The Portland Trail Blazers finished the preseason with three losses in four games. While it would be easy to overreact, here are three reasonable, long-term observations from those games.
Late into Thursday night’s Chargers-Raiders game, Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard tweeted a now-viral statement that, if one didn’t know any better, might have caused some confusion on who he was referring to.
Defensive shortcomings were at the forefront of last night’s 129-96 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. They also put a stamp on a largely-uninspiring exhibition season for the Blazers.
All told, Portland finished with a mere one victory in four tries, allowed an average of 119.5 points per game, and likely left the week with more questions than answers.
In short, they don’t have the look of a team that will have title-bound focus from Day One.
Which wouldn’t be a problem if Opening Day weren’t in … four days.
In a way, it’s sort of a benefit. When the Blazers approach film from these last two games, they’ll not only see their own shortcomings, but they’ll also see how they were outclassed by the Nuggets’ selfless style of play, tenacity, and hustle.
By definition, the preseason has become a central hub for overreactions. As a case in point, exactly a week ago, the Trail Blazers were riding high off of a 127-point offensive masterpiece. And all it took was the sun to come up again for that ball movement to all but dissipate.
Here, we’ll look to avoid some of the knee-jerk reactions that emotions can leave us susceptible to, and focus on some realistic observations from preseason play, many of which should show themselves quickly in the regular season. Let’s take a look.