Personal Note:

Driving in from Utah and catching a couple of hours of sleep before these games leaves me with little energy.  I came to this game tired.  You know what though, that doesn't stop me from cheering and yelling my heart out.  Superstitious of me, but I believe if I let my section be silent with my absence that the Blazers may deflate and be flat.   I came out cheering hard no matter how tired I was. 

I also forget how good my seats are.  I'm about 15 seats away from the floor.  I'm amazed I wasn't able to give these tickets away one game when they didn't sell.  Nothing like watching some of those sweet sweet alleyoops RIGHT in your face!  I found it amusing that I wanted a live replay on some of those.

Cheerleaders:

Cheerleaders.  Okay Zebra girls.  If I'm going to brag about your outfits and how much better you are over the Utah cheerleaders, you can't come out looking like you're ready to get it on with some Zebras.  I know we want to keep portland strange, but seriously... add a black miniskirt or something to that so you look like hot ref's instead of zebras.  After that horrible outfit the blazer dancers came back with much more flattering and better looking outfits.   My girlfriend loved the socks though.  I'd have agreed if my eyes hadn't gone cross-eyed at the skirting stripe selection.   Again I appreciate that the cheerleaders have curves and I can't use all of them to clean my teeth with.  Some of the guys were holding these girls up in the air and it looked like an off night.  Their arms were shaking something fierce.  No injuries or deaths which is too bad.  I had this wonderful fantasy of running to the cheerleaders bed and consolling her or her friends and... anyway.

Pregame warm ups:

I've been complaining about communication and team work.   The other team warms up right in front of me so I watched these guys.  Wade seemed to be in a world of his own.  He'd half heartedly do a little spin move or something but it felt like "yawn, this practice is really not needed can we get onto the game?"   He rarely interacted with his team mates.   Beasely and another heat guy used warm-up to shoot a high arching shot and see who could make it the highest and make it the most.  Beasely made quite a few actually.  Pretty cool to watch but the only real interaction with team mates I saw.   Actually, He was interacting with an usher more than his team mates.

The game:

:::drools:::

People moved.  People defended.  We don't have those blind no look passes that Wade has for his team mates.  Actually, if Wade's team mates could have hit the broad side of a barn those would have been highlight passes for sure.  Wade is simply amazing.   Before the game I said there was no way we'd shut Wade down.  Wouldn't happen, couldn't happen, keep dreaming.   Somehow the blazers shut him down.   Part of it was defense and part of it was flat out luck or confidence that his fellow players ate two bowls of suck this morning.  Maybe the blazers slipped in these bowls of suck secretly?

I'm going to skip around a bit at little things that I saw that I liked.   First off, Aldridge came out with clean shots and made them.  They were jump shots that were wide open, but I'll take it.

Oden is looking AMAZINGLY better between now and the first/second game he played.  He's still not here yet though.  You watch the other blazer starters and they move with purpose.  They're strong, smooth, confident.  Oden is... there.  His posture is a little goofy too.  He doesn't carry himself like a beast but sort of slumps to his right (or left) side.  It was weird watching him stand there.

That said, he's going to be a beast.  I loved some of his fouls because he was starting to force things down below.  Sure he was called, but I don't care.  I want him to butt bump the opponent onto their butts!  I WANT him to be aggressive and smack players down.   Frankly, I wish he'd done some of those fouls HARDER.   He's going to make mistakes and I want him confidently making them.

Batum... I couldn't help but notice him because my girlfriend kept screaming about him with every little thing that he did that was magic.  Which in this game was a lot.  I love the energy he brings.

Rudy came into the game.  First thing that happened?  One of my major issues?  Rudy and Roy TALKED!  It was a quick couple of seconds but they touched base and got on the same same page.  I've been complaining about team work and communication and low and behold I saw something!   I got excited.

Another moment I liked is that the blazers needed to inbound the ball.  Sergio was there and said "i'm not freaking inbounding that, I'm the freaking point guard!"  He looks around "YO!  BAYLESS!!!  GET OVER HERE!!!"  Bayless ran from the other side, looked like he wanted to put up a fight, and it didn't matter.  Sergio was boss and that there floor.  I LOVED that.  Sergio was 100% the floor general telling people what to do and where to go.

Half time Frye and Blake were talking and joking around more than they were practicing.  Cool to see, but then i started thinking, "hey, couldn't you guys meet up for tea and crumpets afterwards!!??  We're only up by 19!  Get intense and finish these guys!!!"  I saw other quick conversations going on away from the ball.

Players were pointing or waving where they wanted the ball or screens or whatever.  Again, communication.  Team work... loved it.

Everything I've been complaining about wasn't there tonight.  Or rather it was.  It was with the heat.

Bayless!!!   Almost forgot!   He drove in for, I thought a dunk, and as he looked like he was going up he PASSED!   It was a SWEET pass!  Frankly, I'd rather see moves like that over just about anything!   Kudos Bayless, that rocked man.

Pryz.   The man, the beast, the vanilla Pryzilla!  His last block of the night that was preceeded by another one sent the crowd to their feet ROARING!   Joel was immediatly out and the crowd cheered like crazy for about 30 seconds.  Seemed to take a while to inbound the ball there possibly because it was so noisy.

Summary

That game was TOTALLY worth driving 900 miles for.  Here's hoping they can beat NO too!   I'll be there and I don't plan on leaving with a voice.  This is my mission.  I was very happy from what I saw with the blazers on the team level.  Personal level, I just want to see Greg keep grinding away and get some mean.  It'll come, but if I have to dig for SOMETHING, it's for Greg to come out of that shell a little more.   I love what he's doing and the rate he's improving.  The kid is definitely special!

The crowd was quieter than opening night and people were EATING during the game around me!  Don't they know they're supposed to cheer too???  Luckily I had some strong blazer fans a couple of seats back and they helped me carry the load.

Awesome awesome dunks and shots and mmm curvy cheerleaders.  It was  good game and good night.

***EDIT***

Oh yeah, awesome help defense!!!   Greg was out on the perimeter because he was pulled out during a screen.  Know what, that was fine!  The guard ran to the basket and Oden guided him right into... another blazer player.   I saw that CONSTANTLY!!!

Travis guarded Wade.   He was able to do it thanks to... HELP DEFENSE!!!

The blazers did incredible on defense tonight.   VERY few times did Miami get a shot up without a hand in their face or a blazer player around them.   I think I only saw two or three wide open shots and two of those were because wade drew the defense and did INCREDIBLE passes... and yet those players still missed.

The blazers passed like crazy and broke down the miami defense, but our defense last night was drool worthy.

I think that's everything now.  It better be.  I have perogies to make and turkeys to cook!

***AGAIN***

LOTS of Jersey grabbing by Miami against the blazers.  Refs weren't calling it, but blazers were being held all over the place.   You'd see Jersey's snapping back into place a LOT.

Miami coach has the eyes of Jim Carrey when he makes those faces.  It was freaky.