It has been a nightmare season for veteran coach Bob and his team. The bright points have been few and far between, as the team is looking for somewhere to hide. Today's game was equally painful, as the team opened up strong but collapsed down the stretch, failing to take advantages of numerous opportunities to get back in the game. Smith helped put the nail in the coffin today with his outstanding game.

"Bob talked a lot of junk before the start of the season." stated Portland Smith. "They may be one of the worst teams in the league, but we know that everyone in that locker room wants to play just a little harder when they see Chicago on their schedule."

"Sure, they do stink." added head coach Bob, "but look at what happened when teams have been overconfident against them. Not that I can really blame them. If we were that pathetic, I think I would rather play all rookies and lose that way then be embarrassed."

Portland was led by Smith (19 points, 10 boards, 1 assists, a steal, a block), Mcneil (24 points), Holt (15 points, 2 steals, a block). Chicago was led by Joseph (21 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, a steal, a block), Judson (16 points, 15 boards, 1 assists, a block), Souza (12 points, 7 boards, 1 assists, a steal).

Portland jump to 25-23 and 14-7 at home after this victory. They remain at #4 in the Northwest and improve to #9 overall in the Western Conference. Chicago fall to 19-29. They hold at #3 in the Central and remain at #10 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Portland roster Chicago roster