April 17, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) shoots over Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) in the second half at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Portland Trailblazers
2012-13 Record: 33-49 (missed playoffs)
The Blazers are an interesting team. Â Lillard is excellent, with a sky-high ceiling. Â LaMarcus Aldridge, despite rumors he wants out of the city, remains a top-three talent at his position, one of the best offensive post players in the league. Â What really killed Portland last year was an extremely weak bench. Â They were very inefficient outside of a solid starting five featuring the supporting likes of J.J. Hickson and Wes Matthews.
Prediction:2-1
The Trailblazers were  second worst in the NBA last year in allowed field goal percentage, and bottom ten in overall defensive efficiency.  That doesn’t spell out well for a team that’s an offensive powerhouse with added wing defensive capabilities.  Luckily for the Blazers, arranging Aldridge-David Lee matchups on offense will usually result in scoring, since Lee’s weakness (interior defense) is one of Aldridge’s best strengths.  They’re also top-three in allowed three-point percentage for last season.  They won’t be able to handle Golden State, but wing defense and interior offense can win them one.
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