 106 - 78. The team seemed to have it back on track in the late 3rd and 4th quarter after allowing the TWolves to sneak back up and even taking the lead at one point, but they were able to keep it together and come away with a win.

NOW onto more important matters such as Rudy Fernandez's meet & greet at Cascade Station today! I was woken up this morning by my good friend Sammi, (Rudy's biggest fan) who is now living in New York, who commanded me (like she had to) to go to a meet & greet with Rudy as was posted on the Blazer's twitter feed. I was lucky to find a couple of other friends who were available on short notice and went down to Cascade Station at 1:30 for a 2 - 3 PM event. The line was actually not as bad as I thought it would be. Here are some pictures I was able to catch from the event:

 

What a nice guy! I had my friend Sammi on the phone when I went up to him and got him to say hi, although she started talking really fast and I doubt he understoof a word she said. If you ever get the chance definitely take the opportunity to meet and talk with Rudy! I was really glad to have been able to get to this signing since I had to miss Brandon Roy's and Andre Miller's! BIG thanks goes out to the Blazers and Verizon Wireless for making this event happen! Also shout out to Casey Holdahl who I spotted laughing at us fan girls and taking pictures and notes of the event!

Anywho onto pictures from last night's game:

 

 

 

 

 

Man I love my camera! Those were taken from the 300 level! Anyway, the Blazers next play the Chicago Bulls on Monday at 7 PM PST! The game will be aired on Comcast Sportsnet and 95.5 the Game!

(Pictures Yahoo Sports & Myself)

The Oakland Oracle Arena Curse Continues

Last night, the Trail Blazers met with the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California. Prior to this meeting, the Blazers had lost 8 conesecutive times against the Warriors in Oakland. Golden State was looking to end a losing streak and bring back hope with a small bench and the Blazers were looking to end the Oracle Arena Curse.

Starters:
Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andre Miller
Steve Blake
Greg Oden

Rudy Fernandez recieves the top honors tonight. The 6'6 shooting guard from Spain tallied 19 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. I have to hand it to Rudy. He had a slow start this season but with the absence of Travis Outlaw, Fernandez is really stepping it up. He shot 6 - 11 from the field and 4 - 5 from the free throw line. Brandon Roy took the silver position with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. It seems as if Roy is having a tough time finding his rhythm this season which is an absolute shame but something that will take time. He was only 6 - 17 from the field and a measly 1 - 5 from 3-point range. B Roy also had a tough time with refs, as did all the other Blazers, and was hit with a technical after complaining a no call situation.

Fouls were handed out like candy on Halloween last night and the Blazers were taking the brunt of it. I will never be the one who says we lost because of the referees. Whether you win or lose it's a team effort but bad calls never helps. Golden State had one game plan: Get Greg to foul out. Oden racked up a quick 2 fouls and was taken out along with LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge played a meager 6 minutes before being taken out. From there on things just got worse and worse. Andre Miller racked up his fair share of fouls leaving the game with 4 and a Technical on top of rolling his ankle a bit again. This game was another case of having the lead and not really knowing what to do with it. We let Golden State sneak back up and go on runs till they took the lead. Might I remind everyone that the Warriors were working with a bench of 8? Finally, in the 4th quarter McMillan threw Jerryd Bayless into the mix. Bayless immediately went to work and scored back to back baskets late in the game minimizing the margin. I might not agree with how Bayless usually goes for the drive over the assist, even when the assist is the better call, but he brought energy onto a seemingly defeated team. It was definitely a disappointing and painful game to behold.

Golden State went on to take the win, 108 - 94, continuing the Oracle Arena curse with 9 straight losses for the Blazers in Oakland.

Tonight, the team has a chance for sweet redemption against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Rose Garden. It's a great time for a blowout guys! Portland needs this win now more than ever to bring it back. This is Portland's third meeting this month with Minnesota. Each meeting so far has resulted in a Portland win by 23 points, our largest wins of the year so far. So the TWolves will be looking for revenge as well.

Keys, Keys, Keys:

• Low Scoring Game. The Timberwolves have failed to reach 100 points against their last 12 opponents. It will be key for the Blazers to play good defense and get stops to keep the TWolves' score low.
• Defense. Stick with it! Too many times have we seen guys simply stand around and let someone blaze on through. 
• Get stops. If we let Flynn and Jefferson get on a run it will mean bad things. Jonny Flynn and Al Jefferson average a combined 28 points per game.
• FREE Throws. I will always forever end the Keys to the game with free throws. They are essential, especially when you're down with a short amount of time to bring things back. Clutch free throws are ESPECIALLY important. Greg Oden I'm talking to you.

Tip off is at 7 PM PST and the game will be aired on Comcast Sportsnet and radio station 95.5 the Game will have the call with Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey. For those of you not in the Portland area, check out TrailBlazers.com for a live chat held and moderated by Casey Holdahl.

ALSO, if you're going to the game get there early for a Tweet-Up with Casey, some Blazer Alumni, Blazer Dancers etc! They will be doing giveaways and much more, so be sure to check it out! Deets can be found HERE.

I will be attending the game and I'll probably be at the Tweet-Up, if I can make it, so be ready for pictures, live game tweets from @_BlazerNation_ and much much more!

(Pictures Via: Yahoo Sports)

Blazers Narrowly Escape a Loss Against Detroit

Tonight, the Portland Trail Blazers faced the Detroit Pistons back at home after a long five game road trip. The game was favored towards the Blazers seeing as how Detroit was missing both Tayshaun Prince and Rick Hamilton and after a tough loss to Atlanta on Monday the Blazers were definitely looking for an uplifting recovery back at home.

Annnd your starting five:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden
Steve Blake
Andre Miller

Top honors go to not one but two, LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy tied for 20 points. LA also tallied 7 rebounds, 2 assists and shot 8 - 16 from the field and 4 - 5 from the free throw line. B Roy tallied 4 rebounds, 5 assists and shot 7 - 14 from the field and 4 - 4 from the line. These guys really stepped it up tonight. They played about 38 minutes a piece and got baskets when it mattered most. (Don't forget to vote for these two +Dre and G.O. for the All-Star game: HERE) LaMarcus has always been known to run the court and he really showed that tonight, filling in the lanes on fast breaks. Great work you two!

Steve Blake. You either hate him or love him, but he went to work tonight and hit some big shots for the Blazers. He tallied 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assits and shot 5 - 10 from the field (3 - 6 from beyond the arc). During pre-game antics, the Mikes talked about how Blake came early to shoot around and was practicing his shot over and over and you could see his determination and focus out there on the court. In the 4th when things were too close for comfort Blake shot, he missed (insert Blazer fans' groans here), got his own rebound, shot again and made a BIG 3 for Portland. I don't always love Steve Blake but if he really stepped it up when the Blazers needed it most tonight and was a big part of the win.

Basically, this game was another nail biter at the end. The Blazers had a consistent lead through the third, leading by 20 at one point but in the 4th started to slack and allowed the Pistons to come within 3. Detroit out scored Portland 31 - 17 in the 4th and out rebounded the Blazers 39 - 36. Moral of the story, for not only this game but many past games including most recently the Atlanta Hawks game, we need a closing strategy McMillan! The Blazers really need to sit down and look at what needs to be done to close out a game in the 4th. Listening to the post game show on 95.5 the Game, I absolutely loved the caller who said, "If we were in the NFL we'd win every game since they do 3 quarters," too true caller, tooooo true. We're extremely lucky Andre Miller and Steve Blake made some clutch free throws at the end of the 4th. Going up to his final free throws, Miller was 0 - 4 from the line so you could definitely hear the nervous breathing of EVERY Blazer fan in the stadium, but he was able to swish both shots contributing the the Blazers win.


Despite the alarming 4th quarter, the Blazers were able to come away with the win, 87 - 81. Here's some video of post-game interviews with LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy & Steve Blake:


The Blazers go back on the road to play the Golden State Warriors next, on Friday! Tip off is at 7:30 PM. Some keys to this game:

• Portland has tended to struggle in Oakland, the Warriors won the series 2 - 1 last year, so it'll be even more important for the Blazers to figure out their closing strategy, get a lead, keep it and close it
• The Warriors have won eight straight games in Oakland and 12 of the last 16 meetings
  in the series overall. Portland last won the series, a 4-0 sweep, in 2002-03.
• Despite this advantage, the Warriors are at a weak place right now, so hopefully the Blazers will be able to go in strong and take the win
• REBOUNNNDS it is more important now more than ever to work hard on the boards. We're working with a 3 - guard line up which makes rebounding a little more difficult and it's especially hurtful when the opposing team gets second chances on a possession and we completely fail with our own offensive rebounding
• Free Throws make or break a game. There's a reason why they're called free throws. Luckily we do have the best team percentage for free throws in the league right now but we've missed some important possible game winning free throws in past games, so it will always be a key to the game

If you are unable to watch the game on Comcast Sportsnet or listen to the call on 95.5 the Game you should definitely check out the live game chat held by Casey Holdahl of PortlandTrailBlazers.com! I was able to be in the chat tonight and it was loads of fun! You can find the link to the chats on the front page of trailblazers.com or simply follow pdxtrailblazers on Twitter!

(Pictures: Yahoo Sports)

Blazers' Winning Streak Comes to an End in Atlanta, Blazer Owner Paul Allen Diagnosed with Cancer

On Monday night, the Blazers ended their five game road trip in Atlanta against the Hawks. The Blazers were looking to come away with a perfect road trip 5-0 and get some revenge on a team that was able to take the win at the Rose Garden. With injuries beginning to plague the team all eyes were on the Blazers to see if all this talk about depth was accurate.

Starters:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andre Miller
Steve Blake
Greg Oden




Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudy Fernandez was king of the court Monday night! After Outlaw's injury we knew it would be up to players like Rudy and Martell to step up to the plate and ease the transition of that loss and Rudy definitely proved he was ready. Rudy scored 19 points  with 2 assists and 4 rebounds. He shot 7-12 from the field and 4- 6 from the 3 point range. He definitely kept the Blazers in this game by making 3, count them THREE buzzer beater baskets. One at the end of the 1st to give the Blazers the lead going into the 2nd quarter. The BIG one came at the end of the 4th quarter when the Blazers were down by 3, Rudy got the ball and shot it completely off balance and SWISH nothin but net to tie the game! His final buzzer beater was at the end of overtime but unfortunately it only lessened ATL's lead. Rudy was spectacular and it's definitely exciting to see in a time when we need our bench to step it up now more than ever.

LaMarcus Aldridge took the silver prize once again with 18 points, 2 assists and 9 rebounds. So close to another double-double. He shot 8 - 17 from the field and 2 - 2 from the free throw line. Brandon Roy took the bronze with 17 points, 4 assists and 9 rebounds. Brandon proved he was an All-Star once again stepping it up when his team needed it most and going on a hot streak to keep the game close.

On a more serious note,  it was recently announced that Portland Trail Blazer's owner, Paul Allen, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Allen has beaten this cancer in the past but it has come back. Blazer Nation Blog, along with all Blazer fans out there I'm sure, sends our well wishes and prayers to Allen and his family. We know you can beat this again Mr. Allen and we appreciate everything you've done for Portland and the Blazers!

Statement taken from Trail Blazers Official Site:

On November 16, The Portland Trail Blazers received word that owner Paul Allen is currently undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While saddened by the news, we also know Mr. Allen remains upbeat, active in his business endeavors and as passionate about the Trail Blazers as ever.

Our organization extends its thoughts and prayers to Mr. Allen, and pledges to assist his recovery by making him proud by furthering his mission to build a winning team and a first-class organization for the fans in Portland and throughout the region.

We have had several requests from fans to send get well wishes. You can send to our attention at the following address:

Portland Trail Blazers
One Center Court, Suite 200
Portland OR 97227

You can also follow that link above to submit a message on the site as well.


The Blazers are currently playing the Detroit Pistons. Hopefully this game will be a good one and the guys will be able to come away with the win seeing as how Detroit is missing Tayshaun Prince AND Rip Hamilton. Game review to come later tonight or tomorrow afternoon!

(Pictures Yahoo Sports & Blazers Official Site)

Blazers Extend Their Winning Streak to Six In Charlotte, Travis Outlaw Celebrates From the Emergency Room

The Blazers continued their five game road trip in Charlotte last night to play the Bobcats. This was their fourth game in five nights so all eyes, inluding Michael Jordan's at courtside, were on the Blazers to see if their winning streak (longest in the NBA so far by the way) would continue.

Last night's starting five:

Bradon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andre Miller
Steve Blake
Greg Oden

Let's just jump right on in with the night's high scorer: Brandon Roy. Yes, he is once again at the top. Roy scored 25 points in 40 minutes of play with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. As per usual, Roy continued to show his maturity and growth with the game making smart plays and getting the job done for the Blazers. B Roy was 9 - 16 from the field and 6 - 7 from the free throw line. He was absolutely key to the win last night. After a slow start, missing 4 of 5 from the field, Roy kicked it into gear and showed us why he's an All Star. After the game McMillan said, "The All-Star Brandon Roy came out again down the stretch making some big shots to keep the game five to six points." Andre Miller took the second place slot last night with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. He shot 5 - 12 from the field and was 5 - 5 from the free throw line.

Next up is LaMarcus Aldridge. LMA scored 11 points and 7 rebounds. Probably the second most memorable moment (I'll give the top spot to TLaw stay strong buddy...explanation later) in the game came towards the end of the 4th quarter when Raja Bell threw an elbow in Aldridge's face. LMA decided to make his feelings known when Gerald Wallace got into the mix and pushed him out of the way. Greg Oden and Brandon Roy came over to protect LMA and got into the scuffle as well. I have never really seen Aldridge get that heated up that quickly. I mean yes, we all remember when Kevin Garnett decided to throw an elbow at LMA's face (see a trend?) and LMA smacked him upside the head but that wasn't as heated as this argument was. Personally, I think the guys were running on fumes and when Wallace decided to take things up a notch, LMA wasn't about to have that.

 Judge for yourself (The Brawl starts at about 1:43) :



Five technical fouls were handed out for that little altercation.
CHA 4th Qtr 0:55 Raja Bell
POR 4th Qtr 0:55 LaMarcus Aldridge
CHA 4th Qtr 0:55 Gerald Wallace
POR 4th Qtr 0:55 Brandon Roy
CHA 4th Qtr 0:55 Tyson Chandler

Moving along. As I mentioned earlier, that altercation was in fact not the #1 memorable moment of last night's game, that honor goes to Travis Outlaw. As you may or may not have heard, Travis Outlaw suffered a stress fracture in his foot last night. To be exact, he has a stress fracture to his fifth metatarsal of his foot. Oh and did I metion this is the exact same injury that took Martell Webster out of the entire season last year? Whether you're a fan of Travis or not, this is a devastating injury for him and the team. Outlaw is in his contract year, meaning he will either be signing for more years with Portland, be traded or become a free agent, so basically, to be injured during that time is not good. As for the team, TLaw is our 6th man. He's done extremely well for us coming off the bench, so well in fact that he's our top off the bench scorer and to not have him will definitely hinder us. Do I think the Blazers' winning streak will come to a complete and utter halt now? No, but we will definitely see exactly how influential TLaw is to this team in the upcoming games. No doubt, Rudy and Dante Cunningham might be seeing an upside to this situation as they will undoubtedly see more minutes. Also, not quite as big news, Jerryd Bayless was unable to play last night due to a rolled ankle. He acquired the injury during pre-game shoot around when walking off the court and stepping on his ankle wrong. At this point the injury seems to be minor might keep him out of a couple games but nothing too serious.

Despite the brawl and injuries, the Trail Blazers were able to come away with a win 80 - 74. Once again, we saw a slow start from our team, it was almost painful to watch at some points but in the second half they were really able to run with the lead, due in large part to Roy's hot streak. This win extends the Blazers' winning streak to 6! Something that will hopefully be extended to 7 in Atlanta on Monday.

That's right, the Blazers next play the Atlanta Hawks in ATL on Monday. The game will air on Comcast Sportsnet at 4 PM PST. Tip off is due at 7 PM EST. The Hawks are one of the best offensive teams right now and they are coming fresh off of a win over the Boston Celtics so I would say we're in for a good ball game.

(Pictures Associated Press <-- please tell me there was a foul called for that one.. and hollywoodandvine Photoshop job by Rachel)

Blazers Get an All But Perfect Win in The Big Easy, Extend Their Winning Streak to Five

Last night, our Portland Trail Blazers continued their five game road trip, this time making a stop in the Big Easy, to play the New Orleans Hornets. This game was encompassed with the firing of NO head coach, Byron Scott but the Blazers were simply looking for their 7th win, 4th on the road.

Last night's starting five:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Steve Blake
Andre Miller
Greg Oden

Once again, we saw the three guard line up but what can we say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Although, as stated in my last post, it'll be itneresting to see if things get switched up for Charlotte tomorrow. The line-up proved to work once again in New Orleans. Last night's high scorer was none other than my main man, LaMarcus Aldridge. In a matter of fact, LMA carried the Blazers last night while shots were being missed and fouls were being made. Aldridge scored 20 points with 17 rebounds and 1 assist. We saw some great basketball from Aldridge last night and I'll say it again, it's only a matter of time till we have another All-Star on our team. Brandon Roy was the second highest scorer with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Andre Miller came away with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. Greg Oden, coming off his spectacular game in Minnesota, had a slow start getting his first basket in the 3rd quarter. He came away with 8 points, 17 rebounds and 3 blocks. Joel Przybilla had a great night with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Our big guys really got the job done on the defensive end of the court.

The Blazers were able to come away with the win, 86 - 78. The win was in no means perfect. Our guys were shooting 70% from the free-throw line and both teams were missiong shots left and right. Some nice points though, you might recall in my last post that a key to this game would be shutting Chris Paul down. Well it's safe to say we succeeded there. CP3 came away with only 3 points, a sprained ankle and a bruised ego. Everytime I see the replay of Paul coming down on his ankle I cringe. Here's to a speedy recovery Chris!

It might not have been pretty, but it's a win. A win that, in fact, extends the Blazers' winning streak to 5, the longest winning streak in the NBA right now. The Blazers are definitely hot and feeling good going into tonight's game in Charlotte against the Bobcats.

The game is on 4 PM PST on Comcast Sportsnet and NBATV! Be sure to check it out!

(Pictures: Associated Press)

Blazers Win in Minnesota, Greg Oden Brings A Little Faith Back to the People of Portland

Tonight, the Blazers played the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minnesota, their second away game of this five game road trip and third away game over all. Going into this game, the Wolves were looking for some payback after the Blazers cruised to a win over them at the Rose Garden and we were looking for our tenth consecutive win over Minnesota.

Our starting five tonight:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Steve Blake
Andre Miller
Greg Oden

The three guard lineup has been doing wonders for the team and we will probably continue to see more of it until possibly the Charlotte game where we would see an uneven match up. Nonetheless, this lineup continued to show dominance in tonight's game. I always like to give love to the highest scorer of the night first, so ladies and gentlemen please give it up for Greg Oden! G.O. was the night's high scorer, and all around amazing player, with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. He got a double double before the first half was even over. On top of all the amazing Greg Oden was producing tonight he put his name in the point guard drawing by taking the ball down the court on a fast break. That had to be my favorite play(along with quite a few others, this play was only showed about 1000 times on CSN)of the season so far. It was really nice to see a happy, carefree and comedic Oden. After passing the ball to LMA who passed it back to Greg who then dunked it, Greg looked at the bench and Nate McMillan and had the biggest smile on his face. It doesn't get better than that. Oh, did I mention Greg didn't have a single foul tonight? Yeah, your eyes do not fool you Blazer Nation, 0 fouls for the entire game.

Anyway, Greg Oden praise section done, there were other players out there too believe it or not. Rudy Fernandez had a hot night with 15 points,  2 rebounds and 5 assists! Rudy was 5 of 7 from the field and shot 4 of 4 from the 3-point line. Definitely an improvement from his slow start this season. Martell Webster had a great night with 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Brandon Roy came away with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. Roy is learning more and more how to play without the ball. I think he's been the star, carrying this team for so long that for a while there he wasn't sure how to deal with not having as many touches as he used to but his play is looking wiser everyday. LaMarcus Aldridge had a slow start but was able to carry the team for a bit in the late 3rd and early 4th quarters. He came away with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Also something to note is Joel Przybilla's 4 blocked shots, 3 of which came within about 2 minutes of coming into the game. Very nice Thrilla, verrrry nice. Oh and no Blazer had more than 3 fouls tonight. Nice to see some good clean defense.

The Blazers were able to come away with the win,  107 - 84. This 23 point win is their biggest ever in Minnesota beating last year's 20 point win. The Blazers are now 5 - 3 in the season, tying them with the Denver Nuggets for the NW Division. So, to all of you doubters out there who were ready to jump after the Blazers lost to Atlanta, take this into consideration: this start for the Blazers has been their best 9 game start since the 1999-2000 season. Better believe it.

The Blazers next take on Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans on Friday. The game will air on Comcast Sportsnet at 5 PM PST. Some keys to this game will be:

• Shutting CP3 down! - This guy can push the momentum on both ends, so we will need to keep him out of the paint and avoid sending him to the free throw line. 
• Turnovers kill us! - We need to make clean passes and stop fastbreak points on the other end
• Free Throws are GOLD - We're doing a whole lot better getting to the line and making those shots, but FT's are always key to a good clean win.

(Pictures Associated Press)

Blazers Start Their Five Game Road Trip With A Win

Last night the Blazers started their five game road trip in Memphis against the Grizzlies. It was important going into this game to come away with a win to start this away game stretch on a high note. It was apparent in this game that the team is realizing more and more the potential Greg Oden holds.

Last night's starters:

Brandon Roy
Steve Blake
Andre Miller
Greg Oden
LaMarcus Aldridge

This smaller lineup has done wonders for the Blazers.  As noted by Jason Quick in his latest article, "Since moving to a smaller three-guard lineup, the Blazers are 3-0 and winning by an average of 16.3 points." Obviously this lineup is working. For those of you who were worried after Roy's two point game on Friday go ahead and take a sigh of relief because our All Star was the high scorer of the game with 20 points, 7 assists and 1 rebound. Roy was 6 of 11 from the field and 6 of 8 from the free throw line. Coming in second place is our FUTURE All Star, LaMarcus Aldridge. He put up his third double double in four games with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Steve Blake (who seems to get hated on almost more than Travis Outlaw these days...) put up an impressive 14 points along with 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

Now, let's talk GREG ODEN! Greg Oden is continuing to prove that he will be a force to be reckoned with this year and for many years to come. He got an unfortuante early 2 fouls and was forced to sit on the bench but when he came in for the second half he fought for his mintues and played some good, clean and impressive basetball. Before this point the Blazers were gradually developing a lead but failing to solidify it but Greg really helped to carry the team. He was tipping the ball, putting on spin moves and dunking like there was no tomorrow. Oden came away with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. It's really nice seeing Greg start to come into his own and develop a rhythm.
The Blazers went on to win the game 93 - 79. They are now 5 -3.

Tonight, in 30 minutes to be exact, the Blazers are in Minnesota for a 5 PM PST game against the Timberwolves. The T-Wolves will definitely be looking for some revenge with the home court advantage and we will be looking for our 26th straight win over an "M" team. Thanks to AGDuck on Twitter for that stat. Some keys to the game will be:

• NO MORE TURNOVERS - last night the Blazers had 10 turnovers in the first half alone, definitely need to improve there.
• Free throws are key! -  We need to make it to the line and get those free shots.
  
• Give Greg the Ball! - Greg is doing so much better and has been very dominant in the paint, definitely something we need to continue working with

And of course defense is always important. Also, let's hope LA get's his third double double in a row!

Speaking of LA, be sure to vote everyday for the All Star game roster!! Portland has 4, count them, 4 players on the ballot. LaMarcus Aldridge (All Star game is in his hometown give him the vote!) Brandon Roy, Andre Miller and Greg Oden! So check out www.NBA.com to find out how to vote!

(Pictures from the Associated Press)