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Blazers Could Be Thorn in Golden State Warriors’ Side

By Carlos Murillo

Feb 19, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting a three point shot during the third quarter of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard scored 51 points as the Blazers won the game 137-105. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reacts after hitting a three point shot during the third quarter of the game against the Golden State Warriors at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Lillard scored 51 points as the Blazers won the game 137-105. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Golden State Warriors appear to be destined to successfully defend their title, but the Portland Trail Blazers could be a tough first round opponent.

Few backcourts can keep up with the Splash Brothers.

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The Portland Trail Blazers’ dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum can get just as incendiary as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson can. And they proved it in their 137-105 shellacking of Golden State.

Lillard erupted for a career-high 51 points and McCollum added 21 of his own. As a team, Portland shot 53.6% and 56.7% from the field and from three respectively. When the Warriors were able to contest Portland’s shots, it still didn’t matter. They caught fire and got hotter as the home crowd roared louder.

Portland is 9-1 in its last 10. They currently sit in the seventh spot in the Western Conference. If the season ended right now, the Warriors would play the dysfunctional Houston Rockets. But the Warriors don’t have the top seed locked up and the Blazers surely aren’t stuck in seventh. There could be a lot of movement over the next several months and we could get (at least) four games of Curry vs. Lillard.

All season long the most pressing question around the NBA has been: how do you stop Golden State? 

The Cleveland Cavaliers tried slowing the game all the way down. The San Antonio Spurs tried to pick apart the Warriors’ defense with their quick-hitting passes and motion. The Memphis Grizzlies have tried to bully them. None of it has worked.

The Blazers kept it simple: fire away.

They attempted 30 three-pointers. The Blazers’ guards used high screens to get a running start and get into the paint quickly, knocking down midrange jumpers or, when the defense collapsed, kicking it out to the arc. They shot quickly and they shot often.The Blazers can and like to play the pace the Warriors’ thrive in. Lillard wants to run.

If the Warriors and Trail Blazers do face off in the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine Golden State losing home court. As tough as it is to play in Oracle Arena, Portland’s Moda Center is equally as hostile. It’s a difficult arena for a visiting crowd to visit. After every Blazer three, the crowd came alive. Lillard urged them on and it seemed like they willed in every one of his fourth quarter treys as he set a new career-high.

The Blazers are seventh in offensive rating and eighth in three-point percentage. They have a high-powered offense that can outgun any team on any given night.

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The Warriors are not afraid of any opponent. And rightfully so. They are the defending champs and the top team in the NBA.  Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson don’t back down from anyone. They’ve only lost 5 games in their last 53 so it’s hard to imagine anyone beating them 4 times over the course of a 7 game series.

But the Blazers (and their crowd) could give them trouble.

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