Cleveland Plain Dealer NBA man Branson Wright celebrates a red-hot Portland club, but doesn’t quite recall the team’s old nickname:
Nate McMillan, one of the most underrated coaches in the game, left the comfortable confines of Seattle after five years (and because the SuperSonics would not grant him a larger contract) for Portland with all of its issues of a jinx. He also joined an organization with players who ran afoul of the law. It was humiliating to the organization. They even were called by many the “Trail Gangsters” because of so many off-court issues.
The Blazers won at 5280 feet for the first time since February of 2003 tonight, extending their win streak to seven despite the continued absence of LaMarcus Aldridge. Channing Frye (above) augmented Brandon Roy’s 26-point night with 10-13 shooting.
(Original link also courtesy of OregonLive, where crack blogger Casey Hohldahl just departed for the dark side. The Blazer’s Edge founder has landed a new job with the team itself).