Rudy Fernandez --- has ice water in his veins.  He gets better, in big games.  Umm, Olympics final...  Playoffs so far...  Why give him 22 min, and Outlaw 30 last game?  If the first game of the series was on the players dealing with the big stage for the first time.  This last game was on you --- Not being willing to deviate from your game plan, and not recognizing certain players were rolling.  Why pull a player the moment he brings you back in a game you shouldn't have come back from in the first place.  Listen, its the end of the season.  You've got it all on the line.  Rudy is money, he's as fearless as Roy, and he is clutch under pressure.  When the dude gets going, leave him in!!! 

Please!!!

I mean really.  We didn't have to listen to KG, or Pierce, or any of those guys.  

Know what, we wouldn't have heard a peep from them if we had kept the game close. Played better transition D.  Played hard, and basically put the fear in the opposing team as we have so many times this year already.   If we were up by a few in the last five minutes KG would have been too scared to taunt us.  If he had, he would have really looked stupid now wouldn't he...

 No, no, no, we were the Blazers of last couple of years last night.  We regressed, our lack of experience was exposed, and we gave the game away by the third quarter.  

You know what, I am glad it happened.  We needed a smack on the mouth.  We need to learn to play with fire, intensity, and toughness to get through games like this or we can just forget about making it out of even the first round of the playoffs.  

It wasn't just Boston, or KG, really.  Their crowd was loud, the stadium was rocking, just like it is in the Rose garden (where we haven't lost yet).  This was the first away game that I remember watching this season that a crowd was as animated.  We need to get used to that cause we'll be seeing it more and more, especially when we get in the playoffs, and that is more than just a possibility.  

With all the recent talk about refs, David Stern, Phil Jackson's whining, the finals, et al.  We need to talk about winning a title.

The NBA is a business, and whether you like it or not its proven to be all about growth and the maximization of profit.  Money, viewership, ratings, all follow the big city markets on the east coast and the west coast.  Depending on whether you believe the NBA never tries to influence games or not, and you are certainly entitled to your belief... 

"OJ didnt do it!"  

Oh, you think so do you?? 

Well, guess what, we are a small market team.  We can forget about winning a title without at least one player that any fan out there would want on their team.  

After all you have to learn to play the money game in order to win titles in the league today. We must provide our ruler, the NBA, with a Superstar to make big money on.  

Oden.

The top marketed players today are Lebron, Kobe, Yao, and Shaq;  well, he used to be, but he's still in alot of commercials.  

Oden has the best chance of any of our players to make it to that level.  Lets just let him develop his game, which he will.  Just try to picture him in an after game interview.  With his joking attitude and demeanor he is going to impress the NBA enough that he will get some great exposure, especially when we make the playoffs.

The blessings of the refs be upon us.