The Trail Blazers opening night is a few tantalizing hours away.

This calls for a Mad Lib:

Adjective:

Nickname:

Current Blazer:

Number:

Number:

B-ball statistic category:

Current Blazer:

Number:

Number:

B-ball statistic category:

Three Stooges member:

Synonym of "small":

Cartoon character:

Derogatory Adj:

Something smelly:

Current Blazer:

Positive adj:

Something ferocious:

Rocket's player:

Past-tense verb

Same Rocket's player:

Body part

Famous African American pop/R&B music pianist known to wear dark glasses:

Synonym for menacing:

Adjective:

.... wait for it ... don't cheat ...

The glorious Portland Trail Blazers opened their season with a ___(Adj)___ win over the Houston "___(nickname)____" Rockets at the Rose Garden Tuesday night.

___(Current Blazer)___ led all scorers with ____(number)___ points and ___ (number)___ ____(b-ball statistic category)__. ___(Current Blazer)___ added ____(number)___ points and ___ (number)___ ____(b-ball statistic category)____.

Houston was led by ___(Three Stooges member)___, who managed ___(synonym of "small")___ points and ___(cartoon character)___, whose ___(derogatory Adj)___ play reminded Trail Blazer fans of ___(something smelly)___.

"___(Current Blazer)___ is clearly The Man," said Blazers coach Nate McMillan. "This team is so ____(positive adj)___ that I don't know what more I could ask for."

There was a tense moment in the third period when backup center Joel "_____(something ferocious)____" Przybilla and ___(Rocket's player)____ grappled for a loose ball. Przybilla ___(past-tense verb) ___(same Rocket's player)____'s ___(body part)___. Referee ___(famous African American pop/R&B music pianist known to wear dark glasses)___ called Przybilla for the foul, but retracted the called after meeting the ____(synonym for menacing)____ center's ___(adj)____ glare.