Honestly, this is one of the most interesting matchups of the season for the Trail Blazers, because of the circumstances of the schedule.

Several factors are at work here that would make the game a totally hands-off affair if I were a betting man. I wouldn’t want to bet on a team at the end of a pretty grueling five-game road trip, as the Sixers are. At the same time, I wouldn’t want to bet on a team, like the Blazers, who are coming off a grueling five-games-in-seven-nights trip, either. They used to say the first game back after a week-long trip is like another road game.

Philadelphia is playing well, as the win at the Staples Center against the Lakers certainly reflects. And the 76ers, a young team on the rise that is going to make the playoffs, hammered Portland in an earlier game at Philadelphia.

I expect both teams to be tired and battered. It’s going to come down to effort points — offensive rebounds, second-chance points, points off turnovers. The team that can find an energy source somewhere — and that usually means the bench — will be the winner.

I always think it’s critical for the home team to jump out in front in a game against a visitor that is at the end of a long road swing. Get out on them and give them a chance to pack it in — to think about how good it’s going to be to get home.

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One Response to “The Sixers vs. the Trail Blazers”

1. lefty says:

   March 23, 2009 at 8:26 pm

   Hope they come back in 2nd half