The pressure of game six is on both teams with both teams having advantages.

Houston's advantage is leading the series and home court with Portland's back to the wall. Portland has the physical and psychological advantage.

The difference is that our whole team is painfully aware that their backs are against the wall; we are painfully aware that we are on the road. Whereas some of the Houston’s players are in denial, or hiding under home court advantage and Portland is on the brink of elimination. The warnings of some of the Houston players are their knowledge that everything isn't secured and there is a lot to be concerned about.  If Battier thinks home court advantage gives them security, he might get left behind. Psychologically their backs are against the wall because they don't feel like they can win another game in Portland

The physical advantage is only because Houston doesn't seem to be able to run for 48 minutes or don't want to. So our advantage there is if we can keep the tempo up. Plus, Although Greg is brand new with has rough surfaces yet, but he is smoothing out and is just as strong as Yao.

 IMO, we also have the psychological advantage. We have far exceeded what everybody thought we could. The distance in the play offs we go is for experience.  We are not expected to win in Houston but we defy that. The last is we know that Houston does not want to go back to Portland, so they feel they also have their backs to the wall. That gives us a big psychological edge. Portland team knows their back is against the wall, they played the last game with the last game mentality so they feel confident if they can play with intensity. They also feel they can win in Houston because of the last two games. That is the big psychological advantage.

It appears that the talent is about even. Other than anxiety and stage fright of the first game, the two teams have pretty much played even.

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If you throw a new stone in to the ocean with stones that has been there for ages, the new stone doesn't fit at first because the surface is jagged and sharp. But, after a few tides and turbulence the new stone surface starts to become smooth and starts fitting with the other stones. Soon, the new stone is in unison with the rest of the stones the new stone may act so much like the other stones that you might think of them as one. That is where the Portland Trailblazers are at. They are all still new but their parts are becoming smooth and functioning better every game. When the team comes becomes a finished product our whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. We are almost there if not already there.

Watch out Houston the future is closer than you think

hg