The topic is a little different today.. feel free to ignore the reflection and get right to junkin'! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, though. Just something I was thinking about tonight.

I looked up Ben's recap of last year's preseason opener today. Reading it, I was nostalgic. It sounds dumb to say... but there was something special about seeing the team for the first time... of watching Rudy at 3 in the morning during the summer, furiously checking Oden's rehab blog, and watching Nicolas make those first few plays against the Spurs.

Will we ever have another experience like last year? A team that's fun, young, and completely untested? Will we ever see Brandon Roy be the only effective offensive creator in a playoff series, carrying his entire team on his back by using every possession against the best defensive team in the league... and winning two games?

Will we ever exceed the general consensus by eight games again? Will there be that thrill of watching the team, complete, for the first time?

我这样说有两个原因。我喜欢上个赛季,which is why I've saved a number of games to watch in the coming years. It was special. But I also say it because I believe this year will the last one that we look back on in this way. Watching the team win is fantastic, but there's that magical feeling that you get when you see the team grow together. It's addictive. If you don't believe, go readBen's postfor yourself. The comment section is buzzing. You can practically see Ben's hands twitching at his laptop.

Let's all agree to appreciate this season. It may be the last season that we get to be the young team, the underdogs, the team without expectations. Don't wish it was 2011; I kind of like following the team just as it is now.

Before I sign off, I know that people will reply (correctly) that the point of sport is to ultimately win. While that's very true, I personally find watching a young team slowly grow together to be one of the most satisfying sports experiences of all.