I'm tempted to write this piece tomorrow, because if the Blazers beat the New Orleans Hornets tonight then the point of this missive will be even more impactful in the morning. But I'm too giddy right now, about my sudden realization of what the Blazers have accomplished so far, to wait 15 more hours.
In September, as the season approached, prognosticators, both professional and neophyte, projected the Blazers as the likely holder of the 8th spot in the 2009 NBA Western Conference Playoffs. They felt that the season was just long enough to allow the team to recover from the horrendous early schedule the league had thrown at them. "Making the playoffs" - yes, that would the fair barometer on how to assess this team's success this year.
But look what the stats show us this morning. The Blazers, tough early schedule be damned, are tied for the 4th spot in the Conference, and tonight's opponent, holder of the 3rd spot, could be tumbled.
Win or lose tonight, the Blazers have achieved this unexpected (by some) ranking through three surprising developments. The foreigners have taught this teachable team the value and splendor of making passes they previously hadn't stretched to do; Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez have demonstrated to one and all (but mostly to Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye) the value of extra effort - for causing turnovers, blocking shots, making steals, and all other manner of beneficial hustle plays; and Joel Przybilla has been playing out of his mind.
The current lesson, which is of the "two-steps-forward-one-step-back" variety, is to consistently apply the newly acquired skills each and every night. It is this lesson that lies between being a good team and being an elite team.
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