In a season where even the injured players are as safe in the shower as Janet Leigh was inside the Bates Motel—this past weekend, Joel Przybilla slipped on his loofah and re-ruptured his already career-threatening patella tendon injury—the Portland Trail Blazers have continued to keep their collective head above water long enough to all but secure a spot in the Western Conference playoff shakedown.
On Tuesday night, the Blazers took one step closer to the bright lights of the postseason with an 88-81 victory over the visiting Sacramento Kings. As was the case for the much of this season, the Blazers' bipolar underachieving/overachieving nature caused an early dozen-point lead to evaporate, following a stretch where they scored a lone point in the opening five-plus minutes of the fourth quarter. But as Portland teetered on the verge of yet another epic collapse, the Blazers rallied together and dispatched the lowly Kings, much to the delight of team captain Brandon Roy. "We didn't dominate this game like we wanted to come out, but we'll take the win," he explained.
A trade-deadline swap that shipped fan-favorite Travis Outlaw and pasty point guard understudy Steve Blake to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Marcus Camby has reaped little benefits in the win column for the Blazers. But Camby's contribution to Portland's victory over Sacramento was paramount. With six points and five blocks (as many blocks as the Kings had as an entire team), the thought of Camby lingering near the basket is enough to act as a defensive stopgap for a Portland team badly in need of someone tall to stand in front of the hoop and look menacing. Camby's unimpressive box score showings rarely do him justice, and he has missed 30 percent of his games in a Portland uniform due to a lingering ankle injury—but then again, a 30 percent absence is a downright improvement at the center position for the Blazers. Few vocations—Russian space dog on Sputnik, Spinal Tap drummer, human shield—are more dangerous than playing center for the Blazers this season. Camby should just be thankful all his limbs are still attached. For now.
With heels dug in the final eighth-seed playoff position, the Blazers only have 16 games remaining on the year, seven of which are inside the friendly confines of the Rose Garden. Considering the 38 wins they have amassed to this point, Portland needs to flirt with the .500 mark during this final stretch to all-but-guarantee a punched ticket to the postseason. If they fare any better—which they should, considering that nearly half their remaining games are against teams with losing records—the once down-and-out Trail Blazers will be a 50-win team, a monumental achievement for a wounded franchise doomed to compete in the best division in the NBA.
While Greg Oden has taken a moment away from admiring himself in the bathroom mirror to state his intentions to return to basketball by the start of the playoffs—months ahead of schedule—Portland's front office will probably be hesitant to allow the surgically reassembled tendons of Oden anywhere near the hardwood this season. The risks of his early return (yet another knee injury, lack of conditioning, death) clearly outweigh the rewards (blocked shots, defense, Oden unhinging his jaw and swallowing Kobe Bryant whole). But the franchise refuses to close the door on Oden's second season—using this as either motivation for him to get back into playing shape, or to take advantage of the threat of a future All-Star coming off the bench to instill the fear of God in any first round playoff opponent unlucky enough to find Portland on their postseason dance card.
