Today's Poll -- January Record

by Ben. on Dec 31, 2008 10:00 AM PST Comment 74 comments

Well, well, well, 2009 doesn't officially start until midnight but the Blazers' 2008 is already in the books. The team ended up 8 and 6 for Decembers-- slightly below the overall predictions taken in our December 1 poll. For once, I called this one on the nose... but I didn't foresee a loss to the Clippers or a win against the Celtics, so I haven't yet dislocated my elbow patting myself on the back.

January is a somewhat easier road although it does start off tricky. Again there are 14 games. This time 8 at home and 6 on the road. However, there is only one back-to-back.

The full rundown (bold home)...

Hornets, at Lakers, Pistons, Warriors, at Bulls, at Sixers, at Nets, at Bobcats, Bucks, Cavaliers, Wizards, at Clippers, Bobcats, Jazz

So, I ask you, what's our January going to look like? Here's a calender version for your reference.

Vote first, then In the comments, then let's again open the conversation all the way up... Which game is our biggest trap game? Which team (if any) do you think will snap our unbeaten home record? If you've got a question about our January schedule, feel free to toss it out there for everyone.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)

Poll

How many January wins (out of 14 games -- 8 home, six road)?

12 or more

108 votes

11

292 votes

10

801 votes

9

460 votes

8

87 votes

7

11 votes

6 or less

9 votes

1768 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 74 comments |

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Comments

Everyone agrees with me!

9 wins it shall be!

by robrun2 on Dec 31, 2008 10:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

First

2nd day in a row!

by apatosaurusrex on Dec 31, 2008 10:01 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

oops.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Dec 31, 2008 1:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I feel like I should make a joke about virginity here.

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 2:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

lol

by upper left corner on Dec 31, 2008 5:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree with 9

Starts out with a brutal schedule but lightens up a little as the month goes on. 9-5 sounds good hopefully followed by an awesome Feb.

by ChapinRA on Dec 31, 2008 10:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

9...

but I wish it was 10 :(

by RuQ on Dec 31, 2008 10:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I voted 11

All the home games and quite a few of the road games. – Elgin

It doesn't mean you should just because you can. Like Abraham and Ishmael, fighting over sand - it doesn't mean you should just because you can. That is a fact of life. - Adrian Belew

by 22baylor on Dec 31, 2008 10:23 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Same here

but, I am an overly optimistic fan..

by TheWorkz on Dec 31, 2008 10:31 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Same here.

I considered us the uderdogs in the L[xxx]rs, Cavs and (barely) Utah games, and favored in the rest.
Trading upsets for upsets would be expectable – losing one of the other 8
is no more likely than pulling one of those three out of our collective . . . hat.

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway

by QualityPie on Dec 31, 2008 12:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Bucks will bring it against the Blazers.

At the end of that four game road trip, our guys will be a little tired. And the Bucks have it in them to surprise. Sessions will probably exploit our backcourt defense. Redd and Jefferson will also like what our backcourt gives up. Bogut is surprisingly good, despite his stats, and will challenge Greg Oden on defense and draw fouls. And don’t sleep on Mbah a Moute, another 2nd round steal for the Bucks.

And while the Blazers will have their hands full on defense, the Bucks play decent defense under Skiles, good enough for the 6th most efficient defense in the NBA. Sure, the Celtics were #1, but its easy to get up for the Celtics. How easy is it to get up for the Bucks?

And being the Ambassador for the SB Nation Bucks Blog has nothing to do with it. :p

That said, I think they will win ten out of fourteen.

Poor grammar is poor communication.
Poor communication causes misunderstanding.
Misunderstanding causes fighting.
Fighting causes war.
War causes death.
Therefore, your poor grammar may just kill us all.

(One of Two Official Blazer's Edge Poets Laureate for the 2008-2009 Season)

by T Darkstar on Dec 31, 2008 10:24 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Mbah a Moute

definitely a steal. I had no idea he would get minutes at the three, after watching him play at UCLA. – Elgin

It doesn't mean you should just because you can. Like Abraham and Ishmael, fighting over sand - it doesn't mean you should just because you can. That is a fact of life. - Adrian Belew

by 22baylor on Dec 31, 2008 10:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

10 wins +/- 1

9 or more and I am happy.

by AndrewD on Dec 31, 2008 10:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

How can I find out

how I voted in the Dec. poll? I can’t scroll back to beyond Dec. 8 in the recent activity and if I only voted without a comment it won’t come up in a search. Maybe it’s better if I don’t know …

by jorga on Dec 31, 2008 10:26 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Ben has a link in this post

that links back to the Dec 1 post.

Apparently I thought we’d go 10-4 in Dec, I guess that was a little optimistic eh? – Elgin

It doesn't mean you should just because you can. Like Abraham and Ishmael, fighting over sand - it doesn't mean you should just because you can. That is a fact of life. - Adrian Belew

by 22baylor on Dec 31, 2008 11:01 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

If you click on “View recent activity>>” in the BE box under the Blog Memberships heading, I think you’ll get the info you want. It looks like it lists all poll votes since the conversion.

by Corvid on Dec 31, 2008 12:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks,

that gave me what I needed. I obviously didn’t go that far on the page when I was hunting for the info. WIsh they were dated tho. I did underestimate the wins, but only by one so it was worth looking at.

by jorga on Dec 31, 2008 4:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Roy’s status is pretty key in making this prediction. I’m going to wait to vote till about the 12th or so

by 50backflips on Dec 31, 2008 10:31 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

yes..Roy's status for sure...

If he plays any of these games then I drop my prediction by 5!…to only 4 wins! :)
Oh..and make sure Greg lands on Shav’s foot again!..That was kewl!

Shav may be the link here…first BRoy asks him about his shot amounts…and now Greg had a sweet game after landing on his foot.

Shav is the Master Jedi!

How awesome was that! To know that you are a complete team…that peeps will step in and step it up when called upon.

by blazersrock on Dec 31, 2008 12:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

9 would be a pretty good month

but I think we’ll get 10.

Road games, we should get Sixers, Bobcats, and Clips. Both Chicago and Nets are winnable (Nets is a back to back, though), and I’m guessing we’ll split and get one of those. I don’t think we’ll win in L.A. That means 4-2 on the road.

Between Cleveland, Hornets, and Pistons, I suspect we’ll lose one. Pistons should be the easiest (after all, we beat them there), but I’m a little nervous about them, just like I was about Orlando.

I’m pretty confident against the Jazz and the rest of the home games. So that would take us to 11 wins, but young teams tend to throw a clunker from time to time, and while we’re good enough that we might win on our clunkers, we might lose, too. I half expect us to drop one we shouldn’t — which would make us 10-4 on the month.

I wouldn’t be shocked if we win 12, but I’ll be surprised if we win less than 9.

If you can't convince them, confuse them -- Harry Truman, U.S. President

by jscot on Dec 31, 2008 10:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

P.S. I said "9 but nervous" last time

so 8-6 wasn’t too bad for me. I think at 10 that, if anything, I’ve predicted low rather than high this time.

If you can't convince them, confuse them -- Harry Truman, U.S. President

by jscot on Dec 31, 2008 10:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Votes are leaning toward 10+ wins.

That would be huge for the team headed to the all-star break. They’d definitely be in playoff position, even if they went .500 the rest of the way.

It really depends on Brandon’s health of course.

by Timmay! on Dec 31, 2008 10:38 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

10

We’ll lose a game on the road trip, lose at LA, and win most of the rest.

by Cablinasian on Dec 31, 2008 10:57 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

10

W Hornets
L at Lakers
W Pistons
W Warriors
W at Bulls
W/L at Sixers,at Nets (split these, could go either way)
W at Bobcats
W Bucks
L Cavaliers
W Wizards
W at Clippers (payback)
W Bobcats
W Jazz

Yes, I know that’s 11 wins. But I figure we drop one somewhere, either the Hornets, Pistons or Jazz most likely.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Dec 31, 2008 11:19 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

My thinking is very close to yours, I voted 10 wins with nearly identical W/L picks.

Blazer's Edge Ambassador to The Dream Shake Blog
LMA is LaMonster!!!!! THE TWIN TOWERS RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
38:49 Mins 9-22 FGs 2-2 FTs 4 Off 7 Rebs 2 Ast 2 Stl 2 Blks 20 POINTS! LMA! vs Boston WOW!

by LaMarvelous on Dec 31, 2008 12:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

That is almost exactly my thinking

right down to thinking we’ll win 11, but figuring we’ll likely drop one somewhere. But I won’t be surprised if we get the Cavs but lose one or two of those others, either.

If you can't convince them, confuse them -- Harry Truman, U.S. President

by jscot on Dec 31, 2008 4:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

most important game to win

the Blazers really need to beat the Warriors.. these guys already beat us once and are hardly falling out of the bubble yet.. The Blazers must not lose any season series against a bubble team!! The Jazz is also a pretty important game this year.

I predict 7 wins.. so far this year, I’ve been doing great with predicting low and getting more than I thought could have been.. I think we will have a struggle here and there.. starting with this Friday. if we can go 500 for the month and win against the Warriors and Jazz.. I’ll still be pretty pleased.. I think 10-11 wins may be a touch unrealistic…

Boycott Rose Garden Concessions!!!
http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/11/8/657044/boycotting-rose-garden-con

by idoltime on Dec 31, 2008 11:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I would love to see them go small

and beat the Warriors at their own game.

Like we did with the Celtics. – Elgin

It doesn't mean you should just because you can. Like Abraham and Ishmael, fighting over sand - it doesn't mean you should just because you can. That is a fact of life. - Adrian Belew

by 22baylor on Dec 31, 2008 1:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

utah and is the most importand game in january

Activate Shavlik Randolph

by appel82 on Dec 31, 2008 2:58 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

important i mean

Activate Shavlik Randolph

by appel82 on Dec 31, 2008 2:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

wow that was the most awful comment i've ever butchered up in dis blog

Activate Shavlik Randolph

by appel82 on Dec 31, 2008 3:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

There's a single vote for "6 or less"!

QUIT LURKING, STEPHON!

"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway

by QualityPie on Dec 31, 2008 12:21 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Oopps, I mean, I'm dreaming of a loseless January....

Douglast, I think you are right on the money, I went the same route but would love to see the guys go on a tare and slap those Lakers around. I wouldn’t be shocked if this win against the Celtics started another streak of wins as the teams confidence grows. (If your going to dream, Dream in color.) how about 16 wins in a row, two down fourteen to go. GO BLAZERS.

Lets not forget to vote for Roy, LaMarcus, Greg and Rudy for the Allstar weekend, They could use the time off but I think to confidence rise from all the votes would help this team more.

In KP we trust.

by Sickfish77 on Dec 31, 2008 12:23 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

The Blazer need to step it up

I predicted 61 wins.

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 12:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

nice avatar

looks familiar.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Dec 31, 2008 1:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

wow 61/14

that’s a winning percentage!

Activate Shavlik Randolph

by appel82 on Dec 31, 2008 3:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sick and tired of Bill Simmons trying to out homer me

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 3:12 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Huh ? Did you say "Book it" ?

That was the prediction last year wasn’t it.
“Houston Rockets, Book it !”
Oh, sorry,
someone else.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Dec 31, 2008 7:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

So far...

the Blazers have played like the extremely young team that they are, in many ways, but the relevant one is this — they have a tendency to play up or down to the level of their opponent. That makes them hard to pick, because you never know which Blazers team is going to show up… the one who beat Boston or the one who lost to the Clippers?

Here’s hoping that last night’s win sinks in. Guys like Oden and LA and Rudy need to look at last night’s game and think, “What I did out there, wasn’t all that special. I didn’t score fifty points. I didn’t shoot all that well. I wasn’t hot and Brandon didn’t win the game for us. What I did out there was hustle, play smart, and keep my head in the game. I can do that every night. No matter who we’re playing, or where.”

If last night is that kind of turning point, look for a winning streak like last December’s. And yes, we can beat LA in LA.

by LicketyBrindle on Dec 31, 2008 1:23 PM PST reply actions 2 recs

You are right

I picked 9 wins because they’re going to surprise at least one of those top teams, but they’re also going to drop one or two to inferior teams. (Heck, they almost lost to NY and DC two games in a row. Anything could happen.)

by Kaboomm on Dec 31, 2008 2:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry, but this assertion is incorrect.

Although the “playing up or down to the level of the opponent” argument is an interesting one that often gets slapped onto teams, especially younger teams like Portland, I have to disagree with this when you dig into it more deeply and look at the totality of the record and not cherry pick individual games.

To me it’s not a matter of playing to the level of competition, it’s more of a style issue – The Clips and the Warriors are not good teams, but the Blazers had problems adapting to their style of play on those particular nights.

The statistics back me up on this:

At home against teams over .500, we’re 7-2 with an average margin of +7.33 points.
At home against teams under .500, we’re 5-1 with an average margin of +14 points… the one loss being the flukey double OT loss to the Clippers where we watched Zach post up LMA a million times and Blakey missed three free throws for the only time in his life.

On the road against teams over .500, we’re 2-8 with an average margin of -7 points.
On the road against teams under .500, we’re 6-1 with an average margin of +6.57 points… the one loss being the flukey loss to Golden State where Oden and LMA looked confused while 5 guards sprinted up and down the court all night for the Warriors.

When you look at the stats, you can see that Portland clearly does NOT play up or down to the level of their competition… particularly on the road where they are far superior against weaker teams as compared to the better teams.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 3:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

One other thing

With a 20-12 record, I wish THEY DID “play to the level of their competition”. With a 2-8 road record against +.500 teams, you can see that the youngsters will have a heck of a time getting out of the first round of the playoffs unless they can nab one of the top 4 seeds.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 3:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

excellent rebut!

by Blazin' on Dec 31, 2008 7:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Those are some nice stats...

But I don’t think they tell the whole story.

Over and over this year, I’ve seen games remain close into the fourth quarter. We don’t put bad teams away; we don’t get put away by better teams. And then, it comes down to who is able to execute in the final minutes. This is why it’s great to have BRoy and Outlaw; they both thrive at close and late. (What would our record look like without the late game heroics?) But it’s also why we lose close games to teams like Dallas, Orlando, and Denver -because they executed in the final minutes and we didn’t. Even that fluke loss to the Clippers was because they executed in the final minutes and we didn’t.

It’s a fallacy to say “we would’ve [insert game here] except for that miraculous shot as time expired…” (you didn’t say, that, I’m just saying…) just as it is a fallacy for Boston to blame last night’s loss on that 6-on-5 play at the end of the second half. If you outplay a team for 48 minutes, there are no miraculous shots as time expires.

If we stop playing to the level of our competition, we stop losing close and late to inferior teams, because those games are over in the third quarter.

by LicketyBrindle on Dec 31, 2008 4:09 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Again, you are ignoring the facts.

The Celtics have lost two games to teams below .500 (same as Portland)
The Lakers have lost two games to teams below .500 (same as Portland)
The Cavs – okay the Cavs have not lost any to teams below .500, but I have seen them eke out close victories against inferior teams like the Wizards, Pacers, Bucks, and Sixers.

The “playing to the level of our competition” argument simply doesn’t fly any more than it does for any other team in the NBA. You can’t take exceptions to the rule (Clips, Warriors) and claim them as the rule.

And your statement “we don’t put bad teams away” is simply false. Portland has simply annihilated teams quite often throughout the season, especially the terrible teams. That is not “playing to the level of our competition” either. I don’t think I’ve seen a Portland team have so many blowouts since the 1990-1992 era teams.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 4:30 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I'm not ignoring the facts;

I’m ignoring the stats. Stats and facts aren’t the same.

Example: your argument is based on win-loss records.

I’m saying that without the fourth quarter heroics of one Brandon Roy, the win-loss record would be way different, because the Blazers don’t bring the same game every night.

If they played every team with the energy and intensity they played Boston last night, their record would look like Boston’s. If they played every team with the defensive focus they played Detroit at the beginning of the month, their record would be about five games better. If they played every team with the focus they played when they blew out the Bulls early int he season, they’d be about 3 games better.

But they don’t. They play Denver like Denver; they play Dallas like Dallas. They play Golden State like Golden State.

Any ideas why?

by LicketyBrindle on Dec 31, 2008 5:20 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Your “fourth quarter heroics of Brandon Roy” assertion behind the win-loss record is not a fact – it’s a subjective opinion.

To your examples:

They split with Denver, despite the fact that Denver did not have Carmelo.

They lost to Dallas. At home. In an ugly fashion.

They lost a weird, quirky game to Golden State, but so did Boston… Golden State is one of those teams that can beat any team and lose to any team. Again, Golden State is not the rule, it’s an exception. You are forgetting all of the blowouts and the fact that they are 14 points better on the road against bad teams than good teams. You can’t attribute that to Brandon Roy fourth quarter heroics - that goes FAR beyond clutch play in the final minutes of a game.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 8:16 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

Here's some stats, I guess.

Yeah, I guess you can disagree that it’s Brandon Roy’s heroics that win games in the 4th quarter. But you can’t dispute that, almost always, Blazers games are won or lost in the 4th quarter.

Looking at December, I see 3 games that were pretty much decided by the end of the third quarter – at Boston, Sacramento, and at Utah. And two of those we lost.

Only one other game had either team up by more than 5 at the end of the third – the Clippers game, when we were up by 6, and lost.

The others were pretty much anyone’s game.

at the end of the 3rd:

raptors 12/27 – Blazers up by 2
mavericks 12/25 – Blazers up by 3
nuggets 12/23 – Blazers up by 1
nuggets 12/22 – down by 3
suns 12/18 – up by 5
magic 12/9 – down by 1
raptors 12/7 – up by 3
wizards 12/3 – up by 5
knicks 12/2 – down by 4

This says to me that, regardless of the quality of the opponent, the Blazers pretty much played to their level, until the 4th quarter. The teams that beat us – Dallas, Denver, Orlando – knew how to close out games better than we did. (Against the Clips, we choked and they got lucky.) The teams that we beat, didn’t.

by LicketyBrindle on Dec 31, 2008 10:37 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

one caveat:

I’d be interested to know what the league-average point differential is at the end of the 3rd quarter. But I don’t know how to find that stat.

by LicketyBrindle on Dec 31, 2008 10:39 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I just realized that in defending your opinion, you changed your argument.

In response to the question “how many games will Portland win in January”? You said that it’s hard to say, because the Blazers play to the level of their competition. Then I proved to you, statistically, that this was incorrect in terms of wins and losses (which was the original question posed in this thread), and margin of victory - there is a direct correlation between the quality of the opponent and the outcome of the games.

Then we switched into the Brandon Roy 4th quarter heroics explanation. I agree that BRoy is a great player in the clutch (I didn’t disagree with you, I said it was subjective opinion) and Portland has pulled away or overtaken teams in part because of his plays (and Outlaw’s, alternating between spectacular plays and boneheaded plays)… but it doesn’t change the basic premise… namely, do the Blazers play to the level of their competition.

Those stats are interesting, but when you add in the November games, it will tell a far different story (many 20-40 point blowouts which were decided before the 4th quarter). And most of those December games that you listed against the sub .500 teams were on the road where it’s tough to blow anybody out early on (ask Boston).

Also, as you mentioned, it’s hard to put it in context without comparing it to how other teams stand at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Bottom line is, the Blazers perform much better against weaker competition. As they should. And that’s how people are basing their predictions for January. So I guess it must carry some weight, right? And if it’s all because of BRoy’s 4th quarter heroics (especially against the crummy teams), well then praise God that we have Brandon Roy. :-)

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 11:21 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I think you're right...

I did change my argument. The Blazers play to the level of their competition for three quarters, and then the better team wins the fourth. As you say, they consistently beat inferior teams in the fourth, and consistently get beat by better teams.

So I guess in predicting win-loss records (which is what this thread is about) you’re right: you can reasonably expect them to beat teams they should beat and lose to teams they should lose to. For my part, I made predictions at the beginning of the year, and the Blazers are two games better than I predicted so far.

So point conceded. It was an interesting discussion, though.

by LicketyBrindle on Jan 1, 2009 9:58 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

And I concede that BRoy is the man in the 4th. Happy 2009 and go Blazers.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Jan 1, 2009 11:23 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

You guys have just set the example

for critical thinking and civil debate.

"Aneurysm".

When Outlaw wins a game on a last-second shot, it’s called an "annthefaneurysm". QualityPie

by annthefan on Jan 1, 2009 7:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Did I hear a "Niner" in there?

I feel safe choosing 9. I won’t be surprised with 10. I’ll be ecstatic with 11+.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car"

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Dec 31, 2008 1:56 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Lots of people go to college for 7 years. They're called "doctors"

by Timmay! on Jan 1, 2009 8:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Due to the Boston win

I demand 11 wins in January. I can accept losses to the Cavs and L@kers and one other team will probably beat us (Jazz, Pistons, Hornets), but I’m feeling very optimistic today and I think the Blazers will play extremely well because of the confidence from the Boston win.

"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"

by Magnum on Dec 31, 2008 2:09 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

HEY BEN

What’s the deal with Joel’s wrist? Mike B. made a huge deal about it during the game.

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 2:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

http://columbian.com/article/20081231/BLOGS05/812319991/-1/BLAZERBANTER

Jaws were hitting the floor as Greg repeatedly attempted to tear the rim off the backboard...

by TheOdenator on Dec 31, 2008 2:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

looks like hendrickson has the report you’re looking for… joel was in the locker room postgame, was happy with the w and the effort, was kind of crazy in the joel way of being super intense during conflict… love joel… think he will play through it… especially now that oden is getting his legs and taking on more minutes…

Blazers Edge.com

by Ben. on Dec 31, 2008 3:11 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I think I'm going to buy my wife a Joel jersey

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 3:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

PS

I love you Ben.

by tominhawaii on Dec 31, 2008 3:14 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks…

didn’t make it to practice today or i would have mentioned it…

Blazers Edge.com

by Ben. on Dec 31, 2008 3:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Here's what I'm wondering

The rest of the season, are the Blazers going to go on a tear, or stay on a “pretty good” level.

The official BEdge consensus before the season was that they’d be lucky to be .500 at the end of the year. I don’t think anyone predicted 20-12 at the end of this punitive schedule.

So the next question is — are the Blazers brilliant beyond what we imagined two months ago, poised to clean up in home games and against lower-tier teams and finish near the top? Or, are they currently playing at or above their proper level, and they’re going to wind up somewhere around 6th or 7th or 8th?

I guess January will tell us something about that. If they go like 12-2, that would really say something. (I picked 9-5.)

by Kaboomm on Dec 31, 2008 2:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I think we all did too much schedule watching at the beginning of the year. Things always even out in the long run, but they often even out in the short-to-mid run as well.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 2:37 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I choose A

because I Am Homer – Elgin

It doesn't mean you should just because you can. Like Abraham and Ishmael, fighting over sand - it doesn't mean you should just because you can. That is a fact of life. - Adrian Belew

by 22baylor on Dec 31, 2008 4:56 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I'll go with more of a choice A answer myself.....

Seems to me this team is still growing….they just started the season a bit higher than we all imagined. Yet the signs of growth are unmistakable. I expect the maturation to continue……with teh pace of winning to move upward as well. Yeah I’m a blatant homer, but I think that by late March, this team will have kicked it into high gear, earning a top 4 seed in the west.

by antediluvian on Jan 1, 2009 10:11 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

10(-ish)

I think they will go 6-2 at home, and 4-2 on the road. The Cavs and Lakers look like losses to me, and then I can see them getting tripped up once more at home (between the Hornets, Pistons, Jazz, and Bucks – one of those four games), and once on the road (one of the first three games on their eastern swing).

A 10-4 record in January would put us at 30-16 which is a 53 or 54 win pace. That would be awesome. Heck, even 9 wins would be great (29-17, 52 win pace) for this group of youngsters.

MLB2PDX!!! (someday...)

by The Cactus Leaguer on Dec 31, 2008 2:32 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I'm watching the Knicks-Bobcats game

from last night…gawd, do the ‘Cats suck. I’m gonna be upset at the Blazers if they don’t sweep that series.

by Badalona Baddie on Dec 31, 2008 2:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Trap Game

I say Millwaukee is the biggest trap game. They have been flying under the radar, but they have two dynamic scorers with Redd and Jefferson. Ridnour is playing quality basketball right now, too. He should match up nicely with Blake. They are on pace to make the playoffs in the East. I hope our guys don’t fall asleep on this one.

by kono on Dec 31, 2008 3:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

You're right,

it is a major trap game, especially with Lebron coming to town the very next game. I hope we don’t fall into the trap of looking ahead.

by premthegrem on Dec 31, 2008 3:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

I go with 8 as follows:

L Hornets
L at Lakers
W Pistons
W Warriors
W at Bulls
W/L at Sixers,at Nets (split these, could go either way)
W at Bobcats
L Bucks
L Cavaliers
W Wizards
W at Clippers (payback)
W Bobcats
L Jazz

"whoever scores the most points is probably gonna win the game"

by kobestopper on Dec 31, 2008 3:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I voted 10

We’ll likely be favored in all but the LA game and the Cavs game. We aren’t going to win all of the other 12, but I think 10 is a legitimate possibility. We did an awesome job surviving the brutal start (and then some). Now is where we have to make a move.

Boomshakalaka

by jksnake99 on Dec 31, 2008 4:35 PM PST reply actions 0 recs