The Ice Breaker
Before the game, the big news was that Greg Oden was making his return to the court after missing the past 15 games with a left knee fracture. But not only was he returning, he was doing it in his hometown of Indianapolis. So naturally, there was a lot of media interest, enough so that a special time and place was designated for a pregame Greg Oden availability.
About four television stations, a couple of radio stations and four or five print reporters all gathered in a hallway to wait for Oden. These are things that Oden hates. He hates that he is an event, that he draws so much attention even when he hasn't done anything. So when he emerged from a door and walked into the hallway, Oden had a definite look of uneasiness as he tried to figure where the cameras wanted him.
As Oden knifed through the crowd and settled in against a wall, the bright lights of the cameras turned on. Oden uneasily awaited the first question. Behind the crowd, from the door where Oden entered the hallway, came a mocking, high-pitched voice.
"Greg Oden ... are you going to play tonight?''
Oden looked past the media toward the door and his face lit up. He started giggling.
Trying to hide behind the door, but with one eye peeking around to observe the proceedings, was a curious Blazers teammate.
After containing his giggling, Oden started answering the questions from the media, stealing a couple of glances past the crowd toward the door where the teammate observed. The ice had been broken, and Oden breezed through his dreaded media session.
The teammate who helped break the ice?
Brandon Roy.
