Blazer's Edge: for Portland Trail Blazers fans

Latest Episodes:

First Annual WHAT NBA Awards Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Alex Haigh joins Tara and Cassidy to talk about what it was like to be a Blazers Outsider this season. After sharing which NBA players they would want to be stuck in an elevator with, they discuss what NBA awards they would give out. These are not your regular NBA awards, so tune in to find out who will be awarded most vicious fan chant, best performance in a basketball drama, most average player in the NBA, and which team besides the Blazers will be the best team to root for next season.

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: Alex Haigh (@owlhix)

Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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This is Damian Lillard’s Signature Series Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang take a look at the last two games against the OKC Thunder and what it means for the Blazers as they look to clinch in Game 5. Danny is actually optimistic, which is terrifying, and Tara tries to temper Danny's expectations- will she be successful? Praising Damian Lillard, breaking down pick and roll changes, the arrival of Moe Harkless, Russell Westbrook being all talk, and much, much more on this week's episode!

Intro

Opening Comments

Feeling good about the Blazers right now

1:30 Businessman like manner

4:00 I'm glad that the sweep bothered them and motivates them even today

6:00 Tara doesn't want to overreact just yet

6:45 This Thunder team looks a lot like the Blazers last year

8:00 Strongly held beliefs!

8:50 Is Schroder trying to be Pat Beverly Jr.?

9:50 So many classic moments from Damian Lillard in this series

11:00 Has Lillard been the best player in the playoffs so far?

12:30 Can we say Dame and CJ can play together now?

13:30 This has been CJ's best performance to date

14:00 CJ has elevated his game

16:00 Danny makes a false claim about Aminu- Aminu is all things awesome and Danny regrets mixing Chief up with Zach Collins.

18:20 The Blazers are struggling around the rim and it's not clear why.

20:00 Dame has been fantastic getting to the rim

21:00 Game 3 recap - Russell Westbrook & Paul George get one!

22:00 Ranking storylines for the playoffs- Dame's play, Stotts game plan and defensive intensity

23:00 Dame and the Blazers being aggressive and going for steals

26:00 Moe Harkless has been fantastic on the defensive end on ball, off ball, helping and everywhere in between.

29:00 Maybe looking ahead to a match up with San Antonio or Denver... MAYBE

32:00 Things, in a weird way seem to be lining up for the Blazers

34:00 Moe Harkless looks like he's having fun and everyone loves it

38:30 Blazers shooting doesn't make a ton of sense right now, will it hold?

41:00 Tara is loving isolation basketball

44:00 Slight tweaks in the pick & roll that are paying off big time

Closing Comments

Outro

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WHAT Podcast: They did it, Jennifer! Apr 20, 2019

Show notes

CJ McCollum got his playoff win and so we called up Jennifer “I’m trying Jennifer” Williams to talk about the Portland Trail Blazers. We learned why she tweeted at McCollum in the first place, what her day was like after the “I’m Trying Jennifer” tweet went viral, why she thinks the sentiment struck a chord with Trail Blazers fans and how life has been since she became internet famous.

We also talked about how the first round of the playoffs is going, how far she thinks the Trail Blazers can go, and what she thinks of a potential Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Western Conference Semi-Final match up. We also asked how in the world the Warriors blew a 31 point lead to the Clippers?

Jennifer was such a great sport, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed talking to her.

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @ChocDelight1980

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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The Trail Blazers head to OKC with a commanding lead, can they keep up the momentum? Apr 18, 2019

Show notes

Blazers’ Edge Podcast takes a look at what is working: why the defense is clicking and how the offense is humming. It might not be the prettiest basketball they have played all season (we miss you Jusuf Nurkic!) but it is effective.

Will it work when the Trail Blazers head to the Chesapeake Energy Arena? How will the Trail Blazers handle being in the driver’s seat? We recap notable performances by Maurice Harkless, Meyers Leonard, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard. So much Lillard.

Programming note: the next WHAT podcast will be out this weekend.

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WHAT talks to Stephanie Ready about coaching, game prep and virtual reality Apr 14, 2019

Show notes

Stephanie Ready (, NBA on TNT Virtual Reality broadcaster and host of The Bounce on Yahoo Sports joins the Hoops and Talks podcast to discuss her life-long love of basketball and what it was like being the first woman to be a coach on an mens professional basketball team. She gives us great insight into what coaches do to prepare for games and the playoffs and how she prepares for games that she covers as a sideline report and analyst. Then we get a primer on Virtual Reality broadcasting and what the experience is like.

Stephanie will be cover two games of the Portland Trail Blazers vs Oklahoma City Thunder series for NBA on TNT. Find her at game two on April 16 and game four on April 21.

Get Social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @StephanieReady

Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Greg Anthony joins the Blazers Edge Podcast to talk Trail Blazers vs Thunder matchup Apr 13, 2019

Show notes

NBA on TNT & NBA TV analyst and former Portland Trail Blazers guard Greg Anthony joined the Blazers Edge podcast to preview the upcoming series between the Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anthony breaks down the matchup between Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook, describes the team as still pretty “formidable” even without Jusuf Nurkic and thinks they have a shot at winning the series. He also talks about what it is like as a player to prepare for the playoffs and gives his take on how the Blazers can defeat the Thunder.

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What are your expectations for the Blazers in the playoffs? Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

On this week's episode of the Blazer's Edge podcast, Tara Bowen-Biggs and Danny Marang are joined by the illustrious Steve Dewald (aka Dave Deckard in Training or DDIT) to take a look at the Blazer's season, how it all feels now that it's coming to a close, expectations and broken hearts, a look at the most likely playoff matchup with the Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and the Utah Jazz, what is fair to expect of Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood, a look at the upcoming Nike Hoop Summit and more!

IntroOpening Comments2:40 How does this season feel now?4:50 Were expectations met?7:00 Most likely scenario for the Blazers…the Jazz7:40 Damian Lillard wants to rest8:30 Anything to take away from Denver match ups?10:00 Matching up with the Utah Jazz10:40 “We have a Hulk”11:40 Redemption stories in the Jazz series; Rodney Hood & Enes Kanter15:20 When the playoffs start will we see the same things the Blazers have done all year?18:00 New series, same question - will the Blazers role players show up?22:20 What do you think Kanter’s assignment will be?26:40 How will Portland deal with the pick & roll?31:20 Trying to find the positive in the match up32:30 We’ve seen what playoff defenses can do to Lillard36:00 What would you consider success for the team at this point?40:00 Is it fair to ask Lillard to deliver in the playoffs this year?43:00 Lillard gets hit with a “flopping warning” vs Nuggets44:15 Relationships between players and referees49:00 First look at the new crop of future stars at Nike Hoop SummitClosing CommentsOutro

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WHAT about the Denver Nuggets? Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

This week Tara and Cassidy welcomed Kayla Osby (@nuggetchica) from denverstiffs.com onto the show to help Portland Trail Blazers fans get to know more about the Denver Nuggets. Their wide ranging conversation includes talk about t-shirt slogans, NBA twins, Nuggets lack of playoff success and what it is like to be in a town where basketball is the third most important sport. We caught up on how Will Barton and Mason Plumlee are doing and how the Nurkic trade felt to Nuggets fans. Then we talk about the upcoming games and what is the key to beating the Nuggets and who are some of the players besides Nicola Jokic the Blazers need to watch for?

Get Social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @NuggetChica. You can also email us at hoopsandtalks@gmail.com.

Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball. Our last Blazers WHAT meetup of the year is on April 9, 7:30 at McMenamins on Broadway. Come watch the Blazers take on the Lakers with other women who love basketball!

Music used in the episode: "Happy Alley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Present and future of the center position in the NBA with Adam Mares Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

This week we invited Adam Mares, Site Manager for the Denver Stiffs, to join us to talk about Jusuf Nurkic, centers in the NBA and to prepare for the weekend doubleheader between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets.

:50 Jusuf Nurkic, we miss you, big fella.3:45 Thoughts from Adam, only empathy for the fans and best wishes to Nurkic for a full recovery from fans in Denver. 7:15 Where the Trail Blazer season stands right now9:10 Comparison to Wesley Matthews injury.11:45 What are the options for the Blazers moving forward? Collins will play more. When Paul Millsap was out almost all season in Denver, it was a growth opportunity for some of the players. 16:00 With Nicola Jokic as an example, how has the center position evolved in the last few years, or has it? There really is no prototypical center any more. 22:15 Blazers are not in a position to make any big decisions right now. 24:15 The character of the Trail Blazers is that Damian Lillard is loyal to his teammates. And now the team is playing well, it seems less likely they will make any big changes in the off season.26:15 How do the Nuggets go from missing the playoffs to fighting for the number one seed in the west?(27:15 But first a brief digression about Lonzo Ball and LeBron James)28:45 What is Jokic like as a leader? On the court, he truly loves the passing game. He is definitely the person they go to in the clutch.33:00 Locker room leader is tough to identify, in some ways it is the coach, Mike Malone. 35:15 Are there ways that The Blazers and the Nuggets are similar? Jamal Murray and Damian Lillard play in a similar way although Lillard is much better. Both Jokic and Nurkic are excellent passers. Lillard and the Trail Blazers have uncommonly good locker room chemistry.37:45 How is Denver going to fare in the playoffs?41:00 When game planning for and against Denver, what do you look at? 46:15 Find Adam at denverstiffs.com and @adam_mares

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WHAT Podcast: Leadership and Locker Room Chemistry Mar 28, 2019

Show notes

Tara and Cassidy have a quick chat about Jusuf Nurkic and add their best wishes to the outpouring of support from Portland fans. Then they are joined by Nitz Bluvstein (@nitzbluv), a frequent guest of the Daily Dings podcast and general Twitter instigator.

Get to know Nitz and hear her takes on NBA Twitter and how basketball kept her in touch with friends when she was far away. Then she gives us an outsider perspective on Damian Lillard and how he will perform in the playoffs. Finally she tells us what she really thinks about the Golden State Warriors chemistry and where Kevin Durant might end up.

All this plus our very first listener email!

Get Social

Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @nitzbluv

Women’s Hoops And Talks (W.H.A.T.)

Join the Women’s Hoops And Talks Facebook group to talk about Trail Blazers with others who identify as women who love basketball.

Music used in the episode: “Happy Alley” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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