Cunningham thrives on the dirty work

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:53:00 -0800

After facing early deficits in each of the last two games, the second unit for the Portland Trail Blazers has proven to be key in helping the team get back into the game. While some of his impact does not show up directly in the stat sheet, Dante Cunningham has been prominent in helping his team comeback from double-digit deficits in each of the last two games.

Okafor prepares for match up with Aldridge

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:48:00 -0800

Despite losing both Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla to season-ending injuries, the Portland Trail Blazers have still managed to do a nice job of controlling the paint on both ends of the court. While the play of LaMarcus Aldridge, Juwan Howard, and Jeff Pendergraph has been tremendous, the Trail Blazers will have to be at their best when they face the New Orleans Hornets

Lewis credits McMillan for much of his NBA success

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:06:00 -0800

Since entering the NBA directly out of high school, Rashard Lewis has had tremendous success as a 4/3 combo who can score from the perimeter and take a smaller defender into the post. At 6'10, Lewis is a match up nightmare with his ability to draw bigger defenders away from the paint and open up driving lanes for the rest of his team.

When these teams played

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Bucks.com

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:46:00 -0800

Although it ended in a loss for the Trail Blazers, the December 12th double overtime defeat against the Bucks has to rank as one of the most exciting and competitive games so far this season. With the exciting combination of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut, the Bucks have exceeded many expectations and also play a very high-tempo brand of basketball. While Milwaukee

Jennings makes headlines both on and off the court

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:52:00 -0800

Ever since Brandon Jennings burst on the scene as the top recruit in the class of 2008, it has been impossible to ignore the talent and personality that he brings to the court. Jennings has been the best rookie in the NBA this season, averaging an impressive 18.2 points and 6.0 assists. With his ability to get to the rim and hit shots from the perimeter, Jennings has drawn

Mills close to return and eager to contribute

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:09:00 -0800

When the Portland Trail Blazers selected Patty Mills with the 55^th pick in the NBA draft, they were getting a player with tremendous experience against the elite competition in the basketball world. Not only did Mills put together an outstanding two year career at St. Mary’s, but he also starred as a member of the Australian National Team at the 08’ Summer

Tolliver hoping to take advantage of this opportunity

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:22:00 -0800

Since going undrafted after a fine career at Creighton, Anthony Tolliver has seen the many different sides of a professional basketball career. Tolliver has played in Germany and Turkey, played in the NBA Development League, and also had a couple of opportunities for brief stints in the NBA. After starting this season with the Idaho Stampede, Tolliver has been given another

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Orlandomagic.com

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:39:00 -0800

When the Portland Trail Blazers face the Orlando Magic on Saturday night at Amway arena, it will mark the beginning of one of the most difficult road trips this team will face over the course of the season. After two consecutive thrilling victories in front of a packed Rose Garden crowd, the Trail Blazers will need to maintain the energy and effort level that proved so

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Suns.com

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:38:00 -0800

Before this season started, many fans around the NBA figured that the window for the Phoenix Suns to compete for an NBA Championship was closed. Amar'e Stoudemire seemed to be battling injury and there was even the thought that Steve Nash might finally be slowing down. In reality, those thoughts couldn't have been farther from the truth. Since the start of the season,

Memories never fade for Petrie

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0800

When the Sacramento Kings face the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at the Rose Garden, it will be a unique experience for Geoff Petrie. Petrie, who is the President of Basketball Operations for the Kings, was a member of the inaugural Portland Trail Blazers team and won the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1970-1971 season. Petrie has been linked with the Trail Blazers

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Cavs.com

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:57:00 -0800

While every NBA fan is familiar with LeBron James and Shaq, it's important to recognize the talent that surrounds those two in Cleveland. When the Portland Trail Blazers face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, it will be important that the Trail Blazers are able to limit guys like Mo Williams, J.J. Hickson, and Anthony Parker, as there is really no way to fully contain

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Pacers.com

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:24:00 -0800

When the Trail Blazers and Pacers meet up tonight in Indianapolis, it will be a match up of two teams who are dealing with serious injuries. Obviously, Portland fans are still recovering from the devastating injury to Greg Oden, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. However, Pacers fans are facing the reality of not having Danny Granger for the next couple

Match up against Portland is a homecoming event for Spoelstra

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:26:00 -0800

When Erik Spoelstra led the Miami Heat to a 107-100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night, he probably wasn't too busy thinking about all his great memories growing up around the Trail Blazers organization. Not only did Spoelstra grow up in Portland and play at Jesuit high school, but his father served as an executive for the Trail Blazers organization.

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Pete Pranika of the Memphis Grizzlies

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:14:00 -0800

Much has changed in Memphis since the last time these teams met in early November. Allen Iverson is no longer a member of the team, and Jamaal Tinsley was brought in to be the veteran point guard behind Mike Conley Jr. After a terrible start to the season, the Grizzlies have also started to play some solid basketball, having won four of their past six games. In order to

Lopez and Oden continue to shine

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:01:00 -0800

In the 93-83 victory over New Jersey on Wednesday night, Trail Blazers fans were able to see two of the best young centers in the league match up. Greg Oden continued his great play, scoring 18 points and grabbing eight boards. For the Nets, second year center Brook Lopez played the best game of his young career, scoring a career-high 32 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Nets.com

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:48:00 -0800

Surely there are some fans that are thinking that the Wednesday night game against the New Jersey Nets will be a walk in the park. With the Nets off to an 0-14 start this season, the Trail Blazers should obviously be the favorite when the two teams take the court at the Rose Garden. However, it's important to remember that this Nets team has a nice core of talent and have

Healthy Deng ready to push Bulls to next level

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:53:00 -0800

Although he is currently in his fifth season in the NBA, it's important to remember that Luol Deng is still working towards reaching his immense potential. After putting together back-to-back solid seasons in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, Deng took a step backwards last season. Injuries hampered Deng throughout the 2008-2009 campaign, limiting him to only 49 games and preventing

Getting to know the opponent: Q&A with Bulls.com

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:02:00 -0800

While most Trail Blazers fans were probably strictly focused on the opening round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, the rest of the basketball world turned their attention to the engrossing match up between the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics. Although the Bulls eventually lost the series, guys like Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah turned in terrific performances.

Trail Blazers host Spurs in key early season match up

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:17:00 -0800

When the Portland Trail Blazers (2-3) host the San Antonio Spurs (2-2) on Friday night, it will be a match up between two teams with high expectations, but who are struggling at the start of the regular season. Opening tip for the game is scheduled for 7:30 PST at the Rose Garden and the game will be televised to a national audience on ESPN.

The Trail Blazers

Horford ready to continue rivalry with Oden

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:15:00 -0800

Before entering the NBA after his junior year of college, Al Horford was a key member of one of the best teams in college basketball history. Horford was the starting PF for the Florida Gators and helped lead the school to back-to-back NCAA championships.

Second unit provides the spark for Trail Blazers

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:02:00 -0700

Over the course of an 82 game season, depth becomes one of the key factors for any team. With the addition of Andre Miller over the summer, the Portland Trail Blazers have arguably one of the deepest and most versatile teams in the league. In the season opener, head coach Nate McMillan put that depth on display, as eight guys played over 24 minutes.

Leading

Brooks hopes there is still some love from Portland fans

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:20:00 -0700

After bursting on the scene with a terrific performance in the 2008/2009 NBA playoffs, there is a new pressure facing Aaron Brooks heading into this season. The former University of Oregon superstar displayed the quickness

How do you slow down Brandon Roy? Shane Battier talks defense and more

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:17:00 -0700

One of the most difficult jobs in the NBA is the role of having to guard the opposing teams leading scorer on a nightly basis. Guys like Bruce Bowen, Trenton Hassell, and Raja Bell have had long and distinguished careers playing the role of defensive stopper. However, when discussing the

Trail Blazers show commitmement to winning

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:13:00 -0700

Although the start of the regular season has Trail Blazers fans buzzing, the biggest development of the past week was the signing of LaMarcus Aldridge to a multi-year contract extension. Aldridge has been one of

Collins fights for roster spot against old team

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:09:00 -0700

After spending the previous eight years with the Utah Jazz, last night was certainly a different experience for Jarron Collins. Collins, who is fighting for a roster spot with the Portland Trail Blazers, had spent his entire NBA career with the Jazz prior to this summer. Although he

Sky is the limit for healthy Boozer

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:40:00 -0700

Prior to last season, it would not have been a stretch of the imagination to consider Carlos Boozer one of the top five power forwards in the NBA. In both the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons, Boozer was one of a select number of guys in the league to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds

Billups and Karl recognize the impact of Andre Miller

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:26:00 -0700

When the Portland Trail Blazers signed Andre Miller during the summer, fans knew that they were getting a point guard with great experience and success in the NBA. Miller, who has averaged 14.6 points and 7.4 assists in his 10 years in the league, has had a terrific preseason for the

Walton has high praise for Greg Oden

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:15:00 -0700

As a member of the NBA Hall of Fame and one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, Bill Walton has helped set the precedent for what it means to be a great center in the NBA. Although it's unfair to assume that Greg Oden will reach the tremendous heights that Walton did during his career, many Trail Blazers

Tears Of Joy Mark Walton's Arrival In Rip City

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:28:00 -0700

Although it has been over 30 years since Bill Walton helped lead the Trail Blazers to the NBA championship, nothing could eliminate the memories and feelings that exist between Walton and the city of Portland. Directly upon his

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