The Portland Trail Blazers are in for a rough ride in their first playoff appearance in five years. However, they shouldn't be easily written off in their matchup against the San Antonio Spurs — not when they have Deni Avdija leading the team.
In his postseason debut, the All-Star showed that the lights weren't too bright for him. His 41-point, 12-assist performance and converting the go-ahead three-point play to give his squad the win against the Phoenix Suns are proof that he can thrive under pressure.
The Spurs may have gone 62-20 in the regular season and notched 20 more wins than the Blazers. Still, if Avdija can work his magic and solve the opponent's defense, the chances of Portland pulling off the upset will significantly increase.
Cracking San Antonio's defense
Defeating the Spurs four times is definitely easier said than done. They finished the regular season with a second-best +8.3 net rating and top four in offensive rating and defensive rating. For the Blazers to slay the giant, they will have to bring their A game on both ends of the floor.
What they have going for them is that the home stretch of the regular season saw them put on a defensive masterclass. If they can maintain that level of defense against San Antonio, all they have to do is find ways to score, and that's where Avdija can shine.
The 25-year-old should look to pressure the rim, which he has done so well all season long, especially when he drives using his right hand. The thing is, most opponents know how dominant a tool that has been for Avdija. Even the Suns likely knew that, but they couldn't do anything about it in their Play-In Tournament matchup.
Of course, San Antonio has a Victor Wembanyama-sized deterrent. However, it can be a double-edged sword for the No. 2 seed, as an aggressive and smart Avdija can put Wembanyama in foul trouble if the Defensive Player of the Year candidate slips up inside the paint.
In addition, Deni doesn't even have a one-track mind when he attacks the basket. He doesn't always look to score or draw fouls, as evidenced by his league-leading 161 assists on drives. His teammates just have to be ready and, hopefully, don't lose their shooting touch in the series.
A valuable experience for Deni
Expecting Portland to prevail over San Antonio in the first round might be misguided. Even so, we've seen upsets of similar magnitude occur in past playoffs. Blazers coach Tiago Splitter saw such an outcome firsthand, though he was on the wrong end of it as a member of the Spurs squad that got booted out of the 2011 playoffs by the No. 8-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
Still, even if Portland gets sent home as many people expect, having reached this stage is already a win.
The experience the team will gain, particularly in adversarial situations, should provide Avdija with the lessons he needs to take his game to the next level. Even the other core pieces should benefit from facing off at least four times against a powerhouse squad.
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