tlongII
10-05-2009, 01:40 PM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/rose_garden_fills_for_blazers.html
If there was any doubt that anticipation for the upcoming Trail Blazers season is overflowing a little more than three weeks from the regular-season opener, there were 16,752 voices of validation Sunday night at the Rose Garden.
A record crowd filled the arena for the team's annual Fan Fest, a free event that allows Rip City to watch the Blazers up close a week into training camp. And even though there were few jaw-dropping highlights, the throng of fans was treated to a competitive game that saw Steve Blake earn MVP honors and several Blazers demonstrate they are in midseason form.
"I liked what I saw," said coach Nate McMillan, who watched intently from the team bench but did not coach. "We wanted to just get some work in. We didn't want to be sloppy out there today. I thought it was a good game. A good, competitive game."
Fans lined up by the thousands well before the gates opened at 5 p.m. And when the doors finally opened, those at the front of the line sprinted through the concourses, heading for the 100-level seats that are usually reserved for season-ticket holders.
A majority seemed to be wearing Blazers jerseys, prompting general manager Kevin Pritchard to wonder, "Have you ever seen so many Blazer jerseys?" Random fans waved and shouted hello to Pritchard, who waved back, smiling ear to ear and soaking in the scene.
"This is nuts," he said.
There were a smattering of painted faces -- including one guy sitting center-court colored in flames -- one girl sported a pink wig and one person held a handmade sign that read: "OUR TEAM, OUR TIME."
"I think it just shows what type of fans we have," McMillan said. "Four years ago, when I came here, we may have had 1,000 or 2,000 people in the stands at that time. To see this grow and to see the fan support come back is a great thing."
The boisterous crowd was so impressive it would have dwarfed some regular-season crowds at NBA arenas in other cities.
"It's crazy we had that many people there," Blake said. "Just the intensity they brought to this was as good as some other home courts for some teams."
After the crowd had settled into its seats, the player introductions — which featured a thunderous standing ovation for Brandon Roy — had concluded and a pair of 10-year-old boys announced the rosters, Nicolas Batum drained a pull-up jumper to start the scoring. Martell Webster, who played opposite Batum, quickly answered with a baseline three-pointer and the game was on. That matchup was one of the most intriguing as the two athletic small forwards went head-to-head in their battle for a starting spot.
Batum, clearly aided by his summer with the French National Team, looked fluid and appeared to be in midseason form. He scored a game-high 13 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting. The Blazers had hoped Batum would improve his long-range shooting entering the season and Sunday was a positive step as he drained 2 of 4 three-pointers.
Webster, who missed all but five minutes of last season with a foot injury, finished with nine points and hit his only three-point attempt. He cured all concerns about his recovered left foot with at least two athletic dunks. Webster tried to deliver the biggest highlight-reel play of the night when he took a three-on-one fast break to the rim and attempted a high-flying one-handed dunk over Joel Przybilla.
Webster, who said he thought Przybilla was going to get out of the way, missed the dunk, but did not miss catching the eye of anyone in the building.
"I guess he can say he's back, right?" Blake said, laughing.
Blake certainly is back. About 90 minutes before tipoff, the Blazers’ two-year starting point guard was playing with his 3-year-old son on the Rose Garden floor, dribbling the ball in circles around the toddler and teasing him to get a steal. During the game, Blake mixed a steady dose of pinpoint passes with an accurate outside shot (5 of 8 from three-point range), and finished with 17 points and 11 assists to earn the MVP trophy.
Greg Oden was aggressive throughout the first half, experimenting with his new arsenal of offensive moves. He drained a left-handed hook shot and completed a pretty spin move for a left-handed layup and was solid defensively, evidenced by a mammoth two-handed block on a Batum drive. Oden finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds and finished 6 of 12 from the field.
Roy had five points and played the second-fewest minutes because of a tender right hamstring — although he said the injury is nothing serious. LaMarcus Aldridge (13 points, 10 rebounds) was solid and Rudy Fernandez struggled from the field (2 of 9) but played extended minutes at point guard and looked confident, registering nine assists.
Offseason acquisition Andre Miller, playing in front of the Portland fans for the first time, excelled, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. During one breathtaking play, Miller dove for a loose ball and, while lying on the ground, passed a bullet to a cutting Webster for a baseline dunk.
It was one play the 16,752 fans surely will not forget. And the crowd itself, which topped last season's then-record fan fest turnout by more than 5,500, is something this team won’t forget.
“That was fun,” Webster said. “The crowd was special. That lets us know that the city is behind us and now they know we’re ready to do great things.”
If there was any doubt that anticipation for the upcoming Trail Blazers season is overflowing a little more than three weeks from the regular-season opener, there were 16,752 voices of validation Sunday night at the Rose Garden.
A record crowd filled the arena for the team's annual Fan Fest, a free event that allows Rip City to watch the Blazers up close a week into training camp. And even though there were few jaw-dropping highlights, the throng of fans was treated to a competitive game that saw Steve Blake earn MVP honors and several Blazers demonstrate they are in midseason form.
"I liked what I saw," said coach Nate McMillan, who watched intently from the team bench but did not coach. "We wanted to just get some work in. We didn't want to be sloppy out there today. I thought it was a good game. A good, competitive game."
Fans lined up by the thousands well before the gates opened at 5 p.m. And when the doors finally opened, those at the front of the line sprinted through the concourses, heading for the 100-level seats that are usually reserved for season-ticket holders.
A majority seemed to be wearing Blazers jerseys, prompting general manager Kevin Pritchard to wonder, "Have you ever seen so many Blazer jerseys?" Random fans waved and shouted hello to Pritchard, who waved back, smiling ear to ear and soaking in the scene.
"This is nuts," he said.
There were a smattering of painted faces -- including one guy sitting center-court colored in flames -- one girl sported a pink wig and one person held a handmade sign that read: "OUR TEAM, OUR TIME."
"I think it just shows what type of fans we have," McMillan said. "Four years ago, when I came here, we may have had 1,000 or 2,000 people in the stands at that time. To see this grow and to see the fan support come back is a great thing."
The boisterous crowd was so impressive it would have dwarfed some regular-season crowds at NBA arenas in other cities.
"It's crazy we had that many people there," Blake said. "Just the intensity they brought to this was as good as some other home courts for some teams."
After the crowd had settled into its seats, the player introductions — which featured a thunderous standing ovation for Brandon Roy — had concluded and a pair of 10-year-old boys announced the rosters, Nicolas Batum drained a pull-up jumper to start the scoring. Martell Webster, who played opposite Batum, quickly answered with a baseline three-pointer and the game was on. That matchup was one of the most intriguing as the two athletic small forwards went head-to-head in their battle for a starting spot.
Batum, clearly aided by his summer with the French National Team, looked fluid and appeared to be in midseason form. He scored a game-high 13 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting. The Blazers had hoped Batum would improve his long-range shooting entering the season and Sunday was a positive step as he drained 2 of 4 three-pointers.
Webster, who missed all but five minutes of last season with a foot injury, finished with nine points and hit his only three-point attempt. He cured all concerns about his recovered left foot with at least two athletic dunks. Webster tried to deliver the biggest highlight-reel play of the night when he took a three-on-one fast break to the rim and attempted a high-flying one-handed dunk over Joel Przybilla.
Webster, who said he thought Przybilla was going to get out of the way, missed the dunk, but did not miss catching the eye of anyone in the building.
"I guess he can say he's back, right?" Blake said, laughing.
Blake certainly is back. About 90 minutes before tipoff, the Blazers’ two-year starting point guard was playing with his 3-year-old son on the Rose Garden floor, dribbling the ball in circles around the toddler and teasing him to get a steal. During the game, Blake mixed a steady dose of pinpoint passes with an accurate outside shot (5 of 8 from three-point range), and finished with 17 points and 11 assists to earn the MVP trophy.
Greg Oden was aggressive throughout the first half, experimenting with his new arsenal of offensive moves. He drained a left-handed hook shot and completed a pretty spin move for a left-handed layup and was solid defensively, evidenced by a mammoth two-handed block on a Batum drive. Oden finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds and finished 6 of 12 from the field.
Roy had five points and played the second-fewest minutes because of a tender right hamstring — although he said the injury is nothing serious. LaMarcus Aldridge (13 points, 10 rebounds) was solid and Rudy Fernandez struggled from the field (2 of 9) but played extended minutes at point guard and looked confident, registering nine assists.
Offseason acquisition Andre Miller, playing in front of the Portland fans for the first time, excelled, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. During one breathtaking play, Miller dove for a loose ball and, while lying on the ground, passed a bullet to a cutting Webster for a baseline dunk.
It was one play the 16,752 fans surely will not forget. And the crowd itself, which topped last season's then-record fan fest turnout by more than 5,500, is something this team won’t forget.
“That was fun,” Webster said. “The crowd was special. That lets us know that the city is behind us and now they know we’re ready to do great things.”