PORTLAND HARD, BLAZER HARD

via nba.com

Hard Portland turns into Blazer Hard.

Fans who watch Portland from a distance see the Trail Blazers avoiding a sweep from the Warrior broom instead of playing a five game series.

It happens when you lose the first two game in the Bay Area.

Now the Warriors, still Steph-less, come to Portland.

This isn’t the Portland Area, or Beaver State Blazers. It’s Portland. No confusion here.

The TV guys announcing Game 3 work to find things to talk about. One of them tries to find a back court as good as Portland, two guys not from a power conference.

As if Steph from Davidson and Thompson from Washington State aren’t right there. As if Washington State is a power.

Lillard from Weber State, and Most Improved Player in the NBA C.J. aren’t the top of that list.

But they found two others more worthy, guys who could probably play the modern game.

Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe of the Knicks championship years are the best guard tandem outside anyone from non-Power 5 conferences?

Earl the Pearl and Clyde, named for his ball hawking. He stole that ball like robbing a bank. Like Bonnie and Clyde.

Don’t we know who the best guards are, no matter the conference.

Michael Jordan and anyone else. Magic and anyone else. Who remembers John Stockton’s two? It wasn’t The Mailman.

With that tidbit done, ABC’s crew helps America understand how the Blazers showed up this year. We know the story.

Four fifths of the starting line-up left town. How many of them are in the second round?

Looking at you, LA. You’d better go all the way with the Spurs.

We know who left town and gave them a good riddance out the door.

How many Big Market teams are watching Little Market Portland? How many of those players wished they played in Portland?

Now we know the Blazers won’t be swept. Not this team, a real team.

Instead of a cobbled together group, this is a team with heart, a team that plays together with guys who like being here in Portland.

We like guys who adapt to Blazer hard.

Instead of Cut The Check from Rashweed, we get hope.

Instead of, “You know what it is,” from Mighty Mouse, we get basketball.

These Blazers are more about basketball than the NBA lifestyle. We like seeing games, not rap sheets.

Portland is an NBA town. It’s hard here and it reflects the citizens.

How Portland hard are you? As Blazer hard as Lillard?

He takes a hit from Bargain LeBron and instead of a soccer flop and going drama, he gets up and plays on.

That’s Blazer hard. It had to hurt, but not enough to slow him down.

Are you Blazer hard? Portland hard? It helps that the Blazers are the youngest team in the NBA Elite Eight.

It’s Young Portland with Young Lillard, who’s far from the stressed out antics of a Westbrook.

And who doesn’t like seeing an Ed Davis mask in the stands?

From a throwaway season forecasted  by sports experts, Blazer hard spit in their eye.

Come to town with your best and see what you leave with. It’s gonna be hard.