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)