Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers.
Another three games passed since my last analysis of the first-round playoff series between the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver. After Portland lost two of the previous three games, here are five keys (and a prediction) for the final game(s) of this series.
Aside from the missed dunks, I thought Robert Covington had a great Game 5. RoCo was arguably Portland’s second-best player Tuesday night. So far, he’s outplayed his Denver opposite, Aaron Gordon. In the last few games, Covington has been the best non-Jusuf Nurkic option the Blazers had to try and slow Nicola Jokic down.
RoCo’s last missed dunk definitely took the wind out of Portland’s sails in that second overtime comeback attempt. But Covington hit big threes throughout the game, made his free throws, and helped put Portland in position to even send the game into OT.
Covington is not in Portland to be a core scorer for this team. Olshey brought RoCo in to be a 3-and-D player. He needs to continue doing what he’s doing (minus a few missed dunks), and he will have done his part to help this team win.
Despite recent results, I like Norman Powell‘s aggression. He’s been attacking the basket, drawing fouls, searching out higher percentage shots. Powell missed some shots in Game 5 after leading the team in scoring the previous game. But he’s got the right idea. With all the jump shooters this roster has, they need more points in the paint.
Powell’s defense improved in Games 3 and 4, but he wasn’t able to lock in as well in Game 5. I’d like to see him guard Denver’s best perimeter player on the court as much as possible. Limiting Michael Porter Jr. and Monte Morris from getting good looks should be a high priority for Norman.
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.
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.
Lillard’s Game 5 playoff performance the most insane I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. All I kept thinking about was that the team owes Dame big time. Not just for game 5, but for the earlier games in the series.
While we’re at it, they should also thank him for…
This team owes Damian Lillard.
Watching Dames post-game interview had me feel for the guy on a whole new level. Dames loyalty, his continuous support of his teammates, coach, GM, franchise, the city, the Portland Trail Blazers fans is genuine. We all owe Dame.
I hope his teammates watched his demeanor in that post-game press conference. His exhaustion and the look of defeat on his face showed someone who absolutely gave his all. Thursday is a chance for the rest of the team to step up in this series and match Dame’s intensity level.
If the team doesn’t rise to the challenge, it’s time to admit that either GM Neil Olshey hasn’t maximized the talent on the roster like he is supposed to do, or Terry Stotts hasn’t coached the team to its potential.
I think the Portland Trail Blazers still win the series in 7 games. This team still has some fight left in it. But it has to be the right kind of fight. The Blazers can’t be in a position where the team expects Lillard to do what he did in Game 5 so they can win one of the remaining two games.
The rest of the team needs to show up. They must play better than letting one of the final two games come down to requiring a clutch shot to win. Take the lead, hold it and control the game.
Before the series started, I thought that with Denver missing their star guard Jamal Murray, the Portland Trail Blazers had the superior roster and talent to win. They still do.
That talented Trail Blazers’ roster now has to show up and fight for their postseason lives. If they don’t, fans are looking at a likely roster and coaching demolition that hasn’t seen since the 2011-12 season. I think think it will come to that. Over the next two games, Portland rises to the occasion and puts down the Nuggets.
Do you agree that the Portland Trail Blazers can still win this series? Let us know in the comments below or on social media.