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8 STRAIGHT! 8 STRAIGHT!
posted: Monday, December 17, 2007 at 9:18 PM

Warm up the bus!

To quote the great Chick Hearn, "This one is in the refrigerator! The lights are out, the door is closed, the butter's getting hard and the JELL-O IS JIGGLING!"

The Rose Garden is on it's feet with section 211 chanting "8 STRAIGHT!!!" Section 305 is on their feet screaming "MVP" every time Brandon Roy touches the ball... And now it's official!

8 IN A ROW!

Final score- 88 - 76 TRAIL BLAZERS!

Brandon Roy led the way with 24 points, 8 assists and 3 rebounds... Joel Przybilla had 6 points and 9 rebounds... Raef LaFrentz grabbed 11 boards and scored 2 points... Martell Webster added 13 and Travis outlaw finished a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line!

Tyson Chandler led the way for the Hornets finishing with 16 points and 19 boards and point guard Chris Paul dished 8 assists in the losing effort.

So, the question for the night is: Who's next?!?

The Trail Blazers look to make it 9 straight this Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. Be there or BE NOWHERE.


5 Comments:
Blogger Tanya said...

WAY TO GO BLAZERS......KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

9:32 PM  
Blogger BlazerRed said...

What a gritty, ugly game. It was a defensive effort and a battle of wills. No one shot well tonight, but who cares? We got the "W" and a lot of guys helped pull it off. Let's here it for team chemistry! Now a day to rest and recharge and then bring on the Raptors!! Go Blazers and Let's Hear It Rip City!!!

9:38 PM  
Blogger yellowman said...

Ugly but beautiful! It shouldn't matter but it was timely for "NBA Fastbreak" to give some extra mention about the winning streak, the youth and talent of this group. Maybe in a few more days somebody will tell the ESPN folks that LaMarcus Aldridge has been out of the lineup. GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK fellas!

9:56 PM  
Blogger MJ said...

Actually, to quote the great Chick Hearn, let's get the quote right! As he said it thousands of times, "This game is in the refrigerator! The door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the JELLO's jiggling!" Go Blazers!

10:00 PM  
Blogger Ed Brockman said...

In the post game interviews several guys mentioned they were having a lot of fun. Tonight did not look like a lot of fun but they had the committment to each other to see it through. Nate and the Blazers are quietly showing the rest of the NBA that team basketball can win against the allstars any day of the week.

Land Broker

10:22 PM  

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T HIM UP!
posted: at 9:12 PM

Morris Peterson has just been thrown out of the game!

Frustrated with either his bad haircut or the fact that he has missed 5 consecutive three-pointers, Morris Peterson just unleashed one of the biggest tantrums in Rose Garden history.

After one technical, Peterson decided to go back for that 2-for-1 special and he'll spend the rest of the night watching from the locker room.

It's 80 - 71 with 2:03 left in regulation and James Jones will shoot both technical foul shots...

First one - OFF!

Second one - MONEY IN THE BANK!


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Jones with a HUGE tip...
posted: at 9:02 PM

It won't fill up the stat sheet, but James Jones just had a monstrous tip on a rebound that kept Tyson Chandler from slamming home his 13th and 14th point of the night.

These are the little things that make James Jones great. He hits open shots, he chases every loose rebound, and he knows how to space a floor, so that every player around the perimeter has room to shoot.

Tyson Chandler has just picked up his fifth foul on a B-E-A-utiful pump fake by Jarrett Jack. Getting Chandler out of the game has to be priority number one for the Trail Blazers as the young center now has 17 rebounds.

Out of the timeout, Jack just nailed a three from the corner! JACK JUST HIT A THREE FROM THE CORNER! It sounds so good, I'll say it again... JACK JUST HIT A THREE FROM THE CORNER! It's 76 - 66 TRAIL BLAZERS with 3:39 left in regulation!


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THE THRILLA!
posted: at 8:57 PM

For the tip-in!

It's 68 - 66 TRAIL BLAZERS!

Brandon Roy has just checked in for Sergio Rodriguez and not a moment too soon... With time winding down on the shot clock, Roy did his best shotput imitation for three-points!

It's 71 - 66 TRAIL BLAZERS! And in a game like this, 5 points feels like 20. Unfortunately, 5 points is actually only a 5-point lead and with 7:56 left in regulation, this one is far from over!


1 Comments:
Blogger Unknown said...

Rip City must begin preparation,
For a whole new era of Blazer Nation.
For these young players have laid the foundation,
of a championship-winning organization.
Pryzbilla's got determination,
And Sergio's king of acceleration.
Roy is the team's inspiration,
While Blake and L.A. are a deadly combination.
Outlaw seems to have mastered levitation,
And Oden is key for intimidation.
The last two years have been a transformation,
And Portland fans have high expectations.
Other teams should be filled with trepidation,
'Cause they soon face annihilation.
The Blazers will reign over the National Basketball Association,
And we'll be behind them with a standing ovation.
So though some games give us palpitations,
With more ups and downs than the rate of inflation,
We live every game in anticipation,
Of breaking out the bubbly for a celebration.
Like Kanye sang on "Graduation,"
We're living "The Good Life" with this young generation.

9:11 PM  

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WHAT'D I "MAR-TELL" YOU!
posted: at 8:48 PM

The cold shooting couldn't last forever, and Steve Blake and Martell Webster have done their best to warm up the ice-cold rims here in the Rose Garden.

Martell drew three foul shots (he converted 2 of them) on his first three-point attempt of the third quarter and, then, splashed down a three-pointer and drew another foul on his second attempt. Webster now has 13 points and 2 boards in 27 minutes.

Most importantly, heading into the fourth quarter, it's TRAIL BLAZERS LEAD 64 - 60!

Brandon Roy warmed up a bit and now has 12 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. Travis Outlaw has 8 points and 4 assists. Raef LaFrentz has been a rebounding magnet for Portland and he now has 11 boards.

There's 12 minutes left... 64 - 60 Trail Blazers!


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Here's a theory...
posted: at 8:34 PM

So, I hate to beat a dead horse here, but this is getting ridiculous.

Brandon Roy just needs to start falling over or jumping into the second row of the stands, every time he drives to the hoop.

Because he's so strong, Roy rarely ever falls over as he finishes around the hoop. Although, this is normally a positive because it allows him to quickly get back on defense, it absolutely kills his potential free-throw attempts. Referees just won't blow their whistle when a player finishes standing up.

*Pardon the interruption- but Brandon Roy has just posterized Tyson Chandler for his 12th point of the night and the Trail Blazers have taken a 4 point lead with 4:44 left in the third.*

Anyway, if Roy would finish a la Dwyane Wade or Manu Ginobili (call it the two-point tumble), he'd rack up the free-throw attempts...

Coach Nate McMillan is furious as David West just ran over Travis Outlaw and somehow drew a blocking call out of the zebras. McMillan is hardly a docile coach, but he rarely argues a judgment call. This time, however, Nate nearly jumped into the first row of the stands as he spun away in disbelief after the call.

Travis Outlaw got the last laugh, however, as he skied over 4 defenders to throw down a "Chocolate Covered, Rim-Still-Rattling, THUNDER DUNK" for his 10th point on the night.

It's the TRAIL BLAZERS LEAD 57 - 54 with 2:42 left in the third quarter and Brandon Roy now has 12 points and 6 assists on the night.


1 Comments:
Blogger game-tight said...

like the live blog, i sit in front of my tv with my laptop, life in these moments is good

9:08 PM  

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Ay yi yi...
posted: at 8:25 PM

So, one of the things I failed to mention while the Trail Blazers were in the locker room was the importance of Channing Frye.

With the Trail Blazers struggling from the perimeter, Coach Nate McMillan needs Channing Frye to get going and pick up some of the slack created by LaMarcus Aldridge's injury.

Just 31 seconds into the 2nd half, however, Frye has picked up foul number 4 and will spend most of the fourth quarter on the bench. Not exactly what Coach McMillan had in mind...

Steve Blake's three-pointer has cut the Hornets lead to 5 at 47 - 42, and Brandon Roy's lay-up will... NO!

Call an ambulance! Roy just took two elbows to the upper body and then dealt with a forearm hook that was reminiscent of a "Rock Bottom" for those of you that follow the WWE from Tyson Chandler. Still, NO CALL was made...

On the other end of the floor, Chris Paul fell over and then rolled around with the ball, but apparently, the rules of traveling don't apply to star point guards.

It's 47 - 42 Hornets and nothing is coming easy for the Trail Blazers...


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ROY FOR PRESIDENT!
posted: at 8:04 PM

Brandon Roy just cut the Hornet lead to two points with an emphatic dunk to give the sophomore shooting guard (or former Rookie of the Year slash two time Western Conference Player of the Week - you can really pick your adjectives...) 6 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

Travis Outlaw has 6 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds (yes, that's the same line as Brandon Roy) off the bench, and James Jones has 5 points in just over 11 minutes of play, but really, the story of the night is the Trail Blazers rough night from the floor. With 24 minutes gone, the Trail Blazers have shot just 14 of 41 for 34.1%.

For the Hornets, it's been the steady play of Tyson Chandler and David West, and the surprising play of Hilton Armstrong that have kept the Trail Blazers from running away with this one. Chandler already has 10 rebounds to go with 8 points and the Hornets have combined to out-rebound the Trail Blazers 26 - 17 in the first half.

Reserve Forward/Center Raef LaFrentz has 8 rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

The score, however, is just 39 - 37 Hornets, meaning that the game itself is far from over. Brandon Roy is notorious for his second half heroics and it's unlikely that James Jones, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw will combine to shoot 3 for 19 in the second half.

It sucks to bring up a sore subject, but forward LaMarcus Aldridge would've made a world of difference against this Hornets team. Aldridge, and his 6'11" frame, has a knack for finding easy baskets and that's something that, for the moment, is absent from the Trail Blazers offensive attack.

Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster have both done a nice job of getting to the line. Outlaw is 6 for 6 from the free-throw line and the Hornets have a ton of people in foul trouble...

Rasual Butler has 3 fouls, Morris Peterson has 3 fouls, Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler both have 2 fouls and the Hornets just don't have enough warm bodies to hang with the Trail Blazers if any of these guys foul out.

Down by 2 at the half, it's about time for Roy Wonder to take this game to the bank!


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That's Mr. Jones...
posted: at 7:53 PM

FOR THREEEEE!

The smothering Trail Blazers zone has returned to cause a few problems for the Hornets, who aren't a great three-point shooting team when Peja Stojakovic isn't on the floor. In particular, the "white unit" used the zone to close in on an early Hornets lead and now the "black unit" has started to frustrate the New Orleans offense with the same stifling 2 - 3 zone.

It's amazing to watch a zone defense work with such effectiveness in an NBA contest. Typically, a zone is reserved for undersized college teams that don't have the interior defense to match up with elite programs, but this season, the Trail Blazers (who are an undersized professional team) have frustrated just about everyone they've played by using a basic 2 - 3 rotating zone that encourages perimeter jump shots.

Tonight, however, neither team has been able to get it going from beyond the arc and the Trail Blazers, in particular, have struggled from just about everywhere on the floor. Portland is shooting just 32.4%, compared to 41.2% for the Hornets, and the difference is a 4-point Hornet lead.

With 2:47 left in the half, it's 35 - 31.


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Outlaw for 2 more!
posted: at 7:43 PM

Outlaw just connected on his 5th and 6th free-throws of the night to give the Trail Blazers a two-point lead, but Hilton Armstrong didn't let the lead last long.

After last night's offensive onslaught, the Trail Blazers were 1 point off their season-high, the Rose Garden crowd is starting to get the feeling that tonight's game is going to be a bit more of a knock-down, drag-'em-out heavyweight fight.

In games like these, it's important to keep track of the "Hustle Board." So far, the Hornets have out-rebounded the Trail Blazers (21 - 10), but the Trail Blazers have moved the ball with more efficiency (9 assists against 5 for the Hornets) and Portland has drawn more fouls (8 - 7).

Both David West and Tyson Chandler have 8 points and Chandler has led the Hornets, thus far, with 9 rebounds.

With 6:54 left in the half, it's 29 - 26 Hornets...


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Surge makes his first appearance!
posted: at 7:33 PM

Rodriguez had a solid stint in the first half of Portland's win against the Nuggets and he started off tonight's game with a quick basket and a steal to tie the game! James Jones connected after the steal by Sergio to knot the game at 16 points.

Coach McMillan looks a little antsy on the sidelines as the Trail Blazers have picked up their fifth foul of the first quarter.

One noticeable aspect that has shaken the Trail Blazers a little bit is the fact that New Orleans looks prepared for forward Travis Outlaw's face-up game. The length of Morris Peterson and the activity of his backups (Julian Wright and Jannero Pargo) has frustrated Outlaw on his early attempts.

Travis is 0 for 4 from the field but he's began attacking the basket and has converted on all 4 of his free-throw attempts.

Channing Frye has 4 points, Outlaw has 4 points, and Brandon Roy has 4 points to lead the Trail Blazers. Headed to the second quarter, we're all tied at 20!


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Back-to-back baskets...
posted: at 7:25 PM

But, unfortunately, they were for the Hornets.

The Trail Blazers look a little weary and some of that can be expected due to the fact that they just spent most of last night playing a basketball game in Denver.

Regardless, this game still counts and the Trail Blazers need to turn things around if they're going to extend their winning streak to 8 games.

Martell Webster got the Rose Garden rocking with a monster dunk from just inside the free-throw line, and then Chris Paul quickly picked up his 2nd foul of the game with 3:07 left in the first quarter. If Paul draws any more before halftime, you can expect the Trail Blazers to attack him with every possession in the second half.

With 2:28 left in the first, it's still Hornets 16 - Trail Blazers 12.


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Early action...
posted: at 7:18 PM

Channing Frye has continued his hot-shooting by starting off with 4 quick points for the Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, thanks to some, well, we'll call it "questionable offensive maneuvering" (aka flopping), the young forward also has 3 fouls.

The Trail Blazers have matched New Orleans tempo for the most part, but neither team is playing with any fluidity. PG Chris Paul is attacking the Trail Blazers wing players, which has prevented the easy three-pointers that have been the bread-and-butter of the Trail Blazers offense, and Tyson Chandler has been a presence down low as he already has 4 rebounds but Portland should come out ready to attack after this early timeout.

As of right now, it's 10 - 8 Hornets.


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Tip-off is next!
posted: at 7:00 PM

As we start the countdown to tip-off, it's about that time again to go over starting lineups...

There are a few surprises from at least the initial report from the sidelines. LaMarcus Aldridge will most likely spend another night resting his plantar fascitis, and although it is tough to see him on the sidelines, I think it's best to take a cautious approach to any injury involving Aldridge, Roy, Oden or any other Trail Blazer for that matter.

For the Hornets, Small Forward Peja Stojakovic may come off the bench, but he's been battling injuries for the majority of the season. Morris Peterson, who was acquired in the off-season, and Rasual Butler have been splitting time while Peja works to get healthy.

For the Hornets, it's...

G - Chris Paul
G - Morris Peterson
F - David West
F - Rasual Butler
C - Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler has been an emotional wreck in previous games in the Rose Garden. In two of the previous 3 match-ups, the young center has been ejected.

The Trail Blazers roll out the usual suspects...

G - Steve Blake
G - Brandon Roy (yes, that's the former Rookie of the Year and the winner of back-to-back Western Conference Player of the Week honors)
F - Martell Webster
F - Channing Frye
C - Joel "The Thrilla" Przybilla

Early on, it's easy to pick out the "Keys to the Game." First off, containing Chris Paul must be priority number one. The Trail Blazers struggle at containing their opposition's point guard more than any other position, but tonight, that just can't happen. Paul is one of the foremost young stars in the NBA and he's perfectly capable of beating a team by himself.

Second is and always will be keeping the Hornets off the boards. Whether this depends on the Rose Garden fans, who can heckle Chandler into two technical fouls, or Joel Przybilla, who owns the Rose Garden glass, is yet to be seen, but if the Trail Blazers can win the battle of the boards, they'll win the game.

Lastly, it's getting offensive production out of their roster from top to bottom. Everyone's read the story about the "Black" and "White" units, so I don't think I'll explain it again, but if Channing Frye, Joel Przybilla, Jarrett Jack, Travis Outlaw, and James Jones can provide the same spark that they've contributed over the past 7 games, it'll go a long way towards making it lucky number 8 in a row!


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Portland is ABUZZ...
posted: at 6:37 PM

And it ain't because the Hornets are in town.

The Trail Blazers have turned the NBA on it's head over the course of the past 7 games by going a remarkable 7 - 0. That's 7 wins, 0 losses. Ask me what their winning percentage is over the past 7 games... Go ahead... Ask...

Yeah - it's 100%.

We beat the Utah Jazz in Utah. Then, beat them at home. We beat the Golden State Warriors, who were an astounding 12 - 3 over the 15 games prior to facing the Trail Blazers. We dismantled Denver. IN DENVER. Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal couldn't beat the Trail Blazers. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson couldn't beat the Trail Blazers. Not even, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, who are practically built specifically to beat the Trail Blazers could stop this young squad...

So, what does this all mean?

Well, it means that Rip City is returning and it's a little ahead of schedule. It means that "potential" is turning into production. And it means that Coach Nate McMillan's X's and O's are turning into W's.

It means that if it weren’t for the 20 – 2 Boston Celtics, the Portland Trail Blazers would handily be the top story from the first ¼ of the 2007 – 2008 basketball season. After losing #1 pick Greg Oden to season-ending microfracture surgery, the Trail Blazers were largely written off as lottery-destined team with an incredible amount of young but unpolished talent.

Twenty-four games later and Coach Nate McMillan is having trouble clearing room on the bandwagon…

Just check out these articles from around the league-

Brandon Roy recently won his second consecutive “Western Conference Player of the Week” award one game after totaling 26 points and a career high 11 assists against the Denver Nuggets. (Full article available at http://www.nba.com/news/pow_071217.html)

Michael Wilbon, of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” gushed over the Trail Blazers in a recent episode, outlining the fact that Portland has two stellar point guards (Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack), a big-time wing scorer in Brandon Roy, and a defensive-minded center in Joel Przybilla who will eventually be the perfect backup to Greg “The Franchise” Oden. [Side note – Wilbon mistakenly called Travis Outlaw “Bo,” which is the same mistake that Yahoo Sports and ESPN.com have both made. Maybe, after winning Sixth Man of the Year honors, people will finally realize it’s TRAVIS Outlaw and actually have a picture of his smiling face rather than one of the former Orlando Magic forward Bo Outlaw]

Ivan Carter and Michael Lee of the Washing Post (all the way across the country) have also taken time out of their busy schedules to gush out about the Trail Blazers we know and love… (Available at http://blog.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2007/12/blazers_are_burning.html)

“But considering how well Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard has assembled the team, there is plenty more to love about Portland.

The prevailing opinion going into the season was that Oden's injury would be a blessing in disguise because the Blazers could have a dreadful season, then have two lottery picks join the team in 2008-09 - Oden and take your pick, Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.

Rip City, the catch phrase during the Blazers' successful NBA Finals runs in 1978 and the early 1990s, was about to be reborn. Surprisingly, the Blazers have already rallied into contention.”

ESPN.com’s “Daily Dime,” available at http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-071217, was probably the best barometer of where the Trail Blazers rate as a national basketball story. Although the 20 – 2 Celtics grabbed the headline article, Portland’s Channing Frye was deemed “Today’s Best” for his 20 point, 9 rebound performance against the Nuggets and Brandon Roy was the face of a “Portland Power” section. After 7,878 votes had been calculated, ESPN’s “SportsNation” was almost a perfect 50-50 split on whether or not the Trail Blazers would finish with more wins than losses.

Best of all, Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop (a now ESPN affiliated basketball blog) has two great posts about the current state of his [and our] Portland Trail Blazers. The most recent, titled “New Statistical Monster – Joel Przybilla” [http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-28-404/New-Statistical-Monster--Joel-Przybilla.html ], outlines just how important “The Thrilla” has been over the course of this 7-game winning streak.

Henry’s second post, “Homer Post about Portland’s Seven-Game Winning Streak,” covers just about every article that I missed regarding the Trail Blazers’ newly found success. Check it out at http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-28-400/Homer-Post-About-Portland-s-Seven-Game-Winning-Streak.html ...


1 Comments:
Blogger gilhouse said...

Pryzbilla the Vanilla Gorilla!! Go Steve "The Ferengi" Blake!!
Suhweet!

10:59 PM  

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