The Trail Blazers are missing something. There’s a part of the winning equation that they just can’t figure out. We have the starters and bench players that can put up solid stats in all columns, but for some reason that pesky win column just doesn’t want to grow. Personally, I believe the problem is a mental one. The reason the Blazers can’t get any wins is because they have no confidence or ferocity—two things their trainers can’t really help them out with.

The ferocity is a big one. More often then not, when they’re on the court, the Blazers look like a bunch of eight-year-olds waiting in line for a haunted house. They look jumpy and scared. They need to toughen up. Now, there are a few things I think they should try to solve this softness problem.

1. They can realize they are colossal human beings, and just harness the power of their stature.
2. Stotts and the assistant coaching staff can start slapping them around a little.
3. They can train like Rocky does in Rocky IV.

Number one won’t work, because the opposing team is typically made up of monstrous human specimens as well. Number two is mean. We don’t wanna break their spirits. So, number three has to be the one we go with. They need to be growing intimidating beards, jogging up snowy mountains, and lifting wooden carts full of boulders. They need high altitudes, low oxygen, and workouts that make them rough and leathery. Maybe even scar up those fresh faces of theirs. Get mean!

The confidence comes down to one thing. The fans. Friday night’s game against Golden State was a dismal display at the Moda Center. The ovations the Warriors received for every point they scored was unbelievable. It was no wonder the Blazers didn’t have the fire to take on a championship team. Nobody was cheering them on! What happened to the arena that opponents used to fear because of the raucous and rowdy crowd?

Last night the Blazers were set to face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC was coming off a four-game winning streak on the road. There was no doubt they were feeling confident and ferocious. On the other side, the Blazers have lost three straight at home. Thankfully, from the looks of things there was more home team colors in the crowd than Friday night. It appeared that we might have the numbers in the stands to transfer some energy to our team.

In the final two minutes it was that wild energy from the crowd, and five three-pointers from Damian Lillard, that were able to help push that win column up one more notch. Blazers win, 115-110. Rock Balboa would’ve been proud.

MORE RECAP AFTER THE JUMP>>>

The first quarter saw OKC pull out ahead early, but they never created enough momentum to build on it. The Blazers always had an answer and kept up with them. OKC took a one point lead into the second.

Blazers pulled ahead at the nine minute mark in the second, and were miraculously able to hold it until the horn blew at the half. Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis came out with double digits in the points column, and Davis was well on his way to a double-double with seven rebounds. Damian Lillard was a little cold, shooting 1-5 from the field.

Roughly four minutes into the third, Dame started pouring it on. Two quick three-pointers and a lay-up gave the Blazers their first double digit lead of the game. But it didn’t last long. OKC chopped it down to two in less than a minute. The Thunder was able to push their lead up to eight, eventually taking a five point lead into the final quarter.

All was looking lost with just under three minutes left and the Blazers down by seven. Then…Dame started bombing in three-pointers. The crowd was on their feet, pushing the decibels higher and higher. You could see the Blazers demeanor shift. When all the dust settled, Dame drilled five threes in in two minutes, cinching the win.

In his post game press conference, Coach Terry Stotts attributed the win to Lillard’s explosive performance in the final two minutes, and the teams overall focus throughout the contest.

“Understatement, that was quite a performance by Dame in the final two minutes. We were battling the whole game, then he came up big. When we got down, we kept our composure and found a way to win.”