Watching the Blazers lately makes me think of Ali in the jungle, resting while his opponent puts in his best shots. At the end, he starts swinging and comes out the victor. Yeah, PDX looks lethargic. Yes, they don't look like world beaters. But, they win. We have not always been able to say that. 

I don't expect they will beat ATL. ATL has peaked, in my humble opinion. 

The Blazers seem to have taken a lesson from the greats: Pace yourself, finish top 4, and turn it on. 

As a close personal fan of winning 82, this makes me nervous. But I can intellectualize the big picture and say: it's all good, even when it's ugly.