The Portland Trail Blazers opened 2021 breaking records of all kinds during their win over Golden State. Over the course of the season, what other milestones are up for grabs?
The Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t have scripted a better start to 2021 if they hired a screenwriter. Friday night’s triumph over the Golden State Warriors marked the first time that the offense and the defense worked hand-in-hand, and in the process, multiple Blazers put their signature in the NBA’s history books.
Take your pick: Carmelo Anthony added another chapter to his heartwarming story, generating enough offense to pass Tim Duncan for No. 14 on the all-time scoring list. Damian Lillard joined Clyde Drexler as the only players to score 15,000 points in a Blazers uniform, and passed Rashard Lewis for No. 19 on the 3-point leaderboard all the while.
Here’s the personal favorite: Lillard broke his own record for the most points scored at Chase Center. For those unaware, this is Stephen Curry’s arena. And while that’s neither sustainable nor largely important, it does speak to the poise that Portland had in their first win of the year.
Then, there’s CJ McCollum becoming just the second player in NBA history to hit at least 25 3-pointers over his first five games, joining Curry in exclusive company.
One of the great benefits of having established, All-Star caliber players is that milestones are always within reach. Over the next 68 regular season games, many of Portland’s top players will have a chance to sneak into the history books. Here are a few that deserve to be acknowledged.