analysis

Forest! Trees! No, FOREST! I Said, TREES!!! by: torridjoe Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 13:23:11 PM PDT I've been putting off and putting off the Rockets recap for a variety of reasons--sleep, work, family, it was a loss....but I'm also still not sure how to process the sequence of events Sunday. Sure, the dominant mood SHOULD be celebration, because the young Blazers did something by rights they shouldn't have been able to do, and which most pundits and basketball scribes subscribed to--make the playoffs. And make them from the West, and not squeaking in on the final day, but two weeks early, fighting not just for extra games but for THE extra home game you get by being seed #1 through #4 in the first round. But was it coincidence that the team they were playing the day they discovered the Suns had erased the final magic number, was the Houston Rockets? The team that was behind them in 5th, now ahead of them in 4th, and with the Blazers loss a more assured first round opponent no matter what? The very same. And so watching the game as it unfolded, beyond the win or loss, the need to establish quality road tallies, and the obvious interest in pulling tighter in the standings with those above (like the Spurs, Wednesday's opponent and another very similar opportunity), I was watching the game thinking, "How are the Blazers going to deal with 7 games of this...if they're lucky?" Or more saliently, "How are the Blazers going to win even once here, if they're the 5th seed?"  And so that's what I've been thinking all day yesterday: Hells Yeah! but also Oh crap, is it going to be over that quickly? And well it might, based on that last game. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about it wasn't the loss but the fact that Portland didn't really play badly; they just came up small--in some ways literally. If they'd just totally screwed the pooch you might be able to write it off and look forward with a clear optimism. But the hard fact is that Portland was OK, Houston was better.    {portents, below}  There's More... :: (0 Comments, 1055 words in story)

The Silver Lining to Greg Oden's Cloud by: torridjoe Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PST As Blazer Nation huddles near a heat source, knees up and rocking with a gentle moan sipping wine or perhaps a Maker's Mark, let me break the news to you gently if you haven't already heard: Greg Oden, not ready, 7-10 days the new timeline. They promise. Drip. Drip. Conspiracy theories and the inevitable ohmygodwhatabustweshouldhavegottenDurant drumbeats have rekindled anew on the Oregonlive and BlazersEdge comment sections, and while Occam left me a message tonight reminding me that "the knee is still sore" is very likely the prominent reason Oden will miss another week's worth of games at minimum (including some where, as with Texas he'd come in mighty handy), I can understand that the slow leak and unhelpful local media pressure have created a perception that fans aren't getting the whole story.  Let's leave the rank speculation then, and talk about what it does to (for?) the team as they enter the stretch drive. First, if we take the latest statement at face value, he'll miss a long homestand (minus the Denver game in 'rado this week) featuring important West games against the Mavs, Wolves and L$kers. It's not the rest of the season, but it's a pretty key chunk of it. Navigate these next six games 4-2, picking up just one of Denver/LA/Dallas, and it's a strong week. Go even money or less, and it could damage seeding. That's what's at stake--what's the impact? I'll give it a go, below. {yo, below you go!}  There's More... :: (3 Comments, 941 words in story)

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