I like their talent, and it sounds like, mentally, they may be ready to pull it together. I like the Blazers tonight to win this game easier than expected.
From the Oregonian:
CLEVELAND -- Nobody on the Trail Blazers wants to say it outright, but the team expects to win all four games on this week's trip to Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando.
"Every game on this road trip is winable," guard Damon Stoudamire said. "It's just a matter of how we play, how we respond."
None of their opponents this week has a winning record, but the Blazers have become such a humbled bunch, they know they can't overlook any team.
"We don't have anything to hang our hats on right now," Scottie Pippen said. "The first game in Cleveland is going to be a big game for us. We're trying to put a string of games together and play well together, so it's important for us to just go one game at a time and deal from there."
The Blazers (14-18) are coming off Saturday's 96-88 victory over Philadelphia, which broke a six-game losing streak -- their longest in six seasons. It was only the second game this season in which the Blazers had their full complement of players available.
It resulted in one of the most team-oriented displays of the season, in which several players made noticeable contributions. Although Rasheed Wallace's 30 points, and Stoudamire's 19 points and 11 assists were noteworthy, it also was a game in which the combination of Pippen's floor management, Ruben Patterson's energy, Shawn Kemp's spark, Derek Anderson's jump shot and Chris Dudley's grit added up to a convincing win.
Now, the question is whether that was the start of something positive, or merely a mirage.
"That's the biggest thing right now," Stoudamire said. "We're crazy, you don't know how we are going to react one night from the next."
That's why nobody after Saturday's win was talking about turning a corner, or how the players always had it in them. These Blazers have been so bad for so long this season they know that one game does not turn around a team.
"When you lose six in a row, any time you can get some momentum going your way, you take that momentum and just ride with it," Kemp said. "I think we have to focus and take advantage of the situation, because at the end of this trip we could be at .500. And if we get to .500, we could build our way back up. But until we get to .500, it's hard for us to say we're on the road back up."
It has been a trying winter for the Blazers, who have endured criticism from a national magazine, frequent booing from home fans and a puzzling roller coaster of play.
"This road trip will be a nice chance for us to refocus, get away from home and find our niche," Stoudamire said. "Sometimes road trips are not always bad and I think this road trip is coming at a good time, so to speak, just to get away, refocus and have the chance at some winable games."
Coach Maurice Cheeks said he doesn't want to talk about winable games until the Blazers prove they can win more than once every week.
"We just need to focus on one win and on trying to start playing consistently on the defensive end," he said. "That's where we are going to start winning some games. If we can get ourselves consistent on the defensive end, going on the road or any particular place is not going to matter.
"But I agree, it's not like this is a brutal trip. I mean, it's not like we are going to be out for a week and a half. We have a chance to win some games, but we have to stay consistent in what we do."
From the Oregonian:
CLEVELAND -- Nobody on the Trail Blazers wants to say it outright, but the team expects to win all four games on this week's trip to Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando.
"Every game on this road trip is winable," guard Damon Stoudamire said. "It's just a matter of how we play, how we respond."
None of their opponents this week has a winning record, but the Blazers have become such a humbled bunch, they know they can't overlook any team.
"We don't have anything to hang our hats on right now," Scottie Pippen said. "The first game in Cleveland is going to be a big game for us. We're trying to put a string of games together and play well together, so it's important for us to just go one game at a time and deal from there."
The Blazers (14-18) are coming off Saturday's 96-88 victory over Philadelphia, which broke a six-game losing streak -- their longest in six seasons. It was only the second game this season in which the Blazers had their full complement of players available.
It resulted in one of the most team-oriented displays of the season, in which several players made noticeable contributions. Although Rasheed Wallace's 30 points, and Stoudamire's 19 points and 11 assists were noteworthy, it also was a game in which the combination of Pippen's floor management, Ruben Patterson's energy, Shawn Kemp's spark, Derek Anderson's jump shot and Chris Dudley's grit added up to a convincing win.
Now, the question is whether that was the start of something positive, or merely a mirage.
"That's the biggest thing right now," Stoudamire said. "We're crazy, you don't know how we are going to react one night from the next."
That's why nobody after Saturday's win was talking about turning a corner, or how the players always had it in them. These Blazers have been so bad for so long this season they know that one game does not turn around a team.
"When you lose six in a row, any time you can get some momentum going your way, you take that momentum and just ride with it," Kemp said. "I think we have to focus and take advantage of the situation, because at the end of this trip we could be at .500. And if we get to .500, we could build our way back up. But until we get to .500, it's hard for us to say we're on the road back up."
It has been a trying winter for the Blazers, who have endured criticism from a national magazine, frequent booing from home fans and a puzzling roller coaster of play.
"This road trip will be a nice chance for us to refocus, get away from home and find our niche," Stoudamire said. "Sometimes road trips are not always bad and I think this road trip is coming at a good time, so to speak, just to get away, refocus and have the chance at some winable games."
Coach Maurice Cheeks said he doesn't want to talk about winable games until the Blazers prove they can win more than once every week.
"We just need to focus on one win and on trying to start playing consistently on the defensive end," he said. "That's where we are going to start winning some games. If we can get ourselves consistent on the defensive end, going on the road or any particular place is not going to matter.
"But I agree, it's not like this is a brutal trip. I mean, it's not like we are going to be out for a week and a half. We have a chance to win some games, but we have to stay consistent in what we do."
