Felt: "The Guardian" On The Blazers

Here's Hunter Felt breaking down the Portland Trail Blazers for the British newspaper The Guardian.
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The Portland Trail Blazers began the season losing two former "futures of the franchise", Brandon Roy (forced by injuries into premature retirement) and Greg "Mr. Glass" Oden (who just broke), before the season even started. Led instead by franchise present LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers have emerged as a genuine threat in the West, particularly at home where they seem practically unbeatable.

Over the past few decades, the Blazers have been more defined by disastrous draft choices (Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, Greg Oden over Kevin Durant) and disreputable rosters (the so-called Jail Blazers era) than what they've accomplished on the court. But this could change if they continue to keep pace with the likes of the Thunder and the Lakers (although victory over the Thunder spurred Oklahoma City to back-to-back-to-back wins). With the city of Portland entering the public consciousness with the hipster-parodying sketch comedy show "Portlandia", I could see Blazers gear replacing trucker hats and retro t-shirts as iconic symbols of this omnipresent subculture: "I'm wearing a Nicolas Batum jersey, he's a pretty good player but you probably never heard of him."
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So much going on there.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

5 months ago Ben Golliver 21 comments 1 recs |

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Yes and

how cool is my Travis Outlaw jersey now, huh?!

by travis13 on Jan 12, 2012 10:28 AM PST reply actions

It's, like, out of this world cool.

by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 12, 2012 10:51 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs

Travis is SO 2009.

I’m really getting in to Martel these days. Has an underrated, gritty vibe you don’t see out newer players these days.

Now accepting free tickets and drinks for the 2010/11 season!

by MikeIrish on Jan 12, 2012 11:36 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

..particularly at home where they seem ~~practically~~ mostly unbeatable.

"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.

by halo_on on Jan 12, 2012 10:34 AM PST reply actions

The Key...

….is the statement “If we can continue to keep pace with teams like OKC and The Lakers”…I think this upcoming road trip will reveal much about The Blazers ability to either establish themselves as legitimately able to keep pace with the West elite..OR whether we are one rung down…

"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"

by Krang on Jan 12, 2012 10:37 AM PST reply actions 1 recs

Heh. Curiously, our crowd resembles the Jazz crowd a lot more

than the cast of Portlandia.

That’s not an insult either. Portland’s market tends to draw from a metro area filled with very normal looking people, is all. In fact, Oregon is a very down-to-earth place with a couple freak-friendly pockets.

One could watch Napoleon Dynamite and predict Boise State’s cheerleaders will be wearing their hair in sideways 80’s buns. Or one could watch Friends and say the starting point guard for the Knicks is definitely going to be totally metro. How about Frasier? I bet the Sonics’ fans walked their little dogs to each and every home game and let them sip lattes. Wait. All of that is true? Oh. Ok then.;)

by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 12, 2012 11:01 AM PST reply actions

The best part of this post

is getting to the bottom of it and reading your name.

Not that i disagree with anything you said.

by moflow on Jan 12, 2012 11:16 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs

I'm gonna start a second handle and title

I don't always root for an NBA franchise, but when I do, I prefer the Portland Trail Blazers.

by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 12, 2012 11:39 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Crap.

I’m gonna start a second handle and call myself “Yuppie Paralympic Squad!”

Let the nonsensical bickerings begin!

I don't always root for an NBA franchise, but when I do, I prefer the Portland Trail Blazers.

by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 12, 2012 11:42 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Let's never fight.

No, really. I pull hair and screech. I fight like Kevin Johnson.

by Hipster Olympic Team! on Jan 12, 2012 3:42 PM PST via mobile up reply actions

Now I want a trucker hat with the retro Blazers logo on it

Black mesh back and white foam front with this printed on it:

by sanjait on Jan 12, 2012 11:41 AM PST reply actions

They have those everywhere.

I don't always root for an NBA franchise, but when I do, I prefer the Portland Trail Blazers.

by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 12, 2012 11:42 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Everywhere but on my head!

I shall have to find myself one of these, but in hipster fashion, I will avoid being seen as trying very hard to acquire it…

by sanjait on Jan 12, 2012 5:33 PM PST up reply actions

Haha. Like the dudes in the extra-small Walton jerseys.

It’s like: We know you bought that off eBay for like thrice the price, dude.

I don't always root for an NBA franchise, but when I do, I prefer the Portland Trail Blazers.

by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 13, 2012 9:21 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Ugh

It’s like people just grab a cliche shotgun when they talk about Portland. And, personally, I think Portlandia is one of the worst things to happen to television in general, and the city of Portland specifically.

I know less than half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

by haildablazer on Jan 12, 2012 12:55 PM PST reply actions

What? WHAT?!?

Given that Portlandia is a short run series on a boutique cable channel like IFC, I gotta call out that “worth thing to happen to television in general” statement. I got two words for you: Ryan Seacrest.

Is Portlandia a completely 1-dimensional take on our city? Absolutely. Do generalizations have a basis in reality? Absolutely. The jump from the real adult-kickball-league to fake adult-hide-and-seek-league is not that much.

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they're not.

by conspirator5 on Jan 12, 2012 3:30 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs