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DENVER – After demolishing the Denver Nuggets with a dazzling and delightful performance that will resonate with Portland Trail Blazers legend, CJ McCollum walked up Pepsi Center at section 129 looking for a hug.
Kathy Andrews, McCollum's mother, was sitting in the driveway, about 15 rows away. As his son paced the steps, a green suit tailored around his shoulders, he could not help but smile victoriously. Andrews pointed his cell phone at McCollum as he climbed, catching the video of the moment, and when he joined her, she got up to share a Mother's Day hug that the two will never forget.
"He said that he would do a good job for me," said Andrews. "I told him that all I wanted for Mother's Day was a victory. He was like, "I told you so!"
Fueled by the most impressive and important performance of McCollum's career, by a little redemption from Evan Turner and by a lot of courage, the Blazers beat the Nuggets 100 to 96 on Sunday afternoon in the seventh match of the semifinal of the Western Conference. He won a 4-3 win in the playoffs for the Blazers, who were playing only the fourth match in the franchise's history in the seventh game, and delivered an appointment with the vaunted Golden State Warriors at the Western Conference final.
This is the seventh time in franchise history – and the first since 2000 – that the Blazers will participate in the finals of the conference.
"We do not stop, we do not stop," said Moe Harkless. "When we arrived at half-time, there was no one in the locker room who thought we were going to lose the game. We showed it on the ground, we showed that all season, all the playoffs. We have been in situations where we really had to, really struggle to win. We are at our best when our back is against the wall. And I think we have shown that again.
Effectively. Just like this improbable playoff race, the Blazers had to overcome a mountain of adversity to keep their championship dreams alive.
They scored just 17 points in the first quarter. They lost 17 points in the second quarter. They shot only 15% of the distance of three points. Damian Lillard had one of the coldest parts of his playoff career, Rodney Hood suffered a left knee injury and Zach Collins was in trouble.
But as they were guided by fate – or by the spirit of their owner Paul Allen -, the resilient Blazers reacted as they did all season when tragedies, challenges or of injuries.
Lillard fought a memorable night of shooting at 3-on-17 to score two points at three points. Enes Kanter resisted a Ramadan fast and left shoulder to record 12 points and 13 rebounds. Meyers Leonard fought against Nikola Jokic in defense, Harkless applied intense ball pressure to Jamal Murry and Collins, who had managed to create seven points, five rebounds and four blocks.
But, more than anything, Turner made an effort. And there was a masterful performance by McCollum.
And now, a season that has suddenly evolved from amused to special will continue, with an appointment against the big bad Warriors and a shot of history.
"I think we're a pretty tough team," said Turner. "We always stay together, we remain confident – we have always been a confident group. Everyone is talking about the playoffs in the last two years and I think we paid our dues to get to that point so we could fight. We had trouble all year, with the fall of Paul, that of (Jusuf Nurkic) and that of Jon Yim in a car accident. The pressure can break pipes or make diamonds. We never thought we were about to lose.
For McCollum, Sunday started with a text message.
Shortly before the match, he peeked at his phone and noticed the warning of his brother, Errick, who, between his own professional basketball matches in Russia, was looking for some wise advice :
"Do not settle", he sent a text message.
Go to the middle of the range. Release the float. Drive to the basket. Be aggressive.
And, from start to finish, that's exactly what McCollum did. When his team-mates had an icy start to the game – the Blazers only managed 7 of 25 shots in the first quarter – McCollum scored 4 out of 6 and scored eight points to keep them afloat. While they fought tooth and nail to return from a 17-point hole in the second quarter, he managed 3 of 6 shots and scored seven points. Then he took over.
McCollum sliced and cut in circles around the Nuggets' defense in a breathtaking manner, jumping in small steps, completing cunning floats, perfecting the pretty hoop controls, nailing dagger, dagger after dagger.
"He was a monster," said McCollum's Harkless. "He was amazing. He brought us the essentials of the match. It's a killer and he did it tonight. "
And we will remember the most two shots.
It was only 4:44 am and the Blazers were four backs, Jokic blocked Lillard's hold, picked up the rebound and pushed the ball past him at half-time. The Nuggets' dynamic point guard broke free and sprinted to an empty basket, with nothing more than a mighty dunk, a momentum that steals the momentum. But Seth Curry caught up with the logo and ran briskly with Murray up to the basket, taking it just enough. By the time Murray approached the hoop, he had to settle for a left-handed lay-up and at the last second – out of nowhere – McCollum stood up and repelled the attempt, reversing the impulse in the blink of an eye. # 39; s eye.
This is perhaps the most memorable and extraordinary hunting block in franchise history.
"I think it's a turnover that has led to a rush," McCollum said. "They passed it in front. Seth did a great job of cutting off his man, forcing him to go over his head and he put it there for me. I just went looking for him – in the manner of Bron. Shoutout to my guy, Bron. "
Bron, of course, is LeBron James. And McCollum compared his moment to that of James' famous blocking against Andre Igoudala in the seventh game of the 2016 NBA Finals.
"It was a mini-version of Bron," said McCollum. "I certainly have not risen so high. But it was a nice room. It's something I'll remember all my life. I may need a photo of that one.
He may want to save a frame for his biggest shot of the game. After getting back from the 17-point deficit to take a lead in the fourth quarter, the Blazers have withstood a heavy load on the Nuggets. And when Murray swayed a tough rider over Harkless with 29.7 seconds to play, Denver was in the 96-95. An exhilarating series that presented everything from quadruple extra time to triple-double through mini-scrums, would go well to the wire.
During a timeout, McCollum told Terry Stotts that he wanted the ball and that the Blazers' coach was obliged, calling four balls flat and putting the ball – and the match – in McCollum's hands.
He patiently skated on the perimeter, which gave him some time to time. At about 18 seconds from the end, he went to work. McCollum evaluated Torrey Craig on the outside of the three-point line, toppled from one side to the other and then quickly headed for the hoop, stopping at a cent near the line to throw free. McCollum gave Craig a small push from MJ, stepped back and swung a 16-foot sweater undoubtedly.
That gave the Blazers a 98-95 lead and turned out to be the difference.
The last line of McCollum: 37 points, nine rebounds, 17 of 29 shots and a big old, I told you.
Few Blazers have excelled with as many detractors as the lean kid from Ohio who could only reunite a major college scholarship. He was too small to play goalkeeper, too defensive to succeed alongside Lillard, too solid to thrive in the playoffs. Most experts and many fans had long decided that McCollum had to be exchanged for the Blazers to become a serious threat to the Western Conference. But it was Sunday, after scoring 26.4 points on average and shooting 45% of the field in the series, silencing them.
"I wanted to dump the clip tonight," McCollum said. "And I thought I did."
He also had a little help from Turner.
The often-criticized little striker, whose $ 70-million deal and top-down production sparked fierce criticism from fans of Blazers, earned every penny of his contract on Sunday. He finished with 14 points, double what he had scored in the postseason, seven rebounds and two assists, a large production and heavier because of the opportunity. Most of the damage came in the decisive fourth quarter, after Hood's departure with a hyperextended left knee, and was crucial to the Blazers' victory.
Turner played all the fourth inning and launched the Blazers' attack over long distances, scoring 10 points and giving two assists. He sealed the win by scoring two free throws 8 seconds from the end.
"Things are going according to plan," said Turner. "I'm just a professional, I've been in the league for so long and I'm lucky to be in situations (like this one) throughout my career. I knew that in the time of pressure, everything would be fine. That's how I have always been.
Stotts added: "Evan has played in big matches and he is a great player."
Now the big games will continue for at least one more round, in a place they have not been in for 19 years. The defending champion warriors will obviously be favored. It was the same for the Thunder Oklahoma City in the first round. And the Nuggets were also after taking a 3-2 lead in the conference semifinal.
The Blazers cried the death of their owner. They suffered the terrible leg injury inflicted on Nurkic. They were confronted with Yim's serious car accident.
And they overcame everything.
After the match, Lillard completed a post-match television interview and headed alone to the Blazers locker room. Along the way, he stopped to sign some autographs for the fans hanging over the corner railings, he passed by a crowd of fans who shouted his name and started to jump.
Like a kid, Lillard jumped down a hallway.
Then he slowed down and crossed his hands around his head, placing his arms forward to almost protect his face. Before he reached the door of the locker room, the weight of the moment hit him, his emotions overwhelmed him and the cornerstone of the franchise began to tear.
By the time he finally pushed the locker door and joined his teammates, a roar sounded so loud that you could hear him in the hallway.
"We had the change in membership four years ago and everyone was quick to come down and count," said Lillard. "And at that time, we did not really know in which direction we were headed. But we definitely relied on the culture we wanted to create: doing things the right way, working hard, being close to each other. We really built that jump. Everyone is invested in what we have created.
"And I think that when we win such a match, in a difficult series like this, it shows in the celebrations of all. Everyone is excited, because we all played a role. You do not create that kind of thing with a player. Everyone must be complete. That's what tonight was. "
In the locker room, the new owner, Jody Allen, was one of the people to talk to after the match. She told them how proud, impressed and excited she was – of victory and of the future.
Then she urged them to continue this special season.
"I guess life balances," Turner said. "I'm not saying it compensates for the tragedy we've had. But … you might feel like it will be a special year. Sometimes, not to make things strange, but the spirits of Nurk, the spirits of Paul, are alive and well. I think it's great for Jody to be able to support us and do all these great things. This victory is as much for her as for everyone in Portland. "
– Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to receive Oregon / OregonLive journalism via email.
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