I love the Blazers. I have since 1985 when I first became a fan, and have been to countless games and been on many highs and many lows with our team. When the Blazers were crappy a few years ago, it was not that hard on me emotionally, because I expected them to suck. But this season, I was really looking forward to an amazing season. The resulting expectations has meant that our current situation is hitting me harder than any downturn in our past. I have a hard time watching games now or reading anything about the blazers because I actually long for what could have been. I know that this is just a temporary setback, and that next season Oden, Batum, Rudy, Outlaw and everyone else will be back to full strength, but at this point in time this team is just really bad and it saddens me to watch them suck. I still like Roy, Aldridge and Bayless, but that's just not enough to build a solid team. Every team has holes. And it is the coaching that hides those holes and accentuates the positives. But this team has a combination of too many holes and a coaching staff that can't seem to elucidate on a solid plan. This has resulted in many losses and this will continue until KP can give Nate a well balanced team or all/most of the players are healthy. But in the meantime, one of the bright spots in my life, my Blazers, provide me with no joy. I have a hard time taking solace in small victories while the losses pile up. For the first time in 24 years, I find myself having to pull away from the Blazers and watch "Dirty Jobs" or "The Soprano's" instead of watching the best game on earth. If anyone can help me find a new perspective, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I am just not going to be able to get too involved and will have a void in my daily routine. Thanks, GOD
It all started with Turkoglu burning the Blazers. I think we dodged a bigtime bullet but it was embarrassing. And then Patty went down... And then Pendergraph went down... And then Batum went down... And then Outlaw went down... And then we find out Paul has cancer... And then we find out Lucas' cancer has returned... And then Oden goes down with another major injury... And then Rudy goes down with a (lingering) back injury... It's one shit storm after the other. Having a non-proactive GM makes it worse. For me, anyways.
This. Especially when you think back to the starting days of Viktor, Miles, Telfair, Dixon, etc. It sucks right now, but it could be a lot worse.
The team going through this is a kick in the pouch, but I've sort of removed the expectations for wins and losses and am instead I'm watching mostly looking for growth and seeing how guys answer the bell. If Martell ever truly gets out of his slump and can provide steady (if unspectacular play) and if Brandon and Miller can show they are able to coexist, or if Bayless gets the opportunity and runs with it or if LMA shows he can be a consistent force down low I'll be "happy." The most interesting part of the remaining season for me, will be to see how this team responds to a true test of character. The losses may pile up, but something like this has the potential to harden these guys and hopefully teach them that whatever success they hope to enjoy in future seasons it will always hinge on sacrifice and being able to battle through adversity -- the flipside is that it may break them, but it's probably better to find that out now rather than later.
It's hard, GOD. No doubt. If we keep losing like this, I'm gonna have trouble watching the games but I will. Because I'm invested. Fuck, though. I can't bear the idea of missing the playoffs.
Eh, this season is clearly not going to be the one we were hoping for, but we're not exactly chopped liver either. We gave Cleveland all that they and the refs could handle on the road, and lost a double OT game to a team that is now 9-3 at home. I'll be at the Garden on Tuesday to see a win over the Kings.
Going through the lows are definitely tough.. but that just makes enduring the highs that much better and sweeter. And there will be some sweet times before this season ends.
I have been following this team since year one.....but something has changed. This latest series of disasters has crushed my emotional attachment to the team. They are now just bugs under the microscope. I am intellectually curious, but the emotion is drained out of the relationship. At least I can enjoy the NBA in general more. No more reason to view other teams with animosity.
I really thought this season was gonna be awesome. Now its "next season" again. It's been that way for the last 4 fuckin years
my thing is that at this moment they are not a fun team to watch. they have no flow to the game at all. they don't seem to be having fun out there and you can feel it. i'm with nik on this one, all my expectations for w's/l's have been washed away and i want to see improvement. at least most of you had the beavs/ucks to watch during football season, i'm a coug and a raider fan, so this was supposed to be a fun basketball season, instead just more frustration and heartache.
6 1/2 years, since Bob Whitsitt left. Immediately, Sabonis left because at his age, he didn't want to be part of years of rebuilding. Pippen was kicked out. And the search to trade away all our good players began. It took a couple of years to fully blow up a .600 team. Only then was the Oregonian, the real boss of the team, satisfied. Their moralist fans cheered on the destruction, claiming we'd be back to where we were in a year.
Personally, I'd do it all over again. I hated the Jailblazer years...it was impossible for me to have my son cheer on a rapist and a bunch of guys with serious F.U. attitudes. I'm happy the team got smart and did it. ~A Moralist Fan.
And in the end, they replaced the "bad" people with physical and emotional marshmallows. Personally, I have never considered selfish, whining, back-biters to be examples of high moral character - but that is just me.
You can keep watching because you never know when Portland will pull off something amazing. Like the first game against Houston last year. The game against New Orleans in Brandon's first season. Things like that. Sure it is sometimes very hard to watch a team that is dead set on making the game as difficult as possible. But you just never know what could happen.
Thank you evryone who responded in this thread. I have read and thought about each post (instead of skimming like normal) and have come away a little bit better off, with a few comments. Overall, what I gleaned was that I am not alone. And although the situation still sucks, It's nice to know that a lot of Blazer fans are making their way through the shit, waiting for the better days. I must admit, misery loves company. I read a lot of posts a while ago of doom and gloom, and although I feel the same way, that was not my intention of this thread. I wanted to focus less on the problems, and more on the emotional nature of avid fans in times of crisis. Now, onto some specific responses. And that love will not end. The problem is that watching them is a continual reminder of what could have been. A friend of mine was in a car accident in his teens which resulted in brain damage. Now, he is able to function adequately, and has a decent life, but he was absolutely brilliant, especially in math and the sciences, back in high school. I go out for a beer with him from time to time, and love him the same as always have, but at the same time it pains me to see him scrape by in life and be a little slow of mind. I think this is the best way for me to approach the remainder of the season. I like watching for growth in Bayless and Marty. And once Pendegraph and Mills comes back, I will analyze them too closely. But the fact that so much of our youth is hurt, is what is so painful. I would have rather Roy go down for a year (so long as he came back 100%) then Oden, who I was having a blast watching grow. The same could almost be said for Batum and Rudy. The three of those players were so fun to watch. It's not just the losing that sucks, but the loss of fun players. Watching Rudy launch impossible shots or assist was an amazing thing to behold, as was watching Oden block shots at 12 feet in the air. But I will try to concentrate more on who we have at the moment. A bird in the hand. Sure, on any given night this team could surprise, but to be honest the Blazers at the moment are a bottom 10 team in the league. That's OK, it's to be expected when two starters are out for extended time along with two of the most important backups. Hopefully some good will come out of any winning. If Bayless ends up becoming a quality Blazer or Miller and Roy figure it out, or anyone else steps up, we might end up looking at this as a net positive. But for the moment, this team really is not good. For me, I have to become accepting of a bad team, not trick myself into believing they are a good team. Next year, they will be a good team again. For now, I will try and just accept the situation. I have never been anything less than an avid Blazer fan. That's exactly the struggle at the moment. I can't ba a casual fan. I play poker, sometimes for higher stakes than I should. And I can tell you, winning would never be as sweet if I hadn't gone through some crazy losing sessions. Phil Ivey (the best poker player on the planet) recently said that he likes to play at stakes where losing would take his breath way and could cripple him. Ivey is so good at poker that he never really is in too much of a bind. So, to get that feeling, he often plays craps for some of the highest stakes in the world. at tims several million dollars per roll of the dice. I just don't want to get addicted to the losing. I agree with the Blazers not being a very fun team. Hopefully, Nate, Miller and Roy can work things out to let Miller make more decisions and push the tempo. That would go a long way towards making the Blazers fun to watch. I love your avatar. Best I have seen in ages. Thanks, gave me a smile. I can't watch waiting for the Blazers to pull off something amazing, or I will become a bitter dickhead every time they fail. I have to find pleasure in the little things, watching Nate make a good substitution. Wathing Bayless look up when driving. Watch Aldridge box out for more than a few possessions. Watch Webster perform well in any non third quarter. Just look for a little bright spot here and there. And when the truly Amazing games occur, can just be overjoyed and titillated.
