RETURN OF THE BLAZERS by Tannen

All the hopes, optimism and anticipation certainly paid off for the die hard Blazer fans. In the aftermath of the Game 7 West Final collapse against the Lakers things just got ugly under the mis-guidance of Bob "the boob" Whitsitt. We know the entire story of the Jailblazers ad-nauseum. They say the key step towards a cure is admitting or diagnosing a problem. Under Whitsitt and the blindness of owner Paul Allen, nothing was done but lipstick on a pig until fans stopped showing up and they bottomed out with just 21 wins during the 05-06 season. That was the first year under Nate McMillian and early in the tenure of Kevin Pritchard running the front office. The progress has been remarkable and paid off with fan enthusiasm absolutely exploding. This franchise was always a true gem and reflected the heartbeat of a great city like Portland. But slimeballs like Rasheed Wallace, Isiah Rider and other unappreciative pigs who feel it's their birthright to play in the NBA rather than a privilige tore it apart. Now it's time to rejoice in Rip City. Don't get me wrong, the Lakers are clearly the team to beat in the West. From my chair, I think the Trailblazers have as good a shot as anyone else among the 7 challengers to knock LA from it's perch. No one else has more depth, better defense and this team can rebound with anyone. Their 1st round opponent, the Rockets have a terrible post season resume. Last night they had a chance to climb all the way up and grab the #2 seed, but lost to Dallas, lost home court edge and now face Portland as a 5 seed. The series begins Saturday night at 7:30 and it's the ESPN game. Both teams had equal 20 & 21 road records while the Blazers recorded one more home victory and had a stellar 34 & 7 mark at the Rose Garden. Only the Cleveland Cavs, Celtics and Lakers were better. The oddsmakers have the Blazers as the 6th pick to win it all and many so-called experts are calling them a "tough out". I think they've already exceeded logical expectations by making the playoffs, pulling home court advantage and winning 54 games. The rest is gravy, but if they can solve Houston and make the NBA version of the Elite 8, watch out!