Nowell: "Blazers' Hold On Portland's Psyche Is Slipping"

Danny Nowell wrote a snapshot look at the Portland Trail Blazers and the mood here in Portland for TrueHoop earlier this week.

The Blazers announced a sellout on opening night, but if that's the case then hundreds of fans decided to stay home and leave their complimentary T-shirts draped over empty seats. No game since has been announced as a sellout. Right now the Blazers rank ninth in the league for average home attendance, and a paltry 19th in percentage of home capacity filled. This is not in keeping with Portland fans' idea of themselves, or with their reputation.

...

Blazers fans provide a crowd most of the league would trade for. But it still seems that the Blazers' hold on Portland's psyche is slipping. If anecdotal and unscientific claims sway you, try this: When I went to Spirit of 77 -- a bar close to the Moda Center named for the Blazers' lone championship season -- to watch the season opener, the Red Sox were on the projector screen until into the third quarter.

This is no indictment of the Blazers' roster, or of the front office's approach; from the wreckage of cartilage that defined the last era of Blazers, a competitive and stable team has arisen. But they now find themselves at the point in the organizational cycle when they can build their identity or have one assigned to them.

The full piece is right here.

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