The Portland Trail Blazers loss in Game 1 to the San Antonio Spurs was... Not that bad, actually. For the most part, the Blazers stayed competitive, scrapped on defense, and had a good gameplan for neutralizing (as much as possible) Victor Wembanyama's defensive impact. They did forget how to play basketball after cutting the lead to two
I think this game was a perfect example of something that Blazers fans have known for a while now; this team has maximized its talent. There's not really anywhere else to go. They don't have nearly enough shooters or depth to compete with the top-tier teams in this league, and that, frankly, is okay. It's hard to think "ah, if this team had only done one thing differently, they could have won more games," because the things they haven't done all year (shoot the ball well and turn the ball over a ton) aren't products of missed chances, they're products of how the roster is built.
It was very obvious on Sunday that San Antonio is the better team in literally every facet of the game, and yet they couldn't fully put the Blazers away until the final few minutes. A team full of scrappy players is a fine step before becoming a real contender; look at last year's Pistons team, which went 44-38.
Blazers are not leaving anything on the table this season
Yes, Shaedon Sharpe and Jerami Grant can (and will) shoot better as we get deeper into this series, and the Blazers will shoot better than 26% from 3-point range... Hopefully. But overall, Game 1 felt like this Blazers team playing its game and simply coming up short against a better team. It looked far more competitive than most Blazers fans were bracing for, though, so that's worth something.
Knowing that Damian Lillard will be back next year makes it hard to really get angry at this version of the team. For the most part, the core players of this team will be back (and maybe better) next year. Matisse Thybulle and Robert Williams III will be key departures, but there will be chances to replace them if someone steals Tom Dundon's checkbook while he isn't looking.
You can't call this team disappointing. They try their hardest, and that lifted them into the postseason. With a (potential) star coming back next season and another year of development for all the young guys, the path forward will not be interrupted by a tough series against a contender.
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