Lillard and McCollum outworked by Rondo and Holiday in Game 1

In the opening game loss to New Orleans, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 37 points on 13/41 shooting.

The NBA announces its end-of-season awards in June, but speculation is reaching peak levels. Although MVP and Rookie of the Year make most headlines, competition is strong for the two All-Defense teams. The New Orleans Pelicans have two guards fighting for a spot on it: Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo. Last night against the Blazers, they certainly proved why the award is deserved.

Last night, Holiday and Rondo often found themselves tasked with defending Portland’s dynamic backcourt. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum averaged a combined 48.3 points and 5.4 three-pointers on 44% shooting during the regular season. But in the opening game of playoffs, they scored 37 points on 13/41 shooting.

Related Story: Blazers lose Game 1 of playoffs to Pelicans, 97-95

New Orleans shaped its entire defensive scheme around containing Lillard and McCollum. With the impressive individual defense of Holiday and Rondo, plus blocking pick-and-roll options off the screen, the Blazers couldn’t run its usual offense.

At halftime, Dame, CJ and Jusuf Nurkic totaled 7 points on 2/18 shooting. This contributed to 36 first half points, Portland’s second lowest mark of the season. The guards didn’t come alive until the fourth quarter. In those final 12 minutes, they scored 21 of their 37 total points (14 from CJ, 7 from Dame), but it wasn’t enough.

Jrue Holiday’s clutch defense

Jrue Holiday’s suffocating defense stopped two potential game-shifting possessions for the Blazers.

First, he single-handedly stopped a 3-on-2 fastbreak by going right at McCollum, who picked up his dribble and threw the ball away. Finishing that fastbreak would have given Portland the lead, 94-93, with 44 seconds remaining.

Second, an unusual out-of-timeout play resulted in Pat Connaughton taking a layup with 6.3 seconds remaining. Holiday covered ground and pinned Connaughton’s shot against the glass. Anthony Davis recovered the rebound and sunk his two ensuing free throws to put the Pelicans ahead by 5.

Responding to NOP’s defense

The Pelicans made adjustments to its defense ahead of Game 1 – now the Blazers must fix its offense before Game 2 in order to even the series.

Portland’s coaching staff will watch film and diagnose the weaknesses caused by New Orleans’ defensive scheme.

Fans, on the other hand, can point out one flaw in Dame and CJ’s game last night. Until the final few minutes, neither played with the heart we saw during the regular season.

Next: What playoff result makes this season a success for Portland?

In four matchups versus NOP, Lillard averaged 26.5 points and 2.5 three-pointers on 42.7% shooting. McCollum averaged 17.5 points and 2.5 three-pointers on 35.1% shooting.

Neither hit their marks in the first playoff game; Holiday and Rondo outworked them. While the Pelicans’ guards got the playoff memo for all 48 minutes, the Blazers’ didn’t until the final 12.

Besides altering the offense, Dame and CJ must play with playoff intensity to counter New Orleans’ strong defensive backcourt. Game 2 is a must win for Portland; dropping the first two makes home court advantage null.