PORTLAND, Oregon — It was only game two of the Trail Blazers' regular season schedule, but Portland's 119-139 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Friday infused fans with the kind of do-or-die energy typically reserved for series-ending playoff games.

Coming off Thursday's bombshell arrest of Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups , it felt like the season was on the line after barely getting off the ground.

"We have to have their backs, you know, stuff happens," said Blazers fan Terry Butler. "You fight through it — go, Rip City! It's what we're here for. We're the heart of it."

On Thursday, the NBA suspended Billups following his indictment on federal charges tying him to a rigged poker ring run by the Mafia.

"I think Chauncey Billups is gone, and I can't think of him right

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