As the seconds ticked away, the inevitable fate set in. The Portland Trail Blazers were done.
Brandon Roy and his late-game heroics—not enough. LaMarcus Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, Greg Oden and the others with all of their potential, youth and talent proved to be inconsequential.
And yet, to me, an unabashed Portland Trail Blazers fan, none of it mattered.
The weekend results for the hometown squad would have typically sunk my spirits lower than the deepest depths of the Pacific Ocean. But last week on Thursday night, Hayley Jean Archibald was born.
So during those few hours that the Blazers were playing on Friday and Sunday night, I held her in my arms while splitting time between watching the Blazers struggle down the stretch to make enough plays to close a game and staring into her expanding deep blue eyes.
When Aaron Brooks grabbed a miraculous carom following two coughed-up foul shots, I just looked down at my little daughter and smiled.
When Shane Battier canned trey after trey while the Blazers wandered around aimlessly in the biggest moments for the city’s beloved franchise since Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals in 2000, I just shrugged and grazed her soft cheeks.
While undergoing our terrific five-night stay at the hotel—er, hospital—nurses came to our room and offered assistance and comfort. Family journeyed to see the bundle of joy. Our little girl was treated like royalty, and rightfully so.
I realized that Hayley represents what the Blazers once were: Bundled up, protected and ardently cared for. That is, at least until they made the playoffs.
Although still in the first round, the NBA Playoffs—never for the faint of heart—have made Brandon Roy seem pervious, Nate McMillan looked hesitant and green, and Steve Blake appear limited. The entire Blazers team has looked wet behind the ears and prematurely set on this grand stage.
Their plunge back to the depths of reality is not a foreshadowing of future playoff struggles, but rather a coming of age that nearly all teams must undergo before seriously challenging for titles.
Should the team miraculously rebound from their struggles in the Lone Star State, they will have defeated not only the Rockets but also risen above the near-baby pace that the city of Portland has set for their rise to prominence.
If the Blazers—on the verge of being bounced from the playoffs after a short and bitter experience—can find a way to separate themselves from the proverbial “pantsing” that they have endured, they can rise above their status as a young and inexperienced squad.
The Rose City will watch in anticipation again tonight.
Will someone hit a big shot? Can the Blazers get a rebound? Will anyone finish with authority? Can someone please shutdown Von Wafer? All these are preliminary questions but the larger issue remains.
Can the Blazers shed their diapers and become a team that intimidates opponents not just with flashes of youthful brilliance but also with consistent play worthy of their talented roster?
And maybe then, if the answer is the right one, they will gain a new fan in my little girl.
Because right now, she just doesn’t think they have it in them.