Subscribe Feed (RSS)Jason Quick’s column today in The Oregonian about Brandon Roy was interesting, but I think Brandon would have been smart to keep the comments about Boston to himself:
“This is what we want,” Roy said. “This is where we want to be. I want it not only for this team, but for me personally. To see where I’m at, you know? To see where this team is at, to see where I can get this team to.”
Yes, the Trail Blazers come into Boston for the Friday night game with a six-game winning streak, they’re leading their conference with a 14-6 record and are 7-0 against the Eastern Conference. That’s pretty good stuff.
Well, the defending champion Celtics are 18-2, riding a 10-game winning streak and looking hard for good opponents to bash. A lot of nights, they aren’t even being challenged. Just bringing a six-game streak into town would have been enough to get Boston’s attention. Now, with these comments, the Celts should be sufficiently aroused, if they’re paying attention.
Of course, it’s also possible that Dan Shaughnessy’s column this morning softened them up a little bit. The Boston Globe icon hauled out a boxing analogy this morning, likening the Blazers to just another “tomato can” as the Celtics’ next opponent:
They pushed past the Pacers last night. Tomorrow night, it’ll be Portland with Greg Oden. One tomato can after another.
Sure, the Cavaliers are better than they were last season. Sure, the Lakers have Andrew Bynum this time around. But the Celtics are putting the league on notice:
You had your chance last spring. No stopping us now.
Yeah, well, Boston is dominating the league at this moment, no question. The Celts are bullying a lot of teams right off the floor with their attitude and their talent. Before it’s over they’re going to find the Lakers a lot tougher team than the one they saw in the Finals last year. And it’s still a long time until the playoffs.
Tags: Boston Celtics, Boston Globe, Brandon Roy, Dan Shaughnessy, Dwight Jaynes, Jason Quick, Portland Trail Blazers
DJ I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one. I think Roy, as the leader of this team, has to step up and be vocal about his expectations and thoughts heading into a game against the defending champs. The team is playing at a very high level at the moment and their confidence has to be soaring but in the back of their minds there is still the lack of a killer instinct and belief that they are as good as recently advertised. That is why Roy’s comments are so valuable, he exudes the killer mentality that wins ballgames, both with his play and his belief in his team and himself. If Roy says “we are ready to play with the Boston’s of this league”, then his teammates are going to show up ready-and that’s really the mark of a strong leader, being able to make someones belief stronger than their doubts or reservations. Boston is going to be amped to play anyone right now(10 straight will do that to you)so I don’t think there will be any added incentive to go out and try to thrash The Blazers. I think that Boston’s been prepared since camp to serve notice to the other 29 teams in the league and Roys comments came as no surprise. Everybody wants to get a shot at the champ. It’s a question of who’s mentally prepared enough to play the Celtics with enough poise and control to beat them. I believe that Portland can beat Boston, I really do. Not because I’m a homer or an optimist, but because Roy and company have shown the guts to pull off the tough ones. They have convinced me that they belong. Now they have to convince themselves. It seems to me that Roy was trying to do just that.
Yanno it has been a long long time since the trailblazers have had a leader. Don’t get me wrong Drexler was an amazing talent and a dedicated player. However, Brandon has a calmness about him that the great ones possess. Like Joe Montana in a 2 minute drill, or Micheal Jordan taking the winning shot, Roy has the ability to lead us to a championship…
With that said, Roy is preparting his team to believe. The goal is to beat the Celtics and he is putting that idea into his teamates heads. The great thing about goals is that they often provide hope. Roy is smart enough to realize that before the game on the court begins, he has to get himself and his teamates in the right frame of mind if they are to have a chance…
They may not win against Boston this time around but the foundation has been set. The bar is the celtics and with Roy’s leadership the focus is set