When the challenge

becomes the point

JOE FREEMAN

Sitting behind the wheel of his GMC Denali SUV, Steve Blake, the ever-composed, perpetually poised Trail Blazers point guard, faced one of his least favorite scenarios: He lost control.

In the middle of Oregon's biggest snowstorm in decades, the Miami native was driving his father Richard home along a hillside in their West Linn neighborhood when they encountered a treacherous blend of ice, snow and slush. Even though he was in a four-wheel drive with chains on the tires, Blake lost control on the slope and zigzagged across the street, barreling over snow-covered sidewalks, edges of driveways and yards.

"It's really hilly in our neighborhood and we spun out," Blake said, laughing, as he recalled the moment. "We didn't hit anything, but it was kind of funny . . . the car was going back and forth no matter what you did, chains or not.

"So I was like, '(Dad), I'm done. I'm going to give it a rest tonight. I'll get you tomorrow if you need anything.' "

It was a rare --but fitting --moment of resignation for the unflappable Blake, who is playing the best Basketball of his NBA career in the most comfortable environment of his career, all while being urged behind-the-scenes to break out of his comfort zone.

After playing for four different teams during his first four NBA seasons, Blake is finally settled with the Blazers. For the first time in his career, he entered the season with a defined role and as a clear-cut starter, which has resulted in the best statistics of his career.

The sixth-year veteran is averaging 11.5 points per game --three points more than his previous season high --and leads the Blazers in three-pointers made (70) and three-point shooting percentage (42.7). Blake has scored 20 or more points five times this season, two more than all of last season and is averaging 4.5 assists per game.

And off the court, his wife Kristin is due to give birth to their second son in February and his parents live in the same neighborhood, a few streets away.

Ironically, in the midst of this professional success and domestic tranquility, Blazers coach Nate McMillan has been as hard and demanding with his point guard as ever, motivating Blake to expand his game.

McMillan has pressed Blake, a spot-up shooter and pass-first point guard, to be more aggressive driving to the basket in the half court offense and during one-on-one matchups. He has urged Blake to be assertive in the defense by picking up opposing point guards full court. And McMillan has prodded his quiet player to be more vocal and forceful on the court.

Starting last summer, McMillan planted the seed in Blake that he is no longer a bench player trying to prove his worth, so it's time for Blake, conservative by nature, to take more chances and risks on the court.

"What I've tried to do with Steve is challenge him, really challenge him, as far as stepping up and being the leader of this team and also improving his game," McMillan said. "And he's starting to take that challenge and make big plays against (good point guards). I'm really hard on him . . . purposefully I've gone at him, really starting in the summer, about how we want that point guard position to be played.

"It's not as it was my first year or so when he could go out and just make plays and figure it out. Now, he's gotta bring it and I'm not setting for anything less. And if he doesn't, he'll hear about it. It's pushing him. I'm going to get everything I can from him and I want him to know that. He's got to expand his game."

McMillan regularly singles Blake out during pre- and postgame team meetings and during film review sessions, particularly when Blake faces the NBA's best point guards. All-Star Brandon Roy and emerging third-year player LaMarcus Aldridge may be the Blazers' offensive focal points, but McMillan is pushing Blake to become more of a factor.

"It doesn't matter who (my opponent) is . . . I should be going out there and winning that battle," Blake said. "That's what Coach expects from me and I enjoy that. He's challenging me to become the player I should be."

And Blake is winning his fair share of battles. During the Blazers' victory over the Phoenix Suns in December, when Roy exploded with 52 points, Blake quietly outplayed former MVP point guard Steve Nash. Blake finished with 22 points, 10 assists, four steals, four rebounds --and zero turnovers --all while helping the Blazers' defense force Nash into a game-high six turnovers.

Similarly, during the Blazers' unlikely victory over the Boston Celtics and budding point guard Rajon Rondo, when they played without an injured Roy, Blake made 8 of 12 field goals, including 5 of 7 three-pointers, and scored a team-high 21 points.

There also was the 19 points, seven rebounds and game-winning three-pointer against Toronto and point guard Jose Calderon, a rumored trade target of the Blazers last season.

"The game against Nash, that's what I'm talking about," McMillan said. "Go at Nash. He's an MVP and all that, but you have to attack him. Don't sit around waiting. The other night against Rondo he played well. And I told him after both games, 'Hey, that's what I'm talking about. Those top guards, make them work, too. Make them defend you. You defend them, but make them defend you. Challenge yourself.' He outplayed Rondo, he outplayed Nash. And that makes a big difference for us. We won both games."

There have been some discouraging moments, including a matchup against All-Star point guard Chris Paul and New Orleans in November, when Blake made 1 of 6 field goals and finished with three points and four assists. Also, against the Lakers Sunday night at Staples Center, Blake was 5 of 14 for 13 points and had two turnovers.

But like his the encounter with that icy hillside, Blake is meeting McMillan's challenge head-on this season and trying to expand his comfort zone.

"For me, it's definitely a challenge," Blake said. "It's just, I like to stick with what works for me. It's not natural. But if (McMillan) believes that's what's best for our team, I'm going to try to get better at it, of course. That's a whole different type of point guard. So that's something I have to get better at. But I'm working on it." Joe Freeman: 503-294-5183;

joefreeman@news.oregonian.com

To read his Behind the Beat blog,

go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/

behindblazersbeat/

-- Joe Freeman: 503-294-5183;

joefreeman@news.oregonian.com

To read his Behind the Beat blog,

go to http://blog.oregonlive.com/

behindblazersbeat/