BLAZERS MAKE IT 10 IN A ROW

As the Portland radio announcer exclaimed, "who woulda thunk it?"

The Blazers have made it 10 wins in a row, after defeating an undermanned Nuggets team which was lacking big men Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin.

After a frenzied finish, with a series of free throws, Travis Outlaw continued his fine 4th quarter form of late to block a potentially game-locking three point attempt by Linas Kleiza on the buzzer.

It's party time in Rip City!

Portland's next three games are in Seattle, Minnesota and Philadelphia. All theoretically very winnable games, despite the early-season road woes of the Blazers. Hence, the Blazers could be on a 13 game winning streak coming into their New Years Eve rematch with the Utah Jazz.

What was that about chickens not being hatched?

WOTN : Minnesota T-Wolves (21/12/07)

The Warning of the Night is normally reserved for a great individual performance, but the Timberwolves' victory over Indiana was a team effort deserving of recognition. The T-Wolves came into the game having only won 3 games (and lost 21), playing an over .500 team in Indiana.

Bassy Telfair appears to have finally got his groove back. He played all 48 minutes in this match for 29 points and 11 assists. Foundation stone Al Jefferson finished with 29 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks, whilst back-from-the-dead Antoine Walker shimmied his way to 23 points off 6 three-pointers.

The T-Wolves were behind by as many as 21 points, before rallying for a 13 point victory. Jermaine O'Neal continued his uninspiring performance this season with 8 points on 3/11 shooting, leaving Lil Dunleavy as the only significant scorer for the Pacers shooting a decent percentage (10/18) on his way to 30 points.

Both teams decided to turn the game into a track-meet, with Minnesota scoring 131 (average 92.8) and Indiana putting up 118 (average 104.4), with 11 players getting into double figures. This would have been a game worth watching it seems.

SAD DAY FOR HEAT FANS

And a sad day for those who value competitive spirit. Alonzo Mourning's entire career has embodied passion for the game. He has served well as an ambassador for the players and he has served his employers and fans well as an oustanding intimidator on the court.

However that could all be over with the news of Zo's double-injury to his leg. Mourning's battle against medical ailments in the past has been well documented and his firey determination and leadership on the court has been much needed for a Miami team which is struggling to find any direction this season.

Here's hoping that the big guy makes a full recovery and decides to strap the boots on for a final season in 2008-09. If nothing else, I think Shaq really does need his "bodyguard" next season, as he doesn't seem to be capable of handling himself in quite the same way as he used to.

IT STARTED WITH A STREAK

This is it. This is that post I'm going to look back upon in years to come, when the beginnings of this blog are a distant memory to me. I'll be reminded of what spurred me on to get this site started and get off my lazy Barkley-esque behind and writing again.

I previously bared my soul (or at least the basketball-related parts of it) at a site called RGB : Rose Garden Blog. But due to the inevitable evils of time constraints, posts became a bit few and far between there. So I'm starting afresh.

... a stern warning will be an NBA blog not solely confined to my beloved Trail Blazers. If anyone catches me lapsing into a red-and-black induced frenzy, just hit me (preferably in the comments section).

What got me writing again? Well, it was those Blazers. As I write, Rip City is on a 9-game winning streak, which could well be extended with a win in an hour's time as they host the Nuggets. Before I start to rant about how the streak has been a blessing for Portland fans, I will say that it brings me mixed feelings.

Even before Greg Oden went down in the preseason, 2007-08 was always going to be about building for the future and suffering some losses on the way. The reward at the end of the tunnel of course, would be another tasty lottery pick, to be combined with a maturing returning squad and the addition of Spanish 2007 draftee Rudy Fernandez.

However the Blazers have gone crazy on us, winning games and ruining the prospects of that 2008 draft pick!! Clearly they've not been enrolled in the Rivers & Ainge school of tanking...

I recently read this article by Lang Whittaker at SLAM. He echoed my initial sentiments exactly -- what the hell are you guys doing, winning games?!? The thing is though, this Portland team has needed desperately for a long time to instill a winning culture. Finally it's here. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and their gang -- they don't know how to tank games. And isn't that a nice change.

Ultimately, come April, the Blazers may or may not sneak into the playoffs. They may or may not score a high draft pick. Either way, the final result will be the maturation of a team of winners. Keep on winning.