Mar 30, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots the ball between Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard Wesley Matthews (2), small forward Luke Babbitt (8) and center Meyers Leonard (11) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 125-98. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday is Portland’s final game of the season. It’s also their final home game of the season, meaning it’s also Fan Appreciation Night. That’s a good thing. Fans certainly need to be appreciated for this season. They also need to realize that appreciating this team for just showing up ends after tonight.

And because the Blazers’ next season won’t have the limited expectations of this season, I say that we try as hard as we can to both enjoy Wednesday’s game and then immediately start ignoring it when things start to go wrong. And trust me, things will start going wrong.

Portland hasn’t been in a game in a month, Golden State is still playing for playoff seeding, and outside of maybe LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers won’t be getting any help from the starters they’ve already shut down for the season. The Warriors are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs; the Blazers have, to quote Charles Barkley, “packed their bags for vacation.” There’s a very good chance this game won’t be close.

Because of that, I’m going to keep this preview short.

Blazers Starting 5: PG Damian Lillard, SG Will Barton, SF Victor Claver, PF J.J. Hickson, C Meyers Leonard

Warriors Starting 5: PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Harrison Barnes, PF David Lee, C Festus Ezeli

What to Watch For

• Can Portland shoot well without this game turning into a shoot-out. Steph Curry is going to be shooting for the single-season record for three-pointers made. Damian Lillardis going to be shooting to extend his rookie record and franchise record for three pointers made. Straight up, Lillard versus Curry favors Curry, but probably not by all that much (or at least less than Curry versus some other not so dead-eye shooters). However, Steph isn’t the only shooter on Golden State’s roster, and Dame is the only one left on Portland’s. Klay Thompson can light it up from deep, Harrison Barnes has range, Jarrett Jack can knock down a deep one or two. Long story short, the Blazers need to shoot, but they also need to avoid turning this game into a three-point shooting contest. That’s something Portland won’t win.
• Interior defense and defensive rebounding. The Blazers are going to give up a ton of points in the paint. Their objective should maybe be to give up only half a ton of points inside. To do that, they should focus pretty heavily on defensive rebounding.
• Will the fans be into it. All things considered, 2012-13 has been a pretty remarkable season. After having to endure last season’s team of guys who could have cared less about the Blazers and gave up 20 games into the campaign, it was refreshing to see the 12-13 Blazers come out and compete every night. Thirteen loses in a row are a bit of a downer, but Damian Lillard has been fantastic while making up for nearly a decade of futility at the point guard position, LaMarcus Aldridge has emerged as a totally legit All-Star, and the Blazers core four have proven to be at or near the top of best performing units in the league. Everything that has happened this season is a prelude to what this team can be given the right set of off-season circumstances. Hopefully Portland fans will make it out for this last game of the season, celebrating the good that did happen in 2012-13 while also preparing for what will hopefully be a bright and fruitful future.

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

January 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

About halfway through Friday’s fourth quarter in Golden State, I was planning to start my recap with this:

In the near to not so distant future, after Neil Olshey has flipped J.J. Hickson for a first round pick that ends up being worth four times his value, signed a reliable bench scorer like J.J. Redick in free agency, and drafted a couple serviceable second rounders who turn out to be either NBA-ready or develop-able, and the Blazers are playing either in or playing for the Western Conference Championship, I’d be willing to bet that somebody, maybe Nicolas Batum, maybe Damian Lillard, maybe Wesley Matthews will attribute the beginning of their run to relevancy to a Thursday night in Portland when they pulled off a miraculous comeback against LeBron James and the Miami Heat. You know what they won’t be talking about? The night after, when they got ripped to shreds by the Golden State Warriors.

Then something happened, and I had to change the angle of my recap. That something that happened was Damian Lillard. We’ve come to expect greatness from Dame through 36 games, but I’m not sure anybody expected to see what we saw Friday. Yes, Portland ended up on the wrong end of this one (losing 103-97), but in the process of getting to that final score, Blazer fans got to see their budding superstar absolutely take a game over.

We’ve seen Damian excel in various situations. His step-back dagger three against the Knicks at MSG was huge, his all-around performance on TNT against the Spurs put him on the map, his game-winner against Anthony Davis and the Hornets announced his dominance over the other rookies in his class. None of that stacks up will what he did Friday.

Starting at the 4:16 mark of the third quarter, with his team down 20 and looking thoroughly defeated, Dame hit an 18-footer. He made his next nine field goal attempts. His 10th straight came on a driving, twisting lay-up cutting Golden State’s lead to seven. By then, Dame had hit shots from 26 feet, 27 feet, and 29 feet, and Mark Jackson was sending every guy he had to double Lillard and get the ball out of his hands. He had willed Portland back into this game. If Luke Babbitt or Wesley Matthews could have knocked down a three, or if the Blazers could have corralled one or two more defensive rebounds, we’d be celebrating yet another close win.

As it stands, Portland started slowly, and a strong Golden State team didn’t let them get away with it. And because of that, Damian’s best game as a pro comes in a loss.

There’s a silver lining buried in Friday’s loss, not buried even, it’s right near the top. And it’s not just one silver lining, it’s a couple silver linings plural.

Here’s the first one: Friday, the Blazers proved they could play with one of the better teams in the league, on that team’s home court, when every single one of their main guys was absolutely dog tired. Yes Portland has now won in Madison Square Garden and at the FedEx Forum, two of the toughest places to win games on the road in the NBA, so in a sense they should have already learned that they can play with good teams in hostile environments, but after getting run ragged against the best team in the NBA they can be forgiven for taking the night off. That they showed up (albeit after not showing up for three quarters of the game) and were able to compete when they must have been exhausted speaks volumes to the character of this team.

Which leads very nicely to the second of my silver linings. Losing on Friday in a close game should show these guys that they can’t just get close and then expect their opponent to let them win. I’m still not fully on board with the Blazers making the Playoffs this season, I think with Minnesota and the LA Lakers in various stages of falling apart for various reasons and Utah probably in sell-off mode at the trade deadline it’s mighty likely Portland secures the number eight seed but I’m protecting myself emotionally, but if the core of this group can stay together and Olshey can add some good pieces the Blazers will compete for a spot next season and will be in the hunt for seasons to come. Getting to the point where they get leads and maintain leads instead of trying like hell to make a comeback, is an important step in making the dream of the Playoffs and consistent contention a reality. Losing Friday keeps the Blazers from getting complacent and banking on the miracle comeback.

And of course, that leads me to my final and most obvious silver lining. Damian Lillard has already proved he can lead the Blazers. Friday, Damian Lillard showed that he can put his team on his back. Maybe he already knew he could do that, and maybe he didn’t. But after tonight’s game there should be absolutely no doubt about it. Why is it important for Dame to put his team on his shoulders? Because there have been a few times this season when we’ve seen Lillard differ too much. I asked Damian after a game not too long ago if he ever thought about shooting the ball more often. He said he takes what the game gives him and plays within himself. That’s a fantastic attitude, and the kind of play that makes Dame such a special player. But there are times when he needs to be assertive.

There are times in a player’s career when a big play or a big game changes who they are or what they are capable of becoming. In 2008-09, Brandon Roy’s game winning heave against the Houston Rockets was that kind of play. Brandon had always been clutch, but he’d never been clutch like that before. Brandon was an assassin in late game situations after that.

Lillard’s 37 points on 25 field goal attempts is an example of the kind of offense he’s capable of. His explosion in the third and fourth quarters is an example of why calling his own number should be one of Portland’s best options. If a star-making offensive night turns into a run of high efficiency scoring nights, losing to the Warriors was totally worth it.

Portland got over a big win on Thursday to put up a gallant losing effort on Friday. Now we’ll have to see if they get over a frustrating loss by Sunday. That Oklahoma City Thunder is going to be yet another formidable opponent.

The Blazers take on OKC at the Rose Garden, and will attempt to stretch their home winning streak to double digits.

Just a couple quick things:

• Standings Watch: Portland’s now 20-16 and in sole possession of the eighth seed in the West, half a game behind the Rockets for seven and a full two games up on the Jazz for out of the race.

Also here’s a great video of Thursday’s big win:

Box Score

Standings

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com

January 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) celebrates after making a three-point basket against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Trail Blazers 103-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Damian Lillard returns home to Oakland for his first time as a professional to face a tough young Warriors back court owner of two Rookie of the Month awards. Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a team out west led by an All-Star power forward and a hot shooting young point guard that has taken the NBA by storm. They’re the fastest risers in the league, are directed by a potential coach of the year, they’ll make the Playoffs almost for sure, and given the right match-up they could very possibly make a deep post-season run.

Think I’m talking about the Blazers? LA’s an All-Star, Damian Lillard is a top-10 point guard, and over the last 15 games Portland (at 12-3) is tied for the second best record in the NBA. So you’d be right about those things. But a deep Playoff run? Sure if the Lakers don’t figure it out and the T-Wolves can’t survive without Kevin Love for two months and the Utah Jazz don’t get crazy hot when Mo Williams comes back, the Playoffs are certainly in play, but without a bench, the Blazers might be able to steal a game from the Thunder or the Clippers but not a series.

The hot Western Conference team, the sleeper pick to make the Western Conference Finals (depending on where they finish at the end of the season) is the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee, and Harrison Barnes are the backbone of a strong team that has jumped out to fifth place in the West. They play an up-tempo, inside-out game, and without Monta Ellis, they seem to have shed the rep of being the worst decision makers in the league.

Blazers Starting 5: PG Damian Lillard, SG Wesley Matthews, SF Nicolas Batum, PF LaMarcus Aldridge, C J.J. Hickson

Warriors Starting 5:  PG Stephen Curry, SG Klay Thompson, SF Harrison Barnes, PF David Lee, C Festus Ezeli

In 2012-13, the Blazers have had trap games, get-right games, must-win games, and can’t lose games (which are different than must-win games). However, they haven’t quite had a game like Friday’s.

Here are the specs: Portland is on the second of a back-to-back, Thursday night (for those will HORRIBLE short-term memories) the Blazers led for the most important 26 seconds of their game against the Miami Heat, four of Portland’s five starters are 24 hours removed from logging 40 minutes of smash-mouth basketball. The Blazers almost never win in Oakland. And Golden State is staring down a three-game losing streak that could undermine all they’ve done to open the season.

And here’s the kicker, Damian Lillard will be playing as a profession in his hometown for the first time (in case you didn’t know, Damian Lillard grew up in Oakland). Portland should be totally depleted, both emotionally and physically, and one of their most important players is playing probably the biggest game of his life. Who knows what to expect.

What to Watch For

• Will the combination of Curry and Thompson shoot the Blazers out of Oracle. For my money, there is no better young back court combination than Klay Thompson (in his second season) and Steph Curry (in his third). Thompson is a dead-eye, spot-up shooter; Curry is maybe the best young point guard in the league (he’s not quite Damian Lillard’s ceiling since I think Dame is a better traditional point guard, but he is certainly the closest comparison I can think of). Both guys can flat out shoot the ball. Portland’s perimeter defense has had its Swiss cheese moments this season. If Thompson and Curry are not defended well, if they are allowed to get lots of open looks, the Blazers will put themselves in a hole very early. Here’s the good thing though, Portland is coming off a pretty impressive defensive night. Maybe LeBron James was just off on Thursday, or maybe Wesley Matthews really is a stopper on the defensive end. Either way, this team should probably be pretty pumped about how they kept Miami from hitting shots down the stretch that would very easily would have kept Portland at arm’s length. Klay Thompson is not LeBron James. Wesley Matthews should be able to disrupt his game a little bit. Curry one-on-one with Damian Lillard will be a little more interesting. Dame struggled a bit against Mario Chalmers at times on Thursday. Curry doesn’t play D like Chalmers does, but if Dame tries to get into a shooting contest with Steph it could be a long night.
• Are the Blazers over their biggest win of the season. Thursday night I asked Wesley Matthews how this team can carry the momentum from beating the Heat into beating the Warriors (you can watch a bit of his response here, I’m the guy over Wesley’s left shoulder who is made up mostly of hair). He said, as he tends to do, that the team will enjoy it until midnight and then get onto the next one. He says it. He believes it. But can Portland play like they actually mean it? I submit as exhibit A proving that maybe they cannot, the second game of 2013 for the Blazers played in Toronto against the Raptors.
• What will Damian’s homecoming be like. Dame has done absolutely nothing wrong throughout his 35 games as a professional. Thursday he missed two free throws and a three in the fourth quarter (two big misses). I asked him if he was feeling pressure for the first time with the ball in his hands trying to sink the defending NBA Champs. Of course he said no. The ball goes in sometimes, and sometimes it doesn’t, is what he said. Oakland means a lot to Damian. This game is important to him, even if he pretends that it isn’t. So, if Friday’s game is important, will Dame shine or will he finally fail to deliver with the spotlight on him.

@mikeacker | @ripcityproject | mike.acker1@gmail.com