Clyde Drexler played on the great Portland teams with Kevin Duckworth

Kevin “Duck” Duckworth was found dead at the age of 44. Much too young to die. Cause is yet to be determined, but foul play has been ruled out.

Duckworth played on some great Portland Trailblazer teams with Terry Porter bombing from the outside and driving to the hoop, Buck Williams providing the upfront muscle, Jerome Kersey floating around the paint with mid range shooting and drives to the basket, and, of course, Clyde “The Glide” Drexler exploding to the hoop for another slamma jamma.

Kevin Duckworth was drafted by San Antonio, and then played most of his career with Portland. He also had stints with the Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of his career.

Duck was the big man inside. He was the easy going big guy and got the job done.

“Within the world of basketball, within those Trail Blazers teams, he was a jokester,” said Phoenix Suns coach Terry Porter, who played with Duckworth. “He was a big loving teddy bear. At times guys got frustrated because he didn’t have a mean streak. He was just a great guy. He loved the team atmosphere, loved being a teammate in those successful Blazer teams.”

The 7-foot Duckworth averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over 11 seasons in the NBA, helping Portland reach the NBA finals in 1990 and 1992. The two-time All-Star also played for San Antonio, Washington, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers.

source

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LeBron has lately been Mr. 4th quarter

LeBron.

Maybe we should just end this right there.

It could be one of those existential things.

LeBron.

You would nod your head and repeat, “LeBron”.

Somehow we would all know what was meant.

Right now it means “Look out in the fourth quarter, because LeBron is taking over!”

LeBron just got done beating the Lakers and Kobe in the fourth on Sunday.

Now he has done it to the Trailblazers.

Frustrated by a couple of blocked shots, James took over against the Portland Trail Blazers and made a reverse layup with less than a second left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers an 84-83 victory Wednesday night.

James scored 17 points in the fourth quarter — two more than the entire Portland team. Teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas said James became frustrated when he was blocked twice by Blazers center Joel Przybilla.

“LeBron came down the court and he was really angry at himself. And then he took over,” Ilgauskas said. “I don’t think he missed the rest of the game.” source

Since watching LeBron dispatch the Pistons from last year’s playoffs, one gets the sense there are starting to be more and more nights that LeBron can have spurts where he can totally control a game.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Have you hopped on the LeBron bandwagon yet?

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Brandon Roy and Kevin Durant

Conventional wisdom, be as it may, does not always ring true.

Greg Oden is out with micro fracture surgery. Portland being a very young team and minus its big 7 footer should not be enjoying any success.

No, Portland should be looking forward to another high draft pick to complement Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. Maybe even a top 5 pick that would cement Portland as the team of the future.

Well, funny thing, no Greg Oden, no high draft pick and still Portland is winning. The future is unfolding right now.

Portland just won their 11th game in a row. Just where is this headed?

The latest win came Tuesday night when Brandon Roy and Jarrett Jack each scored 17 points and Portland beat the Seattle SuperSonics 89-79.

The Blazers own the longest current winning streak in the NBA, and it’s their best run since they won 12 in a row during the 2001-02 season. source

Portland is now trying to steal the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. Hey, they might win the division!

It is a close race right now with Denver and Utah.

Oddly, Seattle with Kevin Durant playing, and playing well enough to probably win Rookie of the Year is headed towards the high draft pick.

The NBA set up this game to showcase Kevin Durant vs. Greg Oden on Christmas day.

The Blazers all acknowledged this game was big. Not only was the streak on the line, but it was a nationally televised game on a holiday that has traditionally showcased stars such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“I remember as a kid watching Michael Jordan play on Christmas,” Przybilla said. “This is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I don’t know that I’ll ever get that chance again in my career.”

Portland is now thinking playoffs and what a surprise that is to everyone.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Portland be able to keep it up?

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