In continuation of my post on 04.30.2009 it’s time to take a look at the East and everything it has brought us so far.  And to think, it’s only the first round!

Detroit Pistons versus Cleveland Cavaliers.  There’s quite a few of us who are still scratching our heads and trying to figure out where the positive for Detroit was in the Billups/Iverson trade.  Winning their games by an average of 15.5 points, Cleveland sent the Pistons home for the season with just one question: “How quick can we get Allen Iverson out of a Pistons jersey?”  A quick side note: Cleveland is averaging a higher winning margin on the road than they are at home this post-season.  That’s not good news for Miami or Atlanta.

Boston Celtics versus Chicago Bulls.  I can be the first one to admit that I did not think this was going to be one of the greatest first round matchups of all time.  You’ve got the defending champion Boston Celtics, with a record of 62 and 20, going up against the 41 and 41 young, high paced, Chicago Bulls.  We all saw this last year, with Atlanta and Boston going at it in seven games, but that was nothing like this series.  There have been six full games played as of this writing.  In those six games alone we’ve had 7 overtime periods, 5 games decided by 3 points or less, Chicago win in Boston, Boston win in Chicago, and 29 potential game tying/winning shot attempts in the final 24 seconds of regulation/overtime.  A good series?  Let’s just say, I’ll be watching Game 7.

Continue reading "Playoff Excitement Part 2: Beasts of the East"

It’s set in stone.  The Houston Rockets will play the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, while the Portland Trailblazers start their off-season earlier than any of us would have liked.

This first round elimination for Portland helped me realize something that I should have known all along: people will jump off the bandwagon as quickly as they jumped on it.

When I came into work today, a co-worker pointed to my Portland Trail Blazers lanyard and said, “Oh, take that off.  That’s embarrassing.”  This was the same “fan” who, prior to the start of the season, was excited about “his team’s” chances this year.  Now, they’re embarrassing.  He was also quick to do the “I told you so” speech about Greg Oden being a bust. 

Continue reading "A Season to Be Proud Of"

The objective for the last three seasons has been to take a 21-win, 61-loss Blazer team and rebuild them into the Playoff-bound, title-contending team we, the fans, want them to be.

Objective accomplished.

The team has been rebuilt, the crazy trades have been dealt, and the risky drafts have been selected.  Now it’s time to sit back and insert the last few puzzle pieces this young Blazer team needs to make it to the finals.

Several players understand and are excited about the direction their team is headed, while others wonder what jersey they’ll be wearing next season.  Let’s take a look at where we are and what we have to look forward to this off season along with some tasks and questions the Blazers will face before the 2009-2010 season begins.

Continue reading "Completing the Puzzle Part 1: Off-Season Tasks"