Damian Lillard had the moment of the playoffs thus far to send the Portland Trail Blazers into the second round. A shot that will be forever remembered in Blazers’ lore, it was also just another notch in the cap of the emerging star, who has been enjoying one of the best postseason debuts in league history.
The dynamic duo of Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge was basically unstoppable in Round 1 but on the opposite side of the coin, the old core of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were able to overcome their arch-rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, in seven games.
This is a classic matchup of old vs. new. In years past, the San Antonio Spurs have fallen to a young rising power. Will that happen again?
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 5 Portland Trail Blazers
110.2 (3) OffRtg 111.8 (1)
106.8 (9) DefRtg 109.8 (T-12)
49.7% (1) FG% 45.4% (6)
38.3% (T-2) 3P% 36.4% (T-6)
Leaders
Tony Parker, 19.9 (15) PPG LaMarcus Aldridge, 29.8 (3)
Tiago Splitter, 9.0 (13) RPG Aldridge, 11.2 (4)
Parker, 4.7 (T-16) APG Damian Lillard, 6.7 (6)
Manu Ginobili, 24.56 (7) PER Aldridge, 27.79 (3)
Note: First-round playoff rankings in brackets
What the Spurs have to do to win
San Antonio has the offence to keep up with the Blazers’ torrid scoring output and, depending on your perspective, could be considered superior on that end of the floor because of their efficiency. The key for the Spurs, then, will be getting enough stops as their offence will be there. San Antonio is the superior defensive team and features players who will dig in defensively on every possession, as opposed to the up and down defensive effort often on display in Portland.
What the Blazers have to do to win
The key for Portland is the same: they need to figure out how to play defence. Their first-round series with Houston was extremely fun to watch because it was so high scoring, but the Blazers can’t expect to put up those kinds of totals against the Spurs. Granted, San Antonio failed to score as much as they probably should have on a Mavericks team with a weaker defence than the Blazers’, but relying on outscoring opponents alone is a dangerous road to take.
Marquee matchup: Tony Parker vs. Damian Lillard
Despite being point guards, both players set the tone for their respective clubs with their scoring. Lillard is a much greater threat from deep, but Parker is a magician in the lane, able to score in and amongst a forest of larger defenders with Kevin McHale-esque footwork and ball fakes. The two likely won’t be able to guard each other, but it’ll fun nonetheless seeing them duel. And the winner in the individual matchup will likely dictate the winner of the series.
Prediction
Through all six games they played in the first round, the Blazers only ever showed situational defence. The Spurs, on the other hand, put together a few master-class defensive performances—Game 7 stands out in particular—and that will be the difference. The Blazers are young and, if they can stay healthy, will be making many more deep playoff runs, but for now they need to learn how to D up, and a best-of-seven with the Spurs’ razor-sharp offence isn’t the place to learn. Spurs in five.
Second-round playoff previews: Pacers (1) vs. Wizards (5) | Heat (2) vs. Nets (6) | Spurs (1) vs. Trail Blazers (5) | Thunder (2) vs. Clippers (3) |