It's like playoff basketball. A special night in what could be a very special season.

Fifty-two points and the win. Way to go, Brandon Roy.

I was saying last year that Roy reminds me a bit of Oscar Robertson in that he's a big guard who does everything very well. That was premature last year, not anymore--though his shot looks more and more like that of the original Earl the Pearl.

Still, not much defense tonight. Oden finally came through in the last couple of minutes with two big defensive rebounds (his only boards of the night) but I still feel more comfortable with 'Zilla in there.

Oden looks lost out there. I'm still not seeing what the hype is about.

If you're worried about Oden, take it easy. He's still a kid.

For comfort, see if you can track down a tape of Hakeem schooling Shaq when Houston faced off against Orlando in the NBA Finals a few years back. Hakeem made Shaq look bewildered at times, but Shaq obviously figured things out.

Watching the game tonight, you can see that Shaq is a lot more than just the most massive guy ever to play in the NBA - he used a lot of technique and trickery to get Oden into foul trouble early. Watching Shaq dominate Oden made me think of how much the late Pete Newell contributed to the game of basketball by schooling the best big men in the game.

This game will grow in legend in time. You had emissaries from the other two great Blazer eras in Bobby Gross and Terry Porter. You had Shaq - whom basketball fans should appreciate as the most unusually big big man in history. You have the storyline of the young center named Greg Oden, who started great and played well last night when he was out there. Hopefully this will be a little like when Lou Alcindor played Wilt in Wilt's last years.
Of the 3 great teams right now: The Celtics, the Lakers, and Cleveland, plus of course San Antonio, we have time on our side with all but Cleveland - or whereever LeBron ends up. King James could be what Michael Jordan was to the Drexler era: A denier of Blazer championships, although we also lost to the Detroit Pistons. The point is last night ranked in that special category where really entertaining basketball turns into legend.
Oh, and one other thing legendary aspect of last night's 52 by Brandon:
The announcer was Marv Albert. That will seem historic someday too.
My only regret is that when this game wrapped up it was 1:35 a.m. back East. Brandon Roy should be the talk of the NBA this morning, but that's okay. Maybe we can sneak up on them.

the young center named Greg Oden, who
started great and played well last night when he was out there.

If he can't stay on the floor, he will not be more than a footnote to the legend. For all the hype, he doesn't seem to know what he's doing out there.

Oden getting into early foul trouble was a blessing, because it got Pryzbilla into the game. Joel didn't have that great a stat night, but while he was in there, Shaq scored just two of his 19 points. For this season, Oden should be the understudy and Joel, who is fourth or fifth in the league in rebounds per minute played, should be getting the bulk of the action.

All I can simply say is that I was there in our seats in Section 107 and the game was GREAT in so many ways. I talked to Bill Schonley a bit before the game in the Taproom; and he mentioned he was going to M.C. the Bobby Gross Ceremony. And he did a great job. Brandon Roy was simply ON FIRE all night long. I believe he played 44 out of 48 minutes in the game. And Travis Outlaw did more than his part too. Just simply glad I was there to see it all. The crown was standing the entire last 3 minutes of the game and really let loose with the noise when the Bill Schonley graphic with "R-R-R-I-P CITY" appeared on the video boards.

Roy's gonna be great, but

Clyde's 50 back in '89 was just as exciting.

and in '86, he was one assist shy of a *quadruple double*, something that only four players in NBA history have ever accomplished. in '96, he was one assist shy of a Q-D *again*.

both players are seriously nice guys, too.

Reminds me of the NCAA tournament where Greg Oden got in foul trouble in some early rounds and everyone asked these same questions. Then in the championship game he was tremendous.
I think the rebounding and blocked shots are already there and he got some crucial boards late last night. Sure, he's taking the criticism too personally right now, and he gets down on himself, but he seems to be a great person and I believe he just needs time to get used to himself as a suddenly rich pro. I mean he is only 20.