Trail Blazers: Counting down the 10 greatest moments of CJ McCollum’s career

No. 7: Putting Dirk Nowitzki in the spin cycle (2016)

Perhaps this is more of an indictment on all-time great forward Dirk Nowitzki, and just how much of a fall from … grace? Was it ever graceful? Let’s just say, by 2015, his mobility on defense had somewhat evaporated, and all it took was a shifty guard in the right situation to put that on display.

One quick crossover put Nowitzki in the spin cycle, literally. And to boot, McCollum swished in the three pointer. He’s had countless games and big moments that held more magnitude. But when we think about McCollum’s legacy and the moments that made him, this will be one of the plays that immediately comes to mind.

No. 6: The breakout series against Memphis (2015)

Few seasons in Trail Blazers history piece together as bizarrely as the 2014-15 one did. In mid-March, the Blazers were 44-20, No. 3 in the West, and had legitimate championship aspirations. By April, they were a five-game out in the first round.

It was an odd time that brought about Arron Afflalo as a presumed savior, Wesley Matthews’ exile from Portland, and the end of the LaMarcus Aldridge regime. But it also provided McCollum the first true opportunity to become a featured offensive star — and boy, did he deliver.

McCollum’s first two postseason games were a hiccup. But by Game 3, the thaw was over, and he was prepared for his baptism by fire. Over the next three games, he averaged 25.7 points and 4.0 rebounds on 61-64-77 percent lines — off the bench.

His shot was a bit higher, more spry, more ambitious. Not quite yet a seasoned vet, or even a national commodity, this represented his breakout, and gave the Blazers hope going into a new era without Aldridge and yesteryear’s supporting cast.

No. 5: Playing Twister with Donte DiVincenzo

Section C, Column 9 of the NBA’s official rulebook states that — and I quote — “Twister maps are not allowed on NBA courts.” Milwaukee Bucks guard Donte DiVincenzo committed quite the violation during a November 2018 game against Portland, though, when he had one elbow in blue, one leg in red, and one in green.

McCollum has had crossovers of this caliber before, but few have been as picturesque. He drove hard left, stepped back, and sent the then-rookie into oblivion. He found a way to finish the bucket, too.

It’s become a move we’ve seen on coffee mugs, shirts, everything of the kind. For the game, McCollum finished with 40 points on 17-of-26 shooting.

No. 4: The double OT takeover vs. Denver (2019)

The Denver Game 7 is without dispute the greatest game of consequence McCollum has ever played. But what he did leading up to that moment gets somewhat undersold. The stat sheet for this night does it justice better than any rambling by me could.

— 60:01 minutes played
— 41 points
— 8 rebounds
— 4 assists
— 16-of-39 from the field, 4-of-11 from 3-point range, 5-of-6 from the free throw line

In the OT sessions alone, he worked his way into 18 points, shuffling the deck between floaters, pull-ups, and patented midrange shots. 60 minutes at his frenetic, shifty offensive pace isn’t easy to do. How tired was he after the game? This was his response: “I’m good. This is what I’m built for.”

McCollum rode that wave to an excellent finish. Through the first two series, he averaged 25.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists on 46-41-77 slash lines. Not your average “Robin.”