Something I had in my notes to mention in the Hornets preview but somehow forgot:
That Boston game was plenty emotional and had been circled on our calendars for a while. When you ride on emotion in the NBA you often win but the next game after turns out to be a completely limp blowout. This isn't guaranteed to happen, of course. It's perfectly possible the Blazers come out with even more energy and play a great game. But beware of this phenomenon and be prepared. We want, even envision, our coaches and teams to be "rah-rah" guys getting pumped up to play important games, but most coaches prefer the clinical, professional approach for just this reason.
Let's hope the Blazers can overcome the letdown.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)