Blazers Playoff Fate is Sealed and Fan Appreciation Night Results in a Loss

Tonight was Fan Appreciation Night at the Rose Garden to commemorate the final game of the regular season and honor all the fans who have made the RG one of the most dangerous places for teams to play in in the NBA. Tonight also sealed the Blazers' playoff fates with the San Antonio loss to Dallas and a Phoenix win over Utah.

Prior to the game, the Spurs loss to the Mavericks giving Blazers the 6th seed in the playoffs! We clinched 6th which, when you think about it, is absolutely crazy considering everything this team has been through this season. Knowing this, Nate McMillan decided to rest Marcus Camby and Andre Miller only played a couple minutes to keep his consecutive game streak alive. LaMarcus Aldridge was also out for tonight's game with a stomach flu bug. This meant a lot of guys who don't normally see minutes saw a lot of time on the court. The most significant of these was Jeff Pendergraph, who was tonight's top player with a career high 23 points shooting 11-15 from the field, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Pendergraph was definitely 'A Little Bit' Crazy tonight, in the first half alone he had something like 3 or 4 monstrous dunks. Jeff wasn't the only one to feel the heat tonight, Marty Party was in full swing tonight with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Dante INFERNO Cunningham also made a big contribution in the first half, before having to sit out due to a stomach bug during halftime, with 13 points, 11 boards, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. I'm also proud to announce that Patty Mills got some considerable playing time and contributed 11 points shooting 4 - 8 from the field and 2 - 3 from the arch, 1 rebound and 2 assists.

Here's A Look At The Rest of the Box Score:

This game was definitely not the high note of the season but considering that our "second string" players (so to speak) were playing for us we did pretty damn good. The Blazers did end up losing tonight 122 - 116 but they fought hard and didn't just roll over when technically they could have. Jeff Pendergraph showed what he's capable of and gave a huge boost to the team coming off the bench and we saw some great things from Dante and Patty Mills, the future of this team. One of the biggest things I saw tonight though, was smiles. Smiles from EVERYONE. Every fan, every player and every coach. Tonight was about winning or losing it was about having fun, playing some basketball and celebrating the fact that we are going to the playoffs.

Pictures I Took From the Game Tonight:

Rip City Uprise -- Playoffs 2010

Portland clinched the 6th seed and with a Phoenix win against Utah tonight, we will be facing the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Here's a look at the first round schedule:

Game 1: Sunday, April 18th
Portland at Phoenix
7:30pm on ESPN

Game 2: Tuesday, April 20th
Portland at Phoenix
7:00pm on TNT

Game 3: Thursday,  April 22nd
Phoenix at Portland
7:00pm on NBATV

Game 4: Saturday,  April 24th
Phoenix at Portland  
1:30pm on TNT

Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, April 26th
Portland at Phoenix
TBD

Game 6 (if necessary): Thursday,  April 29th
Phoenix at Portland
TBD

Game 7 (if necessary): Saturday,  May 1st
Portland at Phoenix
TBD 

I think we can all start breathing a little easier now that we know what we're up against. Phoenix is not going to be an easy match-up by any means but I think we are true contenders in this series. This match-up is going to be a "battle of tempos" according to Nate McMillan and he couldn't be more correct. Phoenix is going to run and pull the screen and roll like there's no tomorrow. The Blazers are going to need to rest and rejuvenate themselves and really prepare mentally for this match. I think we can shock the world and go far in these playoffs if we come prepared. If we win this series, Portland will face the winner of the Dallas v. San Antonio series which would be so exciting to see if Portland could possibly go all the way to the Western Conference finals! I know we can go far if we play like a team, so let's go and show the world we're capable of greatness Portland!