Golden State Warriors: Are the Trail Blazers a legitimate threat now?

The Portland Trail Blazers became significantly better at the trade deadline. Does that make them an actual threat to the Golden State Warriors?

With a 22-point victory over the Golden State Warriors in one of the last nationally televised games before All-Star Weekend, the Portland Trail Balzers looked like a team on the rise. With the recent additions of Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood, will they be a threat in the West?

The obvious answer is no. But, the Blazers do have all the intangibles of a team that could give Golden State fits in the postseason. Shooting, size, and depth are all what makes the Blazers a hard opponent.

However, their 2018 postseason troubles tell a story that they’ll be hoping to re-write. Being swept by the DeMarcus Cousins-less Pelicans was not a good look for the Blazers, a team many thought might blow it up this past offseason.

They’ve stuck with it though. The superstar backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum pose a duo that not many teams can match. In their latest matchup with Golden State, the two combined to put up 44 points, significantly fewer than their combined averaged.

That said, the reason the Blazers dominated the Warriors last night is the same reason many should fear them this year: depth. Scoring 129 points, the Blazers put eight players in double figures.

The Warriors, on the other hand, saw just two hit ten or more in their most recent outing. While that in itself is a rarity, seeing the Warriors two top scorers, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, out-shoot and out-score the vast majority of their roster isn’t.

When you can combine that type of depth with one or two superstar-caliber players, you get a team that can thrive, especially in a conference as deep as the West.

Now 2-2 against the Trail Blazers, there’s clearly no need to panic. But, the Blazers are a team on the rise. With Hood slowly becoming a key contributor and the recent addition of center Enes Kanter, the Blazers can grind down low and be dominant from deep.

We probably said this last season, but look for Portland to make a run following the All-Star break. They’ll likely finish as a top team in the West, so they’ll have to prove themselves before even getting a shot at the back-to-back champs.