image via ESPN
The first Blazers game of the season is in the running for my favorite annual holiday. I pick out a special outfit ahead of time, have a hard time sleeping the night before, and stay up way too late watching the first game. They are my first sports love, and will always be so. And this year I am completely infatuated.
I’ve started the habit of calling my shot on Twitter/Facebook whenever a team I root for starts a season. During NFL training camp I predicted that the Chiefs would (a) finish higher than the Broncos and (b) make the playoffs. Broncos fans mocked me incredulously. Well look who’s laughing now, suckers. Me.
At the beginning of college football season I tweeted that Oregon would dominate the football landscape this year. Half right on that one.
And now tonight the NBA tips. I am standing in defiance of my wife’s edict that I not wear straight-billed hats around town by sporting a New Era Blazers fitted that I picked up in Portland last May. The students on Conservative Christian College Campus in the Midwest are…pleasantly surprised. I’m sporting my silver, red, black and white stripped sweater with dark gray herringbone trousers. Team colors. And I’m staying up past Midnight to watch the game this evening, even though I was up with my son at 5am.
It’ll be worth it, too. This team is going to be good. Win the division good. Better than the media darling O(verrated)KC Thunder good. Better than the L*kers, good? Not sure I can go there yet, though I’d really like to.
I understand why people like the Thunder to be better than the Blazers this year. I do. But it’s like Jack Black always says (well, at least when he’s channeling his inner AC/DC)…”It’s a long way to the top when you want to rock and roll“. And the Thunder are primed for a step back. They are primed to struggle with some injuries for once. They are in one of the toughest divisions in the NBA with teams that have more veterans and better coaches. Shoot, I fear the Jazz way more than I fear the Thunder. But I think Portland can take them both.
And then they are going to win at least two playoff series.
And from there we’ll see what happens. But I’m optimistic.
That’s my shot, and I’m sticking to it.
Renew and Restore
