WATERCOOLER CHAT: TRAILBLAZERS RED HOT, RODGERS APPRECIATES JUSTIN TUCKER, 49ERS TRASH TALK BILLBOARD
BASKETBALL
In the NBA, the Portland Trailblazers are absolutely (and shockingly) red hot! They were predicted to possibly compete for the #8 seed this year, but they have a shot of actually locking up the #1 spot in the Western Conference. Tuesday night, they took on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, and it was a battle of one emerging superstar (Kyrie Irving for the Cavs) against another (Damian Lillard for the Blazers). Lillard is playing spectacularly right now, and was draining three-pointers from all over the court. And then, with just 4 seconds left to go, Lillard hit a game-winning three with ease from the top of the key. He had a 36-point night and looks confident out there. Watch out for the Blazers! Portland 119, Cleveland 116.
FOOTBALL
And in the NFL, people are still talking about Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker’s amazing performance on Monday Night. Tuesday, on the radio, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers started his interview with “I’d like to thank Justin Tucker off the top here for his performance last night. Unbelievable. That 61-yarder was amazing”. Rodgers is publicly thanking Tucker because now the Packers control their own destiny on making the playoffs. All they have to do is win their remaining two games. Matt Flynn will likely start on Sunday, but it’s very possible that Rodgers could be back Week 17, and be ready for the playoffs. With Rodgers, the Packers are a completely different team. They could get hot late.
Finally, in some humorous news out of the NFL, some 49ers fans have raised $8000 to put up a billboard in Seattle. The billboard will show the 5 Super Bowl trophies that the 49ers have won over the years, along with iconic imagery from the games (e.g. “The Catch”, when Dwight Clark caught the game-winning pass from Joe Montana.). This is a way of taunting the Seahawks, although it may not be the best idea. These teams have split the season series, and there is a very good chance that they could meet in the conference championship if the seedings come out right.  The billboard costs $7000, and the fans said they would donate the remaining $1000 to a Seattle Children’s Hospital.
