Portland Trail Blazers: Lillard, McCollum break through; clinch WCF berth

Led by Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, the Portland Trail Blazers finally break through in the West; will now face the Warriors in Conference Finals

Had you told me after being swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the NBA Playoffs last year that the Portland Trail Blazers would be facing off against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals this season, I would’ve laughed you out of the room.

However, despite being swept in the first round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the Blazers, behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, have clinched a Western Conference Finals berth for the first time since 1999-00 – thanks to a 100-96 Game 7 win on the road.

In Games 6 and 7 alone, McCollum tallied 67 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists to help the Blazers overcome a 3-2 series deficit to the Nuggets, which didn’t faze them.

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Neither did being down 17 in the second quarter of a road Game 7. Which is even more impressive considering that NBA home teams have a roughly 80 percent win percentage in Game 7s.

In the end, even though Lillard had a Game 7 to forget – in which he scored just 13 points on 3-17 shooting – the duo of Lillard and McCollum was too much for the Nuggets to overcome in the series.

Lillard and McCollum averaged a combined 51 points during the series against the Nuggets. For Denver, not even the excellent play of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were able to offset it.

Now, though, it only gets that much harder for the Blazers who will face the generational Warriors (with Kevin Durant returning sooner rather than later). If there’s any slither of good news for the Blazers, though, it’s the fact that the Warriors have looked the most vulnerable they ever have over the last few weeks.

Golden State “struggled” against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, and were nearly pushed to seven games once again by the Houston Rockets in the Conference Semifinals.

If the Blazers are going to have any chance at making it past the Warriors, they’re going to need historic performances from both Lillard and McCollum to even compete with the talent that Golden State carries – and that’s without KD.

But Portland can worry about that tomorrow. Right now, they could take a day and enjoy this run. What they’ve done during this postseason is incredibly impressive – and that’s without even considering they managed to win a road Game 7 with their franchise player shooting 3-17 from the field.

Entering this year’s playoffs, there were already many talking heads – including myself if you would consider me one – angling for the Blazers to trade one of Lillard or McCollum should the team fall short of a deep playoff run.

Now, though, those same people can’t help but feel foolish. The Blazers have exceeded expectations and then some so far during the last few weeks.

Portland has finally broken through in the Western Conference, behind Lillard and McCollum. I don’t think that’s something that should be brushed under the covers. Whether they can continue to do so against the Warriors remains to be seen. But that’s not important. Anything else Portland accomplishes is gravy.

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One thing’s for sure, though, and it’s that the Blazers were right. The core of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum worked. There’s no denying that. No matter what happens against the Warriors.

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