From the team on updated scheduling, ticket sales which are today, and viewing parties:

Tickets for First Two Home Games on Sale Thursday at 2 p.m.

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers, in the postseason for the 28th time in their 40-year history, will begin the NBA Playoffs with a First Round series against the Phoenix Suns beginning SUNDAY at 7:30 p.m. (PT) at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix.

The best-of-seven series continues in Phoenix on Tuesday, April 20, at 7:00 p.m. before returning to Portland for games at the Rose Garden on Thursday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 24, at 1:30 p.m.

All games that aren't carried exclusively by NBA national broadcast partner ABC will be televised locally by KGW.

Complete game schedule:

Game Date Location Time (PT) TV
Game 1 Sun. 4/18 @ Phoenix 7:30 p.m. KGW/ESPN
Game 2 Tue. 4/20 @ Phoenix 7:00 p.m. KGW/TNT
Game 3 Thu. 4/22 @ Portland 7:00 p.m. KGW/NBA TV
Game 4 Sat. 4/24 @ Portland 1:30 p.m. KGW/TNT
Game 5* Mon. 4/26 @ Phoenix TBD TBD
Game 6* Thu. 4/29 @ Portland TBD TBD
Game 7* Sat. 5/1 @ Phoenix TBD TBD
*if necessary

All available tickets to be sold online

Available tickets for the first two home games will go on sale on Thursday, April 15, at 2:00 p.m. Tickets will not be available at the Rose Garden box office. Tickets will be available only via trailblazers.com. Fans who have not previously ordered online are encouraged to set up an account in advance of the on-sale time to expedite the ordering process. A maximum of four tickets are available per customer per game, subject to availability. Fans without internet access can call 1-888-716-5510, but are strongly encouraged to order online for the best chance to get tickets.

Game 1 Viewing Party Scheduled

Fans wanting to celebrate the Trail Blazers "Rip City Uprise" are encouraged to attend a Game 1 viewing party on Sunday night. A more detailed announcement on that event, including venue information, will follow on Thursday.

In Review

The Trail Blazers finished the 2009-10 season as the #6 seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 50-32. Portland finished with back-to-back 50+ win seasons for the first time since 1999-2001.

Portland won the season series vs. Phoenix, 2-1. The teams are meeting in the postseason for the first time since the First Round of the 1999 Playoffs, a series won by the Trail Blazers, 4-1. In six previous playoff series, each team has won 3 times.

The Trail Blazers enter the playoffs with an all-time postseason record of 93-107. Last season, the fourth-seeded Trail Blazers lost the best-of-seven series to the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2.

There it is folks, your 2009/2010 Portland Trail Blazers regular season has finally come to a close. I don't know about you,  but I thought it would never end.

I am a bit misty eyed as I contemplate how far this team has come this season. There aren't many words I have at this point to describe the Blazers exceptional and unexpected finish to the regular season. As Pendergraph told 95.5 Fm the Game tonight, the season can be summed up in a word , "surreal".

There isn't much I can write about a game that is literally rendered meaningless hours before the first tip. The starting lineup was changed by McMIllan as soon as it was clear that a win or loss tonight would not alter playoff standings. That meant the Blazers trotted out a brand new starting lineup featuring the likes of Juwan Howard and Dante Cunningham, a fact one local beat writer found jaw dropping amazing.

With literally nothing on the line there is no reason not to rest Camby and Andre Miller while letting the other guys gets some run.  McMillan did just that, letting his untested and rarely played rookies and Martell Webster get some much needed playing time before the playoffs. Blazer fans even saw Travis Diener. He is terrible, the end.

At the conclusion of tonight's contest, neither team played particularly well and the Golden State Warriors came away with the victory behind arguably the best pure shooter in the game in Stephen Curry who finished with 42 points.

Indeed, if there were ever a time one could say the winner of a basketball game is simply "the team with the most points", tonight would be the night. The Warriors visited the Rose Garden for the Blazers' final regular season game and left with a win because they simply scored more points. The final score : 122 to 116.

The Blazers finish the season with 50 wins and 32 losses. Thanks to the loss from the San Antonio Spurs earlier in the evening , the Blazers sit 6th in the Western conference.  Just let that sink in for a minute. The Blazers are 6th in the West. Despite anything, everything, they are in the playoffs and although many believe the Blazers to be the foremost of underdogs, those same people think the Blazers the most likely to deliver a March Madness style upset.

They are now poised to face the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. We'll have more about that matchup in the next couple of days. At this point, I think I join everyone in a collective "phew" that the Blazers miss the Utah Jazz in the first round.

This season has been a roller coaster of emotion and I am not sure I am ready to take a meditative look back at the season or come to any conclusion as to what it all means. There are too many important questions to be answered (Kevin Pritchard, Brandon Roy, Paul Allen, Vulcan and Greg Oden just to name a few) and much ground yet to be covered. Just think , as of now the Blazers have potentially 7 more games during which any number of players could be injured. Just the thought of that makes me cringe.

For now, I can say the elation and gratitude I feel for this team is genuine.

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

Box Score

Sometimes it feels good to put a team in their place. This Durant led Thunder squad has been getting a ton of praise this year for a great season and a playoff birth. They're ahead of schedule and eerily similar to the Trail Blazers of a year ago. Fortunately for them, they've had no injuries, no adversity, and continue to catch teams by surprise. Portland had to put a stop to that, at least for tonight and the end of this season. This crucial victory over Oklahoma City has sealed the deal for Portland, guaranteeing they will not play the Lakers in the first round.

This game was about as up and down as they come for Portland. Without Brandon Roy for the entire game, a different plan of attack was needed to take down the Thunder. Everything started out fine as Andre Miller attacked OKC's interior defense and Marcus Camby stretched everyone out by hitting jumper after jumper. It felt pretty good for about 8 minutes, but then Oklahoma City started exploiting Portland's defense in the paint and quickly took a first quarter lead. Unfortunately that continued as OKC was aggressive and earning trip after trip to the free throw line. Kevin Durant shot 9 free throws before half time! Obviously Kevin Garnett's rant about Durant was not without some truth. KD already gets more calls than Kobe Bryant. Portland eventually fought back to within 8 points at half time, but a defensive adjustment would be needed to win this game.

The second half was like a whole new game. Portland came right out and started cutting and slashing on offense while locking up Durant on defense. A quick 8-0 run got them right back in the game and really just a stellar 3rd quarter overall to make this contest worth watching again. Portland ended up with a 2 point lead after 3 quarters and finally had a battle on their hands.

The 4th quarter was back and forth until Portland started to really capitalize on Oklahoma City's mistakes. The Thunder showed their youth with some costly turnovers and poor decisions. Portland on the other hand went the entire second half without a turnover. It was a remarkable transformation in the second half, one that was much needed. Eventually, even after a Nick Collison take down of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers settled into their 50th victory and the fans got their foul calls down the stretch. All in all, it was a mini statement game. Portland is still better than most teams in the West, the question on Saturday will be whether they can compete with Utah or Denver.

The real hero in this game had to be Marcus Camby. The guy was simply incredible. From start to finish, whether it was jumpshots, put backs, defense, rebounding, hustle, whatever it was, Camby was doing it. He finished this game with a ridiculous 30 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Spectacular when you consider he is almost never called on to score. He out hustled the Thunder big men all night long and it paid dividends down the stretch. Camby has been one of the best acquisitions in recent Blazer history, and as I said earlier, with Brandon out Camby is the only reason I still have hope in the playoffs.

I also can't forget about the contributions of Andre Miller. He tore up the Thunder interior defense early on and basically picked his spots throughout the game, finishing with 22 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Martell Webster also filled important roles on both ends of the court. This was a high energy team win, one that should help us in the playoffs.

The Blazers have one game remaining to assure the 6th seed in the West. A truly remarkable feet considering the tumultuous year the organization has had. The Blazers also reached 50 wins tonight which was nothing short of impossible just a few months ago. I'm proud of the team for how hard they've worked to keep it all together. I will be attending the season finale in person on Wednesday so expect a stellar recap of the game from Sophia.

Go Blazers!

The results are in and they aren't exactly positive. According to the team, Roy has a bone bruise and potentially more issues that could keep him out longer than just tonight. Here's some background from Jason Quick as he talks about the injury:

The bruise was caused by either a rubbing, grinding or slamming of his two leg bones, and was probably exacerbated by the fact that Roy is working with minimal meniscus in his right knee. During his junior year at the University of Washington, Roy had a large portion of his meniscus removed during surgery. The meniscus serves as a shock absorber between the tibia (shin bone) and femur (thigh bone).

The team played pretty well without him in the second half yesterday, so I expect them to finish the season strong with two victories. The question is, can we survive in the playoffs without Roy?

Box Score

Sometimes the phrase "A win's a win," can't be used to describe a game.

With so much of the Western Conference playoff seeding up in the air, a victory against the Lakers would mean so much on so many levels. But how realistic was it? Having not won in LA since February 22nd, 2007, this would be a daunting task to say the least.

The day began with the news that Kobe would in fact play in this game after sitting the last couple for no apparent reason other than resting for the playoffs. That means Kobe wants to win, especially considering his Laker teammates won in Portland earlier this year without him. With Portland as a possible first round opponent, I'm sure Kobe was thinking let's beat them today, and then beat them in the first round.

The first half of this game was similar to what we've seen before from Portland against the upper eschelon of the West. Allow the opponent to lead, stay on their heals, but never quite gain control or a lead. This game felt to me like it would be a disappointing ending during half-time.

Then of course we find out at half-time that Brandon Roy is out for the rest of the game. Now how is Portland supposed to win? The Blazers continued to battle in the 3rd quarter, ramping up the intensity and playing abnormally good defense. Martell and Nicolas were shutting down Kobe and the team was inspired to win after losing their All-Star.

The Blazers completely came alive in the 4th quarter, swarming on defense and creating easy shots on offense. For awhile it was looking like Portland had control, especially when they had a five point lead with about a minute left. But that's when things got a little crazy, just like the kids in that LaMarcus Ford truck commercial. The Lakers have the ball at the top of the key with under a minute remaining. Kobe settles in about 5 feet behind the 3-point line while Derek Fisher goes stumbling in(on purpose) and trucks Martell Webster, allowing Kobe to hit an uncontested 3.  The Blazers blow their next opportunity and Kobe comes right back down, knifes through the defense and manages to finish at the rim while drawing a foul on LaMarcus Aldridge. Kobe finishes, and within seconds the Lakers now have the lead.

Portland regains their composure, and somehow Marcus Camby manages to finish a sweet offensive rebound from an Aldridge miss with just 12 seconds left. Portland retakes the lead but the Lakers have plenty of time to get a shot. Here's where it gets ridiculous. The Lakers are already in the bonus and for some reason Martell Webster is unaware, he fouls Kobe on purpose sending him to the line for what could have been game winning free throws. Amazingly Kobe misses both, and even more amazingly the Lakers get the rebound. Portland now fouls Derek Fisher, he goes to the line and misses the front end of 2 free throws. Game is tied, fans and viewers are in disaray, no one knows what's going on.

Then comes probably the biggest gift the Lakers have ever given the Blazers. The Lakers foul Martell Webster on a three point shot and Martell manages to make all three free throws. With just a couple seconds left, the Lakers inbound to Pau Gasol who misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Lakers lose at home, Kobe is pissed, incredible finish. I'm pretty sure Gasol is not the guy you want shooting game ending three pointers.

The Blazers end up winning the game despite mental mistakes galore down the stretch. Both teams were pathetic in the closing seconds but Portland came out victorious. A win's a win right?

One of the biggest surpises in this game for Portland had to be the play of the bench unit. With Brandon Roy virtually gone the whole game, Martell Webster stepped up his game, scoring 16 points in 24 minutes while Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez both played extremely efficiently in their time on the floor. You can't always win the game but you can sure lose it sometimes, these guys certainly didn't waste any possessions.

One of the key individual performances for me had to be that of LaMarcus Aldridge. He was relied on offensively and managed 24 points on 10 of 21 shooting, while also grabbing 11 rebounds against a good rebounding team in the Lakers. I also was impressed that Aldridge stayed aggressive late in the game and continued to contribute down the stretch. He may not always be consistent, but he's working on it, and lately he's really been tremendous.

The Blazers now control their destiny once again. A win tomorrow and a win on Wednesday means the 6 seed and avoidance of the Lakers in the first round. Not that it matters, Portland will have their hands full no matter who the opponent. The fact is, Portland needed to prove to themselves today that they could win on the road. Beating the best team in the conference is great momentum for the playoffs. I really hope Brandon Roy is okay, he'll have an MRI tonight.

Go Blazers! Let's finish the season strong!

Tonight Blazer fans witnessed perhaps this season's most ugly and disappointing loss whose end saw the referees quickly whisked out of the arena surrounded by security guards. Yes , it was that type of game. Where the fans were so incensed, the teams so amped up and the officiating so bad that the officials had to be escorted from the arena for the sake of their physical safety.

Welcome to today's NBA: Where Incompetent Officiating Happens.

I really want to be able to write about tonight's game with objective analysis but I just can't . I would be lying if I said I wasn't upset the Blazers lost and it would be completely dishonest to pretend that the atrocious job by the referees did not impact the game's overall outcome.

By the time the final horn sounded, which was immediately preceded by roughly 400 three point attempts by everyone on the Blazers' team, the Mavericks had secured the victory. The final score: 83 to 77.

Tonight's contest between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks was a prime example of what this year's playoff atmosphere will be like. Coach Nate McMillan acknowledged in his post game comments to the media, which were broadcast on Comcast Sports net, that the team has to learn to deal with calls not going their way. This is true and in some sense I feel it is good the Blazers got a taste of this type of treatment before the playoffs start.

Perhaps the Blazers can take this game as a lesson in how to maintain poise and composure when the referees have evidently lost their collective minds.

Sadly, the Blazers could have used a win tonight as a means to gain momentum going into Sunday's contest against the Lakers. Despite the terrible officiating, they couldn't get their offense in gear and had trouble creating a second option when Roy couldn't get a shot after almost immediate double coverage. Yes the refs were bad, but at times the Blazers were worse. Ultimately this game's outcome is product of some questionable coaching and the bad play by All-Star Brandon Roy.

Brandon Roy finished the game shooting 4 for 14 from the field and 0 for 4 from the three point line. 13 points from a team's All-Star is almost always an ominous sign. This is becoming a trend now as teams are playing heavy D on Roy and forcing him to miss his spots and take less than ideal shots. It will be interesting to see whether McMillan will make any noticeable changes in the remaining games to address this problem.

In complete contrast to Roy's dismal outing, LaMarcus Aldridge played brilliantly tonight and he did his best to carry the team offensively. Ultimately his 27 points were not enough, but certainly Aldridge's play was key in keeping the Blazers competitive until the final 5 minutes of the game. Aldridge was tough tonight, played aggressively and is showing increased intensity. He was all over the boards and moved around on defense with more authority than he's known for. Perhaps he has ramped up his play in preparation for the post season or maybe he simply recognizes the urgency in these last few games. In any event, I am loving this style of play from Aldridge and I hope to see it continue.

Marcus Camby continues to be one of my favorite players because he moves so well. I noted on twitter once tonight that it is nothing short of amazing how well Camby can move laterally on defense considering his height and age. Tonight he grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

And how about Rudy Fernandez huh? Finally he was able to come in and hit his trademark three. That stroke looked fluid and he shot the ball with more confidence than I have seen in many games. When he sat out during the fourth quarter I caught myself wondering if Rudy should really be sitting on the bench as the Blazers were struggling to score. If I am calling for Rudy to come back in, you know he must have been playing well. I guess that karate chop to the neck early in the game knocked him out of his slump. I sincerely hope Rudy can keep up his shooting game, the Blazers desperately need him to come in and score off the bench. Mr. Fernandez finished the game with 22 minutes, 4-7 shooting , going 3-4 from behind the arc, grabbed 4 rebounds, had one blocked shot and was called for one completely undeserved technical foul. Bravo.

The rest of the bench provided nothing to celebrate, in fact I am getting tired of having to criticize them. When will McMillan start taking minutes away from guys that can't find their spots on defense and are trigger happy on offense? Would not Dante Cunningham have been perfect for tonight's matchup?

Bayless, Howard and Webster were no where near acceptable and down right embarrassing at times. At least Howard can fall back on his reputation as "the crafty veteran" who shows no qualms about starting wrestling matches with opposing players. Webster was spastic and out of control as usual and aside from a drive to the basket in transition , Bayless shot quick jumpers and was rendered useless the second he was forced left. He finished with 7 points, Howard had 4 and Webster laid the big goose egg.

The Mavericks on the other hand played like a team on a mission. The Blazers were ready to sweep the season series and the Mavericks did not let that happen. With tonight's win, Dallas clinched the Southwest Division and they now sit at 2nd place in the Western Conference.

Dallas shot 33.8% from the field but outscored the Blazers 25 to 18 in the final quarter to get the win. Of course , they were aided unabashedly by the you-know-who's, but in the end got the victory thanks to timely shooting from Dirk Nowitzki. His dagger three late in the fourth quarter solidified the win and Dirk finished the game with 40 points and 10 rebounds.

The old adage "both teams played hard" most certainly applies to tonight's loss. As furious as I am with the officiating and as troubling as Roy's lackadaisical play is, the Blazers were competitive for much of this game and if not for a completely understandable meltdown, they could have won. Indeed for much of the game, the Blazers seemed ready and able to compete in this type of playoff atmosphere, even if their star wasn't playing well and their shots weren't falling. Despite the loss, their energy and intensity tonight is a great sign.

It is unclear whether the NBA will offer a statement addressing the horrific officiating tonight. What is certain however, is the Blazers will need another high energy effort to win on Sunday night. Hopefully they are motivated by tonight's atrocities and parlay that into some much needed mental toughness as next up they face potential first round opponent, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now if only I can calm my nerves enough to get some rest.

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

Dallas Mavericks coverage at Two Man Game.

Overall Winner:

I would like to start by noting it is extremely satisfying to see the Blazers win games they are supposed to win. With their solid win over the woeful Clippers, they continue an impressive run, winning 11 of their last 13. What is even more satisfying? The Blazers moved from 8th to 6th place in the Western Conference standings.

The Blazers dominated the Clippers in almost every category and the final score:  93 to 85, was much closer than the game really was.  From top to bottom, the Clippers got worked by a team revving up for the post season.

The Positive

LaMarcus Aldridge: Remember when the All Star reserves were announced and everyone, including myself, screamed in fury that Chris Kaman wasn't selected? Yeah, I remember feeling so indignant on his behalf. What a waste.

Tonight, Kaman was absolutely dominated by LaMarcus Aldridge. I can't remember a game this season in which Aldridge got any position he wanted, displayed all post moves in his arsenal with such ease and moved around on the boards with such enthusiasm. Aldridge truly had a fantastic game in almost every category.

Playing 42 minutes tonight, Aldridge went 12 for 26 from the field, scored 27 points grabbed 12 boards, had 5 assists and 1 steal. He also created no turnovers and was almost perfect from the free throw line.

One may argue that Aldridge was able to dominate because the Blazers were playing against the perpetually terrible Los Angeles Clippers, but Kaman isn't a bad player and although his defense is sorely lacking, Aldridge saw the opportunity to dominate and did so with ease and confidence. I am happy to see him perform so well and expect this type of play to continue.

Brandon Roy: 38 minutes, 23 points on 10 for 17 shooting, 6 rebounds and a steal. Steady, reliable and productive play from Brandon Roy tonight. Exactly what this team needs.

Nicolas Batum: He played 20 more minutes than Martell Webster and 12 more than Rudy Fernandez. He got key minutes down "the stretch" of the game and if this game were close that fact would actually matter; nevertheless he was there late in the game. He finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a blocked shot . Solid outing for Batum, who continues to prove why he is far and away the best and most practical option to start, and evidently finish, games.

The Negative

Obviously the unfortunate hamstring injury to Marcus Camby during the third quarter puts a damper on this love fest. Although what is being called a hamstring strain does not look to be serious in the long run, it will certainly impact the Blazers hopes of getting better position going into the playoffs now. Without the big man, the Blazers have Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge . Yes, Aldridge is a very good option for the team and has already shown he can play the role of "Blazers big man", but in doing so he became less effective.

Point is, without Camby we all know what the Blazers are. Let's hope he gets back sooner than later.

Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez: They were so bad neither deserves their own paragraph. The two combined played 29 minutes and managed 4 points. They had the same amount of turnovers and one less rebound. Round of applause for contributing nothing.

Off Court Drama: I normally would say , "focus on the game and what is happening on the court", but this past week has seen enough action to warrant some reflection on my part.

Rudy confesses to a reporter that he was sad he missed his birthday. Nate responded with a comment suggesting that Rudy probably does miss being home. My reaction: this is the NBA, athletes are payed millions of dollars to play basketball in the midst of a global recession and this country is fighting two wars, which have claimed so many lives. In spite of anything, he should be so thankful he has a reliable job, is in good health and has the means to fly his family to America.

So Rudy, please shut up. Take a note from your teammate Nicolas and just play your game. If you were in any other city, the fans would not adore you when you have a rough stretch of play, you wouldn't arrive on court to chants of "rudy , Rudy, RUDY" and you certainly would not be starting.

Greg Oden has a weekly radio feature that is essentially a question and answer style conversation on 95.5‘s Wheels at Work . This week, as seen on Blazersedge.com, Oden revealed he has yet to do full workouts and doesn't have any plans, yet, to workout with Bill Bayno during the summer. The entire dialogue was strange but the most revealing seemed to be this comment:

Question: Are you able to work on the court now with your knee?
I'm not really doing too much on the court right now. As you know right now I'm at home resting it. A little bit ago I was on the court, just shooting jump shots, not really jumping though. I was standing straight up. I was able to get on my tippy-toes. A couple of weeks ago when I was back in Portland, when I was there, I was just shooting jump shots, shooting hook shots, just getting on the court at night, being on there for 30 minutes, touching the ball, being able to do some things.

I highly recommend checking out the rest of the transcript of Oden's comments.

Back to the game last night, as I noted once before winning the easy games is key in solidifying good position for the playoffs. The Clippers didn't really put up much of a fight as not one player, not even Davis, scored above 14 points. The game was supposed to be a chance for Steve Blake to enact revenge upon his former team. There are even those who have said there's nothing like the wrath of a white point guard (and his wife) who've been scorned- thankfully the Blazers came out with a win.

The Blazers now find themselves in interesting position. If the playoffs began today, they would face the third place Denver Nuggets in the first round. Not an ideal matchup, but potentially favorable as I have said before. If they lose ground in the remaining three games but manage to finish in 7th place, they would face Dallas, a team that poses some favorable individual match ups and gives the Blazers the best opportunity to move onto the second round.

The team the Blazers need to avoid at all cost, even if it means throwing a game or two, is the Utah Jazz. I cannot see the Blazers getting more than one win in a series against the Jazz.

The final week of the regular season begins with the Sunday game in Los Angeles against the Lakers, then back home against the OKC Thunder (a must win if Blazers want to avoid 8th place) and concludes with a Wednesday game against the Golden State Warriors. No "easy" games during this stretch, yet each game is certainly winnable.

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

The playoffs are right around the corner and one possible match-up was on display Thursday night in the Mile High City, as the Portland Trail Blazers took on the Denver Nuggets. Although the Blazers gave much lip service to taking this game seriously, they played off tonight, matching the eerily low energy from the crowd and perhaps allowing the low intensity atmosphere to sap any motivation they may have had.

The Denver Nuggets have the third best home record in the NBA, yet their home crowd is unnaturally subdued and was rarely louder than the PA system. Regardless of the Nuggets' home record and subdued fans, the Blazers needed to show they can compete with the best in the West, tonight they did not do that.

The final score was 109 to 92 in favor of the Nuggets, and the game was never really close. The Blazers gained a lead a handful of times early in the first half but were unable to sustain sufficient momentum in the third quarter and eventually lost any chance of winning by the start of the fourth. The Blazers played sloppy with 11 turnovers and the Nuggets capitalized, scoring 18 fast break points.

As the Blazers have finally solidified a spot in the playoffs, many fans (including myself) consider the rest of the season as a sort of "practice run" for the post season. Games such as tonight's are not, in my eyes, so important to actually win, rather they are a good indicator of how well ( or not-so-well) certain players perform and how well the team executes on offense and defense.

For example, tonight Brandon Roy, who has struggled against the Nuggets in previous games, needed to show that his bad shooting in the two team's last meeting was a fluke. He did not do that, in fact he was completely shut down again, going 3 for 13 from the field and finishing with just 14 points. Indeed, Roy was literally a non threat, as from the outset of the game he was immediately double teamed. He struggled to find his shot early (0-6 to start the game) and by the time he developed some rhythm, it was far too late to make a difference. What is more, Roy had an uncharacteristic 2 turnovers, which were the result of a careless mistake and the other, a mental lapse.

Another non threat for the Blazers tonight was LaMarcus Aldridge, who despite great play of late, struggled to hit in the first quarter and then kept right on script the rest of the game. Aldridge played solid defense overall (per usual), yet was ineffective in help defense on Nene and very mediocre on the boards. Aldridge finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover and 4(!) blocked shots.

All was not bad in this game for the Blazers however, as it is now apparent that the one player who will excel in a playoff match-up against Denver( or anyone for that matter)is Andre Miller. He finished with 24 points and 1 assist, often times leading the offense and single handily keeping the Blazers within striking distance. It is clear that his extensive experience will be an absolute benefit for the Blazers this post-season. All of the "Blake v. Miller" arguments were for naught as Blake was eventually traded, but ask yourself this, was Blake (then our "Veteran point guard") ever able to do what Andre did tonight? Could he drive and get to the basket at will? Was he able to run out and lead the fast break for an easy 2? No, No and No. Andre Miller's worth to this basketball team cannot any longer be disputed and I hope all Blakey lovers have finally mopped up their tears. Recognize, Miller's specific skill set that was displayed so perfectly tonight, will do the Blazers very well in the playoffs and I cannot wait to watch.

One catch with Andre Miller however was his low assist number. As the offense was stagnant and Brandon Roy, among others, couldn't hit a shot, it was clear Miller's ability to score was a bright spot. But at what point does Miller need to create more offense and help facilitate others to score? I think Roy's off shooting and the team's general issues tonight with scoring aren't Millers' fault, but I think in general our point guard should have more assists. Just a thought.

Other notables for the Blazers include the bench. There, I said it. After throwing up 478 attempts, the bench got 24 points, with 17(!) coming from Martel Webster alone. Congratulations. Oh yeah, J.R. Smith did go off tonight, but hey, the Blazers' bench is now actually scoring. Baby steps.

As I noted above, the Denver Nuggets "home court advantage" most certainly has much more to do with the high altitude than the hostile atmosphere present at almost every other Western Conference, playoff team, arena. It is bizarre how quiet their crowd is. Oh well, the Nuggets looked sluggish themselves and Carmelo Anthony had an uncharacteristically off night (way to capitalize Blazers), yet they pulled through and got the win, one they much needed.

Just a couple weeks ago, the Nuggets sat at number 2 in the West, yet a recent rough patch has left them at 5th place coming into tonight's game. They have struggled of late because they miss two important people: their Coach , George Karl, and Kenyon Martin, who has been out with a left knee injury. Indeed, the Nuggets have been thrown some serious obstacles (Blazer fans know this adversity very well) and are coping fairly reasonably in many respects, despite their less than stellar record of late.

Tonight, the Nuggets' top scorer was Carmelo Anthony (despite early foul trouble), who had 25 points off 10 for 21 shooting. As a team, the Nuggets outscored the Blazers in the paint 52 to 36 (Yikes Blazers) and shot 49.4%.

Nene had 22 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while flipping 5 assists. He played perhaps his best game of the season in that he ran and moved well and he played solid interior defense all night long, making life difficult for Aldridge and to some extent, Marcus Camby. Of all players tonight, Nene impressed me the most, particularly on the offensive end.

Other notable players for the Nuggets included Chauncy Billups, who had 21 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds. He only shot 2 for 8 from the three point line, however he caught fire in the third quarter and led the Nuggets into the fourth quarter where they were finally able to pull away for the victory. J.R. Smith, the Nuggets' dynamic sixth man, was semi on fire tonight, going just 2 for 10 from the three point line (who does that remind you of?? I'll give you a hint, it starts with the letter "M"), but finishing with a respectable and important 15 points.

Tonight's game revealed that neither the Nuggets nor the Blazers are 100% and neither team seems poised to make a serious run in the Playoffs right now. Year long adversity(the Blazers) and recent struggles(the Nuggets) have done much to degrade the efficacy of each team, yet the beauty is that the playoffs aren't a sum of the whole season. Once you're in, the regular season records and individual player accomplishments are out the window. As one of those guys said on the TNT half time show, the playoffs are all about match-ups and if Brandon Roy could figure out how to deal with the pressure on defense, I think the Nuggets pose a favorable match-up for the Blazers.

Next up, the Blazers take on the Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena. Without offending any King fans, this should be an easy and solid win for the Blazers.

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