Portland Trail Blazers are the cure to another stale NBA Finals
Since 2011, the NBA Finals featured Lebron James, Steph Curry, or both. The product is getting stale. This year the Portland Trail Blazers have all the ingredients to shake up the league.
Why can’t the Portland Trail Blazers play for a title this year? They have a team good enough to shake up a stale NBA.
The NBA is a little stale. Most people can pretty much count on the LA Lakers reaching the NBA Finals. With a Western Conference Finals matchup of the Lakers vs. either the Clippers or Golden State. LeBron James vs. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, or Steph Curry is going to draw eyeballs. It’s a good bet the league is rooting for another must-see matchup, Giannis vs. LeBron, to happen in this year’s Finals.
But the repetition makes games boring to watch, knowing the outcome already. Fans are clamoring for something new. Something they haven’t witnessed. Something different. Those players listed are tremendous talents, well, except for Paul George. He’s a soft as a dandelion.
Something new and exciting is the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. Dame Time hits the big time.
Checking the boxes
It’s been 28 years since the Portland Trail Blazers last made the NBA Finals. The fact of the matter is that this Blazers team has all the necessary pieces for a finals run. Let’s look at the checklist.
- Star player that’s capable of carrying the team (Damian Lillard) – check.
- Pippen-like wingman who can take the load off the superstar (CJ McCollum) – check.
- Big men that can rebound, score and block shots (Jusuf Nurkic, Enes Kanter) – check.
- Competent ancillary players that will keep the double teams off the star players (Robert Covington)- check.
- Deep bench (Carmelo Anthony, Gary Trent Jr., Anfernee Simons) – check.
- Lockdown defenders (Derrick Jones Jr.) – check.
So, it’s time for the Blazers to end their finals appearance drought. But why hasn’t this group already made it that far? They got close in 2019, finishing four games short to the eventual NBA Champs. Last year the Blazers took one game from the eventual NBA Champs before their playoff exit.
This team has big-game experience; they just need to win more of these big games. Is this their time?
Do you think the Portland Trail Blazers have what it takes to win a championship this year? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.