Since drafting Damian Lillard the Portland Trail Blazers have been a playoff stalwart. A few times they have made a mini run to the second round, and in 2019 they made it to the Western Conference Finals. However, they were swept out of the first round in 2017 and 2018, and last season were bounced in 5 games and were swept after a game 1 win against the Lakers. Since he was drafted in 2012, Damian Lillard has won just 4 playoff series for his career, making the playoffs every season besides his rookie campaign that's just 4 series wins in 7 seasons and if you exclude the west finals run in 2019, that's 2 series wins in 6 seasons. I do not expect that to change this season either. The jury is not still out on the Portland Trail Blazers, we know what they are, a good regular season team, who folds in the playoffs.
When you put a lineup with Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Enes Kanter on the floor at the same time you are not going to be good on defense. However, 29th is unacceptable, which is only in front of the Sacramento Kings. They are 31-23, however, are -11 in overall point differential for the season. That’s behind the 22-34 Toronto Raptors in the plus-minus factor, Toronto is +23, Portland wins tight games. When you have Lillard on your team, you can close out games well. The Blazers are 4th in the NBA in fourth quarter points per game scoring 28.0 per game in the final period, with an offensive rating of 115.1 good enough for 4th in the entire NBA. Really good offense, really awful defense, close tight games, don’t blow teams out, that's the Portland Trail Blazers. Guys like Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr., were supposed to help take the Blazers to the top 20 in defense after coming over in the offseason (they traded 2 first round picks for Covington) after Portland was 27th last season. That has not happened and they have the same problems of last season. So what makes us think they are going to have a different result in the playoffs. If the postseason started today they would be 6th and play the Los Angeles Clippers. LA is the best offensive team in the NBA with an offensive rating of 117.4, and are in the top ten in defense. Who is guarding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George? And if it is not the Clippers, then it is the Lakers, Jazz, or Suns. I think it’ll be another quick elimination for Portland come May.
The Trail Blazers need to improve on defense but they also have an iffy roster behind their top 7 or 8 players. Lillard, McCollum, Norman Powell, Covington, and Jusuf Nurkic is a good starting five, then Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Jones Jr. are your top bench players but after that it gets spooky. Enes Kanter is a very good offensive player and the best offensive rebounder in the whole league but he is such a defensive nightmare that he is a negative. Zach Collins is always injured and just not very good. Youngsters Nassir Little and dunk contest champ Anfernee Simons look like they could become solid pros but the jury is still out. Ronde Hollis-Jefferson should help their defense but he is bad at offense and cannot shoot. Everyone else means little to the franchise, guys like Harry Giles and rookie forward CJ Eberly. This roster is not good, their defense is not good, most of their wins are keeping it close and letting Damian Lillard finish out the win in the clutch. That needs to change if they want to win a championship, it will not change this year but maybe Portland has something up their sleeves in the future. However, I am not sure what that move is, a McCollum trade would likely be it but it depends on what you get back because Dame and CJ are special when they are clicking.
I am not calling the Portland Trail Blazers frauds, I might be but that's not the point. They have done a lot of winning since Damian Lillard showed up as the 6th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. However, it has not come in the playoffs all the time. Damian Lillard has won 4 career playoff series, half of which he hit series clinching buzzer beaters. He has made it past the second round just once but Portland was swept by the Golden State Warriors. They don’t defend and they are not deep both will be issues come playoff time, defense more so. I am not worried about the Portland Trail Blazers because they do not have anything to worry about, if they are in the play-in they'll make the playoffs and they’ll lose in the first round either way, probably quickly too, because it is the same thing every year.
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