The juggernaut continues (Jack Bog's Blog)

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on January 5, 2008 10:24 PM. The previous post in this blog was It's been delicious. The next post in this blog is Tag-teaming Hillary. Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.

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Saturday, January 5, 2008

The juggernaut continues

Now the Blazers are winning against a good team even without the services of Brandon Roy. They are certainly playing with confidence these days. Cool.

Posted at 10:24 PM | Permalink

Comments (7)

The Blazers, the third-youngest team in NBA history, win 13 games in a row and 16 of 17, many of them against quality teams . . . I think the word I'm looking for is "giddy."

Posted by John | January 5, 2008 11:11 PM

Don't get me wrong, I'm as die-hard as the best Blazer fan. Heck, I used to even be an employee.

I'm excited. But I'm tempering that excitement. Let's look at a list of teams we have not played since the current win-streakiness has occurred:
San Antonio
Phoenix
LA
Boston
Detroit

This year, we'll make the playoffs and probably lose in the first round by taking that opponent to the final game of that series.

But just think how much better and versatile the team will be next year with Oden anchoring the middle and a group of young but now somewhat experienced players surrounding him around the perimeter.

Ahh, a boy can dream....

Posted by hilsy | January 6, 2008 12:26 AM

To address Hilsy's point about teams they haven't beaten, I'll point out that Portland beat Detroit and Dallas earlier this year... before they gelled and learned to play together with confidence. Two things veteran squads like the Pistons and Mavs have had in spades.

New Orleans beat the Suns last night... Portland has beaten N.O. twice already. Notice how good Denver is playing? We've beaten them twice. Utah? Three times. Toronto? Once. Chicago? Check. Golden State? Yup. And then there's the Dallas and Detroit wins...

You can't discount this great body of work to this point in the season, against playoff teams no less. I don't know many people who think Portland at this stage is Spurs-quality, but they've vaulted to 5th-7th best team status by beating teams below that threshold. And don't be surprised if Portland matches up well against the Lakers and Phoenix to steal some of those upcoming games.

This is one of the biggest stories in the NBA this decade. Considering the odds going in with this roster, it almost seems ripped from a Mike Rich screenplay. We'll see how the season plays out. No matter what, I'm really proud of what they've done and become this year. What a ride.

Posted by TKrueg | January 6, 2008 1:19 AM

If they survive the return of Darius, anything might happen.

Posted by Jack Bog | January 6, 2008 8:30 AM

It's important that the team - if it makes the playoffs - wins its Division. Otherwise, they are likely to end up the 7th or 8th seed with a tough first-round matchup. If they played in other Divisions, Portland's record currently lands it 3rd in the Pacific and 4th in the Southwest.

Posted by John Fairplay | January 6, 2008 3:12 PM

It's truly impressive the Blazers won last night without the guy who not only is their best player, but may well turn out to be the best player in Blazer history.

But luck had a lot to do with the streak, as it does with all streaks. Pretty lucky shot to win that first game in Memphis. A lot of other lucky breaks along the way. Last night, the Blazers broke the game open in the third quarter by making jump shots--Webster's run in the 3rd and then Outlaw in the 4th. They didn't have much of an inside game.

The odds will catch up eventually and the Blazers will lose a few close games and probably end up just over .500. Though they may end up a little higher if they can continue to play with such intensity.

Posted by Gil Johnson | January 6, 2008 5:45 PM

Martell has the softest shot since Duck.

Posted by bligmayor | January 7, 2008 4:48 PM

In Vino Veritas

Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007

The Occasional Book

Hope Larson - A Wrinkle in Time, the Graphic Novel
Rudyard Kipling - Kim
Peter Ames Carlin - Bruce
Fran Cannon Slayton - When the Whistle Blows
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 32
At this date last year: 66
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269