This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on April 15, 2009 7:42 PM.
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With San Antonio's overtime win against New Orleans tonight, the Blazers will be stuck with the Houston Rockets as their first-round playoff opponent. (Houston lost in Dallas.) If the Blazers win at home against Denver tonight, at least they'll have home court advantage.
If the Blazers survive the Rockets, the second round will be against the Lakers. Gulp. As Bill Schonely puts it, "Nobody said it was gonna be easy."
UPDATE, 9:57 p.m.: Home court advantage is secure, as the Blazers pounded Denver tonight.
Comments (13)
The blazers would have taken the spurs in 6, but the rockets are bad news for the blazers. Home court advantage would give the blazers a shot though.
It's obvious that the Blazers are going to have it to take it an even higher level than they've reached this far. First things first, though -- get home court.
The Rockets looked pretty bad tonight in the second half, but I agree that San Antonio would have been a much better opponent. Let's hope the Blazers keep it up in the second half tonight. It helps that the Nuggets have nothing to play for.
The thing about the playoffs: you got to play tough teams eventually. Cuz crappy teams aren't in the playoffs.
So let's get to it.
Our bench is only building steam. We had our "scrubs" in at the end of this game and they still were busting all over the Nuggets. And that was the second seed team we just demolished.
Both the Spurs and Rockets are tough--the Spurs because the play dirty in the playoffs and get away with it and the Rockets because they have lock down defensive players and Yao--and like Jack notes, they are better without McGrady.
We have a damn good team, though. Our bench scored 72 points tonight, while Denver's entire team scored just 76. We're definitely beyond to mental lapse stage that allowed teams like the Clippers to beat us earlier in the season. And it appears that at least some of our guys can play under extreme pressure. No playoff experience, but the Tampa Bay Rays had a bunch of young, inexperienced guys, too.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
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Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
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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
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Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
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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
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Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
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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
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Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
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Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
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Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
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C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
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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: 29
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
Comments (13)
The blazers would have taken the spurs in 6, but the rockets are bad news for the blazers. Home court advantage would give the blazers a shot though.
Posted by Bob Clark | April 15, 2009 8:46 PM
It's obvious that the Blazers are going to have it to take it an even higher level than they've reached this far. First things first, though -- get home court.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 8:50 PM
Nobody wanted the Rockets, but whatever. Bring 'em on.
Posted by TKrueg | April 15, 2009 8:51 PM
The one good sign is that the Rockets lost a game tonight that they should have won. Let's hope they swoon like that in Portland, four times.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 8:53 PM
The Rockets looked pretty bad tonight in the second half, but I agree that San Antonio would have been a much better opponent. Let's hope the Blazers keep it up in the second half tonight. It helps that the Nuggets have nothing to play for.
Posted by Anon | April 15, 2009 8:56 PM
If the Blazers make it to the Western Conference finals, they'll probably be playing Denver. So a convincing win tonight would be great.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 9:20 PM
Whoooooooohooooooo!
I know the Rockets are good, but we are CRANKIN' - and at the right time. Sergio was huge! Loved to see Channing have a good game.
Posted by Pat | April 15, 2009 10:06 PM
I'm actually alright with the Rockets.
Who would you rather play? The team that has never made it out of the first round, or the team that has three titles?
I'll take the former.
Posted by Justin Morton | April 15, 2009 10:15 PM
Without Ginobili, the Spurs aren't going anywhere. Without McGrady, the Rockets are a better team.
In case you haven't heard, David Robinson retired.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 10:23 PM
The thing about the playoffs: you got to play tough teams eventually. Cuz crappy teams aren't in the playoffs.
So let's get to it.
Our bench is only building steam. We had our "scrubs" in at the end of this game and they still were busting all over the Nuggets. And that was the second seed team we just demolished.
So let's do this. See what we've got.
Posted by Snards | April 15, 2009 10:42 PM
I'm all for "doing this." I have faith in the Blazers, for the first time in years.
But I would wish we had the Hornets and then the Spurs, rather than the Rockets and then the Lakers. Just sayin'.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 10:58 PM
Both the Spurs and Rockets are tough--the Spurs because the play dirty in the playoffs and get away with it and the Rockets because they have lock down defensive players and Yao--and like Jack notes, they are better without McGrady.
We have a damn good team, though. Our bench scored 72 points tonight, while Denver's entire team scored just 76. We're definitely beyond to mental lapse stage that allowed teams like the Clippers to beat us earlier in the season. And it appears that at least some of our guys can play under extreme pressure. No playoff experience, but the Tampa Bay Rays had a bunch of young, inexperienced guys, too.
Posted by Gil Johnson | April 15, 2009 11:18 PM
If I am not mistaken, the Blazer have lost 10 out of the last 11 games they have played in Houston. They had better take care of business at home.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 15, 2009 11:24 PM