Back on October 24, 2013 I made my prediction for this Portland Trail Blazers season. I said, “I think this team is very talented and ready to compete. The chemistry will take a bit to catch up. I predict a 38-43 win season and barely missing the playoffs. I hope they prove me wrong.” Well they have proven me wrong by winning their 40th game with 24 remaining.
I admit my faults to further illustrate how tough it is to predict anything in this business and makes it even more exciting when you make a more “intelligent” and accurate statement.
Last week on February 19, I wrote about the Blazers’ challenges sitting in front of them with a scary lack of depth after losing LaMarcus Aldridge, Meyers Leonard and Joel Freeland. Last Wednesday I wrote, “The Blazers really need to come out and win 4 of these games in the next week to really establish themselves as a contender. That is a tall task for a team lacking their leader and All-Star. I think it will open up the door for some other guys to step up offensively…” The team did precisely that!
Coming out and going 4-1 in a week without those three front court players (and losing Thomas Robinson for the Brooklyn game) was a huge statement to the rest of the league that this team is for real. The awesome thing about this team though, they could really care less about making a statement. They still fully embrace the underdog mentality.
It is that mentality that has led them to play hungry. Competitiveness is something that wasn’t lacking the last week without their All-Star leader. Damian Lillard stepped up and played like the All-Star he is, scoring 30+ in three of the games and 28 in another. Robin Lopez stepped up and anchored the otherwise undersized roster by grabbing double digit rebounds in three of the games and notched a career high in blocks against the Nuggets, with 7.
The most shocking, positive development of the week however was the improvements and contributions from the bench. Thomas Robinson and Will Barton led the charge.
You have been living under a rock if you haven’t seen the highlight from the Minnesota game, that was number 1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of last weekend. The sequence was one of the most exciting I have ever seen.
Robinson chased down Corey Brewer on the break and absolutely demoralized him with a monster block. Victor Claver grabbed the loose ball, tossed it up the court to Wesley Matthews, who then threw an alley-oop to Barton from beyond the 3-point line.
That was just the climax of the spark that the bench offered the team over the past week. All of the improvement led to the matchup against a well-rested Brooklyn team that needed a win. The bench came out and really showed what they are made of scoring 68 points! Barton contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in 28 minutes.
What does all this mean going forward? What happens when Aldridge and the rest of the front court returns (probably tomorrow night vs. Denver)?
To me it means, I am not going to undervalue this team anymore. The bench has shown what they can do and are now going to be held to a higher standard. Barton should find his way into the rotation as an energy guy that can give a scoring boost. Robinson is the clear cut guy now in the Robinson vs. Leonard positional battle going on all year. And last but certainly not least, this team is going to be fun to watch in the playoffs.
The energy in the Moda Center has been at playoff level, even without Aldridge, and this team has not disappointed. When Aldridge is back I expect this team to continue the run they are on and gain some momentum leading into the toughest stretch of their schedule in the month of March.
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