Oooooh LaMarcus! Blazers put it to Detroit. 96-85

Another double digit and convincing victory over an NBA powerhouse! The two stars for Portland shined bright this afternoon in game against the Detroit Pistons that had the "Bad Boys" on their heals from the beginning. What kind of statement was made today in game 1 of a 5 game road trip? Portland has arrived.

*Side note! Did anyone catch the Cheetah Girls in possibly one of the worst renditions of the National Anthem ever? Carl Lewis was proud today.

Quick Recap:

The Pistons starters looked a little sluggish from the opening tip and the Blazers quickly took control of the game opening up at one point a 14 point lead. The second units came in and Detroit's looked much more aggressive and physical while making a sizable dent in the lead the starters had built. The game was close down the stretch with the Pistons taking the lead with just a few minutes left until Brandon Roy decided it was time to take over. A series of pick-and-rolls with LaMarcus Aldridge along with a couple of quick layups from Roy and this game turned into a route out of no where.

Game thoughts in fantastical bulleted format:

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge were better than any other player on the court.
Allen Iverson is not fitting in.
And Rip Hamilton is feeling the effects of it.
Rasheed can still play, but his days are visibly limited.
Thank god Batum got some solid minutes!
Thank god Outlaw didn't!
Solid defensive rebounding job from Oden which is what we need.
He also made a solid impact on the defensive end in general.
What a showing at a weird time of day at the beginning of a road trip!

Plus/minus sheet:

Highlights for those of you football-ing on a Sunday:

Box score.

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