NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers April 5 matchup against the Houston Rockets. The Blazers will be back on national T.V. (ESPN) for the second time in just over a week. Last time didn’t go so well against the Brooklyn Nets, and the team will look to restore its image with a young, energetic roster. The key matchup is going to be at the shooting guard spot. James Harden and Wesley Matthews will have the potential to score a lot of points in a up-tempo system.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Feb. 8 matchup against the Houston Rockets. These two teams have faced off twice this year, and Portland has come out on top both times. Each team is fighting for the final playoff spots out West, and the winner of this one will be that much closer to acheiving their goal of the postseason. The key matchup in this one is between J.J. Hickson and Omer Asik, although watching Wesley Matthews defend James Harden will be fun to watch for all fans.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Steve Lee recaps the first half of the 2012-13 NBA season. There are key wins and key losses that have put the Blazers where they are today, which is one spot out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum have all had great seasons, which is why the team is playing better than most anticipated.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about the rumors of the Sacramento Kings being sold to Seattle. Though there were early reports coming from the daughter of NBA agent David Falk that the Kings were being sold to Seattle (which were quickly dismissed), Seattle having a basketball team in 2013 became more concrete when Adrian Wojnarowski, a reporter for Yahoo! Sports, tweeted that the two sides were very close to an agreement.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers writer Rick Stella gives us his weekly Rick’s Picks, naming the All-Star performances showcased in Rip City. 3-1 on the week isn’t half bad, and Portland was able to get back to a .500 record on the year. It’s a work in progress, but Terry Stotts’ squad is starting to learn how to win. LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Nicolas Batum earn All-Star recognition in week two, while Batum also takes home the Dunk of the Week.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 16 matchup against the Houston Rockets. Portland avoided becoming the Western Conference’s worst team in Wednesday’s win against the Sacramento Kings, and a win against Houston would establish momentum going into an easier part of the schedule. The key matchup is between J.J. Hickson and Omer Asik, although it will be fun to watch Wesley Matthews vs. James Harden 2.0. LaMarcus Aldridge is Day-To-Day.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 3 matchup against the Houston Rockets. The team is going to need more bench production against the Rockets on Friday than they had against OKC, and the starters must handle the pressures of the road better if they hope to escape the Toyota Center with a win. James Harden is averaging 41 points per game so far this season, and it will be Wesley Matthews’ job to stop him from going off against Saturday night.
NWSB Portland Trail Blazers insider Rick Stella weighs in with his five trades the Blazers should be looking at making in 2012. Its a fun take using the NBA trade machine. Portland moving Raymond Felton, Wesley Matthews, or Nicolas Batum for starters, getting back Steve Nash, D.J. Augustin, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, and James Harden. Here are the five best trade options for Portland.
