Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Jerome Duckworth, etc… Remember those guys? That was four-fifths of one of the greatest teams to not win a NBA title. They were part of the run-and-gun Portland Trailblazers teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s that were fun to watch.
Fast-forward to 2009. The current group of Trailblazers, led by Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla are on the verge of something special. Roy had 42 points and Aldridge added 27 in Portland’s 107-103 win at Houston on Tuesday to tie the best-of-seven series at one game each. Game 3 is set for Friday in Houston.
Think people in Portland haven’t caught on? Consider that over 260 people camped out at the Rose Garden the night before playoff tickets went on sale. Yes, basketball is back in Portland. The Trailblazers have turned into everything that is good about the NBA. After a tumultuous decade in which the franchise became one of the running jokes of the league, the “JailBlazers” went back to the drawing board. They didn’t try and buy free agents or make any blockbuster trades. They were patient, got under the salary cap and built their team through perseverance, great scouting and the draft.
Now this band of talented youngsters has a chance to build something special. Oh, they won’t win a championship this year. In fact, they may get eliminated in the first round. But Trailblazer fans have waited six years for a contender. With so much young talent, what’s another year?
As for the rest of the West, nothing has been decided. Except for the Lakers, who took a 2-0 lead over Utah with a 119-109 win on Tuesday, it’s going to be a dog fight. Dallas and San Antonio are tied at one game apiece with Game 3 in Dallas on Friday. Denver routed New Orleans 113-84 in Game 1. The two squads played Game 2 last night (Wednesday).