Post by Last Stand on May 1, 2016 14:21:22 GMT
Game Preview: www.nba.com/2016/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/04/30/west-series-5-warriors-blazers/
On April 24, the healthy Clippers had a 2-1 series lead over the Trail Blazers and the Warriors had Stephen Curry. So welcome to the Western Conference semifinal no one could have seen coming, with Portland riding the surge of four wins in a row over Los Angeles to advance and the league MVP watching from the sideline as Golden State gets by while Curry works back from a sprained knee ligament.
This being the Warriors in a season of playing at a different level, their getting by is stomping the Rockets by 27 and 33 points to close out the first round, but the degree of difficulty goes up in the second and Curry's absence could be magnified against a skilled backcourt, with no reminder needed among the Warriors that Damian Lillard hit them for 36.5 points and 6.5 assists in the four regular-season meetings.
Based on the original timetable, Curry is scheduled to be reevaluated about a week after the series opens, but that was always a rough estimate. He could be back sooner if the recovery goes very well, or later if it doesn't. The Trail Blazers have won 11 of their last 15 including the end of the regular season and coming back from 0-2 marked the first time they won four in a row in a series since the 1977 Finals against the 76ers.
The Warriors will win if.....
Stephen Curry gets back to being Stephen Curry. Not just returning to the court, but to where he can give the Warriors dependable minutes after possibly needing time to regain his conditioning and rhythm. There is a good chance they win anyway, but the sooner the reigning MVP returns to form the better Golden State's chances become.
While that would have been the case no matter what, backcourt depth is especially relevant for a team about to stare back at Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum for four to seven games, plus the perimeter game of Allen Crabbe. Portland's three regular-season leading scorers are all guards.
Even if Curry does not play much or at all, the Warriors should still be able to do damage behind the arc in going from a first-round opponent, the Rockets, that finished 21st in three-point defense to a second-round opponent that finished 27th.
The Trail Blazers will win if....
If a lot of things break right. A lot of things. Portland was in the Clippers' face in the first round before the L.A. deluge of injuries changed the series for good, so a spot in the West semifinals is no gift for the Blazers.
They are aggressive, almost as dangerous behind the arc as Golden State, very resilient, gaining confidence by the day, can hurt opponents inside and have a star who can carry a team (Lillard). And they will require all of that to jump the Warriors, even the Warriors at less than full strength.
Portland will need the same kind of contribution from complementary players that helped spark the win over the Clippers -- Mason Plumlee, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, Ed Davis. At some point, though, all hope comes down to Lillard and McCollum as the first wave of the team that finished sixth in the league in scoring and fourth in three-point shooting.
3 quick questions and answers
1. The break in the middle of the schedule is only great for the Warriors, right?
Wrong. The more days Curry can be recovering without missing games the better for Golden State. But going from Game 2 on Tuesday to Game 3 on Saturday could benefit the Trail Blazers as well. The rest will be welcome after playing six games in 11 days.
2. Why will Lillard be especially energized for the matchup?
He is from Oakland, the latest in a line of star point guards from the city that includes Gary Payton and Jason Kidd.
3. What happened in the regular-season series?
The Warriors won three of four while scoring 128, 128 and 136 points, with Curry averaging 32.5 points while shooting 54.1 percent overall and 52.9 on threes and Thompson at 29.3 points while shooting 54.5 percent overall and 59.4 behind the arc.
Making the pick
The number of games is tough to predict because of Curry's uncertain availability, but the bottom line is not. While there is a lot to like about Portland's future, there is more to like about Golden State in the present. Warriors in 6.
This being the Warriors in a season of playing at a different level, their getting by is stomping the Rockets by 27 and 33 points to close out the first round, but the degree of difficulty goes up in the second and Curry's absence could be magnified against a skilled backcourt, with no reminder needed among the Warriors that Damian Lillard hit them for 36.5 points and 6.5 assists in the four regular-season meetings.
Based on the original timetable, Curry is scheduled to be reevaluated about a week after the series opens, but that was always a rough estimate. He could be back sooner if the recovery goes very well, or later if it doesn't. The Trail Blazers have won 11 of their last 15 including the end of the regular season and coming back from 0-2 marked the first time they won four in a row in a series since the 1977 Finals against the 76ers.
The Warriors will win if.....
Stephen Curry gets back to being Stephen Curry. Not just returning to the court, but to where he can give the Warriors dependable minutes after possibly needing time to regain his conditioning and rhythm. There is a good chance they win anyway, but the sooner the reigning MVP returns to form the better Golden State's chances become.
While that would have been the case no matter what, backcourt depth is especially relevant for a team about to stare back at Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum for four to seven games, plus the perimeter game of Allen Crabbe. Portland's three regular-season leading scorers are all guards.
Even if Curry does not play much or at all, the Warriors should still be able to do damage behind the arc in going from a first-round opponent, the Rockets, that finished 21st in three-point defense to a second-round opponent that finished 27th.
The Trail Blazers will win if....
If a lot of things break right. A lot of things. Portland was in the Clippers' face in the first round before the L.A. deluge of injuries changed the series for good, so a spot in the West semifinals is no gift for the Blazers.
They are aggressive, almost as dangerous behind the arc as Golden State, very resilient, gaining confidence by the day, can hurt opponents inside and have a star who can carry a team (Lillard). And they will require all of that to jump the Warriors, even the Warriors at less than full strength.
Portland will need the same kind of contribution from complementary players that helped spark the win over the Clippers -- Mason Plumlee, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless, Ed Davis. At some point, though, all hope comes down to Lillard and McCollum as the first wave of the team that finished sixth in the league in scoring and fourth in three-point shooting.
3 quick questions and answers
1. The break in the middle of the schedule is only great for the Warriors, right?
Wrong. The more days Curry can be recovering without missing games the better for Golden State. But going from Game 2 on Tuesday to Game 3 on Saturday could benefit the Trail Blazers as well. The rest will be welcome after playing six games in 11 days.
2. Why will Lillard be especially energized for the matchup?
He is from Oakland, the latest in a line of star point guards from the city that includes Gary Payton and Jason Kidd.
3. What happened in the regular-season series?
The Warriors won three of four while scoring 128, 128 and 136 points, with Curry averaging 32.5 points while shooting 54.1 percent overall and 52.9 on threes and Thompson at 29.3 points while shooting 54.5 percent overall and 59.4 behind the arc.
Making the pick
The number of games is tough to predict because of Curry's uncertain availability, but the bottom line is not. While there is a lot to like about Portland's future, there is more to like about Golden State in the present. Warriors in 6.
