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At the start of the Blazers playoff game against the Nuggets last night, TNT advertisers argued that this could be the first in a series of many playoff contests for two Western Conference foes.
The argument has somehow taken me by surprise. The Blazers and Nuggets have just been eliminated, it's just two years of struggle for last place in the playoffs, and they are now potential contenders? Damn.
Logical follow-up question (assuming you think like an NBA blog-bot): could the two teams become rival? Let's see!
Is there a story?
There is no history of the Lakers / Celtics, nor even of the Lakers / Suns, between Portland and Denver. They have played only twice in the playoffs, the last series having taken place more than 30 years ago. But they played their share of tight games in recent years, which suggests that they are tied and they could create a series of decisive series.
My favorite was the 115-113 Blazers win on October 29, 2016, featuring this beautiful Damian Lillard alley:
And of course, the Nurk Fever summit came down against the Nuggets in the revenge game of the Bosnian Beast:
Portland has lost seven of the last eight games between the teams, but none has been a defeat, so revenge performances could occur next season.
Is there a convincing scenario?
The Nuggets and Blazers are about as tied as two teams can get it. A pair of expiry agreements between 2014 and 2017 continue to impact franchises. Will Barton, Jusuf Nurkic, Mason Plumlee and Malik Beasley all exchanged teams in the trades, not to mention Arron Afflalo.
The latter exchange was added in the middle of a playoff race and prompted the Blazers to score 17 wins for their last 23 games to slip into the playoffs at the expense of Denver.
The Blazers and Nuggets have also combined for one of the most artificial playoff seeding manipulations in NBA history at the end of this season. It's complicated, but suffice it to say that after Denver's strategic break against Portland, presumably to tacitly throw the game, the teams avoided the Warriors in the second round thanks to a senseless combination of Paul George and Maurice Harkless, Clutchness, Anfernee Simons, and Isaiah Thomas.
If these teams meet in future playoffs, there will be no shortage of historical content at half-time for ESPN and Turner.
Do they share some animosity?
Nurkic has done everything possible to stir up hatred between the teams shortly after joining the Blazers, but that does not seem to fit that day:
Compared to the slaughter between Lillard and Russell Westbrook in the first round, this series was downright polite. This may change if they continue to play, but for the moment, the match has not reached the highest level of animosity.
Are they on the same trajectory?
The Blazers and Nuggets beat the Rockets, Thunder, Jazz and all other pre-season favorites for the two and three-seeded West. This follows an upward trend for both franchises – both teams have a higher total of wins over the last three seasons – and both teams rely on younger players.
The lineup probably needs a few adjustments, but there is reason to believe that the Blazers and Nuggets can continue to compete for the home advantage and the Western Conference finals in future seasons. If this happens, we could soon see a rivalry speech.
Readers – Do you think Blazers and Nuggets could become rivals? Let us know in the comments!
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