What is the story about?
The Portland Trail Blazers hit the practice floor in Tualatin one more time Friday ahead of their Saturday flight to San Antonio. They’ll face the Spurs in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday, marking Portland’s first Playoff appearance in five years.
Following Friday’s practice, Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, forward Toumani Camara and center Robert Williams III chatted with reporters about the upcoming matchup with the West’s second best team. Here are some quick
insights from the media availability session.
- No, the Blazers’ injury report against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday wasn’t a dream. For the first time all season, the Blazers had every player available to play, except for Damian Lillard, who has expectedly been out all year with a torn Achilles. On Friday, Splitter said the Blazers will be entering Game 1 against San Antonio with that same clean bill of health.
- Splitter even joked that Lillard was questionable to play, before shutting down that sports movie scenario in response to a follow-up question:
- “He’s had his head on the next season, and we gotta be serious about it. Of course, we joke about it here and there, but we’ve got a plan, and we’ve all gotta follow that.”
- Splitter talked a great deal about the team’s preparation for Spur superstar center Victor Wembanyama in Thursday’s media availability session. On Friday, he highlighted the Spurs players, outside of Wembanyama, who will pose challenges for Portland:
- “There’s a lot. I think [De’Aaron] Fox is a guy, when Wemby is not on the floor, he tries to be the guy with the responsibility — taking the shots, creating for others, playing fast. … [Devin] Vassell is another guy on the bench. Keldon Johnson always plays well against us, so we gotta be ready for his physicality. And then the younger guys, [Dylan] Harper and [Stephon] Castle. They’re playing extremely well, with confidence.”
- Camara said the seventh-seeded Blazers are embracing their underdog status, and he pointed to it as a strength heading into a series with the second-seeded Spurs.
- “We have a lot of underdogs, a lot of people that do great work within the shadows, not always put to light. Being able to have a team like that, I feel like no matter the situation we’re in, we’re always gonna go 100 and go for the win. I think everybody’s got the right mindset right now. Everybody’s excited for the moment.”
- Williams highlighted toughness as another advantage for this team heading into the Playoffs:
- “I feel like we play harder. We play tougher. Once we’re locked in, once we’re together, I’ll put our hard-playing and our toughness against anybody. I feel like we gotta lead with that.”
- Williams was also given a chance to reflect on what making it back to the Playoffs means for him after he battled through so many injuries over the past few seasons:
- “It’s just a blessing, man, first of all, to get through the season healthy. Still got a lot of season to go, hopefully. Just trusting the work, trusting the coaches and the trainers, all the stuff that I did. And honestly, it’s just a gift to make it back to the Playoffs. We know it’s not guaranteed at all. … Just gotta have fun, lock in, but don’t take it for granted.”
Game 1 of the Blazers-Spurs series is set to tip off on Sunday at 6 p.m. Pacific in San Antonio.
