It’s hard to imagine what more you could expect out of the first preseason game of the year. Buzzer-beating shots? Check. Exciting alley-oop dunks? More than enough. Putback dunks? You better believe it. Greg Oden power dunks? Got those, too. A blowout win in front of a near capacity crowd? You know it.

There were so many positives to take away from the Portland Trail Blazers first preseason game that, as the final buzzer sounded, it seemed like nearly every player who saw significant time on the court made their mark during the 110-81 victory against the Sacramento Kings.

There was Brandon Roy, who tallied 14 points and seven assists in just 23 minutes of work. And there was Sergio Rodriguez, who proved how much of a force he could be at the point guard position. There was Joel Przybilla pulling down 12 rebounds in a reserve role. And you couldn’t forget LaMarcus Aldridge, who persevered through a difficult first half to finish with 13 points and five rebounds.

But the first preseason game belonged to the rookies.

And how could it not? After a year of anticipation, Greg Oden introduced himself to Portland with an array of powerful dunks and blocks that reminded the Rose Garden of the reasons why many consider the first pick of the 2007 draft to be a once in a lifetime center prospect. Two minutes into the first quarter, Oden threw down a two-handed jam and seemingly never looked back, finishing the game with 15 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists in his pro debut.

“I’m happy we won,” said Oden. “There’s always room for improvement. I felt I did alright. I wanted to grow and get better from there.

“I had no problem (in adjusting to his first NBA game). The guys told me, especially Joel, just to take a deep breath and go out there and play basketball. That’s all it is. I’m not as good as I was but I’m going to get there.”

Head coach Nate McMillan liked what he saw out of his young center.

“I think Greg (Oden) also showed us what he can do when in deep,” said McMillan. “We’ve got to get him in shape but you’ve got to see the potential he has. Sacramento could see it early by double teaming him, showing him some respect. He has great hands. He can get off the floor quicker than a lot of people his size.”

But Oden wasn’t the only rookie who impressed. Rudy Fernandez, the 6-6 guard from Spain, dazzled the home crowd with acrobatic moves near the basket and jaw-dropping passes, including a bounce pass between a defenders legs, that proved the performance he turned in during the Olympics wasn’t a fluke.

“I’m not surprised at what Rudy did,” said McMillan. “I’ve said all along his feel for the game is the best part of his game. He makes the right pass at the right time. I think that’s the strength of his game. Tonight he and Sergio helped us break the game open. I knew that the two of them on the court together would be a good combination because they have played together so much Spain. You can see they know each others games and have good eye contact.”

It would be easy to declare that the Portland Trail Blazers are destined for greatness this season by looking at the box score and the stellar individual performances, but with the long season having just started, it’s also worth noting that there are areas which require improvement.

“I saw a lot of good things but I also have some concerns that we need so work,” said McMillan. “For example, our conditioning wasn’t that good in the first quarter. We had no flow in the offense and the defense was slow to pick up. They got some penetration on us but then the defense really picked up for us in the second and third quarter and that was the thing that pleased me most.”