Time for the mandatory season review.

<Takes long deep breath, exhales slowly>

I’ve been reading some Epictetus recently. One reason for that is because my lady friend, or “fiancée”, encouraged me to. Another reason is the stupid obstacles that kept plopping down in the Blazers’ path to dynasty status all season long. When things aren’t going the way you’d hoped a fresh perspective on life starts to sound wonderful.

I just figured out my new creed that I should print up on a t-shirt and wear  every day with pride:  " No matter what happens, I will always be a Blazer fan".

On Thursday the Blazers face elimination at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. Let that sink in for a moment. This Thursday could be the last time we see these guys on the Rose Garden court until pre-season of next season, or the Blazer could win and stretch out this improbable run these last few months for a few more days.... or weeks.

Either way, It will be bitter sweet.

What began in ideal form with the Blazers racing out to an early 14 point lead, ended in disaster with the Blazers blowing that early lead and losing in an irritatingly familiar fashion. When Marcus Camby was called for two first quarter fouls and benched, the Blazers slowly but surely obliterated any momentum or confidence they had gained and eventually collapsed under the Suns' expected pressure.

For the Blazers, the beginning of the first quarter featured a solid display of executing the game plan. The Suns came out flat and didn't have much energy and the Blazers capitalized. Their first possession on offense went strait to LaMarcus Aldridge who hit a gorgeous turn around jumper for the first 2 of his 17 total points. The Blazers ran out to a quick 9-0 run going 4-4 from the field and the Suns didn't score until Nash hit two free throws at roughly the 8 minute mark.

When it comes to NBA playoff games, especially after 4 contests, teams know each other pretty well. Guys know who's injured, who's struggling, and everything else to create a mental game plan. Sometimes players will take advantage of another guys injury and try to exploit it.

On Saturday Nicolas Batum thought Amare Stoudemire went after his injured shoulder. Later on, Amare said,

"I didn't hit him on purpose. Just fixing my goggles, man."

So what do you think? Watch the video again, slight elbow on purpose or just a clumsy sauntering Amare who has no idea where he is?

More Amare, I had not seen these before. Obviously Stoudemire is a flopping drama queen, this is completely ridiculous.

Box Score

Sometimes there are moments surrounding a game that create a momentum shift nobody thought was possible. Yesterday in Portland that moment was the collective realization by the fans, that Brandon Roy would indeed play in game 4. Once fans and his teammates realized this, everything changed. The Suns coaches and players had to reevaluate the game plan, the other other Blazer players instantly felt a confidence boost. The Rose Garden faithful went from angry, short-fused hellions back to the best fans in the NBA.

I arrived at the arena fairly early, and started hearing the whispers about Roy playing in this game. Apparently the radio station announced it, but to many of us, it still seemed pretty unlikely. Once the Blazer players came out for introductions and everyone saw Roy dressed to play, it was on. Brandon didn't start the game, but in the first quarter, you could already see the effect Roy was having. Portland was down 17-10 when Nate called on Roy to get in the game. From the time Roy stood up to actually getting in the game, Portland went on an 8-0 run. Basically, as soon as the crowd saw Roy stand up, they went crazy and the team responded. Simply put, Roy's presence alone means everything to Rip City.

Brandon Roy's presence didn't just ignite the fans, when he stepped on the floor Phoenix immediately responded on defense. They had no idea how healthy he was so they had to change their game plan and even threw some doubles at him. Brandon may not have been his usual self with just 10 points in 26 minutes. But besides his presence, he hit two huge shots down the stretch that helped seal the deal for Portland.

But Roy's biggest gift for Portland was opening things up for LaMarcus Aldridge who's game was in question after games 2 and 3. We've learned in this series that LaMarcus is never going to be a go-to, number one guy. He complains about double teams, therefore he must always have a Batman to his Robin. Roy proved it yesterday and LaMarcus played a great game because of it. No more complaining, no more frustration, just good solid play from start to finish. Props to Aldridge for responding to the critics yesterday. Hopefully it continues.

As far as the rest of the team goes, Jerryd Bayless played solid ball starting in place of Roy and Fernandez. He is the type of player who can exploit the Phoenix defense and he showed that yesterday. Juwan Howard was also outstanding in this game, pulling down rebounds, scoring when needed, and one nifty assist to Aldridge for an easy bucket. Nic Batum also hit a few big shots, considering the injury he sustained the other day, it's great having him out there.

The one negative from this game had to be Rudy and Martell. Rudy played only 8 minutes and Martell only 12. Neither guy was effective and Rudy has shown no signs of contributing at all in this series. All the talk about him being a starter elsewhere and wanting more minutes is proving to be just that, talk. The NBA playoffs are where the real stars are put on display, it's put up or shut up for everyone.

I thought Portland's defense was great again last night. Holding Nash to 15 points and 8 assists is successful in my book, plus his 6 turnovers proved costly for the Suns. As long as Nash isn't dishing out double digit assists, Portland is probably going to be successful. Amare may have had a big game offensively but he didn't rebound the ball well. Also, as I believe Alvin Gentry said at one point, Jason Richardson is the barometer of this team. As JRich goes, the Suns go. Richardson was relatively ineffective yesterday compared to his game 2 and 3 performances. His 15 points on 6 of 16 shooting was huge for Portland in this game

After a roller coaster of emotion through 4 games of this series, we are right where we expected/hoped to be. 2-2 in this series is nothing to be ashamed of, but in order to win, the Blazers are going to have to bring this same energy down to Phoenix. Hopefully the momentum swing and the return of Roy can pay dividends. I'm not ready for the season to be over yet, I want to play the Spurs in round 2!

I also took a little video in the concourse yesterday after the game. Blazer fans at their finest!

Warning: This Post Is Very Emotionally Charged

Last night I got a last minute invite to the first playoff game in Portland between the Blazers and Suns. Not to brag, but I had incredible seats and despite the loss, experiencing the Blazers at the Rose Garden , during the playoffs, is nothing short of magical. The fans were great and loud as ever. I hadn't been to a playoff game since 2000 and felt enormously privileged to see these guy play even if the game's end result was the opposite of what I had hoped.

Indeed, what I witnessed was nothing short of a disaster. One blowout in Phoenix is no cause to panic, but another at home not 2 days later most certainly is. Phoenix played harder, rougher, faster, smarter and with more focus than Portland. The Suns ran the Blazers out of their own building, leaving many fans with drooped shoulders and hanging heads.

After the first 3 minutes of play it was obvious who would win , the only thing uncertain would be by how much. The Blazers didn't score 10 points until the 3 minute mark of the first quarter. I knew it would be a long night. The Suns came out to grab an early lead and pushed it to 31 at one point. The Blazers looked intimidated, scared, downtrodden and defeated- at several different points they simply looked aimless. For me, this game was an ominous sign for the remainder of the playoffs. I no longer prayed that the Blazers win the series, rather that they get one more game and manage to lose all the others by less than 20 points.

The final score: 108 to 89 was much closer than the game was in reality. In spite of a flurry of scoring and scuffles late in the fourth quarter, the Blazers were playing behind a deep lead and never secured enough momentum to legitimately threaten the Suns.

Jason Richardson played the game of his career (why do guys always have career nights against us?!)  and was absolutely on fire all night, finishing with 42 points , 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steels. He was left wide open on a number of possessions thanks the Blazers' help defense and Richardson simply connected on almost all of this shots.

I can't speak for everyone when I say this isn't a fluke the Blazers were once again pummeled . The Blazers do not have the fire power to score enough points to keep up. They have failed twice now to control the pace, allowing the Suns to get out on the break. The Blazers were dismal on the boards, not a new trend this series, and the Blazers aren't moving the ball. The Blazers shot barely above 50% from the free throw line and just 31% from the three point line. With so many guys playing out of position and some playing injured, their struggles are understandeable, yet still it is painful to watch. In almost every metric the Blazers are down from their season average by a significant amount-not  a good omen.

Put simply, the Blazers just aren't playing well. Some of this is due to a legitimate talent gap between the Suns and Blazers, while some is due to lack of effort.  Rebounding and claiming good position on the boards shouldn't be an issue for guys like Marcus Camby and LaMarcus Aldridge, yet neither had more than 10 rebound last night. Jerryd Bayless and Martell Webster shouldn't be missing their spots on offense and the whole team shouldn't be cheating on defense. The Blazers shouldn't be shooting less than 60% from the free throw line and must start connecting on their open shots, Nate's offense doesn't work if those shots aren't falling.

Rudy Fernandez continued his frustrating and lackluster play. Although he connected on a couple late game threes and finished with 12 points, his presence overall was more of a detriment.  I am still emotional after such a demoralizing loss  and maybe it isn't fair for me to continue to rag on Fernandez , after all he is but one member of the team. But I can't shake this sense of disappointment and bitterness I have towards him. The Blazers need Rudy yet he plays without a care in the world , as if it doesn't matter that he holds the collective heart of thousands of Portlander's in his hands. This was Rudy's time to step up in the absence of the star and his grand opportunity to prove all his doubters wrong. He failed, and miserably at that. As much as I hate to admit it, the Blazers need Rudy to win on Saturday . Will he answer the call? I'm not holding my breath.

Tomorrow at 1:30 PM the Blazers take on the Suns for game 4. Blazer fans deserve a win at home, I hope the team can deliver.

Sophia Brugato | Twitter | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Petteri Koponen has taken his boldest step yet to prove that he will fit in perfectly with the Blazers: he got injured. Hippo's words after the totally related video clip.

Last weeks have been very good for Petteri Koponen and Virtus Bologna. The storied Italian powerhouse has been fighting for playoff home court advantage furiously since February, winning seven out of their last nine while their Finnish floor general has been improving every game, even catching the attention of NBA and Euroleague scouts.

That run is over for now.

According to this release by the Finnish Basketball Federation (FBF for LIFE-Ed.), Koponen will be out for the next three months because of stress fracture in his leg. Here's what the man himself has to say:

"For last a couple of months I've felt pain in my foot and have received proper treatment here in Italy. Earlier this week, the medical staff of Virtus Bologna talked with Finnish national team medical staff and made me wear a cast."

Since the fracture was noticed early, Koponen should be able to play rather quickly. He will for sure miss the Italian league playoffs, but it's possible that he will already play August 5th, when Finnish national team meets Montenegro in the Eurobasket Qualifications opener.

"Hopefully the healing process starts quickly and I will be able to get back on track quickly and represent my country in the Eurobasket qualifications. Now I have no opinion but to rest, gather energy into my body and come back stronger than ever."

Koponen will most likely return from Italy to Finland in May. Virtus Bologna lost their first game without Koponen on the road against Scavolini Pesaro 73-90.

In his second season with Virtus Bologna, Koponen averaged 11,3 points, 2,3 rebounds, 1,8 assists, 1,4 steals and 1,5 turnovers in 27,7 minutes per game with shooting percentages of 63,9% (2pt fg), 39,8% (3pt fg) and 77,8% (Ft).

-Hippo

So far in this series, Amare Stoudemire has had similar below average games. He has a lot of trouble with Marcus Camby and for some reason just doesn't feel that same dominant mentality when facing Marcus. In Portland, with a renewed sense of urgency, I think the Blazer defenders will once again hold Amare down to a certain degree, if just under 20 points and just under 10 rebounds is holding a guy down.

The biggest key for Portland tonight will be LaMarcus Aldridge. The playoffs are a different world and the way the highest paid player on the floor plays is scrutinized over and over. His performance on Tuesday was pathetic, a truly frustrating thing to watch. I also heard that he was laughing it up on the sideline during the blowout, something that really boils my blood. Then to top it off he complains to the media that he was getting double teamed? I'm hearing a lot of excuses and deferring of blame. LA needs to shut up and ball tonight. That's it, do your job, if guys double team you, find an open teammate! Don't force a horrible fade away or free throw line hook shot. Forgive me for being optimistic, but I think he steps up tonight.