Sep 29th 2008 11:00AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, ThunderThe opening locale for our NBA Preview tour hosts a championship contender … unless you believe in Vegas, where two teams have odds of at least 18-to-1 to win the title. Bettors have Utah at 18-to-1 and Portland, ahem at 12-to-1. Clearly, folks expect big things from the newborn Trail Blazers.

That brings us to our first topic: The Blazers caught much of the nation off-guard last year, with a long winning streak through the early winter keeping the team alive in the rough Western playoff race. Clearly, Portland overperformed based on common expectation. Is that even possible this year? Win or lose, the Blazers will likely get more attention than any other Northwest team this season. The burgeoning tomorrow promises excitement, and no one wants to miss out the introduction of greatness. No pressure, kids.Continue Reading