A History of Blazersedge: Volume I (2006-2007)

A while back, a few newer Bedgers expressed interest in the past of Blazersedge. What are some of the funniest moments? What are Dave's best articles? When did Ben fall in love with Rex? 

Thus I decided to compile a list of some of the most memorable Bedge moments. This volume runs from April 2006 to December 2007, as having one fanpost cover the entire history would be insane.

The very first article that Dave wrote on BlazerThoughts:

Tough season? Yup. Bad season? Ok. Worst time in team history? Naw. That's in the rearview mirror.

Dave expresses his vehement distaste for the LaFrentz-Telfair trade:

Tokito and Quick are reporting that the trade is actually multi-player, with Ratliff and Telfair going to Boston for Dickau and Raef LaFrentz. All I can say to that is: NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Why LaFrentz? His contract is a year longer than Theo's at the same money. He's also become less and less effective over the years, turning into an exclusively perimeter player on offense and a non-factor at defense and rebounding.

Whoever we get or whatever we do better really pan out or Prichard has a black mark on his record from Day 1.

That Brandon Roy sure did turn out pretty well.

Dave's first post at Blazersedge, taking over for Lance.

So rather than striving to be a second-rate "expert/professional/media" blog I have been committed to being the very best of the fan blogs. I love talking with others about the team and I hope the work reflects that. I don't get hung up on whether people agree or disagree with what I say, just that it sparks some conversation. I envision the blog being like the coffee shop (or bar) where everybody goes to talk about the day's news after they've read it all those other places. Let's face it, it's pretty hard to get a decent Blazer conversation generated in real life nowadays. Not so here. If nothing else I read every single comment and try to respond to every e-mail. And other people are quite responsive too. We fill a nice niche that way. The only thing I've ever asked is that people make it easy for others to comment by being respectful of each other. 

One of the funniest comments I've ever read on Bedge, in Dave's "Optimism Thread" that preceded the 2006 season.

Man, I want to be optimistic... in the worst way, but damn, people, there ain't no way. - ken.

Dave on Blazer fans anointing the young players:

We should preface this discussion with a disclaimer.  Portland fans almost always make too much of their rookies, even more so in the last few lean years.  Travis Outlaw and Qyntel Woods were once the foundations of our future, an athletic duo that was going to pound the league into submission.  Just a few months ago Martell Webster was the most popular thing since lap dance day at the state pen.  Now we barely remember him because we're ready to canonize Brandon Roy after two weeks of his first season.  It's always too much, too soon.  It's probably premature to say Sergio is going to be a player, let alone a great player.

Now this is funny. A poll debating whether a Magloirable for Nene trade would be a good deal for Portland. The result is funny in hindsight.

Nene's only played seven games since coming back from his injury, and so far has been a bit lackluster; certainly not a significant upgrade over Magloire.  Given that we have Aldridge and Zach already (though LA might be better at the center position), and given the length of the contract--I wouldn't do this deal at this time.
(If, OTOH, Nene continues to recover and turns into the beast everyone thought he would be before getting hurt, then maybe). - EngineerScotty

More Magloire. Ladies and gentlemen, high comedy.

--Jamaal Magloire picked up 3 blocks and 6 rebounds, making him one of the few productive players off the bench.  He also got 5 fouls though.  And Sergio would have had at least two more assists if Jamaal weren't so darn slow.  The Barista hit Magloire with two beautiful dishes that should have led to dunks, but they only led to free throws because of his glacially-paced moves.  If he got the ball at the top of the key in the Stone Age it wouldn't pass the rim until the mid-Renaissance.  In a way, that probably makes him a player for the ages.

Uh... Blazers interested in Swift?

If I had to guess, it probably included Outlaw, Magloire, and our 2nd rounders for some combination of Fortson and Swift.  Unless we were going to offer up someone like Sergio or our 1st rounder, I can't see why Seattle would do something like this.  Swift is quite injured, but I think he'll still be quite good. - Samuelson

I know this one wasn't of any particular note, I just found it amusing.

Uh, can we just agree to strike this from the record? Let's just say that a lot of Blazer fans liked them some .... Zach Randolph. (I'm not even going to quote people on this one...)

Canzano, I am thankful for your writing and the humor it brings years later. Usmcr3049 reports the following:

JC put out a decent piece on Sergio today.  Basically he is calling for the Blazers to build around him instead of Zach or even Roy.  I don't know if he is just getting caught up in all the hype for Sergio, but isn't it a bit early to say he is a center piece to be built around?  

I mean come on I love the guy, and I sit on the edge of my seat when he gets into the game, but he has played only a handful of games so far.  How about we give this guy a year or two before we decide he is the franchise player.  

Reading the comments, I had forgotten how excited people were about Sergio. Wow. Is this how we talk about Batum and Bayless now? Food for thought.

 This was downright prophetic. ssa400, a Bedge graybeard, penned the following fanpost in the months leading up to the 2007 Draft Lottery.

i think we'd be best off with the 6th worst record in the league. that would give us a 10.7% chance to win the lottery. Not great, but that's a nice balance between our team trying hard and still having somewhat of a shot in the lottery. As of right now we only have a 2.8% chance or something. So losing those couple more games and increasing our  odds 5 fold seems to be worth it. -ssa400

The tide turns. Dave writes on Pritchard being hired on as Blazer GM.

As Duckblazer points out in his diary, Sports Illustrated is announcing that Kevin Pritchard has been signed to a five-year contract to be the new General Manager of the Portland Trailblazers. Since this is almost sure to be met with universal approbation from Blazer fans I thought we should start a Kevin Pricthard congratulations thread. Send your messages to Kevin here. When we're all done I'll forward them along.

One of my favorite features that Dave ever did was the "Guest Analyst" type season review threads. I've included a few of the ones I personally enjoyed.

Dave channels Jerry Seinfeld, recapping Brandon Roy's rookie season.

What is WITH Rookie of the Year voters today?  I just don't get it.  I read an interview with one NBA "expert" who said he was only voting for Brandon Roy for Rookie of the Year because "there was no one better".  Excuse me?  That's what Rookie of the Year MEANS.  There's no one better. What criteria have you been using up until now?  This is the guy who is reponsible for screwing up all the consumer products in our society.  Why didn't that movie have a better ending?  This guy voted for the second best one!  Why does this mouthwash taste horrible?  He voted for his last choice!  For Pete's sake, somebody stop asking this guy questions until he gets the concept!

Sonny Corleone breaks down Przybilla's '06-'07 campaign:

So tell me, what are we paying this guy for?  To make a fool out of us?  Two points, four rebounds, soft defense, six hundred fouls, hugs for everybody.  If I didn't know he just got whacked in the coglioni I'd wonder if he had any.  He's robbing us blind and he ain't even using a gun.  We gotta put a stop to this before the other guys start gettin' ideas.  I don't care what it takes.  If we gotta break a few bones, we break a few bones.  If we gotta pull out the mattresses we pull out the mattresses.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, takes our money without payin' the interest, you know what I mean?

Spock and Kirk go head-to-head in breaking down Sergio:

Spock:  I fail to see the logic in the infatuation you humans display towards Sergio Rodriguez.  A statistical analysis of the relevant data shows little correlation between his production and the popular response.  His assist to turnover ratio of 2.8 was mildly impressive, placing him 15th in the league among point guards.  His assists per 48 minutes would have placed him in 6th place overall had he played enough minutes to qualify for consideration.  He did not.  Logically there must be a reason for this.  One possibility is that the coach is incompetent, insane, or has a motive to lose games.  While the hypothesis cannot be discounted completely there is little evidence to support such a claim.  The more likely reason is that the coach has recognized the flaws in Mr. Rodriguez's game.  He exhibits poor decision-making skills.  His defense is sub-par.  Team offense is his strength yet the team scored less when he was on the floor than when he was off it.  Admittedly his passes do have an certain aesthetic quality.  This leads casual observers to overvalue his contributions.  Gentlemen, we continue down this road at our peril.

The South Park kids on Dr. Darius:

Cartman:  Well, he used to do these awesome dunks and bop his head and stuff, but that was a long time ago. You can see it in the poster here.  But now look at him in this picture from the paper.

Kenny:  Hmmmph humm!

Cartman:  HE IS NOT FAT KENNY!  It's a glandular condition.  Have some sensitivity.  Besides, those extra pounds are the key to his success.

SNL takes a crack at LaMarcus:

Published reports speculate that the Portland Trailblazers (hot, young team) plan to start Lamarcus Aldridge (power forward) at the center position next year (stupid idea).  Aldridge has said he's comfortable at either position (big, fat lie) and relishes the challenge of facing NBA-level centers (getting face-pounded every night).  General Manager Kevin Pritchard (new Theo Epstein) says that Lamarcus' speed (skinny behind) gives the Blazers a running advantage (no rebounds) at the crucial center position.  This also allows the Blazers to keep Zach Randolph (Class "A" Booger-Head) as the starting power forward (cap sink), freeing him to play his usual game (taking all the shots).  With this bold plan (jury-rigged lineup) the Blazers hope to combine the best of the running and halfcourt games (muddled offense) and make a run at the playoffs (O.J. Mayo sweepstakes). Nothing would make the fans happier (trading Zach).  Back to you, Dave.

The Dan Dickau review thread, notable only for the picture that Dave posts... Casey in high school.

Ladies and Gentlemen
the REAL hottest blogger in cyberspace...

(Other review threads in this series: Simon and Garfunkel on Martell, Godzilla and Mothra "analyze" Schenscer the ginger, Yoda reflecting on Travis' potential, big man Shrek talks big man Magloirable, Roadrunner and Wiley E. Coyote square off dicussing Raef, Mr. Brimley speaks of Ime Udoka, Fred Jones... Tigger or Eeyore?, Smeagol talks with Gollum about Zach, and Clinton vs. Bush - Topic: Jarrett Jack.   

Tehe. Dave interviews Chuck Swirsky, who says the following about Bargnani:

Andrea Bargnani has an incredible upside. He will be a better defender and rebounder next year. He is posting up and is doing a much better job putting the ball on the floor. He has by far the quickest release in the NBA and is extremely accurate behind the three point line. He has a nasty/confident  side and you will see more of that next year.

in the comment section of the same article:

Oh wow how did I miss this gem the first time?
Swirsky talking about Bargnani:
"He has by far the quickest release in the NBA"

Uhmmm...whoa....wow...now I realize who I'm dealing with here. -leeroyjenkins

Dave sets the stage for the ultimate fight: Canzano vs. Zach and Darius.

So we're going to have them draw.  With crayons.  Each party gets to make a picture of the other one.  (Zach and Darius have to collaborate to make it fair.)  Whichever picture is better (either creatively or at least with better stinky lines emanating from the subject) is declared the winner.  If Zach and Darius lose they have to swear off the strip clubs and questionable rendezvous(es) while in Portland.  If they can't get through a whole off-season doing so they need to spend the off-season in Vegas.  If John loses he has to swear off writing about the strip clubs and questionable rendezvous(es) unless and until a criminal conviction is obtained in one of these cases.

The thread that always brings a smile to my face: the 2007 NBA lottery. Note damir's comment after we won. High comedy.

UPDATE: PORTLAND SCORES THE NUMBER ONE PICK! THE NUMBER...ONE...PICK!!!!!!!

(there were a lot of reactions to winning the lottery. Here, here, here, here... here...)

The single-funniest threads on Blazersedge are probably the open draft threads. Here are some select quotes from the 2007 draft.

someone shoot me
"* The New York Knicks just traded Channing Frye and Steve Francis to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau and Fred Jones." - SergioFTW

strange
i like Frye though. he can be a great backup at the 4. with Joel and Frye we'll have very good backups at the 4 and 5. that is pretty terrible value for Zach though.
makes no sense for the Knicks. curry and Frye together- can you say stagnant offense?

I'll wait until all the info is in before passing judgment.  

KP has earned our trust- let's reserve judgment a little longer. -jksnake99

NOOOOOO! Kevin Pritchard's honeymoon is over
Are you freakin' kidding me? Send '23/10' to the Knicks for garbage? Steve Francis is a cancer. If they plan to trade for him and buy him out, why not just buy out Zach and Darius together? They didn't even get the 23rd pick in the draft? Channing Frye brings nothing we don't already have. This is quite possibly the worst Blazers trade I've heard. It doesn't even get us under the cap next summer (2008) unless they can structure a one-year buyout.
Simply unbelievable. Couldn't they at least have waited to make this trade tomorrow so they wouldn't have to ruin our night? -buildthroughthedraft

Crap, Ok I don't understand this pick
Is there any way that Rudy gives up millions to play for a euro club to come play for a rookie scale contract for the #24 pick? I sure as hell hope they did their due diligence and talked to Rudy about this. -howlingfantods

The first Hinrich to Portland idea? Blogabull vs. Bedge, Round 1.

Man... Pookeyguru authors what may be the longest post in Blazersedge history... and he's a Kings fan. I won't even cite from it because you need to click on the link to see how incredibly long it is.

And when I think I've found all worth finding... good ol' Johnny Canz doesn't fail to entertain. Damir gives a snippet of Canzano's latest blog posting.

You're going to have to do a lot of reading between the lines when it comes to Portland's free-agent signing of Steve Blake, but I think you'll like what you see when you do.

This signing automatically means Jarrett Jack is what league executives call "a mover." The Blazers obviously don't think they can win big with Jack, and I expect he'll be in another uniform by the start of camp (maybe paired with Joel Przybilla in a trade?). Also, a Western Conference GM tells me the Blazers were unwilling to give any free-agent they seriously talked with anything beyond a two-year contract.

Ask yourself why?

Raef LaFrentz, Steve Francis (buyout), James Jones and now, Blake, will all come 100-percent off the salary-cap books in the summer of 2009. If Portland plays it wise, they're going to be a major player in free agency that summer.

So... which point guard could become a restricted free agent that summer?

Chris Paul.

Dave asks the Bedge readers: what is the future? Ken has a slightly different view a year later.

The Future's So Bright...
I've Gotta Wear Shades. Timbuk 3

jksnake breaks out a haiku for the occasion.

Oden Aldridge Roy
Multiple championships
Joy for Blazer fans

Remember GOOFs? That was an interesting time. Jscot coined the term, fatty used the term (often), and Dave had to end up asking people to stop

A thoughtful commentary from a GOOF... on being a GOOF.

Once again, as your
designated GOOF spokesperson, here I go.
Having been a recent addition to the Blazer fan club, I am appreciative of those who come before me. I personally would struggle to associate myself with a team that was regularly associated by it's stars as a team of jerks, lawbreakers and guys who would lose a game to accelerate the beginning of their vacation.

I accept that those who have climbed into your sandbox only because those thugs have bben replaced by Nate, Brandon, LaMarcus and Greg are GOOFs.

I just haven't figured out why that makes you better that me.

More importantly, it diminishes from my enjoyment (and apparently the enjoyment of others) that you, fatty, can't educate me or disagree with me without insulting me. -ojala

Falsehoop. Top 10 nominee for best Blazersedge article.

--Both Jarrett Jack and Sergio Rodriguez are the ideal point guards for this team.  In fact next summer they plan to merge into one, super point guard called Sergiack.  He will have great size and a winning attitude but be able to run and flip passes on a dime.  This will also open another roster spot for one of those big-name free agents to sign for the league minimum.

Dave turns Bedge into (B)E-Harmony.

Note that even if you're not ready to settle down with the co-Blazer-fan of your dreams this survey also works for trying to find people to split that season ticket package with.

Just circle the number that most closely resembles your position.

A.  Keep Zach            1    2    3    4    5        Trade Zach

B.  Oden                1    2    3    4    5        Durant

C.  Darius is salvageable        1    2    3    4    5        Darius is done

D.  Jack is a starter        1    2    3    4    5        Jack is a backup

E.  Sergio will be a superstar    1    2    3    4    5        Sergio is overrated

F.  Draft a small forward        1    2    3    4    5        Veteran small forward

G.  Bank on Outlaw         1    2    3    4    5        Beware Outlaw

H.  Martell recovers        1    2    3    4    5        Martell was a mistake

I.  Nate is God            1    2    3    4    5        God, Nate!

J.  Ime's a key player        1    2    3    4    5        Ime's average

K.  Give Dan a chance        1    2    3    4    5        Give Dan a pass

L.  Running game            1    2    3    4    5        Halfcourt game

M.  Pro-Lewis            1    2    3    4    5        Anti-Lewis

N.  Shoulda kept `Sheed        1    2    3    4    5        Shoulda dumped `Sheed sooner

O.  Winning matters more        1    2    3    4    5        Character matters more

P.  It was karma            1    2    3    4    5        It was random

 

Perhaps Dave's best work of satire, writing about the Donaghy scandal.

YES. This scandal will absolutely bring down the league and don't think the higher ups aren't quaking in their boots. You see, Tim Donaghy's bookie had a side interest that few people know about. He ran a cabbage farm just outside of Poughkeepsie, New York. Even fewer people know that said cabbage farm is actually a cover for one of the largest government-sponsored remote viewing stations in the country. Remote viewing, as you may know, is where specially trained operatives use the power of their mind to view a specific point in space and time. They cannot control what they view, but they're pretty good at where and when. Now, the cabbage farm has sixteen fields with fourty-two rows each on 501 acres of land. Divide sixteen and fourty-two by two and multiply 501 by four (so it balances) and you end up with eight...twenty-one...two thousand five. Combine this with the number and direction of rotations the tractors and combines perform to seed, spray for weeds, and harvest (39 + 55 to the north and 32 + 55 to the east, which everyone knows is the latitude and longitude of Ankara, Turkey) and you get your exact date and place for remote viewing.

Mortimer with the unfortunately ironic comment on Oden:

As long as he doesn't need microfracture, I'll be okay.  I'd rather he plays hurt for 15 years than go through that micro crap.  Luckily, Oden consults me for all career advice so I'll let him know my thoughts.

fatty's infamous Oden fanpost:

so i going to make a deal with you people.if g.oden's surgery is a sucess.and the doctors say he'll be ready for training camp in 3 weeks.then all you people who were ready to jump off a bridge or jump out a window will man*woman up and say fatty was right i dispise him but at least he's real.if g.oden's injury is at least 4 months before he plays.i will not be on blazersedge for 1 calender year.it's not like i really need the hassles of speaking my mind but if he's out to january.then i'm gone til september 11.2008.deal or no deal trust me take the deal please.

Dave, slayer of bad ju-ju:

Here's how it's going to work.  You're going to write "Disperse the Curse" on a piece of paper.  You can also make drawings, stitch embroidery, make macaroni pictures, or whatever you want.  Draw a picture of Oden dunking over six opposing centers from different teams all at once.  Paint  Walton's foot and Bowie's leg with big red circle "NO" signs through them.  Write a poem, write vows of victory, or just leave the page blank except for the dispersal sentence.  If you have old Walton bobblehead dolls or locks of Shawn Kemp hair or Qyntel Woods trading cards or things that you suspect are bringing bad memories or bad juju you can throw those in too.

Take your piece of paper (and whatever else) and mail it to:

Blazersedge Curse Removal Department
c/o Dave
P.O. Box 125
Genesee, ID 83832

In a week or so after enough stuff has accumulated I am going to take it all out to the backyard, burn it, and let the smoke rise to the heavens and drift away, symbolizing the removal of the old juju and our ascending hopes for Greg's knee and the future.

Dave completes his mission:

As you can see these items include:

--Bill Walton's foot
--Sam Bowie's broken leg
--Derek Anderson's teeth
--Brandon Roy's orthopedic insert
--Zach Randolph's bling
--J.R. Rider's coke can
--Shawn Kemp's nose candy
--A number of trading cards (popular items in the mail) including Mark Bryant and Harvey Grant Franz cards, two Danny Ainge rookie cards from his stint with the Toronto Blue Jays, and an official copy of Qyntel Woods' "Driver's License"
--Ruben Patterson's wisdom (the hot air surrounding it all, soon to be hotter)
--All of the "new leaves" turned over by Bonzi Wells over the course of his career
--Most importantly of all, 98 letters, post cards, and post-it notes sent in by fans with "disperse the curse" written on them

Here's how this is going to work. Tomorrow Today (Saturday) at about two minutes and eighteen seconds past the hour of 2:00 Pacific (click the top link on this page if you don't get the reference) all of this stuff is going into the burn barrel. As the smoke ascends anyone who wants to can think happy thoughts, or whatever it is that you do. At that point the bad juju will drift away with the wind and the good juju will be here to stay. That's the way it works, you know.

Dave on late-first round, early-second round draft picks, referencing Freeland, Koponen, Rudy, Sergio, Jarrett, and Taurean. Right on the money. So far, Rudy is a solid contributor to a winning team. Jarrett and Sergio are question marks. Taurean and Petteri aren't looking good. Joel is probably going to sign with Unicaja.

It's almost certain that four of these guys won't make it very far in the league.  Five wouldn't surprise me either.  We'll be doing well to get one real, solid contributor from the bunch.

An Open Letter to Greg Oden:

I know it must feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  I know at times in the next year it'll seem like that weight is landing squarely on your knee.  But somehow that weight is easier to bear when you have a few hundred thousand friends to share it with.  And you do.  Think of us when you're burning through that thirtieth rep.  Think of us when you're watching your teammates playing.  We'll be thinking of you, supporting you, praying for you, and cheering you.  This isn't going to break our relationship.  It's going to make us stronger.

Dave sez: Rudy > MJ

 From an opponent on the French National Team:

Ah...Rudee.  He is, how you say? Amazing.  I am ze center on ze team.  Normally I would not guard such a player.  But our little men were getting...what is ze word I am looking for?  Toasted.  That is it.  So while Rudee was driving I slid over to bring ze help.  He looked me right in ze eye, made a quick jab step to ze left, jumped, and then it happened.  He stuck out his tongue.  You always know you are in ze trouble when he sticks out his tongue.  When he stuck out his tongue many cigarette ashes fell out.  Ze ashes got into my eyes and nose.  I could not see anymore and could not block ze shot.  It was sick.  But so was ze dunk he threw down.  He is...how you say?  Unstoppable.

The Blazers' future looks bright: Baby PG is born.

I debated about getting a guaranteed mention in every Blazer-related website out there by naming him Kevin Nate Mike Mike Brian Antonio Jason Joe Dwight Kerry Henry Casey Deckard but my wife said the combination of those good looks and the barest mention of the name "Casey" would make him such a ladykiller it wouldn't be fair.  Since we want him to grow up a gentleman we decided against making him link bait and just went with Derek.

I found this post particularly humorous. Dave addresses a question asked by Mortimer about why Travis plays in late-game situations. This is a must-read... we're asking the the same questions that we still ask about Travis.

Before I begin I should say that I'm probably not the best Travis apologist in the world right now.  I appreciate that he has brought more energy lately and that he appears to be trying hard in most games this year, which is a step up from years past when he just looked lost.  He is clearly having a better start to his season than he ever has.  Nevertheless his game and level of development still bother me.  I remember distinctly thinking during the Sacramento game, "He plays at the level of a decent rookie with upside."  That would be fantastic if he weren't in his fifth season.  In other words I'm trying a difficult thing here, which is not to make my point but to guess at why somebody else is making theirs, in this case Coach McMillan.  I have suggested to Mortimer that the Oregonlive Quick Chat would be another great avenue for this inquiry and I hope somebody pursues it this week, as Jason Quick would probably have some good insight as well.

Read Mortimer's book comment to get the full experience. It's worrisome to think that we're here, two years later, asking the same questions.

ldog1976 wrote a "Top 10" post about there being a silver lining to the Oden injury.

#8 A shot at Nicholas Batum in the draft

Ben joins BlazersEdge.

There's an important and exciting new feature just arriving at Blazersedge. We now have full access to home games...media room, locker room, full reporting. Obviously I'm not able to attend and report as I live a state away so Ben Golliver, author of DraftKevinDurant.com is becoming the official Blazersedge correspondent for home games.

Dave: Roy and LMA are not 2008 all-stars:

--I love Roy and Aldridge, I am prepared to worship the ground they walk on, and I'm hard-pressed to think of two young players I'd rather have on this team.

--Neither one of them makes the All-Star team this year.  And that's not a snub, it's just the numbers game.

Dave is frustrated with "Bo" Outlaw not gettin' respect.

My first thought was that Travis should go to ESPN headquarters and start punching the dot-com crew right in their collective noses. After all, how could they prosecute him? It's not like they could pick him out of a lineup. But in the end that was too barbaric so I'll settle for asking a question:

Maybe some of the brilliant minds at the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" (tm) can tell us why they find it so difficult to get a simple name right. It's not like we're identifying John Smith here. And how about matching the correct picture to that name once in a while? What kind of journalistic world do we live in when matching ONE of the two names makes a correct picture?

And the streak, who could forget. SuperTrout emerged in Memphis, hitting the game winner.

--What the dee-diddly-dang-dang happened to Travis?  Somewhere around the end of the third quarter he ducked out, changed out of his mild-mannered Floppy Fish suit, and became SUPER TROUT.   And boy did we need him.  His greatest strength is that he can get a shot up anywhere, anytime over anybody when single-covered.  We put ourselves in a position where that mattered tonight and Travis really came through.  He hit a couple of last-second bail-out shots that defied belief.  It's a good thing he hit that game-winner too because it looked for all the world like he was primarily responsible for letting Rudy Gay slip through for the offensive rebound off of that Navarro miss on the penultimate play of the game.  It would have been easier to win it by boxing out Gay, but it was more ESPN-worthy to win it like he did.

How are YOU keeping the streak alive? I highly recommend reading the comments. Tom was on a roll.

Well
I started wearing adult diapers during the games, so that I do not miss a play. I've also been eating a lot of cheese... I guess you folks did not need to know that last part. -Mr. Inhawaii

Dave on the Philly game, the thirteenth win in a row.

Honestly I'm not sure there's anything else to say.  This game was so odd you'd have a hard time drawing lasting lessons from it.  It was old Blazers and new Blazers all wrapped into one.  Pretty much all you can do is marvel at 13 straight and shake your head.

Ben wraps up the streak with some memories:

--Now that the streak is but a glorious memory, what were your favorite moments? There's Brandon's Jordanesque move and Outlaw's unbelievable buzzer beater. Aside from those two, the one that sticks out was another Outlaw moment - the game-ending block against the Nuggets. It was the loudest I've heard the Rose Garden this year and its memory will tide me over through the January road trip doldrums.

And Dave's poignant reflection.

The question remaining for the Blazers is what this streak will mean in the grand scope of things.  Right now it's like a ribbon from your Middle School Field Day...a cool memory of a great event, but not something bankable in isolation.  It doesn't feel at all to me like this team is in danger of spiralling back into an emotional funk, but it's possible I suppose...not so much because they are fragile but because they don't have a track record of handling adversity with confidence.  In that sense, other than the rebounding issue which definitely needs addressing, I hope they just put this game behind them as if it didn't matter a bit.

I'd love for you all to chime in... what did the streak mean in the long-run? From my perspective, it brought hope back. Fans were officially back on board.

Well, there it is. There obviously wasn't a lot of Ben, but he'll figure quite prominently into A History of Blazersedge: Volume 2. 

Have at it in the comments. I couldn't have possibly looked through all the material that Dave produces, so I'm sure that I missed some good moments. I'd love to hear your favorite Bedge memories from this era.