Closing out a brutal, injury-riddled road trip with a win is always sweet. From Martell Webster's career night to Andre Miller and Steve Blake combining for 23 assists, it was a great win which eased the pain of losing in Boston the night before.

I'd like to first say how much I enjoy watching this team play right now. Guys are working extremely hard on both ends of the floor, they are sticking up for each other and best of all, they are still very competitive no matter who the opponent is and how many Blazers are injured. It has a college basketball feel to it, more energy, less selfish behavior and guys aren't just going through the motions to get a paycheck. Win or lose, this team is fun to watch because they are playing basketball the right way.

There were many things skipping across my mind today. I was thought about which beer to enjoy while I watched the last ever Last Night with Conan O'Brien. I thought about my possible upcoming relocation to the belly of the beast that Blazer fans despise above all else. I thought about the unexpected cameos I make in videos by a certain Finnish basketball star.

What I didn't think was that Portland would have a shot at winning tonight's game against the Celtics. The injury riddled Roy-less Blazers, three games into a road trip, at Boston? On a night that saw the return of KG, the C's emotional leader? Right. Then again Portland's modus operandi has been to overachieve, so maybe I should have expected a competitive effort. Let's get right into it:

BOX SCORE

Photo: AP

Boston Celtic coverage at Celtics Hub.

Overall Winner:

Considering the recent failures against Philly and the let down loss in Washington DC on Monday, this game left me with a bad feeling all day.

In Portland just a few weeks ago, these 76ers came in and dominated the Blazers. Elton Brand and Allen Iverson looked fresh, they were scoring at will with little to no defense, and Portland just got outworked losing 104 to 93.

Despite the loss of Brandon Roy in the first half of tonight's game, Portland overcame runs by Philly and ended up winning on the backs of Andre Miller and Jerryd Bayless. Bayless had 14 of his 18 points in the 4th quarter. He attacked the basket at the right times, hit a few jumpers and used his youthful exuberance to keep an aging Iverson off balance.

Gambler's Record: 14-15-1

Beware the 76ers. In the Brandon Roy era there are two teams that seem to genuinely have Portland's number. The first is the Cleveland LeBrons, which is completely understandable. The second is the rudderless 76ers, a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 05'.

Philadelphia has some talented players, but let's not confuse them with a good basketball team. For whatever reason the Blazers are 2-5 against the 76ers since Roy was drafted. Three of those losses came in the Rose Garden, but the two losses in Philly are the most jarring. One loss was a 21 point slaughter, and the other was a crushing defeat that saw a 20-point lead evaporate faster than Lane Kiffin's credibility.

All of this leads me to tonight. Will Brandon play? Won't he? Will it matter? A good gambler is always aware of the stats and numbers that surround any given game, but a great gambler knows when to trust his instincts and go with his gut. The Blazers lineup is returning to an uneven state of flux, and that's not a good thing. The rotation has swelled back up to nine players over the last few games, and as key players return from injury that is going to get guys looking over their shoulders and playing scared. Everyone is going to have to redefine their role on the team, and those are growing pains that I want no part of. Factor in the house of horrors that has been Philadelphia, and you can see where this is going.

Philadelphia 76ers coverage at Sixers 4 Guidos.

Overall Winner:

Hippo The Great has provided us with the latest on Petteri Koponen. The news is good this time, The Finnagler is tearing paska up and the Blazers haven't forgotten about him after all. The latest Koponen highlights can be found here and here. Voi kyrpä!

2010 has been a very good year for Petteri Koponen so far.

Today's game was a perfect example of why not attacking the basket can lead to a let down. Without Brandon Roy for balance, and ultimately his closing abilities, the Blazers went to Washington and lost to an underrated Wizards team, 97 to 92.

This game had trouble written all over it. Washington had been playing much better since the departure of Gilbert Arenas, the team really is much better than their record indicates. Presumably they'd like nothing more than to knock Portland down a peg or two.

Even with Arenas out, Washington has two bona fide stars in Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison, they also have decent pieces with Mike Miller, Randy Foye, Andray Blatche and Brendan Haywood. Jamison was good in this game, but the Blazers really just killed themselves. Portland only made 3 of their 17 three point attempts and never really committed to getting into the paint. Despite recent successes without Brandon Roy, this was a game that Roy was much needed. Brandon would have been able to change up the offensive game plan and get easy buckets. Andre Miller tried, but the Wizards always had answers.

On the other side, Washington was aggressive and a little lucky, getting to the line 28 times (12 more than the Blazers) and converting 25 of them. That was really the key.

Despite poor 3-point shooting and lack of penetration, Portland was still in the game. Up until the last few minutes at least. A glaring weakness was shown as the team more or less stood on the perimeter, simply passing the ball around the 3-point line. No one seemed to be able to get an open look or find anyone cutting. The offense was stagnant and seriously lacking in the closer department. We will need Roy on Wednesday.

Another red flag in this game was the role reversal in how each team was perceived. In most cases, a Roy-less Blazer squad is given no chance to win. They usually come out aggressive and hungry. Take the Spurs and Magic games for example- The Blazers pushed it throughout, led most of the game, and finished things up well before time expired. They never really needed Brandon because guys shot the ball well and there was no need for a finisher. Games like this make everyone appreciate Brandon that much more.

The Blazers have a few more interesting games on this road trip. Philly has a bad record and just lost to Minnesota today, but they always play the Blazers tough, including a fairly impressive win in the Rose Garden in December. Boston has lost 3 of their last 4, but are still obviously the upper echelon in the East. Then of course Detroit on Saturday, they are as inconsistent as they come and the Blazers must be locked in for these road games.

Today was by no means devastating, but it showed how important Brandon Roy is, how bad falling in love with the three can be, and that games during work hours are simply not acceptable. I'll be having a talk with the man in charge about getting it off next year.

Box Score

3 for 17 from deep is just devastating to a game plan. LaMarcus unable to clutch up despite good numbers. Making 10 less free throws than Washington and attempting 12 less. Not good. Allowing Antawn Jamison all kinds of freedom to shred our defense.

Andre Miller was spectacular in the 2nd half, too bad about foul trouble in the first. Bayless did have 8 assists, that's good even if most were just kick outs to jump shooters. LA had a career high 15 rebounds(9 offensive) without even trying. Imagine if he was committed. Steve Blake continues being aggressive and contributing off the bench. Getting Roy for Foye on draft day 2006. Still feels good.

I’m not sure where the old sports saying “players win games, coaches lose games” originally came from. It has long been a tired cliché used to illustrate the thankless nature of the coaching profession. It’s appeared in basketball movies from Hoosiers to Eddie. (Shout out to the Eddie Franklin aficionados over at Rip City Project.) Wherever it came from I think most of us generally accept the belief that coaches take the blame for losses and players take the praise for wins. If you’ve been following the Trailblazer for the last few years it would be hard not to.

There is a persistent “Fire Nate” contingency out there. You can’t get too far on many blog posts before finding them in the comments. After McMillan and Andre Miller had their shouting match this poll appeared and let some people articulate just how horrible of a coach McMillan is.

It's hard to know if those in support of firing McMillan are any larger in numbers than exist for most coaches in the League. Everyone complains about everything on the internet, plus people who say things the loudest can look bigger than they really are. I can say that when I've found myself in random Blazers conversations with strangers the idea that Nate is a problem seems to come up fairly often. It all seems a little strange for a team that is mostly winning.

Of course, the Fire Nate people are somewhat quieter during the wins. My Dad is among them, and I've listened to him make several convincing arguments that Nate is not ultimately the best fit for the talent on Portland's roster. Yeah, he is too inflexible sometimes. I agree, he should have been letting Andre Miller be the starting point guard from the beginning. Seriously, what is up with always pulling players that pick up a few fouls in the first half? Let them learn how to deal with that! Yes, this offense is bland and limited; this team needs a new system to get the most out of their talent. Why not run more? Why not MOVE more? Show Nate the door!

As convincing as these arguments are to me, their influence is undone when I notice other perspectives. The Blazers are usually around the top of the list in scoring rate after timeouts; which says something for Nate’s X’s and O’s ability. McMillan is a coach for Team USA; that says something about the respect he has amongst his peers. Most importantly though is that this team seems to overachieve quite regularly. The coach absolutely has to have something to do with that. Maybe, just maybe, the guy knows what he’s doing after all.

Last season the Blazers won more than their experience should have allowed. This season they keep racking up victories after catching the bubonic plague of injury bugs. Most of the credit, from what I’ve seen, seems to get attributed to the players. Over and over again we talk about their “tremendous heart” that creates such success. I’m not saying that is wrong, I’m just saying that the coach has something to do with this too. This team succeeds in part because of Nate, not in spite of him.

Are the Nate criticisms just the old cliché be proven? I think so. Having a roster loaded with very impressive and likeable talent probably makes the old saying even more pronounced. These players are so good and so hardworking that the losses can’t be their fault. I love this roster and I totally understand the attractiveness of that sentiment. In reality, Nate continues to have success with this team.

With all of that off my chest I can add that Nate’s real test is still hanging on the horizon. When the whole of Portland’s talent is healthy can he figure out how to make it work on the court? The answer to that question will also be the answer to whether McMillan is ultimately the right coach for this team or not. Until then, sit back and enjoy the overachieving.