Golden State Warriors: Battle of guards vs Blazers

January 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Stephen Curry (30), and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pistons 127-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35), guard Stephen Curry (30), and guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Pistons 127-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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It will be all eyes on the guards as the Golden State Warriors take on the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

The song and dance between the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers heads for another turn a year later. After the two teams met in the Western Conference Semifinals last year, they will be doing it in the first round this year. The Warriors have the added bonus of having Stephen Curry healthy this season.

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That’s where the battle between the two teams starts and ends. This is simply going to boil down to Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson against Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Golden State also has the added bonus of Draymond Green and Kevin Durant in the mix as well.

Still, we have seen games between these two teams when Lillard and Curry love to trade shots back and forth with each other. The overtime playoff thriller between the two teams last year was one of the highlights of the playoffs.

Although the regular season was a sweep, there’s an aura to the mystique in Portland and that tends to create a rather tough home court advantage for them. It would be dangerous to assume the Warriors will blow through them with ease like they did in four games this season.

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This series might be the least interesting to most because of the fact Golden State is expected to roll, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be great. Lillard’s best comes out in the playoffs and so does Curry’s when he is healthy and on the floor. These two are going to hit big shots and it’s going to push the other to answer with an even bigger one.

McCollum and Thompson are in the same boat. The star shooting guards for their respective teams have just as much ability to put the team on the backs as their point guards do. This is a series with simple narratives. It’s focus on the guards and sit back and enjoy the rest.