750-KXL, KRMZ 1 7: AM

Transcription

1 Game No. 27, Home Game No. 12 Portland Trail Blazers (13-13) vs. San Antonio Spurs (23-6) The Rose Garden Thursday, Dec. 30, :30 p.m. (PST) NEWSRADIO 750 KXL; KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish Radio), TNT PROBABLE STARTERS Forward 23 Darius Miles Last Game: Season-high 28 points (11-24 FGs, 1-1 3pt.,5-11 FTs), 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, season-high 42 minutes in loss to Sixers... Averaging: 12.3 pts., 5.0 reb., 1.8 assists, 1.36 steals, 1.36 blocks, 26.5 min., in 25 games, six starts--46.9% FGs, 55.9% FTs... Noteworthy: First double-double of season (13 pts., 13 reb.) in Dec. 20 loss at Bulls... Made winning free throw with 0.05 seconds remaining in Dec. 18 win at Detroit... Shooting 54% (54-100) from field and averaging 18.0 points 2.86 steals and 2.00 blocks in his last seven games. Forward 50 Zach Randolph Last Game: 25 points (10-19 FGs, 5-6 FTs), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 40 minutes in loss to Sixers... Averaging: Team-best 20.8 pts., and 10.7 reb., plus 2.2 assists, 0.85 steals, 38.4 min. in 25 starts % FGs, 80.4% FTs... Notworthy: Ranks 6th in the league in rebounding, 4th in offensive rebounding (3.5 per game) 21st in scoring, tied with Shaq 7th in double-doubles with NBA s Most Improved Player last season. Center 42 Theo Ratliff Last Game: 13 points (5-8 FGs, 3-3 FTs), game-high 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 41 minutes in loss to Sixers... Second double-double of season... Averaging: 5.0 pts., 5.8 reb., 0.5 assists, team-best 2.62 blocks, 29.8 min. in 26 starts--45.8% FGs, 72.7% FTs... Noteworthy: Tied for fifth in the league in blocks... NBA blocked shots leader three of last four seasons, including last year (3.61 bpg)... 2nd team All- NBA Defense last season. Guard 1 Derek Anderson Last Game: 15 points (6-12 FGs, 1-4 3pt., 202 FTs), 6 rebounds, game-high 8 assists, 1 steal, 38 minutes in loss to Sixers... Averaging: 12.0 pts., 3.6 reb., 3.5 assists, 1.08 steals, 33.5 min., in 26 starts--39.9% FGS, 39.5% 3pt., 78.0% FTs... Noteworthy: Leads team in triples with from three-point range in last 10 games (45.4%)... Averaged 8.5 assists in last two games... Season -high 23 points Nov. 26 at Dallas. Guard 19 Nick Van Exel Last Game: 7 points (3-11 FGs, 1-5 3pt.), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 33 minutes in loss to Sixers... His fifth straight start... Averaging: 8.7 pts., 2.2 reb., 2.8 assists, 0.70 steals, 23.8 min., in 23 games, 5 starts % FGs, 34.5% 3pt., 80% FTs... Notworthy: Scored season-high 26 points in Dec. 22 win over Milwaukee... Ranks fifth all-time in NBA in three-pointers with 1,403 through Monday s game. Record Home Road Overtime Overall Northwest Pacific Southwest Western Atlantic Central Southeast Eastern STREAKS: Overall: Lost 1 Home: Lost 1 Road: Won 1 UPCOMING GAMES Saturday Jan. 1 Golden State 7:00 pm NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish) Sunday Jan. 2 at Phoenix 5:00 pm NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish), KGW-TV Wednesday Jan. 5 at LA Clippers 7:30 pm NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish), KGW-TV Friday Jan. 7 Miami 7:00 pm NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish), KGW-TV Sunday Jan. 9 at New York 4:30 pm NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM (Spanish), FSN Cable (3-2) Portland 100, Atlanta 84 Dec. 17 Philips Arena Portland 75, Detroit 74 Dec. 18 Palace of Auburn Hills Chicago 92, Portland 87 Dec. 20 United Center Portland 104, Milwaukee 95 Dec. 22 Bradley Center Philadelphia 111, Portland 104 Dec. 27 Rose Garden 13-13

2 TRAIL BLAZERS ON THE AIR All 82 Portland Trail Blazers games are carried live on the Blazers Broadcasting flagship station, Newsradio 750 KXL. Brian Wheeler, in his seventh season calling the play-by-play, will again team with analyst Mike Rice, in his 15th season, at the microphone. KGW-TV Channel 8 and FSN (Fox Sports Net) will televise a total of 61 Blazers games with veteran analyst Steve Jones, in his 25th season, and Mike Barrett, in his second, calling the action. All 82 games will also be broadcast in Spanish by Arnolfo Alvarez and Henry Cualio on KRMZ 1150 AM. INJURY REPORT: Ha Senug-Jin: Sore back (injured list); Shareef Abdur-Rahim: Hyperextended right elbow (day-to-day) RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Dec. 28: Vladimir Stepania placed on waivers... Dec. 27: Activated Richie Frahm from injured list; Placed Ha Seung-Jin on injured list (lower back pain)... Dec. 26: Signed Ha Seung-Jin, 7-3 center from South Korea (Portland s nd round draft pick (46th pick overall)... Dec. 16: Placed Geno Carlisle on waivers...nov. 12: Signed Geno Carlisle as a free agent...nov. 10: Placed Richie Frahm (torn metatarsophalangeal capsule on second toe of right foot) on injured list. Nov. 1: Placed Vladimir Stepania (sore right knee) and Viktor Khryapa (surgery, left foot) on injured list... Oct. 29: Waived guard Geno Carlisle... Oct. 12: Suspend forward Qyntel Woods... Oct. 11: Waived center James Lang... Oct. 4: Signed free agents Geno Carlisle (guard) and James Lang (center)... Aug. 25: Signed free agent center Joel Przybilla... July 20: Traded Dale Davis and Dan Dickau to Golden State for guard Nick Van Exel... July 15: Signed free agent guard Richie Frahm... June 24: Selected Sebastian Telfair, 6-0 guard from Abraham Lincoln HS in Brooklyn, NY, in the 1st round (13th pick overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft... Selected Viktor Khryapa, 6-9 forward from Ukraine in the 1st round (22nd pick overall)---pick acquired from New Jersey in exchange for guard Eddie Gill and cash considerations... Selected Sergei Monia, 6-8 forward from Russia in the 1st round (23rd pick overall)... Selected Ha Seung-Jin, 7-3 center from South Korea in the 2nd round (46th pick overall). TRAIL BLAZERS SIGN HA... The Trail Blazers have signed Ha Seung-Jin, a 7-3, 305 pound center from South Korea, to a contract. Seung-Jin was Portland s 2nd Round pick (46th overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft. An early entry candidate in the 2004 Draft, he becomes the first Korean to play in the NBA. Ha, who turned 19 on August 4, played for Yonsei University and Samil Commercial School in South Korea but did not play competitively in He opted to spend the year working out in Los Angeles in preparation for the NBA draft. Since October, he has been playing with the Portland Reign of the American Basketball Association. He was a driving force behind Samil Commercial School s 22-game unbeaten streak in 2003, helping the school win four basketball championships, including the high school tournament at the National Sports Festival in Cheju in November, In the Junior World Championships, he averaged 11.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 bpg and 19.2 mpg. Under South Korean rules, he was allowed to play for Yonsei University in a 2003 tournament as an incoming freshman, even without finishing high school. He averaged 12.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 1.6 bpg, helping Yonsei to win the national college title. RECENT GAMES 26. Philadelphia 111, Portland Monday, Dec. 27, 2004, Rose Garden The Trail Blazers wasted three good quarters of basketball with a fourth quarter letdown and let the Philadelphia 76ers exit the Rose Garden with a victory... Led by Darius Miles, who scored 17 of his season-high 28 points in the first half, Portland bolted to a halftime lead on the strength of a 62.5% shooting performance from the field (62.5%)... The 60 points were the most in the first half this season by the Blazers... Portland still held an edge going into the final period but shot only 35% in the final 12 minutes and was outscored by the Sixers, Except for three-pointers and turnovers, the game was a wash statistically... Both teams made 41 field goals and were identical at the foul line, 19 of The Blazers claimed a rebounding edge but turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 19 Sixers points...philadelphia, on the other hand, committed 11 turnovers, resulting in 10 Blazers scores... Biggest discrepancy, however, was long range shooting... Portland finished 3 of 10 from beyond the arc and Philadelphia 10 of Randolph added 25 points for Portland and Theo Ratliff posted his second double-double, 13 points and 12 rebounds... Sixers ace Allen Iverson, scored 11 of his team-high 28 points to lead the fourth quarter comeback, and Andre Iguodala tallied a career-high 22 points T Final Att. FGs 3 Pts FTs O D Reb A PF St TO Bl Pts Philadelphia Philadelphia Portland ,024 Portland Portland 104, Milwaukee Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2004, Bradley Center, Milwaukee Veteran guard Nick Van Exel led the way in Portland s long-range artillery show that for the second time in two meetings shot down the Milwaukee Bucks... This time it was in the Bucks Bradley Center to give the Blazers the series, Van Exel, getting his fourth straight start at the point, buried 6 of 11 shots from three-point land and his running mate at guard, Derek Anderson, made 4 of 6 triples... For the game, Portland connected on a season-high 12 of 22 from beyond the arc... A month ago, in thumping the Bucks in the Rose Garden, , the Trail Blazers made good on 10 of 18 three-pointers... Portland jumped to a lead after one quarter and was ahead by as many as 20 in the second half... Van Exel, who ranks No. 5 all-time in NBA three-pointers with 1,402, led all scorers in the game with a season-high 26 points... Zach Randolph posted his fourth straight double-double and his 15th of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds and added a career high-matching 6 assists for good measure... The Blazers shot 50.7% in the game, the second time this season and the second time in the last four games they ve topped the 50% mark... Guard Mike James came off the bench to lead Milwaukee scorers with 22 points... Michael Redd, who scored 29 against the Blazers in the first meeting this season, tallied only 4 this time around... The victory gave the Trail Blazers a 3-3 split on their longest road trip of the season, a six-games-in-nine-days ordeal that started the previous Tuesday in Minneapolis T Final Att. FGs 3 Pts FTs O D Reb A PF St TO Bl Pts Portland Portland Milwaukee ,789 Milwaukee Chicago 92, Portland Monday, Dec. 20, 2004, United Center, Chicago A dry spell in the third quarter dug a hole too big to climb out of in Chicago and the Trail Blazers fell, 92-87, to the Bulls... The loss, only the second to Chicago in 12 games, put Portland at 2-3 on its current six-game road trip with a final stop Wednesday in Milwaukee... After putting together their best second quarter of the season (32 points and 9 of 15 shooting from the field) and taking a lead to the locker room at intermission, the Blazers scored a season-low 13 in the third stanza, making only 5 of 19 shots and saw the Bulls bolt ahead by as many as 11 points... Chicago had a lead going into the final 12 minutes... The Blazers rallied and pulled within one, 84-83, with 3:45 left but never could get over the hump... Zach

3 Randolph topped all scorers in the game with 26 points and added 12 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season, and Damon Stoudamire had another big game coming off the bench, scoring 22 points on 8 of 15 field goals and 4 of 7 triples of Damon s points came in the big second quarter when he missed only once in seven shots from the field and was perfect on three three-pointers... Darius Miiles posted his first double-double of the season, 13 points and a career high-matching 13 rebounds... The Blazers shot only 39% from the field, compared with the Bulls 46.7%... It was the fourth straight win for Chicago and the eighth in the last 14 games... Rookie Ben Gordon came off the bench to lead the Bulls with 23 points T Final Att. FGs 3 Pts FTs O D Reb A PF St TO Bl Pts Portland Portland Chicago ,023 Chicago Portland 75, Detroit Saturday, Dec. 18, 2004, The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn, Mich. Darius Miles missed the first free throw but made the second with 0.5 seconds remaining to give the Trail Blazers a victory over the defending champion Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills... Miles, getting his third straight start at small forward in place of the injured Shareef Abdur-Rahim, had been fouled on a drive down the lane by Piston center Ben Wallace after Detroit guard Chauncey Billups three-pointer tied the game at 74 with 7.8 seconds left on the clock... It was Portland s second road win in two nights (the Blazers won the night before in Atlanta) and evened the record to 2-2 on the current six-game road trip... The Trail Blazers led at halftime, and expanded the margin to 15 midway through the third stanza... The Pistons fought back and took the lead, 62-61, with 4:34 left but Portland stayed tough and pulled out the victory, their sixth in seven visits to Auburn Hills... Five Blazers scored in double digits led by Nick Van Exel and Damon Stoudamire, who each tallied Van Exel, getting his second start at the point also contributed a team-high 8 assists... Zach Randolph posted his 13th double-double, 12 points and 10 rebounds... The Blazers shot 40.8% from the field and held the Pistons to an opponent season-low 31.5%... The Blazers were outrebounded, 56-33, including a 25-6 Detroit edge on the offensive boards... Tayshaun Prince led the home team with 18 points T Final Att. FGs 3 Pts FTs O D Reb A PF St TO Bl Pts Portland Portland Detroit ,076 Detroit Portland 100, Atlanta Friday, Dec. 17, 2004, Philips Arena, Atlanta The Trail Blazers shot a season-high 57.7% from the field---the first time over 50% this season---and defeated the Hawks last night in Atlanta, snapping their longest road losing streak of the season---five games... The victory over the Hawks, who lost their fourth straight and are off to their worst start in franchise history (4-19), gave Portland a 1-2 record on its current six-game road trip... Led by Darius Miles, who had 12 of his 20 points in the second half, the Blazers went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the third quarter and went on to post their biggest victory margin of the season... Miles, making his second start in place of the injured Shareef Abdur-Rahim, matched his season high with 21 points two nights earlier in Cleveland... Zach Randolph led Portland with 23 points and 10 rebounds, his 12th double-double of the season... Nick Van Exel, starting in place of Damon Stoudamire at the point for the first time this season, had 6 points and a game-high 7 assists in 31 minutes... The Blazers won despite turning the ball over a season-high 25 minutes... Holding the Hawks to 36% shooting from the field helped as did Portland outscoring Atlanta in the paint, and beating them in fast-break points, T Final Att. FGs 3 Pts FTs O D Reb A PF St TO Bl Pts Portland Portland Atlanta ,227 Atlanta TRAIL BLAZERS vs. SPURS SPURS HELP RING OUT The Trail Blazers will ring out 2004 by hosting the Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs in the Rose Garden Thursday (7:30 p.m., NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM-Spanish Radio, TNT)... It will be the second outing in a three-game home stand that concludes New Years Day when the Golden State Warriors come to town for a 7 p.m. contest... It s the first of three meetings with the Spurs this season... With the league realignment, San Antonio is one of six Western Conference teams the Blazers play only three times this season... Last year San Antonio swept the four-game series with Portland and currently has a six-game series win streak going, its longest since the two teams started playing each other in All four San Antonio wins last year were by 10 points or more, including a 25-point rout, , in San Antonio on Dec. 10 and a decision in Portland on April Despite the six-game Spurs run, the Trail Blazers hold a series advantage... The Blazers are against San Antonio in Portland... However, the Blazers last win at home in the series was on Jan. 9, Since then, they have lost three in a row on their own floor to the Spurs. LAST SEASON San Antonio 102, Portland SBC Center, Dec. 10, 2003 (10-10) Playing back-to-back on the road for the first time this season, the Trail Blazers were unable to keep up with the Spurs as they lost in San Antonio, It was their biggest loss margin of the season. A night earlier they fell to Houston by one point after rallying from a 12-point deficit. Against the defending NBA champs, the Blazers were in trouble from the start. They dropped behind, 29-18, in the first 12 minutes, never were able to make up ground and were outscored by the Spurs, in the fourth quarter. Portland shot only 33% from the field (29-88) while San Antonio converted 40 of 81 shots (49.4%). The Blazers were outscored, 44-32, in the paint and in fast break points, Rasheed Wallace scored 23 points and Zach Randolph 22 to account for all but 32 of Portland s total. Tim Duncan s 18 points led five Spurs in double-digit scoring. The Blazers, who were swept in their three-game Midwest road trip, extended the record away from the Rose Garden to 0-8. San Antonio 101, Portland Rose Garden, Dec. 20, 2003 (12-12) Zach Randolph again did his part but the Blazers as a team continued to stuggle against San Antonio, dropping their fourth game in a row to the defending NBA champs, this time a decision in the Rose Garden. It was Portland s fourth home loss in 16 games. Randolph scored 29 points and had a team-high seven rebounds but the Blazers dug a hole early, trailed the whole game and never got closer than seven points after the first quarter. They trailed, 28-17, after one quarter, were down at intermission and going into the final period. Jeff McInnis scored 20 points for Portland and Rasheed Wallace 18. Tim Duncan led five Spurs in double numbers with 26 points. San Antonio shot 52.6% (41-78) from the field to Portland s 43.2% (35-81). The Blazers were outrebounded, San Antonio 84, Portland SBC Center, April 9, 2004 (41-38) San Antonio put a big damper on Blazers playoff hopes, scoring a wire-to-wire victory in the SBC Center. The loss, the fifth in a row to the Spurs and the third this season, put the Blazers a half-game behind Denver for the eighth playoff spot. Portland faces the Nuggets next in Denver.

4 San Antonio shot 60% in the first quarter and raced to a lead. The Spurs padded the cushion to by intermission and led by as many as 21 in the third quarter. The Blazers made a run, cutting the lead to seven, 73-66, with 4:48 left but that was as close as they would come. Zach Randolph with 21 points, Derek Anderson with 13 and Darius Miles with 10 were the only Blazers in double numbers. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobill led the Spurs with 21 each. Portland made 41.4% of its shots, San Antonio 46.6% The Blazers were outrebounded, San Antonio 78, Portland Rose Garden, April 12, 2004 (41-40) Portland players learned shortly after the game started that with Denver s defeat of Sacramento they were out of post season play for the first time in 22 years. But it was academic. The Blazers put a season-low point total on the scoreboard as they lost their third in a row and their fourth in four games with San Antonio, The Blazers shot a season low 30.8% (24-78), and registered season lows for points in the second quarter (10) and first half (25). They never led and were down, 59-41, entering the fourth quarter. Zach Randolph, with 13 points, was one of only three Portland players in double figures. Damon Stoudamire had 12 points and Derek Anderson 10. Tony Parker led the defending NBA champs with 22 points. The Spurs shot 45.8% (27-59) from the field and had a rebounding edge. THE BLAZERS & SPURS ALL-TIME... Despite losing their last six matchups with the San Antonio Spurs, the Trail Blazers hold a all-time series edge... The Spurs sweep of last season s four-game series marked the first time in 28 years the two teams have been going at it that Portland wasn t successful in at least one outing... The six straight by San Antonio is the Texas team s longest streak against the Blazers... In the Rose City, the Blazers have a edge but have lost three straight... Portland s last win in the series was a three-point squeeker, 90-87, on Jan. 9, 2003, in the Rose Garden... In San Antonio, the Spurs are in command, 36-23, and have won three straight. COMPARING NUMBERS Record Home Road Portland rd in the Pacific Division, 10th in the Western Conf. San Antonio nd in Midwest Division, 2nd in Western Conf., (lost to Lakers in Western Conf. Semifinals) Head -to-head FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Steals TO Block Points Portland San Antonio COMPARING NUMBERS Record Home Road Last 10 Streak Portland Lost 1 3rd in the NW Division, 8th in the Western Conference San Antonio Won 2 1st in the SW Division, 3rd in the Western Conference Through Dec. 28 FG% 3FG% FT% Reb. Ast. Steals TO Block Points Portland Opponents San Antonio Opponents NEXT OPPONENT HAPPY NEW YEAR WARRIORS!... For the 18th time in the club s 35-year history, the Trail Blazers will play basketball on New Year s Day when they host the Golden State Warriors in the Rose Garden (7 p.m., NewsRadio 750-KXL, KRMZ 1150 AM-Spanish Radio)... It will be the second of four contests with the Warriors this season... Portland won, 78-75, in Oakland on Nov. 3 in the season s inaugural for both teams... Two more matchups are scheduled, on April 6 back here in the Rose Garden and on April 15 in the Bay Area... The Trail Blazers Nov. 3 victory improved their advantage in the all-time series to It was Portland s third straight win in the series and the eighth in the last 10 games... Last year, the two teams split their four-game series, with each team finding success one in the other s building... The Warriors took the first two, winning at home, then racing past the Blazers in Portland, for their biggest margin in the series since the season... The Trail Blazers answered with wins of in Oakland and back in Portland... The New Year s night contest opens a tough back-to-back set of games for the Blazers... Right after the game they jet to Phoenix to take on the red-hot Suns in the America West Arena on Sunday at 6 p.m., Portland time. TRAIL BLAZING A RARE SITDOWN FOR SHAREEF... Forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim was in street clothes again Monday, watching the Blazers loss to Philadelphia, marking his sixth straight game out of action because of a sore hyperextended right elbow... This is the first time in his nine-year NBA career he that has missed more than one game in succession because of an injury... The extremely durable and consistent Adbur-Rahim has now been out of 11 games due to injuries in a professional career spanning 656 possible games... He had played in 186 consecutive games through last Tuesday s game in Minnesota... Before that, the last time he was out was Atlanta s season opener... Shareef also has had four non-injury related absences in his career, three because of a league suspension and one so he could be present for the birth of his son. LINEUPS... A nagging injury (hyperextended elbow) to Shareef Abdur-Rahim and a shooting slump by point guard Damon Stoudamire brought about the season s first starting lineup changes during the just-completed six-game road trip... When Shareef was unable to answer the call for the game at Cleveland on Dec. 15, Coach Maurice Cheeks inserted Darius Miles, who had started 40 of the 42 games he played as a Blazer last season...stoudamire, who had started 103 consecutive games, gave way to veteran guard Nick Van Exel in the Dec. 15 game at Atlanta... Three different starting lineups in the first 25 games pales by comparison to last year when Coach Cheeks used 17 different opening fives involving 13 different players. This year s starting units: Games Record Abdur-Rahim, Randolph, Ratliff, Anderson, Stoudamire Miles, Randolph, Ratliff, Anderson, Stoudamire Miles, Randolph, Ratliff, Anderson, Van Exel 5 2-3

5 FORWARD THINKING --- Even with Shareef Abdur-Rahim out of action with a hyperextended elbow, the Trail Blazers starting forwards still kept pace with the Sacramento Kings duo of Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic as the league s only forwards duos to each score 10 points or more in every game this season... Zach Randolph had his 26th straight game in double numbers with a 25 points vs. Philadelphia, and Darius Miles, starting his fifth game in a row at small forward, tallied a season-high 28 points, extending his run of 11 or more points to seven games... Before Shareef went to the sidelines, he had scored in double numbers in 20 straight games as a starter at the small forward position. DAMON OFF THE BENCH --- For the fifth game in a row and the first time since the season, point guard Damon Stoudamire has come off the bench rather than be on the floor for the opening tip... But even coming off the bench, he continues to make major contributions to the Blazers cause... In the past five games in a reserve role, the veteran guard has averaged 13.5 points, while shooting 55% from the field (22-40) and 53.3% three-pointers while averaging 22.2 minutes... Damon was perfect from the field (3-3) and line (4-4) and contributed 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 20 minutes Monday vs. the Sixers... He stepped up big-time, scoring 22 points in 29 minutes of action, including 16 in a big second quarter when he helped turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead in Chicago on Dec He was 6 of 7 from the field, 3 for 3 from three-point land, and made his only free throw in the quarter....he finished shooting 9-15 field goals, 4 of 7 threes and 2 of 2 free throws in the Bulls game... Before that, Damon went 5-for-5 and scored 10 points in 19 minutes against the Hawks Dec. 17 then made 4 of 9 from the floor, swished 3 of 5 triples and made all three free throws to tie Van Exel for high team honors in the win at Detroit Dec The 5-10 Trail Blazers captain had been struggling with his shooting of late (23.6% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc in the five games prior to the Atlanta contest) and gave up his starting role to the veteran Nick Van Exel... Damon, a career 41% field goal shooter, had been hitting at a 31.9% clip in the first 21 games... Stoudamire has the longest Blazers consecutive game count going, 142 through the Philadelphia game, but his streak of 103 starts going back to the beginning of the season came to an end Dec 17. ONLY IN HORSESHOES --- The old saw is right: Close counts only in horseshoes.... Six of the Blazers 12 losses have been by five or fewer points, and in three of them, the game was decided in the final seconds by a shot from far out... Vince Carter put in a difficult fall-away three-pointer with 4.8 seconds showing to give the Raptors to a victory in Toronto on Nov Paul Pierce s 22-foot jumper at the buzzer shot the Blazers down in Boston on Nov. 10, 90-88, and Tracy McGrady s two from the same distance on Nov. 21, this time with 37.2 seconds on the clock, clinched a decision for Houston in the Rose Garden... Portland got a payback Dec. 9 when Shareef Abdur-Rahim s buzzer-beating three-pointer sank the Celtics in Portland, The Trail Blazers are 4-6 in games decided by five points or less, but are 4-1 in those with a margin of 3 or under... At the high end, Portland is 6-5 in double-digit decisions but 0-2 when the margin exceeds 20 points. ZACH KEEPS DOUBLING... Fourth-year forward Zach Randolph, whose break-through season in earned him NBA s Most Improved Player award, continues to roll... His 22 points and 11 rebounds at Milwaukee was his 15th double-double this season and his fourth in a succession... On Nov. 7, Zach registered a 33-point, 15 rebound game against the Toronto Raptors... The 33 points was just one shy of his career best... After 26 games, he s averaging a team-best 20.7 points a contest, ranking him 21st in league scoring... His 10.7 rebounds a game is 6th best in the league... He is tied for 7th in the NBA in the double-doubles count with Shaquille O Neal and is No. 4 in the league in offensive rebounds (3.6)... Zach has scored in double digits all 26 games this season and has a streak of 55 in a row going dating back to February 17 of last year... Last season, he raised his scoring average to 20.1 ppg from 8.4 the year before, and his rebounding to 10.5, up from The Michigan State product became the first Trail Blazer since Mychal Thompson in to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season, his rebounding average was the highest since Thompson s 11.7 in , and his point total was the biggest since Clifford Robinson in Coach Maurice Cheeks Overall Record: With the Trail Blazers: Seasons in the League:...4th year With the Trail Blazers:...4th year Now in his fourth season at the Portland Trail Blazers helm, Maurice Cheeks is No. 4 on the club s chart with 153 victories. In his first three seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Cheeks registered a 56.9% winning record ( ). Last year was one marked by change for the former NBA all-star guard. In spite of major lineup shifts, Cheeks was able to guide his team to a respectable record. It was the 15th year in a row and the 22nd time in 24 seasons the Blazers finished at.500 or better. His club made it to the final week of the season before being knocked out of the playoffs, ending an NBA-best run of 21 consecutive years in post-season action. Getting that far, considering all the changes, was a coaching accomplishment. In the course of the 82-game schedule, there were three major trades involving Blazers starters causing him to employ no less than 15 different opening combinations. The most games played by any one starting five was 28. During the season a franchise record 24 different players saw action, 13 of those in starting roles. The campaign was distinctly different from his second year as head coach when the 15-player roster remained constant for the entire season, Cheeks used 11 players in 12 different starting combinations that year. After posting a record in his rookie NBA season with the Trail Blazers, the second best mark for a first-year coach in franchise history, he followed with a record in That club took Dallas, a team that tied eventual champion San Antonio for the best regular season record, to seven games in the first round of the playoffs. Cheeks was named Portland s 10th head coach on June 27, 2001, after serving seven seasons as an assistant under Larry Brown at Philadelphia. He began his coaching career as an assistant to present Blazers assistant Dan Panaggio at the Quad City Thunder of the CBA. In his only season with Quad City, Cheeks helped guide the club to the CBA championship. A Chicago native, he entered the NBA coaching ranks after a distinguished 15-year career as player in the league. The first 11 years were with the Philadelphia 76ers. After that, he saw action with San Antonio, New York, Atlanta and New Jersey. He retired in 1993 as the league s all-time steals leader and was fifth on the career assists.

6 TRAIL BLAZERS PROFILES 33 - Shareef Abdur-Rahim --- F 6-9, 245, California 99 (9th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Has been out last five games with a sore hyperextended right elbow--the first time he has missed more than one game in a row due to an injury in his nine NBA seasons... Injuries have now kept him out of 10 of a possible 654 contests in his career... Also missed three games because of a league suspension and one so he could be present for his son s birth... Swished game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in Dec. 9 victory over the Celtics... Posted his fifth double-double in that game, 15 points and 14 rebounds... Season-high 25 points (7-15 FGs, 1-3 3pt, FTs) in 40 minutes Tuesday vs. Seattle... Scored in double numbers in all 20 games he has played... Packs best field goal percentage among starters %, 19th best in the league... 7 of 16 from three-point range... Had a league-best 42 consecutive free throws snapped when he missed his first attempt Dec. 4 in Seattle... Shooting 90.6% from line (77 of 85), 10th highest in the league... AVERAGING: 15.3 pts., 7.8 reb., 1.3 assists, 1.25 steals, 36.6 min., in 20 starts % FGs, 43.8% 3pt., 90.6% FTS. Dec. 17 at Atlanta DND---hyperextended right elbow Dec. 18 at Detroit DND---hyperextended right elbow Dec. 20 at Chicago DND---hyperextended right elbow Dec. 22 at Milwaukee DND---hyperextended right elbow Dec. 27 Philadelphia DND---hyperextended right elbow 1 - Derek Anderson --- G 6-5, 195, Kentucky 97 (8th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Followed up season-high 23 points at Dallas Nov. 26 with a 21-point effort vs. New Jersey Nov Dished out seasonhigh nine assists (one shy of his Blazers high) Dec. 22 at Milwaukee and followed that with a game-high 8 assists Monday vs. Philadelphia... Leads team in three-pointers with Shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc in last 10 games (20-44)... AVERAGING: 12.0 pts., 3.6 reb., 3.5 assists, 1.08 steals, 33.5 min., in 26 starts--39.9% FGS, 39.5% 3pt., 78.0% FTs... CAREER: One of league s top free throw shooters, came into the season with a career accuracy mark of 85.7% and ranks second only to Kiki Vandeweghe among Blazers career leaders (500 or more makes) at 84.8%... Named to the NBA All-Rookie second team in Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Richie Frahm --- G 6-5, 210, Gonzaga 00 (2nd NBA season) Activated Dec. 27 in time to be in uniform for Philadelphia game... DNP-Coach s decision... Place on injured list Nov. 10 (torn ligament on second toe of his right foot) and sat out 22 games... AVERAGING: 0.0 pts., 0.5 reb., 1.0 min., in two games.. Nov. 7 at Toronto Nov. 9 at New Jersey DNP--coach s decision Nov. 10 at Boston Placed on Injured List---Activated Dec. 27. Dec. 27 Philadelphia DNP--coach s decision 23 - Darius Miles --- F 6-9, 210, East St. Louis HS, Illinois (5th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Averaging 18.0 points, shooting 54% (54-100) from field along with 20 steals and 14 blocks in his last seven games (including five starts in place of the injured Shareef Abdur-Rahim)... Scored season-high 28 points Monday vs. Philadelphia... Had game-high 21 points at Cleveland Dec. 15 followed by 20 Dec. 7 at Atlanta... Matched his career high in rebounds with 13 at Chicago Dec Made game-winning free throw with 0.05 seconds remaining Dec. 18 at Detroit... Sat out Dec. 10 game in Utah with a bruised heel... Made a major contribution in Nov. 30 win over Seattle with 20 points on 10-of-14 FGs... Has scored 20 or more points five times and been in double numbers in 16 games, including his last eight... Tied for team lead in steals (34) and second in blocked shots (34)... AVERAGING: 12.3 pts., 5.0 reb., 1.8 assists, 1.36 steals, 1.36 blocks, 26.5 min., in 25 games, six starts--46.9% FGs, 55.9% FTs... CAREER: Named to the Schick NBA All-Rookie 1st Team in First player in NBA history to earn All-Rookie honors straight out of high school. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Travis Outlaw --- F 6-9, 210, Starkville HS, Mississippi (2nd NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Career high three blocked shots in 10 minutes Dec. 20 at Chicago...Career-high game Nov. 17 vs. Grizzlies; Came off bench in fourth quarter to make 5 of 6 field goal attempts, including a pair of dunks and three medium range jumpers, scoring 11 points... It more than doubled his production since being drafted by the Blazers last season... Previous high in a game was 4 last season... AVERAGING: 1.5 pts., 0.9 reb., 0.53 blocks, 4.3 min., in 15 games % FGs, 50% FTs. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia

7 21 - Ruben Patterson --- F 6-6, 223, Cincinnati 98 (7th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Shooting 48.9% from field (65-133), third highest on team... Tied for team lead in steals with 34, despite averaging just 20.0 minutes a game... Based on 48 minutes a game, he stands 4th in the NBA (3.16)... Scored season-high 15 points versus Phoenix Dec Has scored in double digits six times and put points on the board in all but one of his 26 appearances... AVERAGING: 6.5 pts., 3.2 reb., 1.6 assists, 1.31 steals, 20.0 min., in 26 games coming off bench % FGs, 60.3% FTs. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Joel Przybilla --- C 7-1, 255, Minnesota 00 (5th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Picking up the pace... Has scored 23 points in his last eight games, compared with 13 in his first Is shooting a team best 68.2% (15 of 22) from the field and is third on the team in blocked shots with Season-high 9 points (4-6 FGs, 1-1 FTs), and shared team-high rebounding honors with 7 in season-high 25 minutes Dec. 15 at Cleveland... Team-high 9 rebounds in 22 minutes in De.c 9 win over Utah... Missed season s first five games with sprained ankle... AVERAGING: 1.7 pts., 2.9 reb blocks, 9.7 minutes in 21 games off bench--68.2% FGs, 54.5 FTs. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Zach Randolph --- F 6-9, 253, Michigan State 01 (4th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Sixth in the NBA in rebounding (10.7 rpg),, 4th in offensive rebounding (3.6), 21st in scoring (20.8 ppg), and tied for 7th in double-doubles with Scored season-high 33 points Nov. 7 vs. Clippers... Has scored 20 or more points 16 times and has been in double-digits in rebounding 15 times, including season-high 18 in the Nov. 19 win over Milwaukee... Career-high five blocked shots in Nov. 23 win at Miami... Made career-high 13 free throws (14 attempts) in Sunday s win over Utah... Matched career-high with six assists Dec. 22 at Milwaukee...Fouled out of the first game in his career Dec. 4 at Seattle... AVERAGING: Team-best 20.8 pts., and 10.7 reb., plus 2.2 assists, 0.85 steals, 38.4 min. in 25 starts % FGs, 80.4% FTs... LAST YEAR: Named NBA s Most Improved Player after boosting his scoring average to 20.1 ppg from 8.4 the year before and more than doubling his rebounding average to 10.5 a game (from 4.4 in )... First Blazer since Mychal Thompson in to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in a season... His 1,626 points was the most in a season by a Portland player since Clifford Robinson registered 1,644 in His rebounding average was the highest by a Trail Blazer since Thompson averaged 11.7 per game in Ranked in the NBA s top 20 in 19 different statistical categories at season s end, including 6th in rebounding, 8th in defensive rebounds, 9th in offensive rebounding and 16th in scoring... Posted 43 double-doubles, the most by a Trail Blazer in 22 years. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Theo Ratliff --- C 6-10, 235, Wyoming 95 (10th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY... Posted his second double-double of the season Monday with season-high 13 points and 12 rebounds and had three blocked shots vs. Sixers.. Registered 10 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in 40 minutes Dec. 9 vs. Boston...Has five or more blocks in six games and at least one rejection in 24 of 26 outings... Tied for fifth in league in blocked shots with 68 (2.62 per game)... Rejected a career high-matching 9 shots in 26 minutes vs. Clippers on Nov That tied team record he holds jointly with Bill Walton and Mychal Thompson... AVERAGING: 5.0 pts., 5.8 reb., 0.5 assists, team-best 2.62 blocks, 29.8 min. in 26 starts--45.8% FGs, 72.7% FTs... LAST YEAR: Second team All-NBA defense and NBA leader in blocked shots for the third time in four seasons... Third in voting for NBA defensive player of the year behind Indiana s Ron Artest and Detroit s Ben Wallace... In just 32 games with Portland last season, he rejected 141 opponent shots for an all-time best Trail Blazers average of 4.4 per game... That bettered the previous high of 3.2 bpg by Bill Walton during the His 141 blocked shots as a Blazers was the most in one full season since Clifford Robinson rejected 163 in 82 games in Tied Bill Walton and Mychal Thompson for the most blocks in a game when he rejected nine at Orlando on 2/ CAREER: Not counting the season when he sat out all but three games because of injuries, he s been in the league s top 10 in shot blocking in each of the last six seasons. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia

8 3 -- Damon Stoudamire --- G 5-10, 174, Arizona 94 (10th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Leads the NBA in free throw percentage % on 44 of Has string of 24 consecutive makes going, dating back to Nov Has come off bench in last five outings after being in starting lineup previous 103 Trail Blazers games... Despite not starting, has made major contributions to all five games---three of them wins---averaging 13.5 points including games of 10, and 10 points, while shooting 55% from the field (22-40) and 53.3% from beyond the arc (8-15) of his 22 points Dec. 20 at Chicago came in the second period on 6 of 7 field goals, 3 of 3 triples and 1 of 1 free throws... In the game before, tied Nick Van Exel for high team honors with 14 points in the win over Detroit... Had a huge outing Nov. 19 vs. Milwaukee, scoring a Blazers career-high 33 points and making six of 12 threepointers... Team leader in assists, averaging 5.6 a game (ranking him 22nd in the league)...eighth in assists/turnovers ratio (3.45 on 145 assists and 42 TOs)... Has a team-best consecutive game count of 142 going, reaching back to the season... AVERAGING: 10.7 pts., 3.5 reb., 5.6 assists, 1.12 steals, 30.1 min., in 26 games, 21 of them starts % FGs, 30.8% 3pt., 95.7% FTs... LAST YEAR: Only Trail Blazer to play in and start all 82 games... Had his best year statistics wise since his second in the league with Toronto following his Rookie of the Year performance in Registered 1,099 points, 500 assists, 408 field goals and 3,116 minutes played... Led the team in assists, was fourth in scoring and first among regulars in free throw shooting (87.6%) which ranked him 10th in the NBA. CAREER: Only unanimous selection on the 1996 All-Rookie team and the only first-year player to receive consideration for the All-NBA team while playing for Toronto... Smallest player to ever play for the Trail Blazers and the smallest ever to win the Rookie of the Year award. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia Sebastian Telfair --- G 6-0, 160, Abraham Lincoln HS, Brooklyn NY (Rookie) NOTEWORTHY: Averaged 6.3 points in his last eight appearances after scoring a total of four points in his first five NBA outings... Followed up an 11-point game (4-8 FGs, 1-2 3pt., 2-2 FTs) in 25 minutes Dec. 9 against Boston with a career-high 13 points in 21 minutes against the Jazz the next night... Scored 9 points (9-10 FTs), 16 minutes of play Dec. 5 against the Suns... came off bench to contribute team-high 6 assists in 14 minutes Nov. 17 vs. Memphis... scored his first NBA career points came on a 24-foot three-pointer with 9:33 left in the second quarter in Boston s FleetCenter... AVERAGING: 4.1 pts., 0.4 reb., 1.4 assists, 8.9 min., in 14 games % FGs, 23.1% 3pt., 80% FTs... PREP CAREER: Selected by the Trail Blazers in the 1st round (13th pick overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft... A 2004 McDonald s All-American... Member of the Parade Magazine All-American team... Became New York state s all-time leading scorer, passing Kenny Anderson... Abraham Lincoln High School was during his four years there. Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit DNP--coach s decision Dec. 20 at Chicago DNP--coach s decision Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia DNP--coach s decision Nick Van Exel --- G 6-1, 190, Cincinnati 93 (12th NBA season) NOTEWORTHY: Started last five games at point and averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 assists in 37.0 minutes... Had big hand in two of last three wins on the road, including season-high 26 points on 9-17 FGs, pts., and 2-2 FTs in Dec. 22 victory at Milwaukee and 14 points and 8 assists in 35 minutes in Dec. 18 win at Detroit... Returned to lineup Dec. 14 against Minnesota after missing three games with a sore hip and played 24 minutes, scored 10 points (4-9 FGs, 2-5 3pt) and dished out team-high 7 assists... Made major contribution Nov. 30 win over Seattle, scoring 14 points on 5-12 FGs and 3-7 3pt, plus three assists and a steal in 25 minutes off bench... Ran the offense in fourth quarter that overcame a 10-point Sonics lead... AVERAGING: 8.7 pts., 2.2 reb., 2.8 assists, 0.70 steals, 23.8 min., in 23 games, 5 starts--35.1% FGs, 34.5% 3pt., 80% FTs... THE TRADE: Acquired by Portland in a 7/20/04 trade that sent Dale Davis and Dan Dickau to Golden State... CAREER: In 11 NBA seasons had averaged 15.3 points, 7.1 assists and 34.3 minutes in 768 games... Ranks fifth all-time in the NBA in three-pointers with 1,396 through Monday s game at Chicago... Has finished in the NBA s top 15 in assists in eight of his first 11 seasons... Lakers all-time leader in three-pointers made and attempted... All-NBA Rookie second team selection in Dec. 17 at Atlanta Dec. 18 at Detroit Dec. 20 at Chicago Dec. 22 at Milwaukee Dec. 27 Philadelphia BLAZERS IN THE COMMUNITY BRING YOUR WIRELESS PHONES! --- For the second consecutive year, the Trail Blazers are teaming up with Verizon Wireless to help curb domestic violence in the community... Fans attending the Blazers-San Antonio Spurs game on Jan. 24 are being asked to donate used cell phones and other wireless accessories to benefit victims of domestic violence through Verizon s Hopeline program. Fans who make donations will be awarded free pairs of tickets to future Trail Blazers games in the Rose Garden. Drop boxes for used wireless phones and accessories will be located at the North and South entrances of the Rose Garden s main concourse, beginning at 5 p.m., on the 24th. Through the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, used wireless phone equipement from any service provider is either refurbished and sold or recycled. Verizon uses the proceeds to award grants and donate wireless phones with prepaid airtime to non-profit human services and law enforcement agencies to aid survivors of domestic violence. Last year, Trail Blazers fans donated more than 750 used wireless phones and accessories to the program.

9 TRAIL BLAZERS RESULTS Game Date Opponent Score Home Road Total Scoring Leader Rebound Leader Assist Leader 1. Nov. Golden State W Van Exel 10 Randolph 5 Stoudamire,Anderson 2. Nov. 5 LA Clippers W Abdur-Rahim 14 Randolph 11 Stoudamire 3. Nov. Toronto L Randolph 15 Randolph 4 Stoudamire,Anderson,Randolph 4. Nov. New Jersey L Randolph 9 Randolph 7 Stoudamire 5. Nov. Boston L Randolph 9 Abdur-Rahim 8 Stoudamire 6. Nov. 13 Toronto W Randolph 16 Randolph 9 Stoudamire 7. Nov. 17 Memphis L Randolph 7 Randolph,Przybilla 6 Telfair 8. Nov. 19 Milwaukee W Stoudamire 18 Randolph 6 Stoudamire 9. Nov. 21 Houston L Randolph 14 Randolph 7 Stoudamire 10. Nov. Miami W Randolph 8 Abdur-Rahim 4 Anderson 11. Nov. Orlando W Randolph 14 Abdur-Rahim 8 Stoudamire 12. Nov. Dallas L Anderson 9 Randolph 10 Stoudamire 13. Nov. 28 New Jersey W Randolph 15 Randolph 6 Stoudamire 14. Nov. 30 Seattle W Abdur-Rahim 6 Miles 3 Anderson,Miles,Van Exel 15. Dec. Seattle L Randolph 12 Randolph 7 Stoudamire 16. Dec. 5 Phoenix L Randolph 11 Randolph,Abdur-Rahim 3 Anderson,Abdur-Rahim 17. Dec. 9 Boston W Randolph 17 Randolph 7 Stoudamire 18. Dec. Utah (ot) L Randolph 9 Ratliff 5 Stoudamire 19. Dec. 12 Utah W Randolph 9 Przybilla 7 Stoudamire 20. Dec. Minnesota L Miles 14 Randolph 7 Van Exel 21. Dec. Cleveland L Miles 7 Randolph, Przybilla 7 Stoudamire 22. Dec. Atlanta W Randolph 10 Randolph 7 Van Exel 23. Dec. Detroit W VanExel,Stoudamire 10 Randolph 8 Van Exel 24. Dec. Chicago L Randolph 13 Miles 7 Van Exel 25. Dec. Milwaukee W Van Exel 11 Randolph 9 Anderson 26. Dec. 27 Philadelphia L Miles 12 Ratliff 8 Anderson TRAIL BLAZERS RESULTS BY QUARTER Game Date Opponent OT OT Half 3 Qtrs Final W/L Attendance 1. Nov. Golden State W 15, Nov. 5 LA Clippers W *19, Nov. Toronto L 13, Nov. New Jersey L 13, Nov. Boston L 13, Nov. 13 Toronto W 16, Nov. 17 Memphis L 14, Nov. 19 Milwaukee W 15, Nov. 21 Houston L 18, Nov. Miami W 19, Nov. Orlando W 13, Nov. Dallas L *20, Nov. 28 New Jersey W 14, Nov. 30 Seattle W 15, Dec. Seattle L *17,072 16, Dec. 5 Phoenix L 16, Dec. 9 Boston W 15, Dec. Utah L 19, Dec. 12 Utah W 15, Dec. Minnesota L 15, Dec. Cleveland L 17, Dec. Atlanta W 9, Dec. Detroit W *22, Dec. Chicago L 19, Dec. Milwaukee W 13, Dec. 27 Philadelphia L 18,024