NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB Editor Bryant Knox takes us on a trip down memory lane, recapping the final season of the I-5 Rivalry between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle Supersonics. Kevin Durant, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Ladridge all had solid performances that year. The two teams split the series 2-2. Durant and Greg Oden were going to be the two players to renew the rivalry, but the injury-plagued career of Oden and the sale of the Sonics put those thoughts to rest, at least temporarily.
NWSB Editor Bryant Knox gives us all a Portlander’s perspective on the situation regarding the Seattle Supersonics and the Sacramento Kings. It’s easy to sympathize with the city of Seattle, as having a team and a player like Kevin Durant ripped away would be devastating. However, empathizing with the city of Sacramento can’t be ignored, as Portlanders would fight to the death to keep their team.
Jason Hartzog previews the Portland Trail Blazers’ April 14 matchup against the Denver Nuggets. Jason says they key matchup he’s watching is Wilson Chandler versus Will Barton. If Barton can have a nice game and keep up with Chandler’s defensive intensity then it could open up things for Damian Lillard. Lillard will likely see a lot of double teams in this one if Lawson is limited again as he was last game.
Jason Hartzog previews the Portland Trail Blazers’ April 12 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Jason says the Thunder are still playing for the top seed in the west. They won’t let this one slip away without a fight. Can we get more Lillard please? Damian Lillard was outstanding as he scored a new career high 38 points vs. LA. The Blazers got off to a quick start, shot the ball well, and really looked in control the whole game.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers March 24 matchup against the OKC Thunder. The Blazers began the current five-game road trip with two losses, but back-to-back wins over the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks have given fans hope that the playoffs might be a possibility. This group plays up to its competition, and that’s what it will have to do on Sunday. The key matchup is at the point guard position. Damian Lillard said coming into the year that he pictured himself being a Russell Westbrook-type point guard, and he’ll look to have a big game to close out the road trip.
NWSB insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox breaks down why Damian Lillard should have been elected to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. Lillard is just a rookie, but he’s having a standout season. He’s a top-15 player in both points and assists, and he plays a style of basketball that caters to All-Star Weekend. Plus, imagine what he could do with Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant on his side.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Jan. 13 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Damian Lillard is coming off his best performance as an NBA point guard, but he’s going to need help if the team wants to stay close against OKC. The key matchup is going to be between Kevin Durant and Nicolas Batum—a matchup that belonged to Durant last time these two met. LaMarcus Aldridge is day-to-day.
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 Writer Bryant Knox recaps the biggest ‘What If?’ questions in Portland Trail Blazers franchise history. ESPN recently aired its documentary “Going Big” about the Blazers drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan, but this is just one of many situations in which Portland saw itself moving in a completely opposite direction. Kevin Durant, Larry Bird, Chris Paul and Bob McAdoo could have all been Blazers.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 1 matchup against the OKC Thunder. The Blazers are coming off a contest where the crowd had their back for an entire 48 minutes, and it will be interesting to see how this young group responds with the boos coming their way on Friday. Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, J.J. Hickson and Nicolas Batum all stepped up to the challenge against the L.A. Lakers, and the Blazers will need similar performances Friday.
NWSB insider Brandon Choate gets nostalgic today. With all the recent happenings in the fight to bring an NBA team back to Seattle, it tends to bring up old memories and open old wounds. Brandon opens that can of worms today and explains why he, as well as most others,still love their Seattle Sonics basketball team.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Steve Lee Stella tells us all about what true Rip City hoops fans already know. The Blazers have drafted poorly in their history. Possibly the poorest of all NBA teams. Many fans are well aware of the wisdom and success that was put into and come out of selecting such memorable names as Sebastian Telfair, Martell Webster, Greg Oden, LaRue Martin and Sam Bowie.
