6 in a row

So it's time to blog. I am trying not to push myself to blog just because I should. I started this because it is something that I want to do, a place to put thoughts and clear my mind on whatever I wanted to. Thankfully there have been a enough hits to make me keep posting, and I hope that my radomness doesn't destroy the blog. I am going to be better about putting labels on each individual blog too, so that when you visit and you don't want to read about the Royals, you can find something interesting to read about. I wonder if my "eclectic" tastes should be refined, to have a blog on the Royals, Coffee roasting, etc, but I keep coming to the conclusion that if I did that I would probably need 13 blogs, and that is  too many.

So, back to my original thoughts from tonight. This is my 6th blog, however, that is not the "6 in a row" I am referring to. No, this is much more exciting than 6 blogs. The hobbled, hurting, yet hopeful Blazers have won their last 6 games. Granted, 4 of those games they should have won. But, when you beat the teams you should and teams that are pretty level with you, you should be doing fairly well. The Blazers started this run off with a win against the Bulls at home. I was worried about this one. We beat the Spurs, the best team in the conference, and then lost the next two which were both games that we could have/should have won. Maybe they let down after the Spurs game, who knows. But we never play well at Denver, and the Indiana game, well that was just bad.

What gets me excited about the the Blazers, though, is how they are playing right now. Early in the season, the All-Star and main cog Brandon Roy showed that his knees were shot. He tried playing through the pain, but everyone could see that somethign was going on and he wasn't the same player that he was last year. This was supposed to spell the end of the Blazers and any chance at getting into the play-offs. Then Marcus Camby went down with a knee issue. But low-and-behold, your Blazers are in the 5th position for the play-offs thanks to the beastly play of LaMarcus Aldridge. It took a few years, but LA is finally showing why the Blazers drafted him and then gave him a max contract. He was been unstoppable and had been carrying the team on his shoulders. He has outplayed Tim Duncan, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, and pretty much every other Power Forward int he league. He should have been an All-Star this year, but it wasn't in the cards.

In the past, LA has always hit the jumper. he had good range and was able to open the lane for BRoy to get in and do his thing. But with BRoy out, it's been LA from outside, LA from inside, and LA all over. He hasn't backed down. Except when he's got a defender on him, the ball, and the desire for a hoop (get it?). He has shown that his game isn't just jumpers. It has evolved into an all around All-Star caliber game. He can go left, right, and no one finishes alley-oops like him. he hustles down the court, is unpretentious, and just cares about winning ball games.

But there's more. Wesley Matthews has been legit. We signed him after his rookie year in Utah (whole other story for why he was available). He was good, and looked at as a back-up for BRoy. But when BRoy went down, in stepped Wes. The guy can shoot. He spots up for three like it's no ones business, but also takes it to the hole with authority.  It's a beautiful thing to watch, though he can be a bit streaky. Batum is again showing potential. I hope we don't trade him. He's a great defender and is learning to shoot even after he's missed a few. He also crashes the boards pretty good too. Rudy has been pehnomenal in February. his shot has been on which is good. It reminds me, though, of Martell Webster, who we traded last year, because Webster had a month like Rudy is having now, but then fell off. Hopefully Rudy keeps the momentum and the rhythm.  Andre Miller has been superb, but will prbably be traded. Lastly, Dante Cunningham has been huge. He has been playing while Camby is out, and though he is usually pretty quiet about his stats, he has started to become a force. He calls himself the Junkyard dog, and that's exaclty the way he plays the game!

In all, the Blazers have suprosed me, and a lot of other fans. It is always fun to root when your team does well, but Blazers fans are first class anyways. If you happen to watch a game that's played at most other arenas, they are half-full. Not the Rose Garden, though. That makes me proud to be a Blazers fan!

RIP CITY!