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On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors finished their sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers at the Western Conference finals. Even without Kevin Durant, Cousins DeMarcus and Andre Iguodala (last game and a half), the Warriors were as inevitable as they have been in the past five years. The Blazers have had a double-digit lead in each of the last three games and have actually led for more than half of the minutes of the series. It does not matter. The Warriors never appeared uncontrollable or troubled, and they never really felt like losing a game. For the Blazers, it was a disappointing end to a magic season of overtaking.
This is the sixth year in a row that the Blazers have qualified for the playoffs, all with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the team, but the first time they spent the second round. The last two seasons they have been swept into the 1st turn, with their defeat of 2018 at the hands of the pelicans of New Orleans being particularly discouraging. It seemed that big changes would have to be made, either to the organization or the list, but the Blazers maintained their position and the result was their first appearance in the conference finals for over 20 years. They never gave up, that they lose in a game or that they hang out in a series, and this fight served them well to beat the teams that were favored over the playoffs (Thunder, Nuggets ). It just was not enough against the fearsome warriors.
However, the Blazers must be careful not to take the bad impressions of this season. Holding the finals of the conference and playing tight games against the Warriors could give the idea that they have only one piece to play, especially with a healthy Nurkic Jusuf. that could be the case. It could also be wishful thinking. The Blazers went 53-29 this year, a very good album. They had a net score of 4.1, good for 7th in the NBA and 4th best in the Western Conference. They were talented, deep and had the power of the stars at the top. But they were not a awesome team, and they faced the easiest way possible for the finals of the Western Conference
In the first round, the Blazers were able to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on 6th seed, but probably the weakest team in the West qualifying for the playoffs. Paul George was injured, Russell Westbrook threw bricks and their depth was nonexistent. They had not played well for months and were lambs for the slaughter. In the next round, the Blazers faced off against the Nuggets, another very good team that was not very good. Nikola Jokic played as a superstar, but his actors were, to say the least, inconsistent. Even with the highs and lows of the Nuggets, it took seven games for the Blazers and CJ McCollum's best career performance to defeat them and move on to the Western Final. In many years, these Nuggets could have lost themselves in the first round. In most years, the path to the Western Final is much harder than the one the Blazers faced.
Absolutely none of that is to discredit the Blazers. They still had to win these games, and these series, without Nurkic, who was their second best player of the regular season. Their resilience and toughness were unreal, as well as their advantage on the field in Portland, and that does not say anything about the decisive shot by Damian Lillard and McCollum. The Blazers and their fans should celebrate this season and remember it extremely affectionately. But that does not mean that it was necessarily a breakthrough, or that they would be sure to qualify for the Western Final.
The team they beat in the second round, the Denver Nuggets, faces the same dilemma. This was the group's first participation in the playoffs, and most of the key players in the training are young and are likely to improve in the years to come. But nothing is certain in the NBA. The Blazers had an easy road to the WCF, as did the Nuggets, who played the seeding to avoid the Rockets and Warriors until the final. They eliminated the gifted Spurs team and lost to the Blazers, who, again, did not have their second best player. Opportunities like this one could never happen again, even if the Nuggets are young and the future seems to be ahead of them.
To a certain extent, the conversation around the Nuggets-Blazers series seems debatable: neither team will beat the Warriors in a seven-game series. In the end, the Blazers did not even win a match and the Nuggets might not have won. So, why is it important that the Blazers have won this series and that the Nuggets have been lost? It's important because doing a conference finale is a big problem. Watch the Clippers in Lob City and how they remember and laugh at not going to the finals in the West. Or, to a lesser extent, the wizards of the Wall-Beal era, who are now the laughingstock, but who have made the second round three times in four years, and then fail each time. It is difficult to get to the finals of the conference and that means something. We will always remember this Blazers team, whether it's a victory or not, because of its push towards the Western Final and the games it has won along the way. These memories are essential for players, franchises and fans, championship or not.
There is an interesting paradox. The Blazers season (and the Nuggets season too) must be celebrated. They have both been unequivocal successes. This does not mean that either team has to sit on its laurels or expect similar success in the coming seasons. The warriors are not going anywhere, even though Durant is leaving. The Rockets may be declining, but teams like the Mavericks and Kings are on the rise, and the Clippers and Lakers are threatening to get free agents for the superstar this summer. The West is no easier and teams that want to succeed must take action, including the Blazers.
The Blazers have big decisions to make. Five players who have achieved significant minutes of rotation during the season are free agents this summer. Which one of them should be retained? What price should the Blazers pay for guys like Al Farouq-Aminu and Rodney Hood? More importantly, is this core good enough to host another Western Conference Finals? It was this year, but as discussed above, it may not be in the years to come. Damian Lillard is the only constant, the franchise rock, but neither McCollum nor Nurkic should be excluded from the trade table. The Blazers are still at least a step away from greatness, and they must do everything in their power to achieve it. Turning things around too much can create a feeling of stupefaction and inevitability (once again, ask Lob City and Wizards teams), and the Blazers must avoid this at all costs.
Damian Lillard is in full bloom. He still has a few years left of the size of the top-grade All-NBA, then the decline will almost inevitably begin. The Blazers must train around him the best team possible, which could mean the dissolution of what was a great story and a really fun team. Watch this 2019 team as much as you can, as things could be very different in just a few months.
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