Watch Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Bobcats: Preview, Steve Nash Rumors, Food & Drink Specials

February 1, 2012 — PDXPIPELINE

The Blazers lost another road game on Monday to the Utah Jazz, dropping them to the 4th seed in the division. Mercifully, they are back home tonight and playing the worst team in the league, the Charlotte Bobcats. This game has the excitement of what will Gerald Wallace do to punish the team that traded him away. The Blazers should win tonight’s game by 20 points. If they lose, start the firing and trade rumor mill.

Steve Nash: Speaking of which, the rumors, hopes, and dreams of Steve Nash coming to the Rose City continue to pour in. Really, Paul Allen and Comcast sports should do whatever they can to make this happen! Steve Nash would love it here. Good weed (we know Steve), many restaurants for his strict diet, and somewhat close to Canada. DO IT MR. ALLEN!

Tonight’s game starts at 7PM on Comcast Sports Network. If you do not have cable or want a good Portland establishment to enjoy with friends, here are several suggestions from our sponsors.

Watch Trailblazers Games in Portland:

Tanker Bar (Se Hawthorne & 48th) | (503) 445-4635 | More info: tankerbar.com
Tanker Bar will be playing all games on their 6 large LCD TVs. $1 Pabst during all Blazers & Football games, and $1 off Nachos during all games. 15 beers on tap, Buckhunter, free popcorn.

Blitz (Ladd, Pearl, Tigard, NW 21) | More info: blitzbarpdx.webs.com
Blitz's FOUR locations will be happening as always with tons of televisions, drinks specials, and games (ping pong, shuffleboard, buckhunters, horseshoes in Tigard, and more).

East Burn (East Burnside & 18th) | (503) 236-2876 | More info: www.theeastburn.com
East Burn will have the game on a large projection screen on their heated patio and also downstairs. Recess discount menu from 3-6PM. They have daily drink specials (pdf of specials here).

NE 15th Avenue & Hawthorne Hophouses | More info: oregonhophouse.com
15th Avenue: 1517 NE Brazee | Hawthorne: 4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
The Blazers are back and we are ready to make up for lost time. While they dunk, we'll drink. Come watch the Blazers take on the Cavaliers at 6pm at the Hophouse! Dress in Blazer gear and get your first beer for $2.00.

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Preview - Portland Trail Blazers vs Charlotte Bobcats:

By Cain Stoneking

Game 22 Preview: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Portland Trailblazers
Charlotte Bobcats (3-19) vs Portland Trailblazers (12-9)
Wednesday, February 1st, 7:00pm CSNW
Schedule: Portland Trail Blazers 2011-12 Schedule + Win Tickets

Game Notes: The Blazers had a chance to finish January off at 10-8 Monday, which wouldn’t have been that bad. However, their horrible guard play and lack of energy gave up a double a digit lead and the Blazers fell to the Jazz in the fourth quarter. The good news is February is a new month and they get to start things off right against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Bobcats.

It only took the Blazers the first three games of the season to get three wins while the Bobcats are still at three wins for the whole season. They are one an eight game losing streak and are 1-10 on the road. They have some decent players but even their decent players only do one thing well and none of them are well-rounded. Gerald Henderson can score. Augustin can pass the ball quite well. Kemba Walker is an emerging star and already has a triple-double this season. None of this is good enough to beat the Blazers. In addition, Augustin might be hurt and not play, compounding the woes of the Bobcats.

The Bobcats:

Starting Lineup: Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, Desagana Diop, Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas
Bench: Derrick Brown, Byrom Mullens, Bismack Biyombo, Marr Carroll

X’s and O’s:

All the Blazers need to do is play the game they want to play in order to win. They should throw the ball to LaMarcus and have him start off well. Then, they should go to some open jumpers and have them hit some shots or attack the basket. In any event, the Blazers should be able to get whatever they want on offense. On the defensive side, all they need to do is contain the Bobcats. To win, the Blazers will need to guard three-point shooters, have Camby rotate to slashers, and play tough defense under the basket.

Advantage Blazers:

The Bobcats are the worst rebounding team in the league. Their top rebounder, Diaw, averages 5.7 this season. That is atrocious. Camby will have his way with the boards, as will LaMarcus. And if Wallace plays a lot of minutes, so will he. Offensive rebounds will give the Blazers a big boost in second chance points, so look for a lot of those. Defensive rebounds could lead to a lot of fast break points.

Last Words:

This game should be one of the easiest games of the year for the Blazers. They should be rested while the Bobcats will be tired and they should be relatively healthy while the Bobcats are having a tough time with injuries. The game is at home against an awful team, and an even more awful team on the road than the Blazers. The Blazers do play tomorrow too so expect to see a lot of the deep bench in the fourth quarter.

Games this week:
@Sacramento - 2nd
Denver – 4th
Oklahoma City – 6th
Houston – 8th

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Blazers coverage by Cain Stoneking, a life-long Oregonian who breathes Blazers basketball. During the offseason he enjoys backpacking and playing music in his local band Foxtrot. Follow him on twitter at Letsgoblazers, or write to him at lightcain@gmail.com.

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