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!

Portland Seals OKC's Fate & Golden State @ The Rose Garden -- A Preview

Unfortunately, I did not get to see the POR vs. OKC game live (seeing as I was laughing with Conan O' Brien in Eugene) BUT what I did see, I LOVED. Don't get me wrong, I love Brandon Roy and he is the undisputed leader of this team but this season at least, it seems this team plays more like a TEAM when Brandon goes down, like something clicks and a new sense of urgency is instilled and everyone plays up the level they're capable of. When I say everyone, in the OKC game's case, I mean Marcus Camby. Say what you want about missing Travis and Steve (I still do) but the Camby trade had to be the best move we made this year. I truly believe that if Camby was not on this team, we wouldn't be looking forward to a possible 6th seed berth in the playoffs, or the playoffs at all for that matter. Camby went for an incredible 30 points on 12-16 from the field, 13 rebounds and 3 steals. He lead this team to the win and will hopefully lead us to even more wins in the post season and beyond. Portland's win over OKC also sealed the Thunder's fate in the playoffs as they are now locked in the 8th seed and will meet the Lakers in the first round.

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

Photo of the Night:

MAR-CUS CAMBY *clapclap* *clapclapclap*

*If you'd like to hear the audio of the Rose Garden going CRAZY and chanting Marcus' name, please listen and download it HERE

The Blazers next game is their last regular season game and it's against the Golden State Warriors at the Rose Garden. It is Fan Night so those of you who, like me, will be in attendance be sure to bring the energy and make it loud to celebrate this great season and our playoff berth! 

                                       Probable Starters:

Portland Trail Blazers:                                    Golden State Warriors:

  LaMarcus Aldridge                                           Corey Maggette

    Nicolas Batum                                                Anthony Tolliver

   Marcus Camby                                                  Ronny Turiaf

  Rudy Fernandez*                                                Monta Ellis

    Andre Miller                                                    Stephen Curry

* -- Rudy is getting the start in place of Brandon Roy who is out with a knee injury

• Golden State has won 13 of the past 19 games in the series. Already with a 2-1 series lead, the Trail Blazers are a win Wednesday away from their first series win since 2002- 03, when they earned a 4-0 sweep. 

• Portland has won each of the last four games against Golden State at the Rose Garden.

• The Warriors had won nine straight meetings in Oakland before the Trail Blazers gained a 27-9 advantage in the fourth quarter in a come-from-behind win, 110-105, on March 11. 

• The Trail Blazers have earned a 141-109 rebounding edge, including a 52-33 margin on the offensive glass, in three meetings between the teams this season.

• In three series contests, Brandon Roy leads Portland with 31.7 points per game (32- 55 FG). Andre Miller has added 17.3 points per contest. 

• Portland has closed the season at home against Golden State three times before, compiling a 2-1 record in those contests. The teams last met in a regular season finale on April 18, 2007, a victory for the Warriors, 120-98.

• Golden State won last season’s series, 2-1, with the home team winning all three contests. 

• The winning team has scored more than 100 points in each of the last 13 games in the series. Both teams averaged better than 105 points per game (Portland, 105.7; Golden State, 105.3) in three meetings last year.

• The Trail Blazers earned a 125-112 rebounding advantage, including a 46-34 edge on the offensive glass, in three series games in 2008-09. Portland outscored Golden State in the paint, 144-110. 

• The Warriors gained 30 points on the Trail Blazers in three games by shooting 90-for- 100 (90.0%) from the free throw line last year. Portland went 60-for-77 (77.9%).

• Brandon Roy led the Trail Blazers with 26.0 points (58.0% FG, 6-9 3-PT), 5.3 assists and 2.67 steals (tied) in three games against the Warriors last season. 

• Portland committed 56 turnovers, including a season-high 23 in Oakland on Feb. 12, while Golden State tallied 47 turnovers in three meetings last season.

• Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson has coached more games vs. the Trail Blazers than any other active NBA head coach (52-54). 

• Golden State television broadcaster Jim Barnett played in Portland’s inaugural season in 1970-71, averaging a team second-best 18.5 points per game.

Let's go get that 51st win to close out a great season Portland!!

Picture: Yahoo! Sports

The Curse Is Broken -- 2-0 Cali Road Trip Gives McMillan 400 Wins

Thursday night the Blazers traveled to Oakland, California to face the Golden State Warriors. The Blazers have notoriously played below par in Oracle Arena. In fact, the Blazers haven't won in Oakland in 9 games. Their last win in Oracle Arena was in November 2004. That being said, Portland was looking to break the Oracle Arena curse and take away a much needed win.

Starting Five:

LaMarcus Aldridge

Marcus Camby

Nicolas Batum

Andre Miller

Brandon Roy

The MVP of the night was without a doubt Brandon Roy. Roy completely carried this team through 3 whole quarters and came away with a remarkable 41 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists (Assist count is low when you're the only one who can get the shots to drop if you know what I mean) and 2 steals. Roy shot 14 - 22 from the field and 13 - 17 from the line. This is why B Roy is an all star, his team was struggling on both ends of the court so Brandon took it upon himself to keep the Blazers in the game. Roy had been struggling trying to come back from his hamstring injury but I think his performance in the last couple games, this one especially proves Roy Bot is back with a vengeance and we couldn't be happier. Andre Miller took the silver spot with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and even a blocked shot. Money Miller shot 4 - 15 from the field and 7 - 8 from the line. LaMarcus Aldridge, despite a dismal first three quarters was able to sneak into third place with a huge 4th quarter! Aldridge scored only 4 points in the first three quarters, allowing Brandon Roy to take over but in the 4th, LMA gave his co-captain a break and went on to outscore the entire Golden State team with 10 points. The L-Train tallied 14 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist. Thankfully LaMarcus got his stuff together in the 4th but we really need LaMarcus early in the game. We were lucky to scrape out this win but we can't simply depend on Brandon Roy to dig us out in future games and especially not in the playoffs.

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

The beginning of this game made it seem as if the Oracle Arena curse had struck again and we would be looking at a big fat loss but thanks in large part to our all-star and undisputed leader, Brandon Roy we were able to scrape out a win. The fourth quarter is when this team came alive and realized they needed to start playing some serious basketball if they wanted to come out with the W. I don't know if someone kicked over the Gatorade cooler or something but some serious sense got knocked into the Blazers and they started playing with urgency and intensity. A big contribution to this win was getting the Warriors in foul trouble. Portland was able to get Ellis AND Maggette to foul out of the game and brought Stephen Curry to 5 fouls nearly fouling out himself. The Blazers got to the line 37 times and shot about 84%. All this contributed to a 110 - 105 win for Portland.

Photo(s) of the Night:

Just look at Rudy throwin' the three in Nelly's face.

You might have arrived 4 quarters late but you did arrive LMA.

The Blazers next played the second of back to back in California against the Sacramento Kings, whom we only just played at the Rose Garden earlier this week. Afyer a big come from behind win in Oakland the night before, Portland was looking for a blow-out to give them a 2 - 0 California road trip and give Coach McMillan his 400th win.

Starting Five:

LaMarcus Aldridge

Marcus Camby

Nicolas Batum

Andre Miller

Brandon Roy

Roy is our MVP for the second night in a row with 28 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. The RoyBot shot  10 - 13 from the field and a perfect 2 - 2 from beyond the arch and 6 - 6 from the line. Not too shabby considering he was coming off a 41 points in 42 minutes night. LaMarcus Aldridge stepped up his game (in the fourth quarter) and reclaimed the silver spot with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. Once again it took some time for LMA to find his rhythm but when he did it was smooth sailing to the finish line. 

Here's a Look At the Box Score:

This game was a pretty smooth win for the Blazers. We took the lead early and were able to maintain it through to the end. There were some spots when the Kings made a run but the Blazers were able to keep their momentum and grab the win. We even got to see a little bit of newest Blazer, Travis Diener! The 6-1' point guard we acquired from the Indiana Pacers clocked his first minutes as a Blazers and showed that he's an extremely unselfish guy as he made plays and passed the ball instead of trying to get points on the board for himself. The guard didn't tally any points but he did come away with one assist. Diener seems like a pretty good guy but I'm not going to lie, I wanted some Patty Mills out there. Regardless, the Blazers were able to shut the game down and come away with a 110 - 94 win making this head coach, Nate McMillan's 400th career win! Congrats to the coach and the team!

Photo of the Night:

I can almost hear the infamous BayWatch: "HEEEEY?!" scream through this picture.

The Blazers next come back home to face former Blazer Jarrett "JSquared" Jack and the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.

•  The Trail Blazers have won three straight games in the series. Neither team has won more than three games consecutively in series history. A win Sunday would provide Portland with back-to-back season sweeps and its longest win streak vs. Toronto, all-time (four). 

•  Portland led by as many as 17 points in a 101-87 victory in Toronto in the first game of the series. Brandon Roy (20 points) and Andre Miller (18 points) led the way in scoring for the Trail Blazers. Miller’s 10 assists tied Roy’s record of 10 assists (Jan. 13, 2008) for the most by a Trail Blazer against the Raptors in series history. 

•  The Trail Blazers and Raptors had split the last five season series before Portland nabbed its first series win last year since 2002-03 and its fifth two-game sweep overall. Toronto only has one sweep over Portland in 13 series contested (1996-97). 

•  Portland outrebounded Toronto, 88-67, including a 30-16 margin on the offensive glass last season. The Trail Blazers gained a 35-23 edge in second-chance points. 

•  Brandon Roy notched team highs of 23.5 points (57.1% FG) and 8.0 assists in two contests vs. Toronto last year. 

•  Chris Bosh led Toronto with 24.0 points (15-15 FT) and 7.0 rebounds in two games vs. Portland a season ago. Bosh’s 38 points in Toronto’s Jan. 13, 2008, double overtime win are the most ever scored by a Raptor against the Trail Blazers. 

•  The Raptors did not miss a free throw against the Trail Blazers last season, shooting 25-for-25 from the line. Portland went 29- for-36 (80.6%) in two meetings. 

•  Brandon Roy logged his first career double-double on Dec. 22, 2006, against the Raptors, with 16 points and 10 rebounds to go along with eight assists. 

•  Rudy Fernandez plays on the Spanish National Team with Toronto guard Jose Calderon. Calderon matched the record for assists by a Raptor against the Trail Blazers with 13 on Dec. 7, 2008. 

•  Toronto guard Jarrett Jack posted 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three seasons with the Trail Blazers from 2005-08.

(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

Blazers Best The Kings at the Rose Garden

Tuesday night the Blazers welcomed the Sacramento Kings to the Rose Garden. For the Blazers this game was a must win. With the western conference as tight as it is, it is necessary to beat below .500 teams. Sacramento, who will not be making the playoffs this year, is simply holding on, winning what they can when they can until the regular season is finished.

Starting Cinco:

LaMarcus Aldridge
Nicolas Batum
Marcus Camby
Andre Miller
Brandon Roy

B Roy took back the leading scorer position with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Roy had a much smoother game against the Kings but still had some rough spots. It's a shame that we can't count on made free throws from Roy right now but he did have a much better game and seemed to have a little more confidence in his shots. He shot 50% from the field and 3 - 7 from the line. Nico Batum and Andre Miller tied for second with 14 points a piece. Batum also tallied 2 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 6 - 7 from the field while Dre added 2 rebounds and 5 assists while shooting 4 - 9 from the field and a perfect 6 - 6 from the line. LaMarcus Aldridge came in a close third with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. If we want to stay alive in the playoffs at all we need to see more production from LMA and B Roy, I'm just puttin' that out there.

Here's A Look At The Rest Of The Box Score:

It was anything but perfect but it was a win. We had a big lead and saw it start to dwindle once again but luckily we were able to hold the kings off and get a win. One of the big plusses from this game is that we  held a team that averages over 100 points a game down to 81. Good job team! We were also able to contain Tyreke Evans under 20 points when he averages a solid 20.3 points per game. Portland kept the Kings at 43% field goald shooting and scraped out the W 88 - 81. One discomforting factor that we saw tonight was that Marcus Camby really can't inbound the ball. The 6'11 power forward, we recently acquired from Los Angeles, had 4 turnovers in this game alone. Careful with that ball Marcus, it's precious! I'm not saying "oh no! we shouldn't have traded for him!" nor am I suggesting you say that but let's just keep Camby down low blocking shots and getting rebounds rather than handling the ball shall we? ;-) All in all it was a much needed win and the Blazers did what they had to do to get it.

Photo of the night:

Like a work of art.

The Blazers next travel to the dreaded Oracle Arena in Oakland, California to play the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.

•  The Warriors have won nine straight games in Oakland and 13 of the last 18 meetings in the series overall. Portland last won the series, a 4-0 sweep, in 2002-03. 

•  Portland and Golden State have the split the first two games of the 2009-10 series, with each team winning at home. The Trail Blazers have earned an 88-73 rebounding edge, including a 30-22 margin on the offensive glass, in the two meetings. 

•  In two series contests, Brandon Roy leads Portland with 27.0 points per game (18-33 FG, 16-18 FT). Andre Miller has added 18.5 points per contest in two games. 

•  Golden State won last season’s series, 2-1, with the home team winning all three contests. The home team has won nine straight games in the series, including four in a row by the Trail Blazers in Portland. 

•  Both teams averaged better than 105 points per game (Portland, 105.7; Golden State, 105.3) in three meetings last year. The winning team has scored more than 100 points in each of the last 12 games in the series. 

•  The Trail Blazers gained a 125-112 rebounding advantage, including a 46-34 edge on the offensive glass, in three series games in 2008-09. Portland outscored Golden State in the paint, 144-110. 

•  The Warriors gained 30 points on the Trail Blazers in three games by shooting 90-for-100 (90.0%) from the free throw line last year. Portland went 60-for-77 (77.9%). 

•  Brandon Roy led the Trail Blazers with 26.0 points (58.0% FG, 6-9 3-PT), 5.3 assists and 2.67 steals (tied) in three games against the Warriors last season. 

•  Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson has coached more games vs. the Trail Blazers than any other active NBA head coach (52-53). 

•  Golden State television broadcaster Jim Barnett played in Portland’s inaugural season in 1970-71, averaging a team second-best 18.5 points per game. 

(Pictures: Yahoo! Sports)

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)