The Portland Trail Blazers will go into their first round series against the San Antonio Spurs as serious underdogs. The Oregon franchise impressed in their Play-In bout with the Phoenix Suns earlier this week but enter the second-vs-seventh seed series with very little expectation and some pundits predicting a sweep.
True Hoop’s Henry Abbott disagrees, laying out five reasons why the Blazers will be good enough to win at least one game in the best-of seven series. Abbott highlights the Blazers improved
shooting, Scoot Henderson’s defense and roster depth.
The Blazers like to play a high-energy, push-the-ball/pick-you-up-full-court style. In the middle of the season they simply didn’t have the horses to out-energy many opponents.
All of a sudden they have ten must-play players (before counting Sidy Cissoko and Vít Krejčí who both have been regulars). The upshot: Grant looked fresh in crunch time against the Suns because he only played 19 minutes.
Abbott also points out the amount of rest players like Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe have had, along with Jrue Holiday’s playoff experience.
The Blazers are also young and new to all this, but … not two-time champion Jrue Holiday, who is already accustomed to being the team’s vocal leader. Robert Williams III has been 20-games deep into the playoffs. This’ll be Jerami Grant’s fifth journey to the postseason. And Damian Lillard isn’t playing, but he has played in 68 playoff games and will very much be on the plane and the bench and in the locker room.
And do you know who played in 65 playoff games and won a title? Blazers coach Tiago Splitter. The Blazers are young, and sometimes can get a little tight. They are about to enter basketball’s finest and most intense finishing school, which will bode well for similar situations in the future. The learning is incredibly valuable, and sometimes painful. But on this team, I’m guessing no small about of the learning will come from coworkers who have been there, and winning—at least a game or two.
You can read the piece here.
