Blazers get Turkoglu'd!

I had no intention of being prophetic when I attached the above picture to the Pre-pregame earlier today. But it happened, yes, Portland became the latest team to get Turkoglu'd.

An exciting contest tonight, all the way up until the last minute and a half or so. The Blazers ruined a night that saw electric play from Roy, Aldridge, Rudy, and Przybilla when they suddenly became baffled by a double-team-Roy defense that they see pretty much every game.

Meh.

Side note:


Apparently Rudy Fernandez is determined to create a highlight reel featuring him embarassing Dwight Howard over and over again.

UPDATE:
Outlaw take responsibility for apparently forgetting the play they were supposed to run during that horrible last possession that ended with Roy jacking up a desperation three from the corner. Trade Outlaw advocates, add this to the list.

Magic at Blazers, Pre-pregame

The Blazers finally get to play a game in Portland after a 4-1 Eastside swing. Although the homeness of this particular home game is debatable, I'm sure the team will be somewhat re-energized by playing in a building where they are undefeated.

That perfect home record will be tested tonight by the hot-hot Magic. Like Portland, Orlando has won eight of their last ten. They are also one of the best road teams in the League with a 7-2 record. This is a better Magic team than the one the Blazers beat back in November.

Something interesting to keep an eye on is Portland's won-lost profile. Six of the Blazers seven losses came from teams in the top ten for points scored. A scary trend that hopefully will evaporate as the season wears on. I'm sure I'll post more on this later.

And for the curious Orlando is twelfth in this category.

Everyone loves a road trip...

Until you get beaten in your sleep by local hillbillies, that is. Portland starts off a five game road trip tonight in Orlando, and Dwight Howard has already launched his attempt to disarm the Blazers by making them all fall in love with him.

This road trip will give us some great insight into how close this team is to converting all that exciting young potential into a serious force. The Blazers have been playing much better at home than on the road, and we all know the mark of a legitimately good team is one that finds a way to win away from their fans.

Another quality of a good team is the ability to beat-up on inferior squads, as opposed to playing down to them. The Blazers have a couple teams they should squash on this trip (Miami and Minnesota), how they perform in these match-ups could be telling.

And don't forget to enjoy the trip. You can learn a lot about yourself by traveling. Just steer clear of the backwaters.