The Portland Trail Blazers are the darlings of the NBA. They deserve to be; they've played great basketball.

Most of the credit, headlines, and praise will go to their sensational guard, Brandon Roy. But if you ask the guys in the Blazers' locker room about their success you'll quickly hear them praise Steve Blake. His numbers aren't flashy, but make no mistake about it; he's a big part of the puzzle for Portland.

"He's a maestro when he's on the court," said Martell Webster. "If you don't have a good point guard your offense is broke. Your offense is not connected, he keeps us connected."

Not only does he keep the team connected, he also keeps them efficient. He's a classic low maintenance, pass-first, sharp-shooting point guard. He gives the Blazers great leadership while playing unselfish, mistake-free basketball.

"He's a quiet leader," said Blazers head coach Nate McMillan. "He doesn't really say much. He pretty much does it by example. He's the guy that sets the tone for how we want to play, as far as defending, pushing the ball, and distributing the ball to our guys."

Those things are definitely positives for the Blazers, but Blake's presence alone changes everything for the team. Being the pass-first point guard he is, has allowed McMillan to play Brandon Roy at shooting guard – his natural position – without worrying about a decline in productivity. Much of Roy's success is the result of having Blake.

"He's helped me tremendously," agrees Roy. "Not only is he a good player, he's also a leader in the locker room. He knows when to come to me and tell me to step up. He knows how to get me the ball. We don't talk much about Steve but everyone in this locker room is important."

The lack of media attention doesn't bother Blake. If you take a second to think about it you'll see it's working to his advantage. People will continue to give Roy the credit and Greg Oden the headlines while Blake keeps controlling the tempo and stretching the floor.

"I really don't think about it too much," said Blake. "I'm happy for Brandon's success and mostly happy for the team's success. I've never been the superstar on a team or the guy scoring points. I always stick around, I've always been successful. That's what works for me.

He may not be a superstar, but if he continues playing at such a productive level he won't be an unknown much longer.