Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are one of the best guard-forward combos in the NBA. (GETTY IMAGES)

Fans in the Pacific Northwest haven’t felt this good since Starbucks introduced the caramel macchiato.

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off a 54-win season and fresh off a trip to the Western Conference semifinals where they lost to eventual NBA champion San Antonio. Things are looking up in Portland, and expectations for the 2014-15 season are extremely high.

“We’re a good team and we’re a playoff team. We gotta do the things to make us stay at that level,” Blazers point guard Damian Lillard told NBA TV.

“In our team meeting I told the team we need to hold each other accountable. There’s only so much a coaching staff can do,” Lillard said. “You see Miami. You see Dwyane Wade and LeBron James arguing last year in the playoffs. On the outside they’re arguing. But really they’re holding each other accountable. That’s what made them a championship-level team. I think that’s our next step.”

General manager Neil Olshey thought the Blazers could move into elite status in year four of a four-year process, but they’ve actually done it in three years.

“A lot of it comes from the work Terry [Stotts] has done and a couple of impact moves, adding guys like Robin Lopez and Damian Lillard,” Olshey said.

Owner Paul Allen has deep pockets, so the Blazers have unlimited resources to build a championship team. And Olshey thinks they’re close after drafting a franchise point guard in Lillard two years ago to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge, whom Olshey calls the best power forward in the game.

Aldridge and Lillard have quickly become one of the best guard-forward combos in the NBA. It’s the similar model used by Olshey’s former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

The 6-11 Aldridge owns one of the best mid-range jump shots in basketball. He averaged career highs in points (23.2) and rebounds (11.1) last season, and was named to his third All-Star team. Aldridge, 29, is entering the prime years of his career while his teammate, Lillard, is just scratching the surface.

Lillard, 24, followed up his Rookie of the Year campaign with another superb year, averaging 20.7 points and earning third-team All-NBA honors. He’s also earning the reputation of being a clutch performer. The signature moment of the Blazers’ 2013-14 season came during the first round of the playoffs when he sent his team into the second round with his 3-point buzzer beater in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.

Lillard and Aldridge were one of three teammates to average 20 points per game. The other two were Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Sacramento’s Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins.

With Aldridge and Lillard leading the charge — and strong support from role players Wesley Matthews, Nic Batum and Lopez — the Blazers have one of the best starting fives in the NBA. Those five guys produced 84 points night after night. The improvement needs to come from the bench, an area the Blazers ranked near the bottom in the league.

Portland added veterans Steve Blake (second stint with the team) and Chris Kaman to the roster during the offseason, hoping to bolster the bench, and second-year guard C.J. McCollum has looked good in training camp and Will Barton continues to improve. McCollum, who can play point or shooting guard, will fill the spot vacated by Mo Williams to provide some scoring punch.

“All our young guys have gotten better,” Aldridge said. “C.J. has gotten better. And bringing Blake and Kaman is going to be great. Steve can help mentor Dame [Lillard] and help bring C.J. along.”

Another area of improvement for Portland is on the defensive end.

Last season the Blazers gave up 102.8 points per game, which was 22nd in the league. Defensive transition has been a point of emphasis in camp with hopes of cleaning up some of the woes that hurt them against better teams.

When you look at the recent history of the Blazers three names come to mind: Sam Bowie, Greg Oden and Brandon Roy. Those are three major investments that didn’t pan out.

Now, it is up to these Blazers to erase the bad memories and blaze a new trail.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. (GETTY IMAGES)

USA Basketball recently announced the 20 finalists who will compete for the 12 spots on the senior men’s national team that will represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Among the finalists are holdovers from the 2008 gold-medal winning team in Beijing: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Carmelo Anthony. Assuming all eight accept invitations to London, there are 12 players fighting for four spots which leaves USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski the dirty task of having to cut star players without embarrassing them in public.

RELATED: USA Basketball selects the 20 finalists for the 2012 London Olympics (July-August)

Injuries will certainly play a big part of the selection process, especially with Bryant (wrist) and Wade (foot). Both have hinted they would love to play in London, but it’ll depend on how their teams finish and if their injuries will get worse should they play through the summer. Not having Kobe or Wade in the Olympics will be a huge blow to Coach K but those two were the go-to guys in Beijing. When Team USA needed a basket in the fourth quarter, Coach K called on Kobe’s number first and then Wade was a very close second. That was evident in the gold-medal game against Spain when Wade was the catalyst in the first half and Kobe closed the deal.

With or without Bryant and Wade Team USA should field a dynamite team in London and be heavy favorites to win gold again. But just like the 2008 team Colangelo and Krzyzewski can’t pick a team based on star power or All-Star game appearances. Talent alone won’t get it done in London, just ask the 2006 U.S. squad that lost to Greece in the FIBA World Championships. The 2012 Olympic squad needs to be balanced and flexible enough to adapt to any situation. The guards must be physical enough to play through a lot of contact because the international referees oftentimes will allow physical play, the forwards have to knock down 3-pointers, and the big men must be quick enough to defend the perimeter.

Here are the 12 players who should make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team:

CENTER: Dwight Howard

Comment: Because the majority of the big men in the Olympics are perimeter oriented, you really don’t need more than one true center. Dwight Howard wasn’t a huge factor four years ago in Beijing and, at times, struggled to guard the 3-point shooters. Hopefully four years of experience will help Dwight adapt to the international game.

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala

Comment: Two years ago in Turkey, Kevin Durant showed the world what he can do in the FIBA World Championships. Now, it’s time for USA Basketball to recognize Durant as the centerpiece of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Durant has the perfect game to play against international competition. We know about his consistent outside shot (something LeBron and ‘Melo struggle with at times), but what the 6-foot-10 Durant presents is a mismatch at the forward position. He’s too big for small forwards and too quick for power forwards. Iguodala played well in the 2010 world championships, especially on defense. Iguodala can match up against guards or forwards, and his length and athleticism really bothered the great scorers from Europe. Love and Aldridge are better fits because they can knock down shots, which is extremely important in opening up the court for dribble penetration. Love and Aldridge can also play some center if needed, and in some instances Love or Aldridge are probably better options at center than Howard. This means the committee will have the tough choice to exclude Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin from the team. There will be a ton of pressure to add Griffin on the squad because of the excitement and hype he’ll bring to London, but it’ll depend on how many guards Coach K will carry on the roster.

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams

Comment: It will be hard to knock off any of these guards off the team, but if Kobe or Wade decide to pass on the Olympics, then Eric Gordon should be the next man up. Gordon played well in Turkey in 2010 and he has the game and built to play against the rugged competition. One key factor to watch is how Paul and Rose will keep defenses from zoning on them. Teams will gladly give up 3-point shots to CP3 and D-Rose to take away their dribble penetration. Rose was up-and-down at the 2010 worlds because he wasn’t too confident with his jump shot, something he has aggressively worked on the past four years. Coack K also has the option of playing Williams at shooting guard with Paul or Rose at the point, and won’t rule out moving Iguodala at guard to make room for another forward if Bryant and Wade are not available.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Kevin Durant wears the Goodman League All-Stars jersey during a game in August at Morgan State University. (GETTY IMAGES)

Kevin Durant has been one busy dude this summer and fall. He has been involved in seemingly every exhibition game since the NBA lockout started on July 1, showing up in player-organized events in Baltimore, Miami, New York’s Rucker Park, Long Beach and Philadelphia.

The beat goes on for the Oklahoma City Thunder all-star and Washington, D.C., native as he hosted his own star-studded pickup game Sunday night at Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Durant didn’t disappoint the announced crowd of 13,000 as he scored 42 points, grabbed 26 rebounds and had 10 assists to lead his White Team to a 176-171 overtime victory.

Durant’s triple-double overshadowed a scorching performance from Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley, who lit up Cox Center with 56 points. But in the end of a long shootout, Durant got plenty of help from LeBron James (40 points) and Russell Westbrook (34) to pull out the win. The Blue Team was led by New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who had 43 points and seven rebounds, and Oklahoma City’s James Harden, who is playing with a ton of confidence. Check out his alley-oop dunk off a bounce pass from New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul.

The White Team also included Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Boston Celtics forward and ex-Thunder Jeff Green and Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford. Aside from Anthony, Beasley, Paul and Harden, the Blue Team featured  Hawks guard Damien Wilkins and Houston Rockets guard Jonny Flynn.

There were several no-shows, including Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis and Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire. Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay showed up late and sat on the bench much of the game. Gay said his flight was delayed.

The game was a carbon copy of the other exhibition games during the summer: lots of threes, lots of one-on-one, and very little defense. There were a few highlights, such as Westbrook’s breakaway dunks and follow-ups, but for the most part the game resembled a Rookie Game All-Star contest. Maybe the players need to include Hollywood celebrities to spice things up.

Kevin Durant should be a lock to make the U.S. men's basketball team that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

USA Basketball recently finished a mini-camp in Las Vegas – what better place to hold a mini-camp than the entertainment capital of the world – and the system that Jerry Colangelo put in place four years ago seems to be working like a charm.

Mike Krzyzewski is back as head coach of Team USA and the coaching staff he brought to Beijing is also committed to serving another term with Coach K.

More importantly, the core of the team – Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul and Deron Williams – all have verbally committed to play for Team USA and make a run at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

Barring injury or some unforeseen engagement, the eight studs who led the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are back on board, which means only four roster spots remain unfilled.

But unlike in years past when USA Basketball would just take the next available player on the chart, the Colangelo-Coach K way is to find players who will fill a role and complement the rest of the squad.

With apologies to Vincent Thomas of NBA.com, here are four suggestions to start with:

KEVIN DURANT, Oklahoma City Thunder: The second overall pick in the 2007 put on a impressive workout during the mini-camp and is a lock to be the ninth player on the roster. Durant, a big guard (6-10) who can also play small forward, is already considered one of the top shooters in the league even though the former Texas Longhorn is only entering his third season as a pro. He averaged 25 points per game last year and shot an incredible 42% from 3-point range. Having a good perimeter game is paramount in the FIBA game and Durant can definitely fill the role of “Sniper.”

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, Portland Trail Blazers: Aldridge is perfect for the international game. He’s a big man (6-11) who can face up and shoot from mid-range. Versatility is really important in FIBA competition. Past Team USA failures can be traced to the inability of its bigs to defend quick centers and forwards. During the 2008 Olympics, Howard and Bosh complemented each because they have contrasting styles. Aldridge is cut from the same cloth as Bosh, and has the game and the demeanor to compete in the big stage.

Portland's Brandon Roy should be a good fit for Team USA. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BRANDON ROY, Portland Trail Blazers: Instead of going with a traditional point guard, such as Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose, Roy would be better suited on this team. At 6-5, Roy can play either guard position and is saavy enough to find his shots within the team concept. Rose and Rondo need the ball to be effective neither one has a consistent jump shot to run teams out of their zones. With Paul and Williams playing the bulk of the minutes, Roy is basically just insurance policy in case either PG gets hurt and gets into foul trouble. He is a good enough ball handler to handle the point and, when Kobe or D-Wade start isolating defenders, Roy can easily slide into the SG spot and play off the ball.

BLAKE GRIFFIN, Los Angeles Clippers: To be a good 12th Man on the Redeem Team, you need to have a pair of good, strong shoulders to carry all the luggages for Mr. Bryant, Mr. James and Mr. Wade. Griffin is the man for the job. He’s 6-10, 250 pounds, has super-strong arms and has the Body by Jake. Christian Laettner perfected the role of 12th Man back in 1992 for the original Dream Team. Laettner’s biggest contribution to the team was hauling the bags from the hotel lobby to the team bus.