BLAZERS TAKE SURPRISING 2-0 LEAD AGAINST THUNDER

Our Portland Trail Blazers have had a stretch of outstanding athleticism and overall basketball success as they lead their first-round NBA playoff series 2-0 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, heading into Game 3 in Oklahoma tonight.

The Blazers went into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference after defeating the Sacramento Kings on April 10. This win was their last of the regular season and left them with a record of 53-29. The Blazers seem to make the playoffs every year, leaving an unsurprised crowd, but this year things feel just a bit different for some reason. There’s more hope, even against the odds.

If you’re a Blazer fan, what you’re probably still thinking about is the serious injury of starting center Jusuf Nurkic. In late March, Nurkic suffered an incredibly painful looking left leg injury (breaking both his tibia and fibia bones), landing awkwardly after what looked to be a normal rebound attempt.

As “Nurk” was rolled out on a stretcher in front of the Portland crowd, it was a devastating blow to the team, as he anchored the team in the middle. It was clear to all that his absence would greatly diminish the Blazers’ performance in the playoffs.

However, we’re waiting still to see if this is true, as we watch the Blazers just… Keep. On. Winning.

Enes Kanter was an obviously beneficial addition to the team in February, but after his trade from the New York Knicks he has filled in superbly for Nurkic in the starting position. He made what some called “many Nurk-like moves” and played an aggressive game against the Thunder’s center, Steven Adams, during Game 1 on Sunday.

Though Kanter has been deemed by critics as not being a great defensive player, his offensive play is quite good. Kanter put 20 points on the board, and recorded 18 rebounds, while Damian Lillard was the lead scorer of this game, with 30, as the Blazers finished off a 104-99 victory. 

On Tuesday night, the two teams were in Portland again for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series. The Blazers lost the first quarter, 31-26, but won every subsequent quarter. This game was truly special, and everyone on the Blazer roster got a piece of the action.

To end the second quarter, Damian Lillard drove into the paint aggressively for what looked to be a last-second layup but instead kicked the ball out between two defenders’ hands. CJ McCollum caught his pass and drained a three-pointer as the clock expired. The crowd was fully energized as the Blazers ended the half all tied up at 54-54.

During the third quarter, various bench players added to the mix, such as Seth Curry, who shot 3-for-4 from 3-point territory. He made his first two in a row, his second coming off a fast break, after he set his feet and launched it. The television cameras turned toward the stands to show his parents, standing in Blazer gear and cheering (mind you these are the same parents of Steph Curry, his older brother).

To end the third quarter, Damian Lillard had another step-back three that splashed after the horn sounded. And finally, big man Meyers Leonard stepped in to play an incredible 14 minutes, with 5 points and 4 rebounds. The game ended as a 114-94 Portland win.

If fans think this year is just like the rest of the six consecutive playoff appearances for the Blazers, I would challenge you to think otherwise. The guys are playing with passion, skill, and determination, even more so since Nurk has been out.

We’ll wait for how Game 3 in Oklahoma City turns out, but I’m confident the Blazers can win the series in four.