There's No Place Like Home (by CJ McCollum)

[Haakzilla]

Nice piece CJ cranked out for The Players Tribune after Game 2 -- happy reading y'all -- https://theplayerstribune.com/cj-mccollum-portland-trail-blazers-playoffs/

Portland basketball fans are the best basketball fans in the world. Period.

Other fans arrive a quarter late for games. Blazers fans regularly show up an hour before tip.

Other fans get antsy when their team’s offense struggles to score for a few possessions. Blazers fans give us standing ovations, like they’re trying to will their energy into us.

Other fans might stop coming to games when their teams fall in the standings. Blazers fans just pack the house even more.

Like — we don’t have those bandwagon hoops fans in Portland. We don’t have those bougie, not-into-it, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-the-free-t-shirt hoops fans in Portland. We’ve got those pinwheel-tattooed, bleeding-red-and-black, still-rocking-that-Walton-jersey, ride-or-die, realer-than-real hoops fans in Portland. The love is real. The support is real.

And the impact is real.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Stud

 

[THE HCP]

Who's so much of a homer they'd actually get a Blazers tattoo. That's sad!

 

[Minstrel]

There was a lot of doubt this season. A lot of talk about whether this team would go anywhere — if maybe it was just time to start all over. Get some draft picks. Rebuild. Try again in a few years.

But that talk never came from our fans.

Someone hasn't been reading this forum (the official Portland Trail Blazers fan forum, no less).

 

[Jon]

"We don’t have those bougie, not-into-it, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-the-free-t-shirt hoops fans in Portland."

ever sit in the front 4 rows? yeah, they are FULL of those type of people.

for instance, i took my neice to the game against the grizzlies for her christmas present (we sat 2nd row behind the blazers bench). the people around us were all stuck up and didnt care much for the game and were on their phones for the majority of it. even the lady sitting next to her was saying to her husband (?) "oh, i guess these seats are ok....". personally, i like to sit where the fans are rowdy and passionate. we were being frowned upon for cheering, booing, clapping, etc...

being that close is cool and all, but i probably wont sit that close again, due to the surroundings.

 

[Natebishop3]

"We don’t have those bougie, not-into-it, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-the-free-t-shirt hoops fans in Portland."

ever sit in the front 4 rows? yeah, they are FULL of those type of people.

for instance, i took my neice to the game against the grizzlies for her christmas present (we sat 2nd row behind the blazers bench). the people around us were all stuck up and didnt care much for the game and were on their phones for the majority of it. even the lady sitting next to her was saying to her husband (?) "oh, i guess these seats are ok....". personally, i like to sit where the fans are rowdy and passionate. we were being frowned upon for cheering, booing, clapping, etc...

being that close is cool and all, but i probably wont sit that close again, due to the surroundings.

This has been my experience too. Way more fun to sit up in the cheap seats.

 

[bodyman5000 and 1]

I didn't read it and skimmed your posts. Is it there's nobody who can check him AT HOME?

 

[PDXFonz]

I know of at least 3 posters here who have a pinwheel tattoo. @KingSpeed @HCP and myself. I know @Eastoff has been giving it serious consideration.

Is there anyone else with a Blazer tattoo that I'm leaving out?

 

[KingSpeed]

I know of at least 3 posters here who have a pinwheel tattoo. @KingSpeed @HCP and myself. I know @Eastoff has been giving it serious consideration.

Is there anyone else with a Blazer tattoo that I'm leaving out?

I didn't know you had one. Where is it?

 

[ripcityboy]

 

[PDXFonz]

I didn't know you had one. Where is it?

Right forearm below the elbow crease.

It looks like this, sans the lettering.

 

[Haakzilla]

I know of at least 3 posters here who have a pinwheel tattoo. @KingSpeed @HCP and myself. I know @Eastoff has been giving it serious consideration.

Is there anyone else with a Blazer tattoo that I'm leaving out?

...no ink here, was thinking maybe something like this though

 

[rasheedfan2005]

"We don’t have those bougie, not-into-it, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-in-the-free-t-shirt hoops fans in Portland."

ever sit in the front 4 rows? yeah, they are FULL of those type of people.

for instance, i took my neice to the game against the grizzlies for her christmas present (we sat 2nd row behind the blazers bench). the people around us were all stuck up and didnt care much for the game and were on their phones for the majority of it. even the lady sitting next to her was saying to her husband (?) "oh, i guess these seats are ok....". personally, i like to sit where the fans are rowdy and passionate. we were being frowned upon for cheering, booing, clapping, etc...

being that close is cool and all, but i probably wont sit that close again, due to the surroundings.

I sat in that exact row the the thrylla returned in his bucks uniform. My conclusion was the same. It was cool to see roy and miller that close, but i had always sat in the nosebleeds before and it was way more fun with all the rowdy, crazy mofos.

 

[PDXFonz]

Of course, everyone stepped up during that run. Mo, Chief, Noah, A.C., Shabazz, Meyers, Evan … every single person on the roster took their game to another level. Same goes for the coaching staff. Coach Stotts is a true players’ coach, and an offensive genius. And he put us all in a position to succeed.

 

[Minstrel]

McCollum said that Meyers Leonard stepped up...

I think it's time to trade McCollum.

 

[THE HCP]

I know of at least 3 posters here who have a pinwheel tattoo. @KingSpeed @HCP and myself. I know @Eastoff has been giving it serious consideration.

Is there anyone else with a Blazer tattoo that I'm leaving out?

You mean The HCP has a pinwheel tattoo? But I thought he was a HATER?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

You mean The HCP has a pinwheel tattoo? But I thought he was a HATER?

You were passed out, you didn't even know they were doing it. They Blazer tatt'd your Laker loving ass.

 

[riverman]

You mean The HCP has a pinwheel tattoo? But I thought he was a HATER?

under the pinwheel it says 23 wins, right? and Blazers can easily be changed to Lakers with some whiteout and a sharpie!

 

[THE HCP]

Man what a crazy night on Bourbon Street that was!

 

[Nhawz]

Just skeeted on my phone

 

[stampedehero]

All the fans can feel secure with CJ

 

[dviss1]

To anyone who says they want to trade CJ you muthafuckas can meet me at Mount Tabor! Name the time!

 

[Minstrel]

To anyone who says they want to trade CJ you muthafuckas can meet me at Mount Tabor! Name the time!

Don't go down this path, dviss. This is where it leads.

 

[e_blazer]

Don't go down this path, dviss. This is where it leads.

What's the problem, Minstrel? I assumed @dviss1 wanted to meet up for a picnic to discuss CJ's value to the team.

 

[joeBlazers]

Let's win the next game. That's all that matters.