Random Question from a Blazers fan...

[blix]

All due respect - a hammer and a nail don't have a rivalry, no matter how often they meet. It's Boston, maybe San Antonio - and then everyone else.

Blazers have a great squad though on paper - should be fun.

[Kilroy]

Rivalries are made in the playoffs... Between teams, coaches, players and fans...

Portland has some great talent but untill we face those particular players in the post season, I don't really see it as a rivalry...

Boston
Phoenix
San Antonio
NO - Just because of our potential to meet in the post season this year.

Don't get me wrong... From a historical perspective, I hate when Portland beats the Lakers or even when a Portland player has a good game against the Lakers. But your team is so different now, and such an unknown, it's hard to get that real deep-seeded hate going that we have for Boston.

[TommyTheCat]

i've got it:

1 boston
2 spurs


blazers make a good case for #3 with the late 80s/early 90s clyde team and then again in the early 00 years............but that spots a real tough one to call.............i've got jazz putting up a fight for that spot.

[Sedale Threatt]

If you are referencing my list then...no, it is not rivalry based. Its personal. Yes, SAS would be #4

I was actually looking at the list below yours, but it's the same thing so the point is moot. To each his own; I've despised all three of those teams at one point or another. And I fully admit that my hatred of the Spurs if fueled almost entirely by me living here.

For almost a decade I've had to endure countless sermons from their smug (and I hate to generalize, but largely ignorant) fan base about how the Spurs are everything that's good about pro sports -- unselfish, team-oriented, God-fearing, community-oriented. That's largely true, but damn. Give it a rest. (Like they wouldn't have taken David Robinson or Tim Duncan if they happened to be a jerkoffs. It was dumb luck, not an organizational strategy.) At some point, I'm fully expecting them to announce they've cured cancer AND come up with a renewable energy source to replace oil.

If I was still living in South Dakota, maybe I'd feel as blase about them as some of the rest of you.

But I'm just failing to see how a team that we've played six times recently in the playoffs, most all of which were de facto championship series, isn't above those others. I know the Spurs are difficult to dislike, but the high stakes we've played them for should more than compensate.

[Sedale Threatt]

i've got it:

1 boston
2 spurs


blazers make a good case for #3 with the late 80s/early 90s clyde team and then again in the early 00 years............but that spots a real tough one to call.............i've got jazz putting up a fight for that spot.

Both of those Blazers squads were scary, especially the Drexler era. Glide, Terry Porter, Buck Williams, Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth. That is an absolutely sick lineup. No doubt in my mind that team wins multiple championships in this watered down era. I'm still surprised we beat them. That victory was a testament to Magic Johnson's will to win. One of his greatest achievements.

[milesfides]

Outside of the Celtics, who has had a richer history with the Lakers besides the Blazers?

By history, I meant the history of the current blazers with the current Lakers. There's not enough history between these two rosters for there to be a rivalry. There's no bad blood, there's no playoff battles.

As far as history between the two franchises goes, it's irrelevant when one team isn't competitive enough. For example, when Boston sucked before this past season, where was the rivalry, where was the bad blood? It wasn't there. When we play against the Kings, there's nothing there - at least that I can see.

The only time the history between two franchises factors matters is when the two teams are actually rivals again.

Which Portland isn't - until it proves otherwise.

[Andre 2999]

Outside of the Celtics, who has had a richer history with the Lakers besides the Blazers?

By history, I meant the history of the current blazers with the current Lakers. There's not enough history between these two rosters for there to be a rivalry. There's no bad blood, there's no playoff battles.

As far as history between the two franchises goes, it's irrelevant when one team isn't competitive enough. For example, when Boston sucked before this past season, where was the rivalry, where was the bad blood? It wasn't there. When we play against the Kings, there's nothing there - at least that I can see.

The only time the history between two franchises factors matters is when the two teams are actually rivals again.

Which Portland isn't - until it proves otherwise.

Those are valid points, but our medias haven't forgotten about the old times; most of the time when the Blazers acquire a new player, they are often asked if they know about the LA-POR rivalry.
And (speaking in generalities) if you don't consider what we have now to be a rivalry, then I think that these coming years will make you reconsider.

[Rox_Nix_Nox]

naww

[Dr Aki]

playoffs are born in the playoffs

but the rivalries that fans (certainly i do anyway) really "feel" the most and will always want their team to crash and burn are

celtics
queens
suns

then you have your mutual respect ones

spurs
blazers
jazz

and your non-event rivalries

clips

[emus]

Another Blazer fan here, I don't post much but I had to ask if you guys have heard anything about your upcoming schedule? Mike Rice (I know how much you all love him ........ but he did release accurate info early last year about the schedule) said "they'll be lots of HATE early in the season." about the Blazers schedule today.

As a Blazer fan I see that as one of one of three things:

1) Lakers V Blazers, opening night......hopefully in Portland the league promotes Oden V Bynum.

2) Blazers have back to back Jazz match ups early. Jazz = Karl Malone = Elbows ..... Hate.

3) Blazers V OKC in P Town early. But I don't think Stern has the balls to schedule that, even if it is not on opening night TV. OKC at Blazers will be at the end of the season, I guarantee it.

correcting Corvus Crow:
you MIGHT have a legit center

we should know about Thanksgiving.

If my hunch is correct you may know after night #1 (Well it takes more than one game but you know....).