Nov. 6: In overtime, against Houston, Roy hits a jump shot with 1.9 seconds left to give the Blazers the lead. Then he fouls Yao Ming, who makes the basket and a free throw, and Houston is up a point with 0.8 seconds left. "I thought I lost the game," Roy says later. But then he hits a 31-foot jump shot at the buzzer for the win. In terms of clutch shots, he says, "this one shoots to the top. I've made a lot of big ones, but never after a boneheaded mistake. This is definitely the best."

Dec. 7: It's not that Blazers coach Nate McMillan was wrong to want the timeout. Steve Blake simply had a better idea. Rather than call timeout, Blake shakes his defender and knocks down a three-pointer to put the Blazers up 98-97 in Toronto with 8.4 seconds left. LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden team to disrupt the Raptors' Chris Bosh, and the Blazers end a five-game East Coast trip with four wins. (This game is also notable for Martell Webster's only appearance of the season.)

Dec. 19: The headline the next day reads, "Superstar goes supernova." How good was Roy's Rose Garden-record 52-point performance against Phoenix? Good enough to leave McMillan saying things like, "That championship one day will happen if this continues. You just need a player like this."

Dec. 30: And then Roy strains a hamstring and is unable to play when Boston, the reigning NBA champions, come to the Rose Garden. No worries. Blake scores 21. Travis Outlaw comes off the bench for 17. Aldridge gets into it with Kevin Garnett; both are dinged with technical fouls. "That was huge," Przybilla says after the game. "We're not going to back down from no one, and it shows the growth of this team right now. It was a huge win."

Jan. 7: Roy is still out, and the Blazers have lost two in a row since beating Boston. McMillan sits down with Travis Outlaw the morning before Detroit and its seven-game winning streak arrive in town. McMillan wants more from Outlaw. Outlaw responds with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting, capping his night with a short baseline jumper with 8.9 seconds left to give the Blazers a one-point win.

Jan. 26: Roy scores 33, Outlaw scores 16 in the fourth quarter, and the Blazers beat the Clippers by 25 and move 10 games above .500 for the first time since the 2002-03 season --the last time they made the playoffs.

Jan. 29: For the second consecutive year, Roy is named to the Western Conference All-Star team.

Feb. 8: The Blazers blow a 17-point lead at home to the New York Knicks and still win when Roy slices to the basket and drops a finger roll at the buzzer.

Feb. 19: The NBA trade deadline. Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard picks up Michael Ruffin but refuses to make a deal that would change the team's core.

Feb. 22: Blake throws a no-look, behind-the-head pass that Nicolas Batum catches and turns into a three pointer. The pass helps Blake break the NBA record for first-quarter assists with 14. And the Blazers destroy the Clippers. Blake finishes with 17 assists.

March 4: Beating the Indiana Pacers shouldn't be a big deal, but it is. The Blazers snap a nine-game losing streak to Indiana when Roy makes two free throws with 1.7 seconds left. Because all he does is win games. The victory puts the Blazers in position to grab first place in the division with a win the next night in Denver. They lose by 16.

March 9: Like beating the Lakers in Portland is even noteworthy any more, right? Entering this game, the Blazers had won six in a row against Los Angeles in Portland. They make it seven consecutive with a 111-94 win electrified by Trevor Ariza's flagrant foul of Rudy Fernandez, and Portland's subsequent annoyance with Ariza. "It was the Lakers," Blazers center Joel Przybilla says after the game. "And we beat the (snot) out of them. And you can print that. In bold. And big letters." (He didn't really say "snot.")

Feb. 16: Aldridge scores 15 of his game-high 22 in the second quarter as the Blazers win in Memphis. It is Portland's 42nd win of the season, assuring the Blazers of their first winning season since . . . 2002-03. It is also their 14th road win, pushing them one past last season's total.

April 5: Dallas beats Phoenix, assuring Portland of its first playoff appearance since . . . 2002-03.

April 7: Down by 18 in the first half in Memphis, the Blazers rally as Roy scores 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, Outlaw gets a jumper to fall late and the Blazers win. "We played like (crud) the whole game. But we got lucky and pulled one out," Przybilla said. (He didn't really say "crud.")

April 8: Down by 19 in the first half in San Antonio, the Blazers rally again. Blake hits a half-court shot at the halftime buzzer, Roy scores 26, and Aldridge has 14 in the third quarter on his way to 20. It is Portland's 50th win and snaps an 11-game losing streak in San Antonio. It makes you begin to think anything is possible. "We're getting better, and we're learning how to win," Aldridge says. "I think this team is growing up."

March 10: One more dance with the Lakers in Portland? Make it eight in a row against Los Angeles in the Rose Garden.

-- Ryan White