THE BLAZERS could very well just have folded. Down one and three in their first-round series, they could have readied themselves for the inevitable, and, under the circumstances, the desired: a departure from the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) bubble environment at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando Florida, and a much-awaited return to their families. After all, they were missing Damian Lillard, their leader and best player by far, due to a bum knee while up against the heavily favored Lakers. They were tired, beaten up both on the court following three straight defeats and off it by their compelling calling to be part of protests against abuse of authority, particularly over Blacks. And yet they competed from the get-go and until the final buzzer, if for no other reason than because they stood for what was right.
Indeed, the Blazers proved ready and willing to undertake the Sisyphean endeavor from the get-go yesterday. True, they played catch-up ball throughout. Even though they led for parts of the first half, at no time did they seem in control. And even though they battled to ties for parts of the second half, at no time were they able to take the lead. Yet, for all their lack of star power, they forced the Lakers to rely on a regular rotation until crunch time. In fact, the vaunted one-two punch of LeBron James and Anthony Davis had to put up monster numbers — a 30-point triple-double and a 43-nine-four line, respectively — in order to put them away for good.
The record books will show the Blazers being swept out of the 2020 Playoffs after having claimed the first outing. Nonetheless, they have ample reason to hold their head high. After entering the Walt Disney World campus eight games under 500, they needed to win six of the eight seeding contests and the play-in for the last postseason spot in the West. They built momentum in so doing, but unfortunately caught the injury bug once again; although Jusuf Nurkic was back from a long layoff, they missed Rodney Hood (due to an Achilles tendon tear) and Trevor Ariza (who opted out of the bubble) even more after Zach Collins had to be sidelined anew. And then, not counting CJ McCollum’s gutsy decision to play with a fracture on his back, there was the clincher; once Lillard’s knee acted up late in Game Four, their fate was sealed.
Moving forward, the Blazers have cause to take stock of their future. Lillard and McCollum — and, yes, Nurkic — will always give them a chance to stand toe to toe with the league’s acknowledged best. It’s certainly why they reached the conference finals last year. On the other hand, it’s also fair to wonder if they’ve already reached their peak, and if their formula is sustainable. They have a tendency to ride their starters, who, naturally, find ways to rest while on the floor. They become a sieve on defense, which then places further pressure on their offense. And so on, and so forth.
To be sure, the questions are for another day. Meantime, the Blazers have every right to look for silver linings to their campaign. As snakebitten as it may have been, they made significant strides. They know there’s water in the glass, and they can say with their heads held high that it’s not half empty, but, rather, on the way to being full.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
