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)

Blazers Crusie to A Win Over Minnesota In Front of A Sold Out Crowd

Sunday night, the Blazers met up with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Rose Quarter. Prior to this meeting, the Blazers had won eight consecutive matches against the Timberwolves, all at home. Sunday's sell out crowd of 20,000+ was the Blazer's 76th consecutive sell-out including the playoffs. All these aspects on top of Nate McMillan's new starting line up experiment and the Blazers' recent win against the San Antonio Spurs made for an exciting and heavily anticipated game.

Let's take a look at Sunday's starting five:

Brandon Roy
Steve Blake
Andre Miller
LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden

Once again, McMillan went for the three guard line-up giving Andre Miller his second starting position for the Blazers' this season and can we say, good call Nate, gooood call! Miller was all over the floor, pushing the ball, penetrating and creating space for our big guys in the center. Not to mention looking ahead and finding LMA for an amazing dunk! Andre is definitely working hard for his starting position and was the Blazers' highest scorer of the night with 21 points. He also had 3 assists and 4 rebounds. Miller shot 9 of 14 from the field and 2 of 3 from the line. LaMarcus Aldridge also had a spectacular night with 19 points, 3 assists and 10 rebounds. If LMA keeps playing at this level, we'll have another all-star in no time! He shot 5 of 11 from the field and a SPECTACULAR 9 of 9 from the line! 100% free-throws! Someone learned their lesson after missing possible game winning free-throws against Denver. Travis Outlaw was great coming off the bench last night with 19 points! He shot 5 of
9 from the field and just like his good friend LMA, 100%, 6 of 6 at the free throw line. Jerryd Bayless AKA J Bay Bay AKA El Diablo (shout out to Wheels and Tone on 95.5 the Game for trying desperately to find a nickname for JBay.) had a good night with 12 points 4 assists and 1 rebound. Particularly notable though is (I imagine you're wondering, 'where is Brandon Roy's 30 points?' 'Why has she not mentioned Brandon Roy yet?') well, Brandon Roy scored a whopping 2 points last night. I know you're hyperventilating and scrambling to change your fantasy line-up but be sure to take into consideration that along with those 2 points, Brandon Roy had 7 assists and 6 rebounds. I think we saw a wise and knowledgeable B Roy last night. He was moving the ball around and creating opportunities for his teammates. It shows incredible maturity to care more about winning with your team than winning with yourself. I'm pretty sure this will be the last 2 point game for B Roy though. Also, rookie, Dante Cunningham clocked in his first minutes in an official NBA season game and was able to come away with 6 points!
(Box Score Taken from Blazers' Official Site)

In case you weren't paying attention there, EVERY Blazer that played last night scored and all but one player *cough Dante Cunningham cough* tallied an assist. That's absolutely amazing and the exact type of basketball we need to be playing to go as far as possible in the post season. I think we can all breathe a little easier now. The guys are still working on meshing together but they're starting to play some great basketball and hopefully will just keep getting better.

 This game was incredibly fun for me! I was able to go with a small group of some of my dearest friends, including my dear friend Valerie who, if you can believe it, is from Portland and has NEVER been to a single Blazer game! She got the best of both worlds with this game seeing as how we sat at the very back of the Rose Garden against the wall in the 300 level and in my season ticket seats down in the lower level. She also got to witness a win for her first game which is always nice. Here's some pictures I was able to snap at the game:

 

 

Look at Dante Cunningham in the top left corner of this next pic, he's definitely feelin' that that night was a good night :-)

 

The Blazers next play the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday in Memphis. This marks the first game on a five game road trip. Some definite keys to success are keeping turnovers to a minimum and maximize our transition defense. When teams get a fast break and push the ball, we've been having trouble getting back and getting a stop. We need to keep up the ball movement and keep our free-throw percentage high! Oh and more than 2 points B Roy, pretty please!


OT: I was able to snag a pair of the amazingly beautiful Portland Trail Blazer Addidas! I got them through a wonderful site www.Shoebacca.com! This is not a paid advertisement or anything, but I know how weary we can be of buying this from the internet and this site was great and one of the few that actually carried the shoes! So, if you were looking for a pair as of now they carry sizes 7 and 7.5 in mens.


(Pictures: Associated Press and myself)

Blazers Bring It Back With A Win Against the Spurs

That's right Blazer Nation. Your eyes do not decieve you!! Last night our Portland Trail Blazers in their completely awesome Rip City retro jerseys, played the San Antonio Spurs at the Rose Garden and it was the game we've all been waiting for. The Spurs who were continuing an away game roadtrip had lost to the Utah Jazz the night before whereas our Blazers were coming off a two day rest and ready to play. Coach Nate McMillan decided to switch up the starting line up for this game having Andre Miller (the talk of the town) start, making everyone extremely excited! Here was our starting line-up last night:

Brandon Roy
LaMarcus Aldridge
Greg Oden
Steve Blake
Andre Miller

I personally was really excited to see this line-up in action! Good choise McMillan, gooood choice! The game started off with a bang for the Blazers. They played some excellent defense and were able to go on an 8-0 run against the spurs. The addition of Miller in the starting line-up made one heck of a differnce. He was able to spread the floor, run the ball and make some really good decisions for the team. In this game we saw something that seemed to have been missing from previous games and that was a high level of intensity. One of the most memorable moments of the night was when Martell Webster brought the noise back with an amazing dunk off of Rudy's missed three pointer attempt to close out the first quarter with a lead. Also notable was the addition of Jerryd Bayless to the rotation. J Bay clocked in his first minutes this season and was able to come away with a respectable 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. You could definitely tell he had some nerves working against him but he was able to penetrate and draw the fouls.

Our high scorer of the night was, once again, Brandon Roy with 24 points. He also had 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Four of our five starters were able to get in the double digits last night. Steve Blake came away with 15 points,  6 rebounds and 2 assists. Greg Oden had a spectacular night with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 massive blocks. LaMarcus Aldridge had a slow and quiet night with 8 points and 5 rebounds. Andre Miller played with an air of confidence and came away with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

We definitely still need to work on closing games and putting teams away when we have the chance. The Spurs were able to come back within 5 points towards the end of the game but the Blazers were able to win it 96 - 84. (I wonder if we will ever see Chalupas this season...)

The Blazers next play against the Minnesota Timberwolves this Sunday November 8 at 6 PM at the Rose Garden.

(Pictures Via The Associated Press)

Want to Tell Andre Miller How You Really Feel?

Well here's your chance!!

The veteran point guard will be doing a meet and greet at the new Dick's Sporting Goods store in Lake Oswego this weekend!! You will get the chance to get an autograph, maybe even a picture. There will also be giveaways at this event for FREE Blazer tickets and other fun stuff.

Here are the deets:


WHAT:
Meet and greet with Andre Miller
Trail Blazers tickets giveaway
Hourly raffle prizes

WHEN:
Saturday, November 7
2 pm – Andre Miller autograph session
4 pm – Trail Blazers ticket giveaway

WHERE:
DICK’s Sporting Goods
Meridian Square
17799 Lower Boones Ferry Road
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
(Thanks to Blaze of Love for the details)

Super exciting stuff! I didn't get a chance to make it down to King's City to meet Brandon Roy a little bit ago so hopefully I'll be able to make it down to this event and get pictures and what not for you guys. If you get the chance to meet AM be sure to send in your pics and share them with Blazer Nation!!
(Picture from Blazers Edge)

Game 5 Results in a Loss at Home Against Atlanta

Tonight the Blazers played their 5th season game against the Atlanta Hawks at home. The game started out pretty quietly and slowly with little intensity shown from our team. We were able to take an early lead and extend that through the end of the first quarter leading 25 - 15. As the 2nd quarter went on though, the Hawks were able to find their rhythm and players, especially Crawford were able to dominate in the paint. The Blazers' lead was cut down to 48 - 47 at the end of the first half. For the third and fourth quarters, the Hawks took the lead and ran with it playing passionately and fighting in the paint. The Hawks are the first team to out rebound the Blazers so far this season getting 45 rebounds total against our 36. Their field goal average was 46.2% versus the Blazers' 42.4%. The Hawks outscored the Blazers in the paint 50 - 34.

On the game Brandon Roy said, "There's some things I felt like I could've done, but I didn't." Referring to his only 3 shots in the fourth quarter. Roy left the game with 19 points and 6 assists. He also talked about the Blazers' lack of passion in this game saying, "They made plays, they wanted it and we didn't do anything to stop them. But I'm not gonna put my head down. I'm going to get back to work."
LaMarcus Aldridge, who you might recall was listed as questionable to even play in this game due to a knee bone contusion acquired in the OKC game on Sunday, definitely had his rhythm tonight and was the Blazers' high scorer. He left the game with a double double: 20 points and 14 rebounds. That was definitely a surprise considering we didn't even know if he would be playing.
Travis Outlaw also had a pretty big night with 19 points and 3 rebounds.
McMillan said in the post game interview that the team would take a break tomorrow before coming back on Thursday to prepare for San Antonio on Friday and their 5 game road trip starting Tuesday against the Memphis Grizzlies.


Here is a post-game video with LMA and B Roy talking about tonight's game:

Hawks 97, Blazers 91

It was definitely a disappointing game for the sell out crowd at the Rose Quarter tonight. I was able to snag a couple of pictures from tonight's game including one pretty awesome picture of B Roy attacking the paint!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Pic of the night ^^^^ Might be blurry but I'm workin' with a cheap Nikon, not a Canon Rebel guys.  :)

And check out Nicolas Batum(who is out with a shoulder injury) lookin' all GQ with his suit and super intense arm sling:

The Blazers next play San Antonio on Friday at the Rose Quarter.

(First two pics: NBA)