But the chants for Rudy Fernandez were deafening.

Oden may have been the talk before the game, but by the time the Portland Trail Blazers bloodied the Sacramento Kings 110-81, Fernandez was the all the rave. Fernandez left a memorable impression, filling the Rose Garden with chants of "Rudy-Rudy-Rudy" with every dunk and wowing pass.

"I'm not surprised at what Rudy did," said Nate McMillan after the win.

"I've said all along his feel for the game is the best part of his game. He makes the right pass at the right time. I think that's the strength of his game."

Rudy's six points and five assists do not tell the whole story.

The highlight reel does.

Whatever you do tonight or in the morning, make sure you catch a glimpse of Fernandez on SportsCenter or YouTube for that matter. He was absolutely sick – complete with shades of Pistol Pete Maravich. Believe that.

Oden was as advertised. He played just under 20 minutes and finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks (part of 10 total blocks by Portland in the game). He started slow though. Chalk it up to first quarter jitters. Then again, the whole team started slow giving up 10 points in the paint alone in the first quarter. That changed coming out for the second half as the Blazers improved defensively as the game went on.

Portland's five starters all finished in double-digits with Martell Webster going for a quiet 15 points.

Yet with all the hype surrounding Oden and Fernandez, it was Sergio Rodriguez who stepped his game up the most. He looked loose. Real loose. And after playing poor defense out of the gate, Sergrio excelled once he teamed-up with fellow countrymen Fernandez.

"I knew that the two of them on the court together would be a good combination because they have played together so much in Spain," McMillan added.

"You can see they know each others games and have good eye contact."

As for Sacramento, head coach Reggie Theus was a little despondent. What do you expect with no Kevin Martin or Brad Miller (both out with quad strains). Theus said he planned on showing his Kings a lot of game film come Wednesday – a lot of game film.

Something tells me even they will be in awe of Rudy - again.

On this night – the first chance Portland truly had the chance to see their hometown team – the Blazers did not disappoint. That goes for Greg Oden, certainly Rudy Fernandez and the rest of the Blazers.

Tomorrow night, with the Golden State Warriors in town, a possible encore awaits.

All eyes are on Portland tonight and rightly so.

Four reasons: Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, Brandon Roy and the postseason. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

As  the Trail Blazers get ready to host the Sacramento Kings at the Rose Garden in the first preseason game for both clubs, the talk is all about Greg Oden and if this is the start of something great in Portland.

Oden will likely play only 20 minutes. His conditioning is far from where the Blazers want it to be and the Blazers continue to monitor his health - both the knee and ankle. Yet it's his conditioning that is the main concern.

"He's not there yet," head coach Nate McMillan said about Oden's conditioning. McMillan went on to say he wasn't sure if it will even be ready come the start of the regular season in Los Angeles.

Brandon Roy will also see limited time. Look for Rudy Fernandez to play the majority of the minutes at shooting guard.

But aside from the Oden and Fernandez hype, this is a chance for Portland to find out who they are.

"My message to them tonight is, 'what is the hype about?'," McMillan explained.

"Who are we? We have potential is what we have."

Potential has never buzzed so much as it has at the start of a single preseason game. Some would even say  this is a meaningless preseason game. And if Portland comes out flat against an upstart Kings team (they did win the season series against Portland last year, 3-1), that will be all the talk leaving the Rose Garden tonight.

If the Blazers roll, then this could be the start of something big.

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Just a quick word of thanks….

Thanks to those who joined me last year during the Courtside Blog out of Portland, you guys made it fun. And welcome to those new to the CB this season….should be nothing short of exciting.

Thanks also for always reading and writing. I appreciate the support - and razzing - and for those who want to know the latest coming out of Portland….feel free to drop me an email at wmaxey@hoopsworld.com.

I'll hit you back….

Enjoy the season!