The Blazers won everyone’s respect in a tough 5-game elimination
A five-game elimination in the NBA postseason is usually regarded as only marginally better than a sweep. In many cases, it can be worse, serving as proof that a team is talented enough to win but too inconsistent or unfocused to do anything more. It’s rare for the losing side to impress in five games — more often, it’s a sign that a past contender is on the way out or that a hopeful one doesn’t have what it takes.
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The rarity of a compelling five-game elimination makes what the Portland Trail Blazers accomplished against the Golden State Warriors even more remarkable. Facing a defending champion prone to overwhelming opponents with game-changing runs, the Blazers willfully took every challenge from the league’s most explosive squad and usually matched them. After a nondescript loss in Game 1, Portland lost Game 2 via an unreal fourth-quarter run, took Game 3 rather convincingly, dropped Game 4 because of the greatest overtime performance in NBA history, and stayed in a road elimination Game 5 until the final seconds. The Blazers led at halftime in the final four games of the series, held fourth-quarter leads in those same contests, and were arguably a few bounces from taking at least one more game.
Yet mere recitation of those tangible accomplishments does not communicate what made their performance so memorable. More than anything, every Blazer who took the floor seemed unaware of the Warriors’ reputation as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Taking cues from the ever-present confidence of Oakland-bred leader Damian Lillard and fellow star scorer C.J. McCollum, Portland played its high-paced game even when it appeared to play into Golden State’s hands and usually thrived doing it. The shots weren’t always high-percentage looks, but the Blazers managed to subsist on them if only through sheer force of will. Like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Lillard redefines what constitutes good offense and takes the rest of his team along with him. It’s hard to believe that capable but unheralded role players like Al-Farouq Aminu, Moe Harkless, and Allen Crabbe would play quite so brazenly and effectively on another team.
With the exception of Game 2, that confidence carried over into crunch time. While the Warriors were obviously the better team in fourth quarters, the Blazers were their near-equals and weathered copious late runs from their best lineups. That was especially apparent in Game 5, when Golden State went to its small-ball “Death Lineup” up 108-102 with 5:51 on the clock in an effort to put the game away. Most teams suffer significantly when that happens, but the Blazers actually out-performed the Warriors over the rest of the game. It was perhaps the greatest mark of the determination they showed all series.
It’s hard to believe now, but many pundits (including me) did not believe that the Blazers would have anything like the late-game success they did vs. the Warriors. After injuries to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin marred their first-round series with Los Angeles Clippers, the Blazers pulled out tight wins late but didn’t look especially ready to face a team that wasn’t relying on Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers to create shots. While the Warriors were obviously diminished without Curry for the first three games, they remained a defending champion with a clear sense of its identity and ability to execute under pressure. Portland had not demonstrated that same clarity of vision against the Clippers and apparently hadn’t convinced Draymond Green of it after Game 4 when he declared that the Blazers were done.
Green made a very different statement after Game 5:
Green didn’t offer vague praise, either — he called out virtually the entire Blazers rotation by name for their efforts. Steve Kerr had extremely kind words for Terry Stotts’s team, as well:
It’s a testament to the Blazers’ toughness that it’s hard to imagine they were especially pleased with winning one game and staying very close in three others. By all measurements, though, this season was a tremendous success. Most thought Portland wouldn’t sniff the playoffs after losing four high-level starters last summer, but this group improved as the season went along and looked like the only one of the West’s bottom-four playoff teams with a reasonable chance at an upset when the postseason began. A loss to the Clippers would have been a valuable learning experience by itself, but the Blazers’ good fortune allowed them to play 11 games that should allow them to set clearer goals heading into next season. It’s also a safe bet that general manager Neil Olshey will be able to get a few more meetings with high-level free agents this summer, because the Blazers look like a lot of fun to play for despite not being located in a traditional offseason destination.
It’s far too early to claim that this team can become a true contender in 2016-17, but it’s safe to say that there won’t be another five-game elimination like this one any time soon. The Warriors won the series and will move on to pursue a spot on the list of the greatest teams the sport has ever seen, but the Blazers were arguably more impressive relative to expectations. They’ve been one of the league’s best stories all season and just gave fans lots of reasons to keep an eye on them for years to come.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
