Reliving Maurice Cheeks’ viral anthem assist was the heartwarming highlight of the Blazers' season

Every once in a while something so remarkable happens that it jumps past all the other very important events of the day and becomes banner news. So while the Oregon men are moving through the Big Ten tournament and two in-state women’s teams just battled for an NCAA Tournament berth, Bill Oram and Brenna Greene absolutely had to start this week’s episode of the Oregonian Sports Podcast with a thorough breakdown of Natalie Zito, nee Gilbert’s, surprise appearance to sing the national anthem in front of ex-Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks on Wednesday night. While the Blazers have been on an upswing in the second half of the season, the franchise’s idea to reunite Gilbert and Cheeks may have been the season’s best moment. Also discussed on this week’s episode: • Combined with Bill Walton’s tribute night 72 hours earlier, this has been a big week for Blazers game ops • Bill describes other memorable national anthem performances, including a notable freeze-job by an Oscar nominee • Oregon State’s win over Portland in the WCC women’s title game was a celebration of Oregon hoops • The Oregon men further burnished their March Madness resume with a win over Indiana on the Hoosiers’ home turf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices