Rick Bowmer / AP

In only his second NBA season, Brandon Roy, left, has become Portland's team leader, writes Steve Jones of MSNBC.com.

Right man for the job
Portland’s coach Nate McMillan is teaching his young team how to do things the right way. He’s a solid fit for this group because he is unrelenting in his pursuit of improving the Trail Blazers – each and every one of them. Any whispers critical of his coaching after Portland had lost nine of 10 before beginning its winning streak have been silenced.

Before Oden got hurt, McMillan found himself trying to keep realistic the soaring expectations that were being placed on his team. But the Blazer fanatical would have none of that. They reasoned that with their Big Three – Oden, Aldridge and Roy – a trip to the playoffs was expected – no matter how young this trio. When Oden went down, McMillan felt the pressure ease along with the expectations for this season.

That has changed and why wouldn’t it after a 13-game winning streak. Even with Oden sidelined, it’s clear the Trail Blazers have loads of potential and much of it is developing at a rate much quicker than most expected. The team is not only developing in terms of talent and performance, but also in terms of chemistry. McMillan sees this and his challenge is to keep everything going in the right direction.

Conquering the road
There’s a strong fan base at the Rose Garden so it’s of little surprise that over the first two months of the season the Trail Blazers saw much of their success occur at home. Ten of the 13 victories in their winning streak came in Portland.

And in their first 14 road games, the Trail Blazers walked off the court winners only four times. That will have to change if Portland is to hold its ground both in the race for the division title and the battle for a Western Conference playoff spot.

The Trail Blazers have to get some wins on the road that they normally wouldn’t get. If they do, those victories will tell them they can overcome the mistakes that young teams will make in enemy arenas. They get tested in January when they’ll play nine games on the road and only five at home. And the month includes a seven-game trip that has among the stops Toronto, New Jersey, Boston, Orlando, and New Orleans.

It’s probably going to take somewhere around 45 wins to make the playoffs out of the West. So Portland must continue to play very well at home and much better on the road. The Trail Blazers should feel great about where they started 2008 and that should give them a great deal of confidence. Nothing will stop Portland fans from believing this team will turn into a dominant playoff team and eventually a championship contender. And nothing – barring a serious injury to Oden, Aldridge or Roy – should.

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