A Remarkable Thing has Only Just Begun
After a decent night’s sleep and the dirty martinis flushed from my system, I’ve never felt better about being a Blazers fan. We may not have seen the performance of a lifetime last night from this young group, but really, we shouldn’t have expected one. They had been proving the world wrong along the way for 87 other games and this last one just wasn’t meant to be. Sure, we would have thoroughly enjoyed the Fakers fans and the Kobe vs. Roy chatter, but really, this was the learning experience we all wanted for this team.
They’ve tasted Playoff defeat and now have a pretty good idea of what it takes to make it to that next level. Are changes on the horizon? More than likely. Can we sit back and question moves and starting lineups? Of course we can. But what really matters to me and should matter to you, is that Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden all had their first opportunity to battle an incredibly tough opponent in the NBA Playoffs, the grandest stage in all of basketball. The time was never supposed to be now for this team, but 3-5 years down the road remember?
The off-season will be a whirlwind of preparation and mental growth which will cast this team even higher into the upper echelon of the NBA’s elite. We may see Brandon Roy reach the top 3 in MVP voting, we may see Aldridge grab that first All-Star bid, and we may even see the risk this organization took on Greg Oden finally pay off. The future is where we should be looking from today going forward. This season was one we’ll never forget, but stop the analyzing and think about tomorrow.
And this blog…
This ridiculous blog actually made it through an entire season! Throw a party my people! Woo-mofoing-hoo! In our first full season covering “your” Portland Trail Blazers, I would say things couldn’t have come out any better. From an idea that started just a week before game 1 of the season, we had a blast. No idea how we managed to stay committed for so long, but it’s pretty easy when you write for the greatest team with greatest fan base in all of professional basketball.
I’ll definitely be back for a second season and hope to provide coverage throughout the entire off-season as stories arise. However, you sure as hell won’t see one of those “end of season grading reports” or any other clichéd events happening around here, we’ll stick to our normally unusual guns. Coverage to me has always been about fun and controversy. If you aren’t inviting feedback or opinions from homers or pissed off Lakers fans, then you just aren’t doing a good enough job!
It’s been a wild one, thanks to everyone who continues to read Blaze of Love and keep us on our toes. The only reason I continue to do this is because of the relationships and interactions I get to have with so many wonderful fans and friends. Cheers!
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