Portland Trail Blazers Basketball Team

In the good news for the Houston Rockets, they just got out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. In the bad news, they now play, uh, a team to be named later since no one said a word about the Lakers afterward. So there was no bad news, at least Thursday night.

Blazermania never dies, it turns out, although it did have to go into hiding for all those years while the Portland Trail Blazers tried to find it and kill it. Talk about retro. Remember the birth of the adoring folk movement in 1977 when the team won its title and a headband-wearing Bill Walton pedaled his bike to the victory parade? Remember someone stealing Walton's bike?

Greg Oden: Wait till next year Blazermania, catch it and wait till next year. The Portland Trail Blazers' hopes of returning to contention were rescheduled Thursday with the announcement that prized rookie Greg Oden has been lost for the season. Oden, the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft and considered the best young center since Tim Duncan, underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Thursday. Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard, who exclaimed "Rip City again, here we come!"

Damon Stoudamire scored 21 points for Portland, and the Houston Rockets tied a franchise-record low by shooting only 29.5% in the Trail Blazers' 81-66 victory Tuesday night at Houston. The point total was a season-low for Houston, which made only three of 24 shots in the third quarter. Bonzi Wells had 17 points for Portland and Arvydas Sabonis came off the bench to score 11 points. James Posey led the Rockets with 15 points, all in the first half.

The boos came down hard and authoritatively when Rasheed Wallace's name was announced, for the moment disproving yet another part of Wallace's now-infamous interview. "I ain't worried about that," Wallace said. "That [stuff] don't affect me. I still go out there and play. Just because they're raining the boos, that don't stop me from playing." Didn't stop him from scoring 28 points in a Trail Blazer victory over the Lakers, either.

Frank and Mary Gill's season tickets at the Rose Garden used to place them among the most coveted locations in the city: second row, Seats 7 and 8, about 25 feet from the middle of the court at every Portland Trail Blazer home game. Now the only thing their seats offer is a prime view of a once-proud franchise in its decline. The Gills occupy them at their own risk; Frank was hit by a piece of chewing gum that Trail Blazer Bonzi Wells threw in frustration last season.

Maurice Cheeks played with Charles Barkley with the Philadelphia 76ers, served on Larry Brown's staff as an assistant in Philadelphia, coaching Allen Iverson, and now he's in his first season as the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Consider him something of an expert on emotional characters if you must, but Cheeks said he doesn't see what others have seen in the Trail Blazers.

Derek Anderson, a reserve guard who sparked the Trail Blazers when Ruben Patterson and Bonzi Wells were ineffective in Game 1, managed to play 25 minutes Thursday despite not practicing Monday and Tuesday due to stomach flu. Anderson was able to work out Wednesday, but Trail Blazer Coach Maurice Cheeks didn't declare him fit to play until Thursday.

PORTLAND 18 LAKERS 27 Highlight reel: In the days since Game 1, Portland Coach Maurice Cheeks talked at length about getting better shots, showing more patience with the ball and playing tighter defense on the Laker guards. So what happens? The Trail Blazers were impatient and only occasionally shadowed Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher with any determination as they moved up the court. So far, listening to their coach and shooting do not appear to be Trail Blazer strengths.

Still tasty after all these years.... 1997, Trail Blazers on toast. Lakers snap them down like hors d'oeuvres in the first round, ousting them, 3-1. 1998, Trail Blazer appetizers again, on ice with cocktail sauce. Lakers devour them in the first round, 3-1. 2000, salad featuring Hearts of Blazer, pulled from their bodies in Game 7 of the West finals in which they lead the Lakers by 15 in the fourth quarter and lose.