Greg Oden had one of his finest games of the season in their win at Toronto last Sunday, something Nate McMillan wanted to acknowledge in front of the entire Portland team following the game.
"He was really looking like that center of the future," McMillan said. "I just thought he did some good things, and so I said that to the team. I said, 'Big fella, you came through. I like what you are doing.'"
Spontaneously, his teammates erupted in applause.
"For us, we just had to clap for him," forward Channing Frye said. "I think it was more to show him that we do want him to succeed. And we want him to succeed with us."
Oden was appreciative of the ovation, but he downplayed the scene, uneasy about the attention being on him, not the team.
"It felt good. We won, that's the thing," Oden said on Wednesday. "It was a good game, a tough game, and we all played good."