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Blazers ready for challenge

Playing Heat seen as opportunity for boost of confidence

By Matt Calkins
Published: January 9, 2011, 12:00am

The math says 1.21 percent. Divide 1 by 82 and that’s the figure you get.

The standings don’t lend weight to the quality of one’s opponent, just like no particular win is highlighted in a team’s record.

But make no mistake — this isn’t any old game taking place today for the Blazers. No way.

The Heat are in town — and lately, where there’s fire, there’s an opponent getting smoked.

“We have an opportunity,” Blazers coach Nate McMIllan said. “Certainly winning this game would give us confidence, it would be a major win. (Miami) is a team that’s been assembled to win a title now. You’ll be able to measure where you are for a game against them. The guys should be pumped.”

Miami (29-9) has won 20 of its past 21 games.

The Heat’s only blemish over that stretch is a two-point loss to Dallas on Dec. 20.

They are currently riding an eight-game winning streak and boast a 12-game winning streak on the road — four short of the all-time record held by the 1971-72 Lakers, who won 33 consecutive games that season.

Oh, and in case you’ve been living in a hole and somehow accessed this particular story, the Heat also harbor LeBron James and Dwyane Wade — dubbed “Batman and Batman” recently in a Foxsports.com headline — who not only average 24.8 and 24.7 points a game, respectively, but have the second and third best Player Efficiency Rating in the league (trailing only New Orleans’ Chris Paul).

Add Chris Bosh — a 2008 U.S. Olympic team member — as your third best player, and the chances of Portland extending its home winning streak to nine seems about as likely as Joel Przybilla donning the “3 Goggles.”

Then again, McMillan doesn’t appear intimidated. For one thing, he’s coached all three of Miami’s stars as an assistant for the Olympic team.

And while he’s never witnessed the trio work together as NBA cohorts, he’s seen them individually and is up for today’s challenge.

“Those are ball players. We’re all pros. We’ve seen them. We just haven’t seen them together,” McMillan said. “We can’t go out there watching them. We have to be the aggressor against this group. Whatever hype there is, the game has got to be played.”

Besides the confidence one would gain from beating a team like the Heat, the Blazers (20-17) are also beginning their early jostling for playoff positioning.

Sitting three games above .500 while holding a three-game lead over Memphis for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, Portland has a chance to separate itself from those chasing them for a postseason berth.

Recent success on the road contributed to such an opportunity. The Blazers won consecutive games away from the Rose Garden (Houston on Wednesday and Minnesota Friday) since their first road trip of the season.

LaMarcus Aldridge played a major role in said accomplishment, averaging 27.5 points and 11.5 rebounds over the two-game stretch.

Wesley Matthews contributed as well, particularly against Minnesota, where he scored 29 of his career-high 36 points in the first half and knocked down seven 3-pointers — all before halftime.

He also seems to know what’s on the line as the season nears its midway point.

“It’s starting to get closer to the pecking order,” Matthews said to Comcast Sports Net’s Mike Barrett after Wednesday’s game. “We gotta get some separation as far as standings for the playoffs.

Matt Calkins can be contacted at 360-735-4258 or matt.calkins@columbian.com

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