Portland Trail Bloggers

The first five games were very telling. Portland lost their franchise big man within 13 minutes and could easily have gone 0 - 5 in the first five games if not for two fortunate shots (Finley’s miss and Roy’s miracle 1.9 seconds). With that said, Portland also blew big late leads to both the Spurs and Rockets, which lead to those tight situations and was also leading the way in the fourth against the Jazz in Salt Lake City. The same can be said in the Suns game, where the Blazers blew a 12 point 2nd quarter lead. So, just as we could have been 0 - 5 we also could have gone 4 - 1. For my taste, I am satisfied with 2 - 3 given the five teams the Blazers faced (two back-to-backs).

For my money, I think the next 5 games are more telling then the first five games. The Blazers usually do well in the underdog role, and have proven they can defend home court against anyone. In the next five games, Portland plays four on the road. There will also be games that Portland should win (Miami and Minnesota x2). If Portland can prove they can win games on the road, that will show me a lot to placing them in the playoffs. I’d be quite satisfied going 3 - 2 over the next 5 games (I can concede losses to Orlando and New Orleans on the road). That will put the Blazers at 500 after the hardest start to an NBA season in the history of the league. Oh, not to mention, Oden should re-enter the lineup during this stretch.