It has been a rough week for Portland Trail Blazer fans. After the excitement of the Blazers making the NBA Playoffs, the fanbase is now experiencing the exact opposite emotion set after watching the team be beat by a combined 41 points in the first two games.
Making the playoffs was a huge success for this young Blazers team that had very low expectations coming into the season. The simple fact that they were the #5 seed in the Western Conference is a great success, however, this isn’t a team that accepts moral victories. Right now, this team is looking to compete in this series.
Chris Paul and company have proven to be too much for the Blazers. But they still need to win two more games to secure their spot in the second round against the Golden State Warriors (because let’s be serious, the Rockets are done).
Here are my three lessons that the Blazers need to learn from the first two games.
1 – This team needs the best from Damian Lillard, every night. Let’s be completely honest, Lillard has underperformed in this series so far. Is that because of Chris Paul’s defense, or because Lillard purely hasn’t shot the ball well? I would argue that it has been both.
Lillard has averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.0 turnovers per game, shooting only 33% from the field and 21% from 3-point range. Compare that to his averages in the regular season (25.1 ppg, 6.8 apg, 4 rpg, 3.2 tpg, 42% fg, 38% 3ptfg) and you see why Lillard hasn’t been happy with his play.
On the other side of the court, Paul is averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and only 1.0 turnover per game, while shooting 49% from the field and 36% from 3-point range.
This matchup is so crucial to this serious. So far Chris Paul is winning the matchup, and the Clipper are winning the series. For the Blazers to turn it around and compete in the series, Lillard needs to start winning this matchup.
2 – Blake Griffin is officially back from injury. Entering this series a lot of pundits talked about the Clippers as a vulnerable team because of the chemistry being disrupter with Griffin coming back from injury. When he first returned from his injury, he looked a little out of shape, and had a lot of rust on his jumper. Well, that isn’t the case now in the Playoffs.
Griffin has dominated most matchups. The Blazers have continued to use the small lineups that worked towards the end of the regular season. Maurice Harkless is the starting power forward for this team, and Al-Farouq Aminu has been taked with defending Griffin. Advantage Griffin.
Averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, Griffin has looked to be getting back to his athletic and explosive game.
The Blazers need to find a way to neutralize Griffin if they want to compete. I would suggest moving Mason Plumlee over to guarding Griffin. Plumlee can battle with the strength of Griffin, and can get him off the boards. To start the series Plumlee has been guarding Deandre Jordan. On Wednesday, Jordan had 3 points on 1 made field goal. Slide Plumlee onto Griffin and let Jordan get his.
3 – The supporting cast needs to be better. This isn’t really something that can be changed overnight. This is more of a long-term fix. Aminu and Harkless haven’t given the Blazers what they need, especially with Lillard underperforming.
For this team to compete in the future, the Blazers need to bolster the reinforcements. Lillard and CJ McCollum are the pillars of this franchise. But playing against a veteran, well-rounded team like the Clippers has exposed that there are still holes around those pillars.
Let’s be real though, no one expected this to be a one year rebuild, this is a process. In the next couple years, this team needs to acquire talent to build a solid roster around Lillard and McCollum.
On Saturday, the season swings back to Portland where the home crowd will be waiting at the Moda Center. There is nothing like a playoff atmosphere at the Moda Center. Let’s hope that coming home can help the Blazers get their shooting back on track, and help win a couple games.
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