Huh?

Reader Ken Chaitin of Portland has it right. It’s not that the Blazers lost one game. It’s not that they lost on national TV. And it’s not even that Greg Oden suffered a 2-4 week tweak of his foot. No, no, and no. It’s because the threatening-new-force-in-the-Western-Conference – the same ones who are the Darlings of the Basketball’s Future – flat out never @#$%^& showed up!

I know Mr. Chaitin. When he compromises something near and dear to him, the entity for whom he made said sacrifice should darn well take heed and take things seriously. Just as my fiancé, who hates cats and who is allergic to cats, looked past her self and gave me a kitten for my birthday, Ken C. (the dedicated non-smoker) went way out of his comfort zone to honor and celebrate the ‘new’ Blazers by going to Claudia’s pub on Hawthorne in SE Portland, filled with smoke as it was, to watch the game on TV and to give of himself for the “cause”. Brave and noble man.

Ken and I, and maybe even you, should be learning by now that what athletes ‘say’ rarely has anything to do with what they will actually demonstrate in battle. Brandon Roy, ballyhooed spokesperson for the players, said recently that, “we’re ready” to play in a counting game. Phooey to that! Heck, the Cleveland Cavaliers were obviously ready to take it to the Champs in Boston. Great game. Great effort by all. Are the Lakers not impressive enough – either by hype or from our deep-seated grrrrrr – to take them seriously? When the Lakers’ coach, Phil Jackson, implored his team to scratch for every win in order to gain home court advantage throughout the playoffs, did he not speak for every professional athlete’s obligation to their fans? What possible excuse is there to not show up? I’m open to hearing any well-reasoned explanations.

In 1992, when the Blazers were playing the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in Las Vegas (because the game could not safely be played in Los Angeles because of the dangerous ‘Rodney King’ riots), Magic Johnson was the color analyst for the great Dick Enberg’s play-by-play. Magic says to Dick something like (I have the actual quote on video tape), “People around the NBA aren’t aware of this, but there is a real strong rivalry between the Lakers and Portland – it goes both ways and its been going on for a long time.” What greater authority does one need to hear it from? Hmmm? Not Canzano or that Puff in the Morning. It’s real. It’s palpable, and those @#$%^& Blazers don’t even try? ‘Splain it to me.