Vince Carter distorted space and time on Monday, scoring a season-high 48 points on a variety of vintage moves, connecting on 19-of-27 FGs, 6-of-10 three-pointers, and 4-of-4 FTs. VC has scored 20+ points in three consecutive games and is obviously over the shoulder injury that hampered him throughout January. He was posting up, hitting 3-pointers and slashing to the lane, and the buy-low window has officially been slammed shut. It was his highest-scoring game since 2006.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Lakers will play without both Kobe Bryant (sprained left ankle) and Andrew Bynum (bruised right hip) vs. the Spurs on Monday.Consider both of them questionable for L.A.’s final game before the All-Star break, Wednesday at Utah. Lamar Odom will start at PF on Monday, moving Pau Gasol to center.

Toronto: Andrea Bargnani’s ankle was a bit tender on Monday and his participation in practice was limited. The Toronto Raptors don’t play until Wednesday, their final game before the break, and it appears Bargnani just got some precautionary rest.

Charlotte: David West scored 27 points in the Hornets’ losing effort on Monday, making 10-of-19 FGs and 7-of-7 FTs in his second-highest scoring total of the past 18 games.

West is still a reliable option, though his points (17.9), FG attempts (14.8) and rebounds (7.6) have all taken big dips this season, along with his playing time (35:36). Most of that was a lackluster November, however, and an ankle injury which has since healed.

Atlanta: Atlanta Hawks G Joe Johnson is probable for Tuesday’s game despite having the flu. He had been listed as questionable, so this is great news if you gambled on him in a shortened Week 16.

Portland: Brandon Roy did not end up having another injection of PRP on Monday. He’s hopeful rest and treatment will be enough to fix his hamstring, but it’s still too early to tell when he’ll play again. He also won’t be getting much rest over All-Star Weekend, as he’ll be required to be in Dallas for the weekend per the NBA.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony, who was quoted by the Nuggets’ official Twitter page as saying he was “probable” for Tuesday’s game against the Mavs, was non-committal about his availability when speaking with beat writer Benjamin Hochman. “Hopefully I can get back out there [Tuesday],” Anthony said after Monday’s practice. “It felt good out there today. It’s getting better each day. Pretty much I was doing a lot that I could do before I got hurt.”

New Jersey: Devin Harris is “50-50″ to play on Tuesday against the Cavaliers due to his shoulder injury.

Martell Webster

Martell Webster poured in a career-high 28 points and six 3-pointers for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, adding seven rebounds, two assists and one steal in 48 minutes.

Webster is having a huge month of January, despite a two-point dud last Wednesday. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 3.0 three-pointers, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, with just 0.6 turnovers in 37 minutes. This isn’t likely to continue when Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw filter back into the lineup, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Phoenix: Suns guard Goran Dragic scored a career-high 20 points off the bench on Saturday, making 5-of-9 FGs, 3-of-6 threes, and 7-of-8 FTs. He added three rebounds, four steals and one block in 26 minutes.
Standard disclaimer — this career night came against the Golden State Warriors. On the other hand, it’s probably no coincidence that he broke out while Leandro Barbosa (wrist) was unavailable.

Oakland: Warriors forward Anthony Tolliver was impressive again on Saturday, racking up 19 points (9-of-15 FGs), one 3-pointer, 11 rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes.
Tolliver was called up from the D-League to help fill out the Warriors’ decimated rotation, but he may be carving out minutes even when healthy bodies start returning.

Milwaukee: Carlos Delfino hit 9-of-11 shots and four 3-pointers on his way to 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and two steals in Saturday’s win over the Wolves.

Utah: The Jazz frontcourt of Mehmet Okur (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Carlos Boozer (22 points, nine rebounds) was simply too much for the Nets on Saturday. They combined to shoot 18-of-26 from the field, and Okur even blocked three shots despite playing just over 21 minutes in the lopsided victory. This was the second-highest scoring game of the season for Okur, and with any luck it’ll jumpstart his middling offense.

Chicago: Bulls’ rookie Taj Gibson stepped up in 43 minutes on Saturday, recording 16 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in a road win against the Rockets. Gibson got extra playing time with Joakim Noah (foot) sidelined with an injury.

Cleveland: LeBron James had 37 points, six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and 12 assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the visiting Thunder in dramatic fashion on Saturday, 100-99. LBJ continues to flirt with nightly triple-doubles, though so far he only has two this season. He made 9-of-19 FGs and 13-of-19 FTs, and his season-high six 3s

Robin Lopez

Robin Lopez started for the second straight game and posted 20 points, seven rebounds and block, but most importantly it came against his brother. Brook had his usual 23 and 13, but it’s Robin that is one of the hottest young names in the NBA.

Robin Lopez has appeared to steal the starting center position away from Channing Frye, who only played 14 minutes on Wednesday night. It appears that Robin could be a good young big man that will grab rebounds, block shots and shoot for a high percentage from the field.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey hit 11-of-24 shots for 27 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block in Wednesday’s win over the Celtics. Stuckey hit just 8-of-26 shots in his last one, so this was a nice bounce back game for him. His production should decrease mildly when the Detroit Pistons get healthy, but who knows when that might happen.

Charlotte: Bobcats SF Gerald Wallace played through his sprained ankle and had 20 points, 10 boards, two assists, two steals, five blocks and two 3-pointers on 5-of-11 shooting in Wednesday’s easy win over the Miami Heat.

Miami: Michael Beasley pulled a Rasheed Wallace and suggested that “it should be an easy win” for the Heat over the red-hot Bobcats on Wednesday, if they stayed focus. The Bobcats came in as one of the hottest teams in the league and throttled the Heat by 39 points, good for a franchise record. Beasley, who had 20 & 10 on Tuesday, hit just 3-of-11 shots for six points, two rebounds and three steals on the night. Maybe he learned a lesson tonight.

Miami: Dwyane Wade hit just 6-of-16 shots for 16 points, four rebounds and one assists as the Heat fell to the Bobcats by a final score of 104-65.

Washington: Randy Foye got hot early and hit 9-of-14 shots and two 3-pointers for a season-high 26 points to go along with three assists, a steal and a block in Wednesday’s loss. Foye has been on fire for the struggling Wizards, and should stay hot as long as they don’t trade for another point guard.

Portland: Brandon Roy said after Wednesday’s win that he’s likely to miss a couple games after aggravating his hamstring injury. “Odds are high that I’ll miss the next two (games) just because we want to be smart with (the injury),” he said

Boston: Rajon Rondo hit 8-of-16 shots for 21 points, eight boards, seven assists and four more steals as the Boston Celtics fell to the Pistons to lose their third straight game for the second time in a month.

The Portland Trail Blazers joined the National Basketball Association in 1970.  They play their home games at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, and are the state’s only major professional sports franchise. Their head coach is former NBA player Nate McMillan, and their owner is Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

Early Years

The early years of the Portland basketball franchise were painful, even for an expansion team. Although their two best players, Sidney Wicks and Geoff Petrie, were decent NBA professionals, the team posted dismal records during their first six years of existence. Of those seasons, their worst was 1971-72, when they went 18-64 (the lowest win total in team history). The best of those early seasons was 1974-75, when the Blazers went 38-44. During that time, they went through three head coaches.

Although the team (and its fans) suffered during those early seasons, better times were ahead.

That Championship Season

In 1976, the Trail Blazers hired Jack Ramsay as their head coach and acquired Maurice Lucas. Lucas and young center Bill Walton led Portland to a 49-33 regular season record (the team’s first winning record) and a playoff berth.

The Trail Blazers beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, the Denver Nuggets in the second round, and swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. In the NBA Finals, they played the Philadelphia 76ers and won, four games to two. It remains the only NBA championship in team history.

The following season, the team’s fortunes took a downturn when Walton suffered a season-ending foot injury. They would not appear in the NBA Finals again until 1990.

The Curse of Sam Bowie

In the 1984 Draft, the Trail Blazers had the #2 pick. This was a deep draft, and the Blazers had the opportunity to use it to fortify their team and possibly return to championship glory. Instead, they made what is widely considered the worst draft mistake in NBA history.

The Houston Rockets selected University of Houston center Akeem Olajuwon (who later added an “H” to his first name), giving the Blazers the chance to draft North Carolina shooting guard Michael Jordan. Because they had drafted a shooting guard the year before (Olajuwon’s college teammate Clyde Drexler), the Trail Blazers addressed their need for front-line size and picked center Sam Bowie. Jordan turned out to be an NBA great (perhaps the premier NBA great), while the injury-prone Bowie never fulfilled his promise.

1990s Finals appearances

The Trail Blazers, led by Drexler and point guard Terry Porter, were a playoff regular in the late 1980s. In the 1989-90 season, they made it to the NBA Finals but lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games.

Two season later, the Blazers found themselves in the Finals again, but ironically, they faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls won, four games to two.

2007-08 Season

After suffering a playoff drought (no playoff appearances since 2003), the Blazers were looking to return to the postseason. Their 2006 draft pick, Brandon Roy, was Rookie of the Year, and their 2007 pick, center Greg Oden (#1 overall), evoked memories of defensive stalwarts like Patrick Ewing and Bill Russell. However, Oden underwent microfracture surgery and did not play in the 2007-08 season.

Even without their center, the Blazers went 41-41.

2008-09 Season Outlook

With some smart personnel moves, the Blazers have been able to shed the “Jail Blazers” moniker they earned in the early part of this decade. The Trail Blazers now look forward to the return of center Greg Oden, who appears to be recovered. If Oden can provide tough defense and some inside scoring, and Roy continues to excel, the Trail Blazers have a chance to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Greatest Players

Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Maurice Lucas, Rasheed Wallace