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One Less Excuse
Written by wendell maxey   
Friday, 01 May 2009 02:16

blazers2

Brandon Roy stood in the hallway down from the Blazers locker room talking to Jamal Crawford and holding his four-month-old daughter Mariah. Minutes later, he was swinging around his two-year-old son, Brandon Jr.  “Better get your feet off my sweater,” Roy said smiling at B.J.

It was soon after Game 5, a Portland win at home on Tuesday. Two days later their season is over. Now Brandon can go straight into Mr. Mom mode instead of advancing to the second round like he wanted.

"We had a great year but we felt like there was more that we could do this season. It just felt like we were going to play on,” Roy said after the Game 6 loss to the Rockets.

Sitting 1834 miles away, I could only imagine the scene in Portland’s locker room after the heartache in Houston. Can only guess having been in that scene during the regular season a few times over. But this was probably different. This is the playoffs after all. This was the playoffs after the fall.

I know this: they’ve come a long way. They really have in such a short time. Remember last year when they finished 41-41 and well out of the playoff picture?

That season ended on the road too with a 100-91 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Then Blazers point guard Jarrett Jack got ejected for tussling with the Suns Brian Skinner at halfcourt. Von Wafer – of all people - ended up getting some run for Portland in place of Jack after that. Flash forward a year and some odd weeks later, and Portland has nothing at all to be ashamed of.

Nothing at all.

Thirteen games better, a share of the Northwest Division title, and priceless post season experience? Now no one can use the excuse that Portland is a young team who hasn’t been there before.

C.S. Lewis put it wisely. “Experience: that most brutal of teachers,” Lewis once wrote. “But you learn, my God do you learn.”

Portland will learn from this. Without knowing it, they already are on that long flight home. And as the offseason months pass by they will re-live the last six games over and over again. They will soon not forget.

Next season at this time, they will remember and know even more.

And they'll be one excuse better for it.

pic via: daylife/AP

Ballhype: hype it up!

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