Yesterday, in spite of a close loss in Houston against the Rockets, I proclaimed in my blog that it was a “great day to be a Blazer”. While I still think that it’s a great honor and joy to be a Blazers’ fan, today’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs proved that while the Blazers have come a long way from last year, they still have a lot of work to do. Here are three things that are essential to the Trail Blazers becoming a championship team.

Away Games

The Trail Blazers currently have the second best home record in the Western Conference (next to, of course, the ‘almighty’ Lakers that are going to be beaten when they visit the Rose Garden). In front of their supporting and adoring fans, they perform very well, hitting clutch shots and playing at a very high level. They seem mentally and physically dominant when they play at the Rose Garden, upsetting teams such as the world champions, the Boston Celtics (yes, I still remember that game in late December) on a day to day basis. However, the difference between a good team and a great team is the ability to play away games.

Teams such as the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers are able to play at a high level wherever they go. They are mentally and physically prepared to take on challenges on the road, and as a result win more total games, which makes their job in the post-season much easier. The ability to play well on the road, and not just at home, is the difference between the Lakers’ record (21-6) and the Blazers’ record (12-17). I believe that, once the Blazers are able to bring their A-game on the road, as well as display it at home, that they will be a championship caliber team.

Coming Out Strong in the First Half

“We dug ourselves a hole.” Hmm. Does this quote sound familiar? The Blazers are oftentimes guilty of having stagnant first halves, and having to work their butts off in the second half to work off a large deficit. At times, the Trail Blazers have been lucky enough to come close in the second half and then win by a buzzer beater, or by a last-minute shot (take, for example, our first game against the Rockets, when Brandon Roy scored a 3 pointer with 0.8 seconds on the clock, or at the New York Knickerbockers, when the same hero, Brandon Roy, threw up a scoop-shot as time expired to win the game by 1 point). At other times, the Blazers have been able to scratch out their deficit to 2 or 3 points, only to lose by a hair’s breadth as the other team hangs on by the skin of their teeth (yesterday’s loss to the Rockets would be a great example for this).

The Trail Blazers need to give it their all throughout the whole game, and not just the last half. They to be not only physically, but mentally intense throughout the whole game. Doing so will minimize mistakes such as careless turnovers, ridiculous fouls, or bad decisions on shots.

Develop the Rookies

Much of Portland’s star power comes from young players. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldrige are relatively young- they are 3rd year players out of college. In order to progress as a team, Portland needs to make important decisions about the team’s leadership and make-up. The first thing that Portland needs to do is to develop Jerryd Bayless. Bayless is a great athlete and competitor, but at this point has neither the experience nor mental awareness that someone needs to guide a team, both problems that can only be remedied through playing time.
We all know what Sergio Rodriguez will give us, night in and night out. We also know the same thing about Steve Blake, even though he sometimes has amazing nights (such as his 14 assist first quarter against the Clippers). However, Bayless’ potential is uncharted. You  can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you can certainly teach a young puppy to do whatever you want. Portland should focus on grooming Bayless as their next point guard, and give him more playing time while he is a rookie, and before he solidifies and grows content with a small role in his team.

In addition, Portland also needs to develop the low post. I agree with McMillan’s decision to start Oden over Przybilla so far, because it’s taught Greg a lot about playing in the NBA. Greg is an absolute beast in the post, and when he does not get into foul trouble, he is capable of dominating a game. Oden simply needs to learn how NOT to commit stupid fouls, and he will be a much more valuable asset for the Blazers. This is something that cannot be taught in any practice, or told to a player in any one-on-one talk. It simply has to be learned from a game. And while Greg Oden’s progress up to this point has been painstakingly slow, given time, he will soon be putting up monster numbers, both on the offensive AND defensive end of the board.

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