May 14, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) in game five of the second round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Portland Trail Blazers
By Julius Lasin
Record: 51-31
First Round Opponent: Memphis Grizzlies
Season Series: Grizzlies won 4-0
Despite the Portland Trail Blazers winning their first division crown in 16 years, they enter the postseason far from on a roll. Their lack of success down the stretch is due in large part to their rapidly thinning roster because of injuries to Nicolas Batum, Arron Afflalo, and a season-ending injury to starting shooting guard Wes Matthews.
In spite of their late-season adversity, the Trail Blazers sit in fourth place in the Western Conference.
For the Trail Blazers to get past the first round again, they will need to rely on all stars Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge to carry the load on the offensive end of the floor. Both players average over 21 point per game, and have a Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 20.9.
For the Trail Blazers to defeat the Rockets, or any other team, they will need to rely on all stars Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge to carry the load on the offensive end of the floor
Portland will be even more incumbent on those pair of players not only because Portland is fourth-worst in the NBA in bench scoring (27.1 points per game) and they are already down their first option off the bench in Afflalo.
Although the Blazers’ bench has been porous, to say the least this season, second-year guard C.J. McCollum has been a bright spot of late, giving the Blazers some much-needed depth and a glimmer of hope with the absences of Afflalo and Matthews looming over them. Since March 1, McCollum has seen his minutes extended, and he has responded to the heavier workload by averaging a very respectable 10.4 points per game, while also shooting 38.7 percent from the 3-point line.
Luckily for the Blazers, they are one of the best shooting teams in the NBA, as they are ninth in the league in true shooting percentage and eighth in overall offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions).
In addition to their effectiveness shooting beyond the arc, the Trail Blazers are also one of the better defensive teams when it came to stifling opposing teams’ 3-point shooters, holding opponents to 33.7 percent from deep, good for sixth-best in the league.
This Blazers team that ranks in the bottom 10 in the league in opponents points per game and is in the bottom half in the league in blocks per games. In spite of the team’s lack of interior strength and rim protection, they do not foul often, as they average only 18.2 fouls per game, which is second best in the league.
With that said, the Blazers will be best served speeding up the tempo and trying to force turnovers and get their shooters out on the break. Portland currently ranks third in the NBA in turnover differential, but only ranks 25th in the league in fast break points, something that they will need to improve on in the postseason.
However, since March 1, the Blazers are dead last in the league in steals per game, which has contributed largely to their pedestrian 13-11 record since.
Lack of defensive clout and an abundance of injury notwithstanding, the Trail Blazers are sniffing the second round unless Aldridge and Lillard turn in multiple Herculean efforts–something that they have proven they can do in the postseason.
Next: Grit N' Grind