Blazer's Edge

We start with Game of Thrones speculation (not spoilers) and realize how many parallels there are between a series against the Warriors and the winding down of the Song of Ice and Fire. But it is not all doom and gloom as we look at just how tough the competition is, why we can’t say enough good things about Damian Lillard and just how much he and the rest of the Blazers have accomplished. We talk about Meyer’s Leonard’s big night, Zach Collins’ ceiling in the coming years, and Maurice Harkless shooting well. Unlike Westeros, we have next season to look forward to! Tune in to all of this and more on the latest Blazer’s Edge podcast. @tcbbiggs @dmarang @blazersedge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports activist, journalist and public speaker Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_) joined the WHAT podcast to share her experience as a Muslim woman and explain some of the nuances of the religion as it pertains to professional athletes. We learned more about her role as co-host of the Burn It All Down feminist sports podcast, heard how she got started in sports activism, and talked about how people in Toronto (where she is based) are reacting to the Raptor’s trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Follow Blazer’s Edge on Twitter @blazersedge, WHAT Pod @HoopsAndTalks, Tara @tcbbiggs, and Cassidy @CassidyGemmet. This week’s guest: @_shireenahmed_ 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What a week it has been for the Portland Trail Blazers! Like a lot of Blazer fans, Dan and Tara are still trying to figure out what is real and what is fantasy. Listen to the latest edition of the Blazer’s Edge Podcast, where we answer your questions about a wide variety of topics: will Aminu and Harkless have a bigger impact in the Golden State series than they did against Denver? Who should the Blazer’s bring back, Hood, Kanter or Curry? What kind of defense can we expect to see and what will the Warriors throw at the Blazers? All this and more, thank you to our Twitter friends for all of the questions! @BlazerTagPDX,  @DizzyZbo, @jamesonnus, @nnnductle, @JaketheTailg8r, @C_Sabroe, @mighty_JoeSab, @tomwilsonone@DaBrain19, @genelaor@roselharding, @mevans212, @Schmalejandro1, @showmeyourblazr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sports Illustrated senior writer and co-host of the Open Floor Podcast, Andrew Sharp (@andrewsharp), joined the show to talk about being a long time admirer of the Trail Blazers’ fan community and how he got started writing about basketball. Then Andrew and Tara reflect on the post-season so far, what do the Blazer’s accomplishments look like to the national observers, how disappointing would it be if they exit in the second round, and what should be their biggest concerns? As a long suffering Wizards fan, what does he think are the similarities and differences between the Lillard/McCollum and Wall/Beal back courts? He has interviewed and written about Jusuf Nurkic and Rodney Hood, what did he take away from those conversations? Does he prefer chaos or excellence in his NBA performances?  All this and more on this edition of the Blazer’s Edge Podcast.  :38 Sharp’s long time late night fascination with Blazer’s Edge. 2:08 Where he falls in the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant debate 5:33 How he got into sports writing 1

US Senator Ron Wyden joined us to discuss his love of basketball, what he has learned from playing, and why he is speaking up for Enes Kanter. But first we had to react to Friday night’s quadruple-overtime victory. Listen to Dave Deckard, Danny and Tara talk about the first three games of the Western Conference Semi Finals and what the Blazers will likely do to finish out strong.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest Women’s Hoops And Talks podcast, Tara and Cassidy talk with Kat Jayme, the filmmaker behind Finding Big Country. The movie documents her search for her childhood hero, former Vancouver Grizzles big man, Bryant Reeves. She talks about how she got into basketball, how the movie came about and why it was important for her to find Bryant Reeves.  Listen to learn how Jayme came to terms with not becoming a professional basketball player herself, how she combined her loves of basketball and filmmaking and what she is working on next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trail Blazers Television Analyst Lamar Hurd (@L_Hurd) joined Team Mom to give his observations about the Western Conference Semifinals Game 1 and where the Trail Blazers could go from here. Did Denver do something to disrupt CJ McCollum’s early hot shooting? How can Moe Harkless and Al Farouq Aminu impact a game if they are not scoring? And what could be the key factors that determine the outcome of the series? All this plus Lamar’s story of what Damian Lillard’s game-winning shot meant to him.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We invited Brendan Vogt from the Denver Stiffs onto the podcast to tell us all the secrets about the Denver Nuggets. We learned more about the guys who play alongside ultra-talented center Nikola Jokic, and how they dealt with a significant lineup change in the middle of the playoffs. A lot of things we learned about the Nuggets--young core built around the career trajectory of their star, solid locker room culture, a coach who is in tune with the players--sound a lot like the Trail Blazers. Will the edge in experience give the Blazers the edge in this series? We’ll find out soon enough! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

00:02 Brooke Olzendam, Trail Blazers Sideline Reporter 05:55 Charlene and Arinze, mother and son, Blazers Fans for life, season ticket holders 11:59 Janis, fan and season ticket holder 14:27 Jamie Hudson, NBC Sports Northwest Trail Blazers reporter 17:01 Michael Lewellen, Vice President of Corporate Communications for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Rose Quarter 22:33 Dillon Sage, Co-host, Holy Backboard Podcast 24:58 Ashwin, long-suffering Timberwolves fan 28:33 Adrian Bernecich Blazers’ Edge writer, Melbourne, Australia 30:50 Vanesa, Bosnian fan of the Trail Blazers 34:14 Shain Brendan, Co-host, Blazers Outsiders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 togethe

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 Blaz

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. Follow us on twitter: @dmarang, @tcbbiggs, @blazersedge, @hoopsandtalks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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.

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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.

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

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 Ma

‘Twas the night before Blazer’s Edge Night and some of the staff’Gathered together to talk Blazers and laugh . . .  Join Tara, Danny, Dave, Cassidy, Miles, Steve and Paul of BlazersEdge.com as we go over what we’ve seen from the Blazers so far this season. Have they met, exceeded or fallen below expectations? Which first round matchup would be best for the playoffs? What do the Blazers have to accomplish in the post-season to preserve the core of this team? All this and more on the latest Blazer’s Edge podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices