It was an hour before Portland tipped-off against the Houston Rockets on Friday night and McMillan sat in his office at the Rose Garden sipping his hot lemon water. He was a day removed from a harsh road trip back East that saw the Blazers play seven games in 13 days and McMillan spoke candidly when asked what he learned about his young team with nearly two weeks on the road.

"Well, I didn't come back wanting to drop some of them off someplace," McMillan joked before speaking from the heart.

"They were pros. We went out on that trip and we worked. Usually something happens, some attitude or you get tired of seeing each other, or someone does something. It was none of that."

Instead, it was strictly business for the youngest team in the league. Despite Portland going 3-4 on that roadie, McMillan quickly realized what he had in his team and still stands in awe of the complete professionalism in which they handle themselves.

"These guys are pros. It's nice to work with pros," McMillan said.

"There are guys that I played with (in Seattle) who were pros in the sense of, how they prepared and were focused night in and night out. And that's what our guys were about. Detlef Schrempf was one of those guys. Sam Perkins was one of those guys, and these guys were pretty much like that."

Such maturity has not only come to embody Portland's steady rise in the Northwest Division this season, but also explains the refreshing character of the Blazers' locker room, one which reminds McMillan of a collegiate atmosphere at times. 

"They have similar personalities in the sense that, they are not guys who need a lot of attention. It's not about them. The limelight doesn't need to shine on them."

Even the way his club dealt with minuet details impressed McMillan on the trip.

There was no bravado after he initiated a team wide curfew with early games in Toronto and Atlanta.

"There could have been guys hanging out. Nobody said anything. I think I heard a couple guys repeat it, like 'you should be in'.

With the awkward travel schedule of playing back-to-back games twice, Portland's practice time was limited to quickly walking through plays and reviewing video. Such mundane acts would surely push guys right over the edge, but not this group. 

"There wasn't any grumbling. It was like talking to a veteran team."

So what is it about this team that has allowed them to become such a proficient unit in such a short amount of time, let alone on a lengthy road trip?

"I think it is their personalities," McMillan explained.

"Brandon (Roy) is a pro. LaMarcus (Aldridge) is a pro. (Jarrett) Jack is a pro. Steve (Blake) is a pro. I think James (Jones) is a big part of it. And what I mean by pro is, it's about business.

"It's not about them."

Those words ring true all the way to Sunday afternoon when Portland overcame a 19-point third quarter deficit, down 14 points with roughly nine minutes left in the game, to beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks for the second time in seven days.

And no sooner does Nate McMillan applaud the professionalism of his team, do they turn right around and show you just what being a pro looks like.

It's nice to watch pros.