Well, we’ve got months now to evaluate this season and to look ahead to next year. So we’ll save an in-depth analysis for all the dog days to come. At the same time, a few observations on Thursday night’s season-ender:

– Man, why did Jerryd Bayless keep entering that game? I know Andre Miller didn’t play well but he played just 18:26 compared to Bayless’s 29:10. One veteran media guy who has seen more NBA games than I have over the years turned to me at halftime and said, “That guy (Bayless) may be the most selfish player I’ve ever seen. And to keep putting him out there to watch him go to the basket to get his layups blocked is crazy.”

– Rudy Fernandez may have gotten hot in this game. Well, yes, he WAS hot. But seriously, he probably gave up more easy points than he scored. The guy bordered on tragic comedy at the defensive end.

– Martell Webster and Fernandez are pulling shots out of their backside, including several three-pointers with hands in their face, but when LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy come back in the game, the ball stops going to the weak side of the floor. It’s back to the two-man game with Roy and Aldridge and so the ball stops going to the hot hands. Stops cold. And speaking of cold, Roy was 4 for 16 and Aldridge was 5 for 17. Ugh.

– See previous item when talking about the Portland coaching situation. Unless this team changes its offensive system (or actually finds an offensive “system”) this is what’s going to happen in the postseason. The whole scheme is dependent upon those two guys carrying the team with a series of one-on-one moves out of isolation. Works in the regular season when teams have no prep time and cannot adequately prepare in the avalanche of an 82-game season. But in the post-season with time to prepare? It’s a suicidal offensive scheme. Portland made the Suns’ defensive scheme look like the legendary Pistons’ Bad Boys defense.

– One thing I heard afterward from several people — “Well, the Suns were just the better team.” Yes, I’m afraid that’s correct, as long as Nate McMillan is coaching this team. All the injuries have bought McMillan another season — one more year to show what he’s doing isn’t going to work in the playoffs over the long term. I’m astounded at how people don’t look at how many open shots Blazer opponents get out of their offensive systems and how many contested shots Portland ends up having to shoot because its players cannot create their own shots against double and triple-teams.

– Yeah, the off-season will once again be filled with the Blazers searching for “another guy who can create his own shot.” Damn, Roy can do that as well as anybody but not against three guys. Already, the Blazers play more one-on-one than any other team in the league. Roy is in isolation more often than LeBron or Kobe. HELP THE MAN! Get him some stuff that he doesn’t have to turn himself into a pretzel to get! Move the ball and move bodies instead of just standing around! Yeah, I know, you’re sick of hearing that. But the problem is, you’re going to get even more sick of watching it in the future.

– The Blazers used 10 players by halftime. Damn, 10? This is supposed to be time to shorten the rotation, right?

– Nic Batum was sensational at defending Steve Nash. But Batum is also one of Portland’s best shooters and he got just one shot — with Steve Nash guarding him. And he played only 13:59. What a joke. So often, he exited for Bayless — who gave Nash someone to guard. The entire season, the Blazers never figured out how to use Batum’s length to challenge Nash. What a totally wasted opportunity. Instead, we saw Bayless trying to take him to the basket — which the Suns finally figured out how to stop. Man, just have a big man drop off his man and go block the shot — Bayless isn’t going to drop the ball off to anyone, he’s just going to try to force something up.

– Greg Oden? Bizarre. That’s all I can say. We’ll have more time to talk about it this summer, but man, this kid has a long way to go.

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I’m hearing a lot about the courage it took for Brandon Roy to take the court Saturday afternoon, eight days after that knee surgery.

Well, yeah… it took courage all right. But I’d have to say, it took a lot more courage for the doctor who gave the green light for it. I mean, Roy is pain free, at least so he says. I’m sure for him, when you don’t hurt, it’s a no-brainer to want to play. But to me, the doctor who is willing to put his reputation — and perhaps his job as the team physician — on the line for this, well, that takes guts. Really, he’s the guy who could have stopped the whole thing. The buck stops at his desk and nobody else’s.

I mean, it hasn’t exactly been a banner season for the team’s medical and training staff. I wouldn’t have blamed him for taking the easy way out and just say no. So way to go, Dr. Don Roberts — and good luck to you!

And by the way, Nic Batum is probably taking a bigger gamble than Roy. He’s playing in serious pain and the point of that right shoulder sits out there for everyone to use as a target. He’s taking a lot of hits on that thing and I think a reinjury is possible. Good luck to him, too.

Taking nothing away from Roy. There’s one thing that’s been overlooked and I give him a ton of credit for it — there are a lot of stars who would not play in that situation because they are risking embarrassment. After all, it had been a couple of weeks for Roy without playing and he was out of shape, physically. He probably knew he wasn’t going to be capable of playing at his best — yet he was willing to do that to help his team.

His mere presence meant so much — and for the people in that building Saturday afternoon, it was a real goose-bump moment.

Moving forward to tonight’s game — I have no idea what to expect because I don’t think that we’ve yet seen both these teams have a good game on the same night. It’s been one or the other so far. If both play well, I have a feeling that the Suns will win, but I’m not entirely convinced.

Folks, if Roy can find his way back to his groove in a hurry, the Blazers have a real shot. And I mean a shot at the NBA Finals. I know that sounds crazy but the West is so balanced right now — the injuries all over the conference have leveled the playing field. Just about any of the eight teams could get to the Finals with a few breaks. It’s one of those crazy seasons where it’s possible. Portland holds the season-series edge over most of the teams it could play.

Except Utah. And the Jazz are incredible. A lot of people give me a bad time about liking Jerry Sloan so much but can you see why? The Jazz system makes that team least vulnerable to major injury of any of the contenders. It’s a plug-and-play deal, with the team executing its flex offense and solid defense in the same manner, no matter who the players are. This team doesn’t rely totally on one-on-one stuff to score, the way the Blazers do. It gets shots from its disciplined, unselfish offense.

On defense, watch how hard it is to get a mismatch against the Jazz. Their defense doesn’t switch the way the Blazers always do. You can’t get them to switch. The defender on the screener jumps out and hedges the man with the ball long enough for his man to get back to him. The weak side is alert enough to help if it must, but most of the time, it’s not needed.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns are getting the Blazers to switch on pick-and-rolls virtually any time they want. Over and over we see LaMarcus Aldridge or Marcus Camby exposed in space trying to defend Steve Nash. This must be dealt with or it’s going to be the difference in the series.

But in this conference, I’m not at all sure what’s going to happen. I know the Nuggets look to be in trouble, but I’d expect — if at all physically possible — George Karl might make a comeback on the Denver bench for Game 5. At least make an appearance at the arena. If that happens, I’d expect a big emotional lift for the Nuggets. It’s an incredible situation in the West with balance like maybe never before.

But I’d be shocked if the West winner has enough to win it all. Cleveland and Orlando have too much for them.

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So does good ball movement and the Phoenix Suns’ inability to make shots. But also give full credit to LaMarcus Aldridge — who seems to need the whole town jumping on his case in order to get himself going. And of course, credit the presence of Brandon Roy for opening the court up for everyone.

It was a bit of a weird game. Portland once again won the battle of fast break points, by a whopping 16-4. The Suns quit making open outside shots all of a sudden. The Blazers once went about eight minutes without a field goal. The Suns opened the game with an avalanche of backdoor cuts for dunks. Portland failed for almost the entire fourth quarter to take advantage of Steve Nash defending Nic Batum — I mean, call a timeout, run Batum down the the low post and throw him the ball. He wouldn’t need any post moves — just turn and throw it down in the little man’s grill. Man, a coach like Mike Dunleavy would have made sure whoever Nash tried to guard he’d have a long day — especially if it’s a guy who stands 6-8.

But anyway, it was great to see Roy back on the floor, just eight days after his knee surgery. Among other weirdness, by the way — Rudy Fernandez didn’t play in the second half, Martell Webster played only 12:42 in spite of giving his usual consistent, solid effort, Batum was called for retaliating to a nasty elbow to his right shoulder delivered by Amare Stoudemire that ought to earn Stoudemire a fine, Channing Frye and Jerryd Bayless were both called for flagrant fouls that weren’t all that flagrant and the Blazers outscored the Suns 17-5 in second-chance points. And oh yes, I continue to be amazed that Nate McMillan insists he’s telling his defenders not to switch on pick-and-rolls and they continue to do it time after time. It put them in so many vulnerable situations that it was amazing they overcame it to win.

This is why I love the NBA playoffs. Stuff happens — stuff you don’t expect. This was the kind of effort from Portland I wish we’d seen on Thursday night. Even if the team loses after giving this kind of effort, you can’t complain.

I do believe it’s anybody’s series if Roy is back to stay and can quickly round into shape. If he can bring his game up a little more, move just a hair better and stay safe, the Blazers have a shot at this thing. And oh yeah, Aldridge has to keep rolling those big numbers, too.

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Some players feed off the crowd much more than others. In fact, I’ve seen players in all sports who were seemingly impervious to crowds — both friendly and hostile. I always felt Michael Jordan was that way. He was above it all.

Others, though, benefit greatly from a friendly and raucous crowd. Portland’s Rudy Fernandez is one of those. I wouldn’t be surprised, if the fans stay with him, if Rudy has a bounce-back game tonight. He’s due — a much better player than he’s shown so far. But if he doesn’t start attacking Steve Nash tonight — early and often — he’s going to have to find a seat at the end of the bench for the rest of the series.

I have no idea what’s going on with this guy but it’s looking like one big pout from him so far. Why? I have no idea.

I would also expect Nic Batum to play. Maybe not a ton of minutes, but I bet he does. And that will help, quite obviously.

But what about LaMarcus Aldridge? Well, a lot’s on him, too. I know he’s facing some double-teams. Yeah, that happens. But it’s no excuse for not playing hard. For not going to the boards. For not contributing. He’s got to stay out of foul trouble, run the floor, rebound and get to the spots on the floor where he can score. It appears to me the Suns have been pushing him outside the places where he’s most effective with his jump shot. If that continues to happen he’s not going to be productive.

Man, if LaMarcus would start this game by throwing an elbow in Amare Stoudemire’s chops, he’d get a three-minute standing ovation. Sorry, that was just a dream. Ain’t going to happen.

All in all, I expect a real emphasis from the Blazers to come out strong at the opening — just to erase memories of that mess in Phoenix Tuesday night. Portland needs to immediately establish a defensive tone and regain control of the tempo. That’s extremely important against the Suns — who, as we’ve seen, are so much more comfortable playing fast.

Portland is going to have to ugly the game up a little bit. This game can’t be pretty for the Blazers to win it. In other words, bump and grind on defense, get after the Suns on the boards, slow things down, get to the foul line, make it a physical battle and then win that battle, get back in transition to cut off cheap baskets — in general, just muck the game up.

And fans, you’re really going to have to bring it. This is Portland’s Super Bowl week — the biggest sporting event of the year in this city is always the NBA playoffs. This can be the best homecourt advantage in the league and it’s going to have to be every bit of that to impact the veteran Suns. I mean, it’s going to take a lot to disrupt Steve Nash.

It ought to be a fun night.

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The Portland Trail Blazers were terrific for the most part Sunday night. But no look back at the game would be complete without a nod to how bad the Phoenix Suns were.

The Blazers missed six foul shots and a wide-open dunk in the final two minutes of the game and still scored 35 points in the fourth quarter! I mean, wow. That’s not the kind of defense you win with in the postseason. But in spite of all the hype, the Phoenix Suns are still the Phoenix Suns — an offensive circus but not good enough defensively to be taken seriously in the poseason.

The Blazers outplayed the Suns at both ends of the floor all night and the game should not have been as close as it was. If LaMarcus Aldridge had made the shots he usually hits, it could have been a rout.

Now do you see why Phoenix is such a great first-round matchup for Portland?

Meanwhile, the Blazers put together a very good defensive game plan. Without Robin Lopez in the middle, Marcus Camby can cover Amare Stoudemire — which means real trouble for the Suns. Stoudemire is almost forced outside because he can’t get to the shots he wants against Camby’s length. It’s a real quandry for Phoenix, because it cannot win without a big contribution from Stoudemire. And it’s doing to be a problem for the Suns as long as Camby stays healthy and out of foul trouble.

As I said last night on television after the game, I have very few rules for the playoffs but one of them is that when Andre Miller hits a three-pointer — particularly in the fourth quarter — you should win the game. (Man, what a pro Miller is — his basketball IQ is off the charts and at times he seems to be able to get to anywhere on the court he wants to go).

You can add to that, when Jerryd Bayless goes 6-for-10 from the field, you should also win. Bayless shooting well from the outside is a rarity and a bit of a scary proposition long term, because he’s not going to do it often — which means you are inevitably going to have to live with some ugly misses in the next game or two while he adjusts to the fact that he’s really not much of a shooter.

But by that game, Aldridge will probably be making shots, or Rudy Fernandez, or Martell Webster.

I cannot make this point often enough — and I feel like I’ve made it for weeks now about the Trail Blazers: It’s not who is missing from your lineup, it’s who is playing for you. And the Blazers still have a bevy of talented players. And that’s something a good many people haven’t caught onto yet.

Look, Nic Batum is one of the best 20-year-old players in the world. Andre Miller is still a terrific point guard. Camby is a center worthy of defensive player of the year honors year in and year out, when healthy, during his career. Martell Webster and Rudy Fernandez are guys who could start — and maybe even star — for a good many NBA teams. Aldridge is going to be an all-star some day.

Folks, even with Brandon Roy on the sidelines, this is a very talented collection of players. And right now, it’s a very comfortable situation for them, flying under the radar as underdogs against a team from Phoenix that’s still, after all these years, not made for playoff success.

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Without Brandon Roy against the Phoenix Suns, the Trail Blazers are going to have to be close to perfect to have a shot at winning the series. Very close to perfect.

But Portland has a chance. And better than a slim chance.

Rudy Fernandez is going to have to be the player he thinks he is. You know, I always say that in his mind, he came over here from Spain to be a star, not somebody’s backup. So now, let’s see it Rudy. Here’s your chance on a big stage — go show the world who you are.

Martell Webster is going to have to consistently make shots and continue his solid defensive effort. I don’t worry about him as much for one reason — Webster’s effort level has been high all season long. He shows up.

Nic Batum needs to make shots, too. The Blazers cannot afford him to check out this season during the playoffs. As heavy a load as he’ll carry in the playoffs at the defensive end, it’s going to be hard for his team to win if Batum doesn’t contribute on offense.

LaMarcus Aldridge? Simple — step up and be the main man. Leading scorer, solid rebounding, big minutes, clutch plays. That’s all. Just be the man. Yeah, I know — we may be asking a lot here.

Marcus Camby needs to also play big minutes and score. And expecting points from this guy is sort of  dicey. He’s not been a consistent scorer throughout his career. This is getting to be a theme — EVERY player needs to help on offense in this series because without Roy, points are going to be hard to come by, even against a defensively challenged team like the Suns.

Andre Miller is going to have to make sure he gets to the post and punishes whoever tries to defend him. Certainly Steve Nash can’t do the job. But Miller needs to remember that there’s a reason he gets open for all those 18-foot jump shots — and it’s because he can’t make them. So don’t take them. Please.

As well as the Suns have been playing, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see them struggle in the playoffs. It happens. There’s often little connection between the regular season and the postseason. And the Suns, whose defense is up and down, are a prime candidate for change when play gets more physical, as it often does in playoff games.

Portland needs to run a little, too. You must take advantage of the Phoenix transition defense — which is when the Suns are most vulnerable. Do not think the Blazers have to stall the pace — that would be a mistake. The Suns will defend better in a slow-paced game. As Antonio Harvey pointed out this morning on the MSP, if you slow them down you only slow yourselves down — Phoenix will keep on running and get its points and you won’t get yours.

And I would expect the Blazers to try to get more physical. Make sure they get a body on Nash as often as possible. Push him around a little. Make sure the boards are cleaned up. Pressure them a little.

And the fact that Portland has already won once this season in Phoenix — without Roy — is important. This isn’t like asking for a win in Utah or Denver.

It should be a good series. Even without Roy I will be disappointed if Portland doesn’t at least win its home games. There is enough talent here to make it close.

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It’s as if the Western Conference powers are sitting around a poker table and each one, in turn, keeps upping the ante. The Blazers might just as well swoop in and pluck Steve Nash from the dead carcass that was once the Phoenix Suns.

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Over and over I keep hearing that from my friends around the league. Portland, they say, is trying to get up among the top five or six picks. The Blazers are chasing somebody at the top of the draft.

I keep thinking it’s Stephen Curry. I’ve said that before. He makes sense for them — a star-quality shooter to play alongside Brandon Roy. But a thought occured to me last night:

What if they’re going after Curry — or Rubio or someone else — for another team? What if they’ve got New Orleans convinced that if it can replace Chris Paul’s massive salary with a rookie salary that Curry or Rubio would serve the team just as well in the long run and help the team stay in business through tough economic times? Or what if Phoenix is wanting a big name to soften the blow to its fans for shipping Steve Nash to Portland?

Some NBA teams are going through some difficult financial times and Portland is in a position to take on salary. Could drafting one of these players lead to a lopsided deal in Portland’s favor?

I don’t know. It’s just one more thing to think about as we get inside a week before the draft. The Blazers are creative and gutsy — and I just don’t think they are going to get through this draft without a big move.

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Joe Freeman did a good job of clearing up one thing in yesterday’s story about the Trail Blazers feeling pretty united about needing more toughness.

But it’s important to notice what the coaching staff had to say on the subject — and it was the same thing we heard last night on “Talkin’ Ball” from lead assistant coach Dean Demoupolis. That’s that the Blazers are looking for mentally tough players, not necessarily physical tough guys:

 ”Obviously we need toughness, but we need a tough guy with a high IQ,” Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams said. “It’s more than the cultural toughness everyone talks about. My idea of toughness is Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan (of the Spurs). They bring it every play. They don’t give up. They play hurt. They have the character to do what’s right in the locker room. To me that’s toughness.

“This (fake) toughness, throwing fists up and doing all that stuff, that’s overrated to me. The guys who bring it and do what they are supposed to do every day, no matter the circumstances, that’s tough to me. We can’t go out there and get a thug. This isn’t hockey.”

Blazers coach Nate McMillan agreed. When asked to identify some of the NBA’s toughest players, his answers were unexpected. The first name mentioned? Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns. The second? Duncan. Others included Derek Fisher of the Lakers and the Celtics’ Allen.

“It’s the mental part of it,” McMillan said. “You’re not going to be a bully, or become a bully, but you understand that you can’t be bullied. Mental toughness is being able to play in the moment. And being able to raise and play up to the level of that particular moment.

“It’s saying, ‘I know it’s June and I’m fatigued, but I want it. I’ve got to play through it.’ It’s about who can survive this grueling type of game and survive the no-calls, survive the physical play, survive the soreness of what you’re feeling, the mental exhaustion. So it’s mentally being able to play the 82-game schedule and be like, look, we got another 30.”

That changes the whole thing a little, doesn’t it? When you ask for an example of toughness and you get Steve Nash, rather than say, Kenyon Martin, you have a little window into what they’re thinking about.

And by the way, Nash’s name seems to pop up a little more often around here than you’d expect these days. Could he be a guy they’re looking to add in a major deal?

He certainly doesn’t seem like a Nate McMillan point guard, particularly with the slow pace the Blazers play. And he’s on the downside of his career, too.

Still . . . he’s Steve Nash — a tough guy.

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Just so people understand, Shaquille O’Neal getting in Robin Lopez’s face last night was a joke. Very similar to the KG and Big Baby deal in Boston earlier in the season.

At the time Shaq decided to come down on Lopez, the Suns were absolutely getting their asses handed to them on a platter. So time to yell at Robin Lopez for something.

Got a scoop for you Shaq, if you really want to make your mark as a leader, why weren’t you yelling at Steve Nash to get his tail in gear during his five-assist, three-turnover stint? Or screaming at Matt Barnes for his 1-for-8 snoozefest? Why not say something to somebody who plays, somebody who had an impact on the loss that virtually eliminated the Suns from playoff contention?

Oh, what the heck. Just go ahead and get in the face of the guy with bad hair who doesn’t play much and really had NOTHING to do with the outcome of the game. Easier that way. Now THAT’S leadership.

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