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LMAO, Denver had absolutely nothing to play for, just chill out children.
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/ore...siness_fo.html
They used an anvil on the Lakers. And a sledgehammer on San Antonio. And the Trail Blazers steamrolled the Clippers, and Oklahoma City got the business end of Travis Outlaw's jumper.
And so the Blazers pulled out the scalpel against Denver Wednesday.
Sick stuff.
Portland sliced up Denver 104-76.
The Blazers bench accounted for 72 points. No Portland starter scored in double figures. And so what's next? Death by paper cut?
And so there is great poetry in seeing Portland with the home court, matched up with the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. As much as opponents love to say they enjoy the big stage and the grand challenge of postseason basketball, and love playing a young team with big stakes, I'm not so sure anyone wants to meet the Blazers in a dark alley. And that's exactly what the Rose Garden is right now.
Hardwood .
Owner Paul Allen passed me in the arena hallway before the game. His body guards walked with him, and as we passed I asked Allen what it's like to own a team playing so well, and inflicting such pain on opponents.
Allen leaned in and said, "I'm having so much fun."
Sadist.
Just like you.
I've long believed the Rockets were the worst possible playoff matchup for the Blazers. Ron Artest is too strong. Yao Ming is a walking mismatch. Aaron Brooks is trouble. But after seeing the Blazers over the last three weeks I'm not sure there's a team in the West that can, without question, beat Portland on its home court.
It's getting too far ahead to call Portland a lock to win a series, but they're, without doubt, a raving headache for the opposition. That includes the Lakers. And certainly includes the Nuggets. So why not the Rockets?
So maybe there was something extra there in watching the Blazers whack that disjointed, me-first, Carmelo-ized bunch.
The Nuggets may have more tattoos. And they may throw more elbows. And if we're being real, they probably remind you a lot of the unlovable 1999-2002 Blazers. But anyone who has watched Portland play in the last month understood the Nuggets were toast the minute the ball went up.
Portland is 13-3 since March 13. The Blazers went 7-1 on the road in that span. They blew out the Spurs. They clobbered the Lakers. And down went the Nuggets (nine assists) in a game in which the Blazers had 29 assists.
What we have here is a team that believes very deeply in itself. The Blazers are playing their best basketball of the season, at the time in which playing your best basketball matters. And so the challenge here isn't just to win a series, and build some experience for the future, but to get themselves a date with the top-seed Lakers and see what happens.
Portland is a scary matchup right now.
The Blazers may still be the league's second-youngest team, but what counts today is where the team ranks in its level of play. If there's a team playing better basketball, it hasn't visited the Rose Garden lately.
I know the Blazers' marketing department is busy promoting that outsiders believe the Blazers to be "too young," and "too soft." As if they're underdogs, or the uninvited guest to this postseason. But you'd have a difficult time convincing any of the Blazers victims over the last month that Portland is anything but a legitimate threat to win the Western Conference.
I thought I'd write that someday. Just not this day. And that's what Brandon Roy and his followers make you do after you watch them toy with the Nuggets.
It very well could be that we were watching a preview of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday, by the way. So be it if it comes to that, because watching the Nuggets and Blazers is like watching a ghost from the franchise past run up and down the floor against Nate McMillan's team.
White hats vs. black hats, all the way.
By the way, Carmelo Anthony went 3 for 18, which is understandable because his elbow was aimed at Outlaw's throat the entire evening.
Also, there's the matter of the gauze that was stuffed up Chris Andersen's nostril after he met an unkind Greg Oden hand movement. Not an elbow, a wave of the hand. And so it seems we have some natural storylines should the Western Conference's two biggest antonyms meet again this season.
The next couple of weeks are not about survival. They are not about saving face. The Blazers should not be satisfied just being happy to be a participant in the postseason. There is unfinished business for this team, and anything short of winning a series would be a monumental disappointment.
Is there pressure in knowing you can win?
I'm not worried about the Blazers folding.
Portland just won 10 of 11, including six games by 20 or more points. I'd use the word "smoked" to describe the activity by the home team, but I'm worried it's just too soon to pull that one out.
Just call it a thumping for now.
The attendants just inside the front doors to the entrances at the Rose Garden Arena peeled off Trail Blazers team posters and handed them to fans who skipped into the building.
There was one large word printed on them.
"TOGETHER."
LMAO, Denver had absolutely nothing to play for, just chill out children.
hahah Houston owns you. The Rockets will steamroll the Blazers.
When Hitler died, he went to Portland?
Get this man a job writing press releases for the teabagging/2M4M folks.I'd use the word "smoked" to describe the activity by the home team, but I'm worried it's just too soon to pull that one out.
just start the clock on time and we won't have any problems.
laughing at all the free agents that will exit stage left from the Blazers. This is your year chumps. Enjoy it while you can because you won't sniff the playoffs for awhile.
Yes, the losses of Steve Francis, Raef LaFrentz, Darius Miles, and the great Michael Ruffin will surely prevent the Blazers from making the playoffs next year.
2010 Free Agents for the Portland Trail Blazers
Restricted LaMarcus Aldridge, Sergio Rodriguez, Brandon Roy
Unrestricted Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, Joel Przybilla (ETO)
Say goodbye to your bench Portland. In one year, Morey will buy Brandon Roy and then you'll be screwed forever. Either that or he'll make a fine trade with another team and aquire Brandon Roy. lol
That's two offseasons from today, which kind of screws with your "this is your year" schtick.
You forgot that wrist injury requiring surgery when he was with Ohio State.
No that's the 2009-2010 offseason
Which is two offseasons from today.
the article is correct in its assessment that portland is .
the only reason i want the blazers to win is that they wouldnt lay down and die against the lakers like houston would.
it's either 2009 or 2010 offseason, it can't be 2009-2010.
This is very true, the Blazers can take the Lakers to seven, Houston would find a way to lose in less then four games.
this article is funny. How come the below .500 road record wasnt mentioned haha. Most teams are good in their own arena, nothing new. Im really lookin forward for this series. Rockets defense will do a good job on these young guys. If Rudy Fernandez & Blake dont get many wide open three's, then i can see thr rockets steal 1 of the first 2 games in portland. Yao needs to score more in the 2nd half too. Pryzbilla & Oden will pick up so many fouls so they just need to keep posting up yao for 4 quarters.
The rockets are going to win the first game by default because of the blazers lack of experience.
It almost always happens.
I still think Portland will advance but Houston will put up a better fight then SA would have. SA just can't hang with Portland.
I want LA to play Portland too, that would be fun to watch. I highly doubt it would go 7 games though. The Lakers would most likely take the first 2 & home. The blazers are inexperienced so i think they would feel lots of pressure if they went down 0-2. LA is due for a win in Portland & i think they'll win 1 there if they play em in the 2nd round. You just gotta take them out of their game.
This. It's always been like that in the playoffs
JailBlazers>this squad
That article is nearly 900 words worth of masturbation material for people living in Portland.
I do hope that Portland pounds the Rockets so that they can give the Lakers , but still, that article activates my gag reflex. Give me a ing break.
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