Blazers want to hang a banner

Division title among the goals

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Jan 12, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (4 Reader comments)

Brandon Roy, elevating for a shot over Steve Nash of Phoenix, says the Trail Blazers want to do more than just earn a playoff berth.

L.E. Baskow / THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE

ADVERTISEMENTS

As some of our loyal readers love to remind me, I’m no genius.

It doesn’t take one, though, to realize the Trail Blazers are right on target for a successful season – maybe a wildly successful one.

Portland is 22-14 heading into a four-game road trip that starts Monday in Chicago and includes stops in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Charlotte. All of the opponents own losing records. Nothing is a given in the NBA – ask the Bulls, who lost at home to Oklahoma City Saturday night – but if the Blazers play well, they could sweep the upcoming four-game set.

That would take them into the midway point of the season on pace for a 50-plus-win record. If you don’t think that’s impressive while competing in the cutthroat Western Conference, it’s time to schedule an attitude-adjustment session.

“We’ve done some good things,” Portland coach Nate McMillan says. “We’ve been able to win some big games. We’ve dropped a couple we felt like we should have had, but we’re in good position.

“We’re knocking on the door for first place in the (Northwest) division. If we can win some of these games this month, we can go into the All-Star break with a chance to make the playoffs.”

That’s downplaying the situation, really. There are nine teams in the West competing for eight playoff spots. Portland would have to tailspin badly not to make the postseason for the first time since 2003.

The Blazers are in a three-way battle with Denver and Utah for the Northwest Division championship. The Nuggets and Jazz are without injured stars – Carmelo Anthony and Carlos Boozer – for at least the next month.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs, but it’s really to win this division,” Portland’s Brandon Roy says. “We want to hang a banner up.

“We see where Denver and Utah are, and there’s a realistic chance for us to win our division. It’s almost one of those things where you get a little greedy. We’re not there yet, but it’s definitely in our sights.”

A division title is important for more that a banner hoisted at the Rose Garden. The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record get the first four seeds in the playoffs in each conference. A Northwest crown would assure Portland of homecourt advantage in at least the first round.

“That really should be our goal,” veteran center Joel Przybilla says. “There are so many good teams in the West, and with Denver and Utah, (a division title) is going to be tough to get. But we all think we’re going to get it.”

It’s important that Portland win the division, because the jockeying among West playoff contenders will be fierce the rest of the way.

1 | 2 Next Page >>