So apparently last night downtown Portland turned into a little bit of a war zone. I was riding the MAX home last night after the Blazers dispatched the hogwarts house team, otherwise known as the Washington Wizards, and 3rd Ave. near Ash was swarming with Police. A couple of club bound girls were informed by a trio of club bound fellas that there had been a shooting. Shootings in general are not unheard of in Portland, in the six and a half years I have lived here there have probably been twenty, but it had been a long time since there had been one downtown. I woke up this morning, and found this article on OregonLive. Apparently there was some craziness popping off last night. Something I miss both a downtown bus and the MAX after games and end up walking home across the steel bridge. I usually stop by Dante's on Burnside for a moment to say hello to a guy I know that works the door there. Last nights shooting took place just around the corner from there. I had to wait about two minutes for the train last night, and I didn't want to walk because it was snowing, but if I had walked I would have been front and center to some serious action. A few years ago, the first summer I was living in Portland, I used to walk around downtown near the clubs at night. Right near where I used to walk there were like four shootings in one week. Needless to say that I stopped walking around there at night, and those clubs got shut down. I say that to say this: I will miss downtown a lot when I move.
Liv and I found a place out in North East Portland that we might move into as soon as next week or the one after. We haven't heard from the guy yet today, but yesterday he said we were the top of the list. The house is literally two blocks from Alberta Park, which has a summer program, which means I could probably work there if I wanted to. Its a bigger place than the one we are in, it is also more expensive, but not too much more expensive. We'll see if it happens. I would mind living over the river, it just means that I will have to wake up earlier to get to campus. Also Alberta is a totally hip little area.
In other news Brandon Roy had a pretty amazing game last night. Ten steals. That's the most for any player in a regulation game in the NBA this season. That gives him the highest scoring game, 52 points, and most steals in a game. If he doesn't make the All Star team there will be riots! He joked last night about being greedy and getting a quadruple double. It almost happened last night, he was five boards and three assists away, and it will happen eventually. B Roy is amazing, and he is driven. Wednesday LeBron James was in Portland and I got a chance to see him up close and personal. For starters, the dude is MASSIVE. Six feet nine inches, built like a truck. But also he is easily the most polished guy in the NBA. He talked to reporters before the game, and the way he carries himself is well beyond his 24 years. Freedarko talks about how he is a synthesis of all the players that came before him. I totally agree. LeBron has a better understanding of being a product than any athlete probably ever. He has fully embraced the notion of selling the shit out of himself. A definite part of the ability to be a commodity like LeBron is having the basketball skills that he has. LeBron is hands down the best player in the league. But great players aren't always great money makers, Allen Iverson is a great example. LeBron is easily the best player and the leagues best marketing strategy. LeBron will be MVP and will win a championship, it will have to be this year though because after this year its all Portland, but what he really wants is to be the richest athlete in the world, that and to be Jesus. B Roy will win championships and be MVP. When it happens for Roy it will be the pinnacle of his career. I really feel like Roy doesn't care about anything except basketball. He wants to be the best, and he feels like he has to prove it every night. LeBron by contrast knows he the best and never has to prove anything. Because of that he focuses a lot of his energy on being King of Planet LeBron James. Anyone with CHOSEN 1 tattooed on their shoulders really has no sense of perspective. I'm not sure if Roy even has any tattoos.
I wanted to take some pictures of LeBron warming up Wednesday, but I didn't get a chance because my camera battery died. Oh well. I mean it was probably the only chance I will ever have to be that close to him, but no big deal. I got some pictures of Daniel Gibson and Sasha Pavlovic though. Also, LeBron had to play one of his best games of the season and Mo Williams had his best night of the season in order to beat the Blazers, and we really could have won that game. I think the Cavs are winning it all this year. After that they will lose to the Blazers at least once in the finals. Mark my words.
