3) Lillard’s 4th Quarter Flurry
When looking back on important games during the season, not only did the Thunder game turn in one of Lillard’s most impressive fourth quarters of his career, but it was the moment that Portland began to believe.
Think about it, the Blazers were 16-24 at this point of the season, after this game, they turned it around to win 44 total. Not only can you point to this game as the turning point to the season, but you can also point to it as the game where all of the new faces finally saw “Lillard Time.” It really means something to a team when you know that you have a player with that sort of caliber to take over a game in the most important moments.
Lillard scored 17 points in the final three minutes, including five straight three pointers. This was against Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant, who could do nothing but watch and walk out of the Moda Center deflated. From here on out, the Blazers played under a new mantra, that as long as they can keep it close, they’ll always have a chance to win with Lillard as their leader.
2) The Most Competitive 4-1 Series
Earlier on the list, Lillard had a career night against Curry and the defending champs. This time around, they had to face a MVP-less Warrior team, so the door was open to give the Warriors a series. What ensued was five ultra competitive games where the Blazers led by more quarters, lost a game in overtime due to a record breaking performance, and almost stole game five/momentum in Oracle Arena until a late Curry three sealed the deal.
What made the final games of the season so important was that not only were we giving the champs our best shot, but it was the first time that the NBA got a fair look at the Blazers. For five games, if you wanted to watch NBA basketball you had to tune into a Portland game and we didn’t disappoint.
Now, as the summer of free agency begins, Portland has virtually flipped the switch in comparison to last year. Before, nobody gave Portland a thought due to their impending roster rebuild, and now Portland has become arguably the most exciting landing spot due to our youth, culture, money opportunities and skill level. All of those reasons and more found its way onto national television in the Warriors series and the NBA has (finally) given Portland the respect it deserves.
Next: The Number 1 Moment