After a heated first round, eight of your favorite Portland Trail Blazers advanced. Now, we take a look at who you picked to move on to the semi-finals.
The Portland Trail Blazers fan favorite tournament took off at full steam ahead, as hundreds of votes were counted to determine who would move on from the preliminary round of 16. Wesley Matthews, Robin Lopez and Damon Stoudamire would be among those looking to capitalize on a dominant first round performance.
Here’s a look at how the bracket shook out entering the second round.
The show goes on! We advance to the second round of the Fan Favorite tournament, picking your favorite Blazers to watch over the years. Follow this thread to vote for second-round matchups! pic.twitter.com/blEZxQbtti
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) August 11, 2019
Round 2 Matchups
Damon Stoudamire vs. Nicolas Batum
Who they beat to get here:
- Stoudamire: Evan Turner
- Batum: Andre Miller
“Mighty Mouse” Damon Stoudamire was coming off the heels of one of the first rounds most dominating performances, taking home 79 percent of the votes. However he’d have a much tougher problem on his hands this time around in the form of Nic Batum, one of the best Blazers in recent memory and someone many fans are hoping for a reunion with sometime soon.
A back-and-forth battle would soon ensure, with both players repeatedly exchanging the lead throughout the process. When it was all said and done however, Stoudamire would be the victor by a handful of votes.
Joel Przybilla vs. Bonzi Wells
Who they beat to get here:
- Przybilla: Martell Webster
- Wells: Meyers Leonard
Przybilla earned his reputation and nickname as “The Vanilla Gorilla” by playing bruising bully ball down low on the block. In the same fashion, he bulldozed his way through the first round. Bonzi Wells surprised many by taking down a player who has yet to play in any jersey besides a Portland one. That positive momentum wouldn’t be enough for Bonzi however, falling to Przybilla in decisive fashion.
The Blazers Fan Favorite Tournament: Round 2
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) August 11, 2019
"The Vanilla Gorilla" VS "The Bonz"
Robin Lopez vs. Gerald Wallace
Who they beat to get here:
- Lopez: Darius Miles
- Wallace: Travis Outlaw
RoLo garnered 80 percent of votes to club Darius Miles in true caveman fashion en route to a preliminary round victory. His victory was decisive even Sideshow Bob himself would be proud. Gerald Wallace also outgunned his first round opponent despite only being with the franchise one year. His exciting style of play may have been enough then, but not having much longevity with the team hurt him heavily here as he only received 21 percent of the votes against Lopez.
Wesley Matthews vs. Ed Davis
Who they beat to get here:
- Matthews: Al-Farouq Aminu
- Davis: Steve Blake
This round proved to be the most conflicting of all second-round matchups. “This one is mean”, “This is an impossible decision” and “You can not make us choose between Wes and Ed”. were all comments made in the replies on Twitter in response to this proposed showdown. That being said, the end result was pretty decisively not all that close, as 81 percent of people chose “Iron Man” Wesley Matthews over lovable Ed Davis.
The Blazers Fan Favorite Tournament: Round 2
— Rip City Project (@ripcityproject) August 11, 2019
"Iron Man" VS Ed Davis
The second round is currently up and running for you to participate in. If you’d like to see the updated bracket, click here. If you want to vote for Stoudamire or Przybilla, click here. If you want to vote for Lopez or Matthews, click here. Thanks for playing along!