This team really showed me something with their general response to all of the adversity this year and with their game one performance in Phoenix. I'm sure a lot of you know I've been pretty down on this team at times for an apparent lack of mental toughness, but without being able to pinpoint when or where it happened, this team now has a completely different vibe about it -- dare I say it, they are 'tough'. I'm not saying they're quite ready to contend or that they'll even get out of round 1 against this Suns team, but I know that whatever happens, this will be a team with an edge next season and beyond. This team is now more than just a 'special' collection of talent, this is a team with that rare type of character that you only earn by getting scarred and bled a little bit. So even with all of the worrisome injuries this team racked up this year, I'm actually more optimistic about their long term prospects than I was a year ago when this team was riding high after a nearly flawless season with almost no setbacks.
Tell you one thing...Nate's obviously gotta go. He will get the kiss of death this year....COY...hes fucked
they showed their toughness all season long, didn't they? if we lose the next two you're gonna get whiplash. honestly im just looking out for you.
It was a Curling reference.... The Blazers are gonna SWEEP the Lakers in the Willamette Curling Finals... sheesh. Some people.
youre obviously a fair weather fan Nik....you are obviously one of the most bi-polar posting styles ever on here...How is this so hard to understand....You are the enemy Nik
I think the more prominent Miller and Camby are, the "tougher" we look. And that's great. Conversely, the more Roy does his "aagh!" without a whistle and LMA bricks fadeaway jumpers into double-teams, the less tough we look (and are). The good thing is that LMA seems to be getting incrementally better. Both at passing out of the double-team and trying to get some inside points and rebounds. And that's better for everyone involved.
That is because the Blazers are maturing. Yes we got older. But the players have also seen some pretty tough situations, and fought to get through them. Fighting through those situations breeds confidence. This team has beat some of the best teams in the league while short handed. Having the veterans here to stablize the rookies, is what allowed them to grow through this year. I have always felt that no matter how this year turns out with all the bullshit the team went through, that next year they would be tougher for it. If there is one guy I give credit for that, it is KP. He has worked to toughen up the team over the last year, and it is paying off. The only move he made in the last year that didn't add toughness to the team was Claver, and with the way the other Spanish draft picks have turned out, he can stay overseas for all I care.
Dude, we've done it all year. Remember when we had half our players out and we still beat Miami, Dallas, and San Antonio on the road? This team didn't just become tough on Sunday night. They've been tough all season long.
I never said they became tough overnight ... I'm saying I've finally come to the conclusion that this team is actually tough.
Seconded. A Phoenix loss tonight would have been a choke of monumental proportions -- it's no surprise they came out full throttle. Now the ball is back in our court and we have to respond in kind. This team has already done more than any realistic fan could expect under the circumstances.
