Living in Portland I am surrounded by Blazer fans. Most of them aren’t hardcore because for the past 5 years they have had nothing to root for. I can’t tell you how many times someone has brought up their recent win streak though. Everyone thinks they are so good and that things have finally turned around. I disagree. Why?
1. Portland fans are paranoid and fickle. Everyone thought Rip City was back when Oden was drafted, and when he had surgery everyone thought it was over. This all happened within a month or two.
2. I can think of at least 8 teams in the Western Conference that are much better than the Blazers. Only 8 get in…you can’t be considered a pretty good team if you don’t make the playoffs. Suns, Spurs, Mavs, Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets, Hornets, Rockets. Even with the win streak they would barely be in the playoffs if they started today.
3. They have only proved themselves to be relevant in the NBA. They aren’t a contender, but they are no longer irrelevant. So I guess that is one moral victory they can have. Teams have to actually play hard against them now.
4. If injury-prone Brandon Roy gets hurt, they could easily lose 13 in a row. He is, by far, their best player on the court and the only real difference maker they have right now.
