Portland Trail Blazers: 5 more keys to pulling out the Denver series
Rob Ryan
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3. Jusuf Nurkic – Stay out of foul trouble
Nurkic picked up his defense in the last two games, outplaying Jokic in Game 4 and matching the presumptive MVP stat-wise for most of the time he was on the court in Game 5. Those three quick fouls in the third quarter and foul-out in the fourth left Covington having to anchor the defense. The Portland Trail Blazers weak side and perimeter D take a hit when Covington is forced to focus all of his attention on Jokic.
Nurk can’t foul out again if Portland expects to have a chance at winning this series. Both wins came in games where Jusuf stayed on the court. In contrast, all three losses involved him fouling out. If Portland can get any sort of lead in Game 6, coach Terry Stotts has to watch and manage his center’s fouls.
Nurkic has to, has to, *has to* avoid the cheap fouls, the charges, etc. He's the organizing principle of Portland's D and its only shot at playing Jokic straight up, and he can't put himself in position to miss half the game or play foul-trouble tentative when he's out there. https://t.co/PFROVfAg7U
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) June 2, 2021
4. CJ Mccollum – Be the Robin to Dame’s Batman
I’ve been a CJ fan for years, often pointing out that most of his struggles are due to playing undersized and out of position. McCollum puts up incredible numbers at high-efficiency rates whenever he plays PG, which usually only happens when Dame is injured or out of the lineup. After Game 5. I found myself questioning the faith I have in his abilities.
His offensive ability is unquestioned, he is one of the most creative shotmakers I’ve ever seen. Mccollum’s mid-range, floaters, three-point shooting, and clutch genes are elite. However, this series has seen him make more mental mistakes (i.e., stepping out of bounds at the end of Game 5) than I’ve seen him make in a playoff series before.
Denver’s very average opposing guards look much better than they are against him. McCollum has yet to impact a game in this series like a team’s second-best player should. I predicted a 30 point game for CJ in either Game 3 or 4, and instead, he fell short. Game 5 left me even more bewildered as McCollum scored 18 on 7-for 22 shooting. Tuesday, Damian Lillard maxed out his abilities and gave all he could for the Portland Trail Blazers. Dame needed CJ and CJ wasn’t there.
I’ve got this odd suspicion that CJ McCollum is bounce back with one of his greater games tonight in Game 6. No real explanation why; w/ some players it just never feels smart counting them out.
Take a look at his rèsumè in elimination matchups w/ the Blazers. Big-time stuff. pic.twitter.com/URZ0mDnBD0
— Marlow Ferguson Jr. (@meloferg) June 3, 2021
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