NBA Playoffs: Biggest questions in the West’s first round

Portland Trail Blazers (3) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (6)

Can Paul George find his rhythm again?

It’s become clear that Oklahoma City’s title aspirations live and die with Paul George. A fringe MVP candidate when the Thunder were fighting for a top four seed, his shoulder injury and subsequent slump have coincided with his team’s precipitous drop in the standings.

The Thunder were 38-22 when George injured his shoulder. In the games he missed and those since he returned, they went 11-11 and fell as low as eighth in the West at one point. Over that period, George still averaged 26.1 points per game but shot just 40.4 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from 3.

If George can get healthy in time for the start of the playoffs, the Thunder are a real chance of causing an upset against Portland. If not, though, the series may be a slog for the one-time title contenders.

Are last season’s demons still lingering for the Blazers?

With largely the same nucleus as last season, the Blazers have won four more games and outperformed the expectations of most. The reason for low expectations, though, was how their last postseason ended.

A 4-0 sweep at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans made a very successful season feel like an abject failure. With Jrue Holiday hassling him at every turn, Damian Lillard struggled and his teammates failed to pick up the slack.

Oklahoma City look to be a more favourable matchup in their current form, with no one like Holiday to take Lillard out of the contest. But if the Thunder can find some of their early season form and challenge the Blazers, will last season’s collapse creep into their minds at all?

It’s hard to know how much last season still sticks in the memories of the Portland players, but a slow start against Oklahoma City could bring it flooding back. An early win or two, though, could admonish them for good and leave Portland open for a charge into the late rounds.