Tonight's Trail Blazer Game: Who Needs Hankies? (UPDATED with Nate McMillan signing contract extension)

 Many NBA fans (or maybe just me) are more curious than usual about tonight's Portland Trail Blazers game at Miami against the Heat.

LeBron James' "Heatles" have lost four straight. A shocking development given the talent amassed in South Beach? Perhaps, though even good teams have some kind of losing streak during an 82-game season.

But what's made tonight's game stand out from the usual regular-season rigmarole is this is Miami's first game since Heat coach Erik Spoelstra (a Portland native) said after a loss Sunday to Chicago that a couple of his players were  "crying" (later amended to had "glossy eyes"). That's definitely not your run-of-the-mill post-game reaction to losing game #63 out of 82.

Enter the Blazers, who are playing their second game tonight of a back-to-back after beating Orlando last night. Whilst we wait to learn whether a tired Blazers team is walking into an epic blowout situation because the Heat will be focused—or the Heat will melt down again under even more scrutiny ... 

UPDATE

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.