When the doors to the Moda Center first opened to start the 2015-16 season on October 28th, the general consensus around the city of Portland was that this season was going to be what we famously refer to as a “development year.” Coming off the heels of what will go down as the most disheartening offseason in the history of the Trail Blazers organization, fans came prepared for a long year. The brutal dissection of the Blazers’ core left the team with a mere carcass of what they were … and that’s being generous. To give you some perspective: when the season first started, unless you were a true student of the game, you had no idea who half the guys were on the team. And after a historical year in which the Blazers made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, ESPN was predicting they would only earn a 31-51 record.
So that being said, you can imagine why NBA analysts were scratching their heads at the All-Star break when they looked at the Western Conference playoff standings, and that “31-51” team was already tied for seventh place at 27-27. And now, coming out of the break, they’re streaking, breaking records, beating top contenders, and turning heads while they do it. This begs the question, how? How is this possible? How is it possible for a team that lost four of its five starters, and 11 total players from last year’s roster to be doing what they’re doing.It just doesn’t add up, right? But what if I told you that the reason it doesn’t add up is because you’re using the wrong formula?
The reality is, the reason the Blazers are able to do what they’re doing is because they’re not supposed to. They do not fit any of the stereotypical molds of a good team. They were counted out long before the season even started, and the truth is, that’s how they prefer it. We can speculate all day as to why exactly the Blazers are playing so well, but what it comes down to is two basic key elements:
- Expectations are at an all-time low.
- Your team has nothing to lose.
Let’s dissect. When expectations are low, nobody prepares for you. One team after another will show up at the arena expecting to leave with a “W”; and one team after another will leave without it.The Blazers have been afforded the luxury of being considered “an easy win” by the the rest of the league. Mistake #1.
As for the second element, having nothing to lose is what makes you dangerous. The reality is, the Blazers could lose every single game this season, and everyone would simply say “makes sense.” Because of that, the court is their blank canvass. They can do whatever they want and get away with it. Whether it’s a risky set, new tempo, or a different rotation, they are able to play out this season through the old “trial and error” method. In short, they’re figuring this out as they go. The big problem for everyone else is that nobody thought they would figure it out so quickly.
Last week, Coach Terry Stotts had a basic but profound response to the team’s recent streak when he simply said, “We kept our composure to win.” It sounds like a pretty standard response, but really, that’s been the theme of this team since the season started. After everything this organization has gone through, they could have rolled over and died, and nobody would have blamed them. But instead, they adopted the mindset that if they go down, they’re taking everybody with them.They didn’t panic, they didn’t cry, and they didn’t point fingers. Despite incredible adversity, they have kept their composure, and with good reason. This is a team that plays for each other and it’s city, and nobody else. And as they’ve showed us already, that’s more than enough.
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