I hope you did as the Blazers hopefully did, and cleared your mind this weekend of the ugliest part of the 2008-09 season, now safely past. Given that it's the first three-day break between games in eons, this is really the first chance we've all had to catch our collective breath, review what's happened so far with a more retrospective eye, and look forward towards the easier part of the season and the building playoff race in the West.
To that end, who better than the boys at Blazer's Edge to get us back up to speed? It's a special night tonight; more on that in a bit. First and foremost however, you should know that Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw and Nic Batum are all probable tonight from their various injuries, and should play.
With half of Sacramento's scoring punch out the team should be easy pickings for the Blazers. The first time the two teams met they were, as the Blazers won 117-96 behind impressive efforts from Steve Blake and Lamarcus Aldridge. The second time the Blazers were not so dominant, eking out a 91-90 victory due to awesome rebounding and the combined scoring of Roy, Blake, Outlaw, and Fernandez. If you're noticing most of those scoring names come from the smaller positions you're correct. Despite the Kings' big-man defenders all but inviting to be dominated the Blazers have yet to put together a stellar frontcourt showing against Sacramento. Instead we've depending on outplaying their backcourt while their centers get free for jumpers. This is exactly what the Kings want you to do. Our superior talent, top to bottom, has yielded victories, but the Kings aren't just going to roll over and let us take the game. We need to impose our will in the paint instead of getting into a shoddy-defense shootout with Sacramento.
{two more strong and topical columns to talk about, below}
If you're a Blazer fan from way back in the 80s, you're likely to remember Terry Porter, Blazer draftee and decade-long Rip City denizen, and now an NBA coach of the Suns in his own right. His #30 jersey will be retired this evening before a sellout crowd, and I think the love will be flowing freely. He was one of the greats, one of those understated players who are emblematic of the best Blazers over their history. Dave shows some of that love and points you to other places for it, well worth the read.
And finally, if you REALLY want to dwell on the past, and review the extent of the team's flaws that popped up in that season-opening trial by fire, another piece by Dave lays them out honestly, and then tries to find reasons that cause them. If you're like me, a read-through will help bring you down off the Wall of Impending Doom regarding the rest of the Blazer season. (It may also help return some perspective--there's room for great excitement and anticipation, but they're not being fitted for rings just yet). And then, thus cleansed and with catharsis completed, you can enjoy tonight's game with a clear head (as hopefully theirs will be as well).
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