Blazers Can No Longer Be Called a Fluke

A quick memo to those of you who thought those upstart Portland Trail blazers would soon fade out of the Western Conference race: They're not going away.

Portland has rapidly morphed into a playoff-caliber team, with Monday's overtime win in Atlanta brought them up to 20 wins in its past 24 games, and allowed them to keep hold of first place in the northwest Division. believe it or not, this team was just 5–12 on December 2. Since then, they've been unbeaten at home, with the four defeats coming in road games against winning teams — none by more than 10 points.

It's happened against all expectations. The blazers traded away leading scorer Zach Randolph in the off-season and lost first overall draft pick Greg Oden to microfracture knee surgery before training camp opened. With those two out of the picture, the presumption was that Portland would lack post scoring on offense and interior muscle on defense, deficiencies that would relegate them to the nether regions of the Western Conference.

Those two weaknesses are still issues: LaMarcus Aldridge is their lone decent post option, and Joel Przybilla the only quality interior defender. but the blazers have more than made up for it in other areas.

For starters, they can really shoot. Portland is second in the league in 3-point percentage at 39.9%, and nearly everyone can stroke it from outside. In fourth quarters, they often use a lineup of Aldridge and ex-Knicks player Channing Frye up front, along with three perimeter players, which means all five players can connect from 18 feet or further. That arrangement leaves spread-out defenders in poor position to help against penetration, allowing star guard Brandon Roy to engineer many of his late-game heroics unfettered by double teams and shot-blockers.

Of course, a team built on shooters can't thrive unless others are willing to give up the ball, and that's the part that's the most endearing about Portland. Usually in a club this young, there is a tension between the desire of the players to win games and their desire to further their individual accomplishments so they can establish their careers and earn a bigger contract.

With this group, at least so far, they've managed to keep that instinct buried. It helps that none of their players are habitual ball dominators, and that the two best players, Roy and Aldridge, are as comfortable in the catch-and-shoot game as any of their teammates.

What may help more is that they genuinely seem to like each other — you could call this team the anti-Knicks, and it's a glaring departure from the Jail Blazers era of a few years ago. Coach Nate McMillan also deserves a big chunk of credit here, getting his team to buy into a system where a different five can finish the game almost every night, depending on who is going good.

In fact, McMillan may earn the Coach of the Year award for his efforts. league observers have taken note of Portland's collection of young talent for a while, but it's come together much more quickly than imagined. The four top scorers — Roy, Aldridge, Travis Outlaw, and Martell Webster — are 23 or younger, as are many of the key reserves.

Roy, the reigning rookie of the Year, gets most of the accolades, and he could make the All-Star team, but he's got a lot of company in the young talent department. Aldridge is a long, smooth power forward in the mold of Rasheed Wallace, while Outlaw has become one of the league's top sixth men, thanks to a mid-range jump shot that can't be blocked. Starting small forward Webster has turned into a reliable defender and corner shooter after providing zilch in his first two pro seasons out of high school. And keep an eye on 21-year-old point guard Sergio Rodriguez, a whirlwind penetrator who could be a star.

Surrounding that group are the "veterans" — the oldest, Przybilla, is only 28 — and the arrangement works in part because the old guys aren't quite as talented as the children. Przybilla, point guard Steve Blake (27), and reserve forward James Jones (27) have established themselves in the league and aren't as concerned about shots and minutes, which is good because they don't get big chunks of either.

If it sounds like I've named a lot of players so far, it's because I have. The Blazers go 10 deep and might have the best second five in the league. In addition to outlaw, Jones is hitting 53% of his 3-pointers, Rodriguez has one of the top assist-per-minute rates in the league, Frye looks more comfortable than he ever did in new York, and combo guard Jarrett Jack is thriving in a bench role.

Here's the really scary part: The blazers should be much better a year from now. not only will all the children have improved further, but Oden will be back, and his shot-blocking presence should raise the defense another notch. And forgotten amid this sea of young talent is that the Blazers hold the rights to athletic Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez and young Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen.

Even without those players, Portland hit the midpoint of the season in first place, and has a great shot at becoming the league's most surprising division champ since some guy named Kidd came to East Rutherford.

It's a feel-good story, sure, but it's no fluke. The Jail Blazers are gone, having been replaced by a team of likable, talented, team-oriented young players. If they keep their heads on straight and stay healthy, they're going to be a dominant force in the West for the next decade.

jhollinger@nysun.com