The Portland Trail Blazers are quietly on a 10 game winning streak right now.
The Rise of Roy
As Brandon Roy improves, so have the Portland Trail Blazers.
In November, he put up solid numbers in 17.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists a game. However, that was only good enough to lead the team to 5 wins and 10 losses. In December, a fire was lit under Brandon Roy as he decided to improve on those numbers. He upped his averages to 21.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. The improvement has allowed him to lead the Portland Trail Blazers to win 10 games (and losing only 1) in the entire month of December.
During the 10 game winning streak, Brandon Roy has led the team in scoring the majority of the time. He’s also led the team in assists the majority of the time as well. To complete the trifecta, there’s been a handful of games where Brandon Roy has led the team in scoring, assists, and rebounds.
The best part about the team’s recent success, though, has been the fact that Brandon Roy has shown tremendous leadership by taking over more of the playmaking responsibilities for the team. He’s still getting his points, but now, he’s spending a lot more energy looking to set up his teammates. That unselfish play has inspired his teammates to play with more energy and hustle.
That kind of improvement doesn’t show up in the box scores, but it does show up in the standings.
Brandon Roy Portland Trail Blazers Red Replica Adidas NBA Jersey |
The Rise of the Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers began December 7 games below .500. Things were looking bad as they had lost 9 out of the previous 10 games. Then came the 10 game winning streak, which has allowed the team to move back into the playoff hunt (they’re currently at #8). The team is now 3 games above .500. They also have a lot more confidence and momentum. They’re still a young team, so another collapse is possible. However, it’s streaks like these that give the players and the fans something to get excited about. Heck, it’s even got Joel Przybilla playing a little bit better. The big man has been showing a little more aggressiveness with rebounding. It’s almost time to start chanting “Trade Greg Oden!” Well, Joel Przybilla hasn’t improved THAT much. |
Closing Thoughts
Now that they’ve built up some momentum, the Portland Trail Blazers actually have a shot at making the playoffs without Greg Oden.