Trail Post - A Portland Trail Blazers Blog

Be back tomorrow.

You and me both, buddy

We’re back at it again. Tonight comes down to either two options, life-assuring win or soul-crushing defeat.

As said before, both of these teams know each other extremely well, and really nothing will change in this matchup from the last one. Both will try to execute the gameplan that’s been talked about for the last month or however long this series has lasted. Yao will try to go through us and set up his team. If he does it well, Houston wins. If Artest and Brooks fall in love with their jump shot and it doesn’t fall, we have a great chance of winning.

We need some indifference from the referees for a win. (I use the word indifference because we don’t exactly need help from them tonight, we just need them to call it both ways.) Along with that, Greg and Joel continuing their strong post defense is important, in addition to a scoring option not named Brandon Roy rising to the occasion. Assuming that Rudy will be starting tonight, he’ll be Nate’s designated, “We need a clutch performer, and I choose you.”

Basically, there’s nothing else to say about tonight. We know what will happen, but we don’t know how successful things will be for either team. To put a number on the odds that the Blazers win tonight, I’d probably say we have a 40% chance of seeing Saturday night. We seize this game, that’s when we hold all the cards and have all the advantages. We lose…let’s just not talk about that, okay?

That was a surprisingly subdued and relaxing elimination game win. That was some of the least urgent play I’ve seen out of the team all year. It was just businesslike and sanitary (save for Brandon Roy’s flu). Not once all night did it really seem like this team was going to lose. Sure there were lingering doubts when Houston took a brief lead in the fourth, and guys started missing free throws, but it wasn’t anything to get your jersey in a twist. The game was fully taken over by midway through the fourth, and guys started figuring out what they would be putting in their suitcases for a trip to Houston on Thursday.

Now on to the biggest Blazer fan story of the series: the officiating. The officiating was fair tonight. Even more so in the first quarter. It was a welcome change from Greg and Joel being in immediate foul trouble. It wasn’t that the Blazers got calls and the Rockets didn’t either; everything was fair. Borderline calls went to the right team. I could only count a couple of calls that went the wrong way, and it happened for both teams. It was easily the best called game of the series. However, take that compliment lightly; it’s a Barack Obama approval rating comment - sure it’s high praise, but a lot of it is just because the last guy authorized torture, choked on pretzels, and destroyed the economic well being of millions.

Last night was an incredibly solid defensive performance, too. It’s always fun to see the Blazers play good defense, because they do it in one of the prettiest ways possible. They don’t hang on guys like the Rockets; they move their feet well and rotate well. We saw that last night. It seemed like the only player to get an open shot was Luis Scola, and he burned the Blazers for it. Otherwise, things looked good.

Special credit to the center corps. Newly freed from the referees, Joel and Greg brought it. Yes, Yao Ming had a double double, but the defense these two had stalled the Houston offense whenever they looked into him. Both were very solid at fronting him. Greg Oden was everywhere. His defense on Yao through the fourth quarter is a big reason why the win looked so easy. He was out in front of him every time. At points, when Yao was open, Houston players didn’t even look down to him, because they figured Greg had it covered. Then of course there was the block. Von Wafer was going for his NBA Jam-style crowd silencer with a reverse one hander under the basket like he did in Games 1 and 3 (fan of odd numbers, I suppose) and instead was blocked into oblivion by Oden. If you looked on top of his head, you could see “Spalding” imprinted into his mohawk.

Take it, Wafer

And yes, this blog is shutting down the Batum Man Crush Bandwagon for the season. He had a brilliant season, but it’s clear that the Blazers are moving on to a more effective offensive playoff lineup with Rudy Fernandez playing much heavier minutes. This is not bad news. Batum was great during the regular season, but has disappeared in the playoffs. Rudy has stepped up in the ways we expected him to when he came to us before the season. He’s clutch, he loves the big moment, and he has an aura of chaos wherever he goes. It was strange last night when he came in. It wasn’t just our offense that became better, it was our rebounding. Rudy set the tone by crashing the boards and showing how important it was that everyone do their part. When the team gets 37 rebounds and not one person got more than 7, that’s a good thing.

Anyway, we got the next one tomorrow. We have the momentum, and we absolutely know we can beat these guys on their floor. With a fairly called game, we could bring this back to Portland.

We’ve been through this stupid dance way too many times already. We know the Rockets. They will attempt to push and scratch the Blazers as much as they can without getting called for a foul.

Yao Ming will be the focal part of their offense, but they will rely on key outside shooting from power forwards on the kick out in addition to strong play from back court guys like Ron Artest and Aaron Brooks. This is what they will do. They’ve eked out wins in the last two games and they should want to end this thing before it gets any worse.

The Blazers should continue with their same plan, perhaps with a few wrinkles added. There are things that work and don’t work against the Rockets. Having Channing Frye on the floor doesn’t work. Having actual centers does work. Having LaMarcus make shots works. Having him stand around as he gets destroyed on the defensive end doesn’t work. Driving the ball does work; but it doesn’t work when guys start doing the lame-duck jump pass. Three pointers work. Rudy Fernandez works. Travis Outlaw somehow works pretty well on defense, but has been abysmal on offense. Brandon Roy needs to work to win. Steve Blake needs his head on right to work. Basically, there’s work to be done.

The prediction: the Blazers have a lot more to fight for in this game than the Rockets. They’re playing for their lives at this moment and they won’t be beaten on their home floor. The Rockets would probably prefer ending this thing now, but wouldn’t mind ending it in Houston, anyway. Barring another referee-dominated first quarter deficit, the Blazers should win this one handily to send the series back to Texas.

A whole lot of wrong occurred this weekend. What makes it worse is that it wasn’t the case from game one where everything that could go wrong went wrong. It was a case of a plan of attack being put into action and then executed, but still falling that one point or three points short, just enough to know the Blazers are as good or better than the Rockets but not quite enough to win the series. They were only one play off.

That’s the worst part of these deficits. Any one play could have been it. That could have won the game. Luis Scola obviously hit a shot after the 24 second clock went off yesterday - THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE GAME. Brandon Roy didn’t step on the baseline Friday night - THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE GAME. The shots that rimmed out, the free throws that didn’t go in - THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE GAME. See a pattern developing?

It’s easy to press on the panic button here. We’re one game away from having our season ended, forced to endure a summer of Timbers soccer and Beavers baseball (along with a Mariners game or two if inclined to our northern neighbors), salivating for the next summer league game. It’s easy to think that we have no chance to win this series. Honestly, if we could only take one of four from this team, how could we expect to take the next three? It’s a self-defeating mindset. If you think this series is already lost, don’t bother watching it. No one wants to be near a sour attitude.

The THAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE GAME mindset from the last two games does have a silver lining. It means we executed our game plan. The Blazers didn’t play their best basketball but they still took Houston down to the wire in both games. The theory behind what they want to do (sandwiching Yao, trying to run) is working. Houston had a few lucky shots and hot games from unlikely and unseemly sources to put a wrench in the works. They are beatable. The Blazers know it because they’ve almost done it twice. Still, a few things held them back.

It’s easy to point fingers now, but what’s the point? The season isn’t over yet, but it will be in either the next week, or the next month. We’ll have until November to point fingers and describe why a player isn’t worthwhile, or why a coach isn’t right for the job. Let’s not waste breath, words, or time on this silly activity when we will have time for dissertations on the relative utility of a Jerryd Bayless drive during the summer. Things won’t change much for the rest of the series, for better or worse.

Now I’m going to break the rule I just wrote. There is one group that we all can point our fingers at and feel justified. It’s the referees. There’s a school of fandom out there that describes whining about the referees as the last resort of the loser. They’re right. However, that doesn’t make the loser wrong. There’s something wrong in a game where the entire center corps of a team is removed in the first quarter due to ticky tack perimeter fouls while a 7 foot 6 behemoth can initiate contact an entire game and pick up one foul. It’s wrong when Houston shoots 50% more free throws than the Blazers despite the Blazers taking more inside shots. In the three losses of the series so far, it hasn’t been the Blazers or the Rockets who have set the tone in the first quarter - it’s been the referees. In the last two games, the calls became more consistent and even throughout the last three quarters, but the damage had already been done. The Blazers have been digging out of a hole in the first for no discernible reason, aside from wearing the wrong name and the wrong stripes on the front of their jerseys.

We can blame the refs, and we have the right to.

These three day breaks are monstrous.

The Blazers’ learning process in the playoffs seems like they’re learning how to snowboard, or how to dance. The first game was an utter disaster, the equivalent of hitting a toddler on the bunny hill as soon as you leave the ski lift or accidentally breaking a partner’s high heel or pantsing them. It was awkward and painful for all who watched. However, they didn’t give up, and they were hungry for their next shot at it. This time they were able to do a box step without stepping on someone’s toes, they were able to haltingly make their way down the hill without any serious tumbles. It’s improvement.

Then this wait comes. It’s just painful. When a young team like this is improving and moving forward, no one wants to wait three days to see what the next chapter is. Even worse, this sort of wait only benefits one team in the series - and it’s not the Blazers. The giant dude will appreciate a long rest much more than a bunch of guys in their early 20s. Still, the game is tomorrow, and we will put up some pre-game for it.

No matter what, it’s fun to be in the playoffs. It would just be nice to see the Blazers keep on moving forward. Maybe this time they’ll move off the bunny hill, or at least learn how to moonwalk.

The tenor of the game was different from the beginning. It didn’t seem like the Rockets were any sort of different team, nor did it seem like the Blazers were any different either. Both played their game, but this time the shooting percentages equalized and the better team won.

It’s amazing how far luck can take you. It guided Houston to that romp on Saturday night, as every player torched the nets. I expected the crowd to take out some aggression on the Rockets during warm-ups too. Instead, the Rose Garden audience one-upped it. They ignored the Rockets with a “Let’s Go Blazers” cheer during the player introductions. Cold-blooded, guys.

“Sorry you only got 6 shots Yao, but you can’t cage a pit bull.”

Of course, when the game got started and Batum blocked Artest, we knew this game would be different. Where last game Adelman soundly beat McMillan in the coaching department, it was Nate this time throwing out crazy lineups. It was Nate with timeouts down the stretch of the game.

Brandon Roy put together a Brandon Roy performance. Remember when I said Brandon shouldn’t take more than 20 shots in a game? I’m dumb. Take as many shots as you like, Brandon, as long as they’re in the flow of the offense. He started the game by passing to his rejuvenated teammates and they responded by nailing threes. It’s amazing how open the offense becomes when Blake can knock down a couple. After the lane opened, it was just a field day for Roy. He did whatever he pleased, and hit clutch shots just because he could.

LaMarcus remembered there was a playoff game going and absolutely took over the game for a few stretches. I know it’s cliche to compare him to Rasheed Wallace, but that stretch of made baskets in the second quarter reminded me of playoff games I watched as a kid where Sheed would use all his back to the basket talent to demolish teams such as the Jazz and Timberwolves. Even more impressive was the amount of rebounds LaMarcus tallied. It’s tough to beat the Blazers when LaMarcus and Brandon combine for more than 60 points.

The supporting cast rocked, of course. I don’t feel like getting into it, but you know what happened. They made shots, they played well, and they didn’t screw up. Not to mention, they had the two biggest game changers. The first was that dunk by Greg Oden off of a rebound where he actually mis-timed his jump, but instead grabbed the ball out of the air, pumped it, and then threw it home, making Yao Ming’s head explode like a roman candle. The other one, of course, was Travis’ incredible steal from Luis Scola for the dunk late in the fourth quarter. That broke open the game and changed it from a possession for possession game to a “foul and hope” game. (Which turned out pretty well, as a bunch of Blazers missed free throws, and Aaron Brooks made some ridiculous shots. They could have won if their coach hadn’t dug them a hole. Way to preserve those time outs, Rick.)

One of the biggest issues from Game 1 was the refereeing, or more specifically, the fans’ treatment of the refereeing, and the media’s treatment of the fans’ treatment of the refereeing, or more specifically the fans’ treatment of the media’s treatment of the fans’ treatment of the refereeing, etc. Well, the refereeing last night sucked. It wasn’t nearly as insidious or one-sided as the first game, but it was bad. However, it was a fair type of horrible. There were makeup fouls galore on both ends, and constant reversed calls. Also, the style of calling benefited the Blazers greatly, as they were calling ticky-tack fouls at the top of the key, which allowed guys like Brandon and LaMarcus to get free as they weren’t pushed off their spots by Battier, Artest, and Scola. Still, Yao Ming would have to shank someone with a jagged piece of glass to pick up a fifth foul.

Finally, it was damn sad to see Dikembe Mutombo leave the floor last night. He’s one of the all-time great centers and one of the greatest characters in the game’s history. I hope that the injury wasn’t career ending, but if it was, what a hell of a career. Get well soon, Deke.

Let’s forget about that first game. That was the flukiest fluke that ever fluked. We got fluked in the ass pretty bad. Whatever. Yao Ming going 9-9? Fluke. Luis Scola putting up more than 15 and being the leading rebounder? Motherfluker. This won’t be happening again.

Things like this have happened before, even to the Blazers franchise. To begin the regular season, the Blazers put up their other worst performance. They were absolutely destroyed by the Lakers after months of build-up and anticipation. This time, the build-up and anticipation were there, but they were compacted into 3 days. The Blazers crapped their shorts. Of course, the next game they recovered by beating San Antonio for the first time in years.

There’s another time this has happened in Blazers history too. Back in 2000, the Blazers were playing in a seven game series against the Lakers. During that first game, the Blazers absolutely destroyed the Lakers down in LA. However, that wasn’t the end of the Lakers. We all know how this series ended. Maybe karma can give us something back for that torture.

To be honest though, cosmic forces and coincidences won’t win tonight’s game. Rebounding will. Running will. Defense will.

The recipe for a win tonight against the Rockets is the same it’s been for any Blazer game this season. Play your game. The Blazers are more athletic than the Rockets and they absolutely need to make the Rockets remember that. This means running around on them; get their joints and old bones aching to get off the floor. Then you run even harder.

Players need to cut and be aggressive. Brandon Roy taking more than 20 shots is a death sentence every single time. He needs help. His drives into groups of Rockets with no outlet leads to easy fast-break points for the other team. He needs outlets and he needs to be comfortable with them. The supporting cast will have to step up.

I could go on and on, but we all know the story. There’s only one goal tonight, and that’s a win. If we win, then we can start talking about stealing a game in Houston and trying to make this a series again.

It was a sunny day and I got burnt.

The collection of orange basketballs that they were handing out made no sense. I think they were cell phone holders. Isn’t that what pockets are for?

Martell Webster threw me a t-shirt. I’m a dick, so I didn’t give it to a little kid. What kid is going to be able to wear a men’s large t-shirt stylishly? On the other side, do sports t-shirts ever really look stylish?

Speaking of style, many people were rocking the t-shirt less jersey look. They shouldn’t. The only armpits I should see with basketball jerseys are those of people who make millions of dollars. Paul Allen is allowed too.

Haarlow had serious love coming her way. From Mike Rice.

Mike Rice was everything you could have hoped for and more. He came out with his proud faux-hawk. Too bad the Birdman ruined the look the night before.

Rice’s response to what to look for in the Rockets series: “FORGET THE ROCKIES, BRING ON THE LAKERS.”

I’m 99% sure that the brown liquid in Rice’s glass was not Dr Pepper or Coca-Cola. (It’s scotch, dummy.)

Rice’s favorite moment from the season: “The time they brought the bottle of vodka to press row.” I wish I could make this stuff up.

Nate got the loudest cheer from everyone. The Jerry-Springer-esque “Nate! Nate! Nate!” chant got a little exasperating after the seventh Nate.

Webster gave me a t-shirt. (Had to mention it again.) Saved 20 bucks! Maybe I’ll give it to my girlfriend as a gift. Nah, she reads this blog and will know that I got it for free.

The Philly Cheese Steak Cart is delicious.

Five Guys Named Moe are like a low-rent version of the Commitments (This is a good thing).

Listen, I have nothing against the people of Houston, but I’m hoping the Blazers make the Rockets fans regret the fact that they were born. That’s all.

This blog previously has mentioned the Rockets, and not in a flattering light. In fact, we called them the Worst Case Scenario. This mostly addressed the fact that the Rockets are a brilliantly constructed team for winning, with one of the league’s greatest centers, a reliable scorer at the shooting guard position (even if he’s always injured), and some of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Too bad they can’t find their way out of the first round of the playoffs.

Today, though, there’s another sense of the phrase “Worst Case Scenario.” This is one of two teams in the Western Conference this season that absolutely dominated the Blazers. From seeding and storyline and winning perspectives, this is a disaster. Sure, the Blazers and the Rockets have some history over this season, and the Blazers do own the most memorable moment in the NBA this season over them, but that’s not quite enough. The Rockets have those blowouts where the push the Blazers around and make them look silly.

I’m going to take a break from whining here to address what could have been: Spurs-Blazers. Imagine it for a second. The playoffs’ youngest team versus its oldest. You have the old guard that has been the team of this decade taking on the team of the next decade. It’s a passing of the torch, the handing over of the car keys. Aldridge gets to decimate Duncan and then Duncan shakes his hand after the series with a bug-eyed expression on his face. Tragic this happened. Why couldn’t have Houston beaten Dallas?

We have Houston, though. They have the ugliest style of play in the NBA and easily the least likable team as well, despite the preening the Nuggets to try to steal the title away. This series is going to be a chore to watch, and if the Blazers weren’t in it, I wouldn’t give it a single minute of my time. The Rockets are the worst team in the league aesthetically. They will try to ugly it up, and hope Yao Ming bulls through our center corps. They’ll have Battier and Artest harry Roy and Rudy on the perimeter. Brooks will try to get out and run. That asshole Scola will flop and get every call because referees are blinded by stringy greasy locks. Despite all this, here’s what the Blazers will do: win.

Who honestly thought that his final game would have serious playoff implications and be between two of the top four teams in the Western Conference when the schedule was announced? Everybody thought these teams would be duking it out in the sixth to eighth seed until the end of the season with this game perhaps being the one to bounce the Blazers out of the playoffs for the sixth straight year. How things have changed.

We know the Nuggets and the Nuggets know us. They’re one of the least likable teams in the league, running with the Spurs and the Rockets, while only falling behind the Lakers in relative hate in the Western Conference. They push, they preen, and they think they’re much better than they are.

I wish that the All-NBA teams were announced before this game just so Roy could have another reason to absolutely demolish Chauncey Billups tonight. Billups will be on the second team and Roy will be on the third, and it will be a horrible injustice. Billups is, without a doubt, one of the most overrated players in the league. Almost any real PG could have come into that system and turned that team around to a degree. Hell, look at Steve Blake. He improved that team when he went over there. Billups is a good PG that got put in an incredible situation.

Oh yeah, let’s hope Rudy remembers that hair move that the Birdman did after a dunk during the last game. I’d love to see Rudy run his hand through his curly locks after throwing down an alley-oop on the NBA’s most annoying player.

Anyway, it’s going to be a great end to a regular season that was incredible. I think we’re all just antsy for the playoffs right now.

The playoffs start on Saturday. Portland could be hosting on that day, if we win out. Granted, the Blazer fans are some of the rowdiest and independent in the NBA, able to start up cheers and chants with a single blown Steve Javie call or Greg Oden attempt at breaking the backboard, but occasionally, even our fans need a little inspiration. That’s where the stadium song (or jock jam) comes in. If the effect an Oden dunk has on a crowd is anything like throwing a Jonas Brothers poster to a gaggle of tweens, then the properly chosen song has the effect of throwing a Jonas Brother (probably Joe, I hear he’s the dreamiest) into said gaggle. With the playoffs starting, it’s time to get to know ten of the best and worst being played at the Rose Garden.

The Don’t Ever Play This Song Again Division
The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
Nothing says basketball like pop goth. This always comes up during a key possession during the second or third quarter. You’re getting into it, and then these horrible drums drown out the crowd noise and the Blazers turn the ball over and the other team dunks and Baby Jesus cries. Seriously, in games I’ve gone to, the success rate of the team falls to 23% on Beautiful People possessions.

The Mid-90s Division

Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project
This song defined the playoffs to the generation growing up in the 90s. It’s better known to most as the Chicago Bulls intro theme. It strikes that perfect middle ground between tense and quiet, and intense and loud. If only the Bulls didn’t steal it from the rest of us.

The “You’re Trying To Hard, Weezy” Division
Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne
The moment I heard this song, I knew it was going to be played at a stadium within the next week. I heard it that night during a game against the Kings. On the surface it seems perfect for the jock jam, as it has the loud snare drums and claps for the crowd, and it talks about rocking, and it has a sing-along part. Then you realize it’s too perfect, like it’s been focus-grouped into existence. Everyone knows the best jock jams are effortless.

The Rainbow Flag Division
YMCA by The Village People
It’s all about the hand motions and not the meaning. And the trumpet break right before the chorus. Byoo byoo byoo! “Y,” etc. Everyone knows and has experienced the greatness of a seeing a 60 year old get into a song about finding a good place to stay with all the boys.

The Who Cares If They’re A Pedophile Division
Rock and Roll, Part 2 by Gary Glitter
Any song that gives a the crowd a chance to drunkenly yell “Hey” will always have a place in my heart.

The Banned 90s Video Game Division
Techno Syndrome by The Immortals
“MORTAL KOMBAT!” Watch out for t-shirts flung by furries or coupons falling from SUV-blimps above while this is playing.

The Serpentine Dance Division
Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses
This will be heard every single game right before the actual player introductions. It tends to be the crowd introduction, as for some reason Portland needs to introduce the audience to the audience before the players. It’s confusing business.

The Epic Division

Oh Fortuna - Carl Orff
This bombastic operatic piece sets the tone for one of the most hilariously awkward intro videos in the NBA. You know the team is ready for the game when the players are moving a basketball slowly in front of their faces. The worst part about the Diogu for Ruffin trade is that we don’t get to see Ike’s creepy peekaboo slow basketball move anymore.

The Wherever You May Be Division
The Blazers Theme
These trumpets playing for five seconds can instantly get the blood pressure of any Portland fan up no matter where they are, no matter what time of year. It could be raining in September, and the season hasn’t even started yet, but once those trumpets come on, you’re getting rim-checked trying to do 360 dunks on the eight foot rim down at the elementary school.

The Best of All Time Division

Kerncraft 400 (Stadium Chant Remix) by Zombie Nation
Just fast forward to the 2:00 mark and let the intensity flow through you. The unparalleled greatest jock jam of all time. It does everything right, it’s crowd-pleasing, it’s technically proficient, and it’s effortless at the same time. It’s the Brandon Roy of music.

Hopefully this is a good primer for those of you planning to see the Blazers make their playoff return this weekend.

How does it feel to be one of the best teams in the NBA for years and not be able to beat one team in their arena no matter how hard you try? Anyway, the Blazers won once again. They are shaping up to be one of the scariest teams in the NBA and they are peaking at exactly the right moment. I may be speaking out of turn here, but I imagine most of the fan base right now isn’t just thinking “try your best” for our playoff goals. The phrase is “get past the first round.” This team, the greatest young team in NBA history, through some sort of magic, has arrived, and is ready to take the best shot from any other team in the league. That’s frightening.

Last night, I switched venues for watching the game from my house to a sports bar on 21st during halftime. During my eight block walk from where I parked to the actual sports bar, I was able to take a look inside the assorted bars and restaurants lining the street. Every television in every restaurant was showing Barrett and Rice analyzing the halftime stats, and every patron in every filled restaurant had their eyes glued to the screen, eating up every nugget about turnover differential. When I met friends over at Underdogs, everyone in there was clapping and screaming as if they were at the Rose Garden. After the five minute mark in the fourth, I noticed the doorway was packed with people who just came in off the street just to catch the end of the game. Everyone in Portland wanted this game.

Maybe that’s why the Lakers don’t win in Portland. They come in here trying to beat a team, to beat five guys on the floor. They don’t realize that they’re taking on a city.

Blazers 95, Spurs 83

Here’s how you know the Blazers were supposed to lose last night. It wasn’t their first half play, nor was it the insane three point percentage of OJ Mayo and Mike Conley. It was the little smirk on Nate’s face as he walked off the court, without a doubt the first we’ve seen from him on a basketball court this season. The Blazers escaped last night, and they were lucky to do so.

I doubt that made sense. Well, the Blazers’ performance during the first half was the same kind of first half road performance that we’ve seen all year. It’s a serious issue and it must be resolved by the time the playoffs start. Every player was bad.

It reached it’s lowest point when Nate brought in Channing Frye after Joel had two fouls and Greg had three. This issue has been thrown around on the internet a lot in the past week. Does Nate realize that these guys have six fouls each? Channing had a +/- of -9 during his six minute stint. Joel Przybilla ended the game with two fouls total. Greg had five. That hole was dug when Nate got conservative with his centers. Can he just let the reins out a little?

Rudy Fernandez also got his panty-dropping mojo back. He resuscitated the team almost single-handedly. When Rudy’s on, the Blazers are unstoppable.

Oh yeah, Brandon is an extremely good basketball player. He once caught a leprechaun, and when given the pot o’ gold, he donated it to charities for broken ankle victims of Brandon Roy.