Word on the street was that this Blazers season was over. Time to ease up on the gas and coast into the offseason. But apparently this memo didn't reach the players. The Blazers put in a gutsy effort Thursday night at the Moda Center, thrilling a national TV audience with an unexpected win over MVP front runner Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-109. It's not over yet, Blazer fans.

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Courtesy Trail Blazers - Bruce Ely

All you need to know about the first half was that it was close, both teams played well and then right at the buzzer holy shit Taj Gibson of the Thunder hit the longest most ridiculous shot of the season. Watch this video:

But dudes, that was not all! Later on a fan made a half court shot to win a car! That never happens! Wtf was going on in the Moda Center?

Okay, crazy shots aside, this game got good in second half. Blazers fans could be forgiven for thinking things would fall apart after the break, but for once they did not. Before we get into that though let's check out the awesome fan scene in the hallways during halftime:

These two are from the small hippie town of Sweet Home, Oregon, about two hours from Portland. They just got engaged! The guy is from Oklahoma, hence his Thunder gear. Extra points for the illuminated, color coordinated shoes!

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This redheaded young man came to the game with his uncle:

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Mother/Daughter!

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Mother/Daughters!

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Snappy young couple:

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Okay, back to the action. Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook got into a fun shootout in the third quarter, both players rained down back-to-back three pointers keeping their respective teams in the game. The big, very nice surprise for Blazers fans was the awesome play of newly acquired Jusuf Nurkic, "The Bosnian Beast". This guy is shaping up to be a real game changer for our team. He's huge, and he plays like a real NBA center, something the Blazers have been lacking ever since Robin Lopez left a few years ago. Plus, he likes to wear strange T-shirts with women's faces on them. Here is is walking into the arena before the game:

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Courtesy Trail Blazers - Bruce Ely

There was a brief scare in the fourth quarter after the Blazers made a strong 16-0 run to take the lead by 9 points. Things seemed bright and sunny and then suddenly the Thunder rolled in and cut the lead to 1 with about a minute left to play. Blazers fans braced for the last minute let-down than has become all too familiar this season. But it didn't happen! The Blazers held strong and closed out the game.

The Blazers currently sit at 9th place, 2 and 1/2 games behind Denver, the team from whom they stole big guy Jusuf Nurkic just a few weeks ago. Some folks see no value in making the playoffs this year as 8th place is just a date with the buzzsaw that is The Golden State Warriors, but others, including me, would like to see this team make it into the post-season. Anything can happen, and who doesn't want more basketball in Rip City?

Nurkic, for his part, seems happy to have landed in Portland. Smiling after his first Portland home game he spoke highly of teammates Lillard and McCollum. "They make my life as easier as possible, so I love playing with those," he said in his charming Bosnian accent. Welcome to Rip City Big guy!

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Courtesy Trail Blazers - Bruce Ely