Another season is here and gone for the Portland Trailblazers. Not only is the season gone for the franchise, but also its fans and the city that year after year supports its home team. The city of Portland has never been fair-weathered and has never been rewarded for the exemplary fanfare they show every season. The only championship dates back to 1977 and this generation of Blazer fans hasn’t seen their team get all the way to the title. We had great days with Clyde, Terry, Buck, Duck and Kersey, but still never got to a championship. There was that team with Rider, Wallace and Sabonis, then what happened? Oh yeah, Sean Elliot decided to hit a three from out of bounds to finish us off. In the game of basketball it takes momentum to win and with shots like that it usually vanishes.
Simply put, it’s hard work being a Blazer fanatic. Every year we go in with high hopes and every year the hopes are extinguished by that other hated franchise. Trader Bob has yet to find the mix of players or scholarly coach that can take the Trailblazers to the next level. I would have to say that the talent is not a problem. The team has the ingredients that make a championship club. What is missing here? Well right now, there isn’t any mix of players on any team that can stop the duo of O’Neal and Bryant. It’s asking a lot to do it for one whole game, let alone three or four games for a series.
We lost to the Lakers once again. The Lakers piss me off. I hate their superstars, I hate their role players and I hate their damn coach. Mr. “Stoic” is what some idiotic announcers call him. Before the ball was inbounds on that last play where Horry thrust his dagger into us (faithful Blazer fans), I sat there and said, “It won’t be Shaq or Kobe that beats us, it’ll be one of their role players that hits the big shot.” It’s only Shaq and Kobe that draw the attention. How I wish I wouldn’t have been right. We can give up a two and go to overtime. But not a three, we give up a three and we lose. And there, it happened. My nerves honestly couldn’t handle it. I stick with this team through good and bad, but that I don’t have to watch another game I’m saving my nerves from torture: the clenched fists, stomping feet, yelling and heart palpitations. It’s not fair that we Blazer fans work so hard and come up empty.
So here goes another year, one where we had some great moments during the regular season where we looked like a team to be reckoned with. Another first round exit is the last thing I expected. And how about the luck of our team drawing the damn Lakers in the first round again. Two sweeps to Portland’s most hated rival, back-to-back years. Now we have to wait all the way until next season to get rid of this, once again, sour taste of defeat left in our mouths.