The return of Oden

Every game has a collection of noteable occurrences. Tonight, a number of these from the Blazer side seemed more salient than Oden's impact: Rudy scoring 25 off the bench (including an alley-oop finish and a clutch time iso-fadeaway jumper), the continued ressurection of Sergio (sometimes complaining publicly is the right move), Batum tracking down Wade on a break and blocking his lay-up, Roy just being Roy, Przybilla with another solid unnoticed night (7 and 10 in 22 minutes...I really just included this because FreeDarko said some ignorant shit about the man in their new book, which is awesome overall by the way).

But most tongue's will be wagging about Oden's statistically unremarkable 16 minutes. Yes Oden returned from injury tonight. He accumulated 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers, 2 fouls, and one gigantic sigh of relief. Let it be known that it is in fact possible for the man to compete in a basketball contest without incurring some sort of injury. This should provide comfort to the psyche of Rip City, although I understand if some are skeptical to embrace it.

More importantly, it is like an anvil has been lifted from Oden's aura. I hope now, with an injury free night under his belt, his mind and body can be free to enjoy and learn the game of competitive basketball. Now he can find wind and finally get to work discovering the rhythm of the game. It is hard to have confidence in your abilities if you can't be confident in your body, you know?

Anyways, enjoy the over-coverage of Oden's outing.