BLAZERS BENCH MUST PRODUCE TO MOVE ON

As of press deadline for the Advocate on Thursday, the Portland Trail Blazers were set to play Game 6 at home, looking to tie their second-round series with the Denver Nuggets after falling down, 3 games to 2, hoping to extend the series to a Game 7 in Denver.

Denver is a team that has given the Blazers trouble during the regular season, winning three of the four games they played. But, even just to set up that “matchup nightmare,” Portland had to overcome recent bad history.

The Blazers were swept both times in the first round the last two years; they ended the same place last year in the Western Conference (No. 3 seed) but were swept by the No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans, something most Portland fans would like to forget.

During the first round of this season’s playoff run, the Blazers faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished sixth in the West. Most experts around the league gave the Blazers little chance to win this series, too, even with their higher seed, in large part because the past couple playoff appearance were so disappointing – something the Blazers were very aware of.

The Blazers have been a completely different team in these 2019 playoffs, however!

Portland came out strong and won the first two games at home, then lost Game 3 in Oklahoma City. There was a lot of trash talking by the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, matched up with Damian Lillard in this series. Westbrook ended the regular season averaging a triple-double (double-digits in points, rebounds and assists each game) for third straight season. But that Westbrook was a no-show in this series, and even OKC’s All-Star forward Paul George, playing through a shoulder injury, wasn’t enough to contain Portland’s backcourt, who were phenomenal in this series.

Portland starting guards Lillard and CJ McCollum averaged 57 points per game for the series. After stealing a win in Oklahoma to take a 3-1 series lead, Lillard had a monster Game 5, back in Portland on April 23. The All-Star point guard scored 50 points and buried the game-winning, 37-foot 3-pointer over George (the Thunder’s best defender) as the final horn sounded. That shot sent the Blazers to the conference semifinals to face the Nuggets, who ground out a tough, seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs.

Once again, the Blazers are fighting through adversity, as the Nuggets are a tough matchup. The Blazers backcourt has had a hard time finding its rhythm at the start of games because of what Denver’s defense, one of the best in the league all year, can do.

Since scoring 39 points in Game 1, Lillard hasn’t had a big game and CJ McCollum is trying hard to pick up the offense. The Blazers have won two games in this series – and not because of the backcourt dominating the game, but because of the other guys stepping up. They have to learn how to rely on each other more, offensively and defensively.

The Blazers bench is producing meaningful minutes in this series. Rodney Hood has been particularly big, hitting a couple of clutch shots during Game 3 in Portland as the game went to four overtimes – the first time in the NBA playoffs since 1953. The Blazers were able to come out with the win thanks to Hood’s fresh legs, and were able to put to a stop a game that seemed like it would never end. 

But with the Blazers losing twice since, they and Portland fans everywhere are hoping they can tie the series, and then finish the Nuggets on their home court, on Mother’s Day.