There's been this gnawing (gnashing?) thought in the back of my mind since the start of the season. It's been touched on a couple of times here and there, but there's a few points that I think are fresh. This season the rumor is that the Blazers are 'soft'. As a fan I have reacted with kneejerk denials and over protective blather. Their rebounding is greatly improved I say. LMA was a monster in March I say. They own the fourth, I contend, It seems like they win more games when they're down by 20 in the third than when they're ahead. Through all of this I never paused to actually consider what it meant to be soft.

What is it in a player that makes them soft? Can you be skilled, nay greatly talented and still be considered soft? Let us examine (briefly?) the two best players in the game (sorry Paul Pierce) and maybe we can find the difference between soft and hardcore. 

First lets look at Mr. Ohio Mr. New York. In my opinion Lebron James is focused, it seems, on self agrandizement. He wants to sell shoes, be a billionaire, and garner witnesses to his greatness. In short, he wants to win. Gosh darn it he's so good that he may do just that. He might be able to shine brighter than everyone else and will his team to the championship. He might, but I doubt it. He doesn't need to beat anyone. He wants to be better than everyone. Big difference.

On the other hand there's subject #24. One better than 23? Hmm indeed. K*be Bryant is a sadist. There I said it. That's a purposefully provocative statement, but it bears out.  K*be Bryant does not need witnesses. K*be needs victims. K*be needs to see his enemies driven before him and to hear the lamentations of their fans. K*be Bryant needs to go into Energy Solutions arena with the ball in his hand down one with 1.7 seconds left and stun all 20,000 people into silence. Dead silence. The black mamba they call him. They call Lebron "the king". How lofty and noble, but not K*be, oh no. He's a pit viper. You see? Think back to that gold medal game a moment. Who did you want with the ball on the last possession, K*be or Lebron? Right. K*be doesn't want to win. He wants to beat you. He's been hearing people cheer for him all his life. Like he said, he's a basketball connoisseur. He has learned to cherish the silence that his actions bring more than the roars. yeah, chew on that.

Ok, so what makes the Blazers soft? The Blazers can't win on the road in the western conference. People call the Blazers soft, and it must be due to their lackluster showing in away games, right? What is the difference between home and away games?

Killer instinct. At home the crowd provides a simulation of the killer instinct. Like 20 thousand jeering romans thrusting their thumbs down. Finish him! The Blazers feed off of the cheers. It's positive reinforcement. Go! WIN!! They respond to the roar. It's natural. There has also been much pride expressed in the quality of character that the Blazers present. Stand up men who reflect well the ethics and principles of the community. These good guys want nothing more than to win, like Lebron! The last thing they want is to relish the failures of another, right? That'd be evil, like K*be! However, this is the playoffs. This is not the time to gather at the well and banter over the delisciousness of Aunt Bee's recent batch of cookies. This is the time to paint the town bright red and scrawl out "welcome to hell" on the front gates.  

I postulate that 'soft' is wanting to win but not wanting to see your opponent lose. Hardcore is embracing the silence that your total domination causes amongst the opposing fans. There can be only one. If you really want the rings, if you really want a parade, you have to want the opposing team to lose. If you simply want to do your best, and golly shucks I hope that's enough to beat 'em tonight... Well that right there is 'soft'. There it is. I have my thumb on it. You may not like it because it's kind of ugly. It smells like testosterone and napalm. It's like Fatty says. That's right I'm invoking Fatty, and not to ridicule his agoraphobic punctuation but rather to highlight his anguish over the lack of ballers on the team. The Blazers have got to learn to find passion in domination, in being the bad guy, if you will. Dave seems to enjoy wrestling so perhaps I should put it like this: the Blazers must embrace the role of the heel. From the "Bad Boys" pistons to the Spurs in all black to chasing rookie PGs around like a dog, it's been done before and with very rewarding results. 
 

Like K*be in Utah. The Blazers need to feed off of the silence on the road like they feed off of the cheers at home. Like backwards day. Get pumped when the crowd hurls jeers. A grim grin when you silence their cheers. A smirk when the other team trips up. There is no one to cheer you there is only the pain your victory will bring. Brandon is starting to understand this. One should not wish, however, to be a yellow mamba. One should become the red white and black death. "We're road warriors!" he shouts. Not yet B-Roy. You need to collect a few scalps in Houston first.

The Miami game was aired on the armed forces network. This got me thinking. Which elements of the US military do the Blazers reflect individually? It's silly I know but i'm always thinking in convoluted analogies.

 

Lamarcus - The Army. Boots on the ground. He gets in the trenches and does damage with his artillery.

Batum - The National Guard. Defense baby.

Blake - Nuclear Submarine - Low profile highly mobile long range missle platform.

Oden/Pryzbilla - The Marines. Oorah.

Roy - The A-10 Warthog. The tank killer. Titanium belly. When the day absolutely positively has to be won. Flying directly into the enemy lines and taking hits left and right to turn the tide of battle.

Rudy - The F-22 Raptor. HIgh tech destruction from long range coupled with a fantastic stealth capability for getting deep behind enemy lines.

Sergio - Aircraft Carrier - Assists the men on the ground with air support from distance.

Outlaw - The Harrier. Note the vertical lift-off.

Bayless - Navy Seals - Covert, overt special delivery to the target.

Frye - Military Intelligence. Nuff said.

The starting Five together make the pentagon, and the international coalition off the bench? NATO.

 

My first fanpost. Thanks for putting up with my silliness.