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Playoff Bound: The Blazers’ Journey and The Dream

By Minh Dao

Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. In the background is Portland center Jusuf Nurkic (27). The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. In the background is Portland center Jusuf Nurkic (27). The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. In the background is Portland center Jusuf Nurkic (27). The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates with teammate guard CJ McCollum (left) after scoring 59 points in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. In the background is Portland center Jusuf Nurkic (27). The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

The Larry O’Brien Trophy… All 30 teams in the NBA have the dream of claiming the game’s biggest prize. And for the Blazers, their journey started last postseason.

The target for every NBA franchise is to maximize their win totals – making up their standard and image around the league. The Blazers started this after all-star LaMarcus Aldridge left in the summer of 2015 and they still managed a 44 wins and only a 7 win regression from the previous season. First round of the playoffs meant a match up with the (injury-raveled) Los Angeles Clippers which resulted in a 4-2 series win. Unfortunately the Blazers were unable to overcome the Golden State Warriors in the second round, going down 4-1.

The Journey

Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) looks over his shoulder during the second half after scoring a three point shot in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) looks over his shoulder during the second half after scoring a three point shot in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

That wasn’t the moral of the story. The loss resulted with the birth of another path. Another chip on the shoulders of this young roster. The 2015-16 Blazers got a taste of what the journey felt like to fight through the 82 season grind, and get a sniff of the playoffs. The intensity. The atmosphere. The stakes. These are some of the intangibles that motivates a roster lead by their strong leader Damian Lillard.

Despite an up-and-down season, they fought and clawed their way to a 41-41 record and now face a clicking Golden State Warriors. They’ve looked great, and even better now with Kevin Durant back in the lineup. The whole 2015-16 season set a precedent for the Blazers to gain some experience, some expectations of which they could strive for. 2016-17 may not have gone the way they envisioned, but they’re certainly hitting their stride as well.

As one of the hottest teams in the NBA since March, the Blazers hope to shock the world:

"“I was asked in six or seven [games], and I said six. It was a lighthearted exchange,” Lillard told ESPN on Thursday. “But with that said, I do believe we can win the series.”"

Lillard (and CJ McCollum) will never be short on confidence, and that’s what makes their play and attitude something to admire. The others down the list rally behind them and with the acquisition of Jusuf Nurkic, this team has a new sense of swagger. A revived spark that was missing prior to the all-star break.

Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates after scoring a basket during the second half in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates after scoring a basket during the second half in a game against the Utah Jazz at Moda Center. The Trail Blazers won 101-86. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dream

There are a few number of teams that had a higher win percentage than the Blazers after the festivities in New Orleans (one happening to be the Warriors). They had the NBA’s best record in March, and even when Nurkic went down, the team still went 4-3 (two games were scrub games).

Basically going forward, the Blazers have four things to be proud of:

  1. Nurkic fever is seriously contagious
  2. Team chemistry kept them in tact – the cracks were sealed and strengthened
  3. The Letter O and Crafty James McCollum can coexist as a back court (for now)
  4. They’re ready for Curry and Co – bring on the Warriors

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