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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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Blazers vs. Warriors: NBA’s David vs. Goliath

Even with Curry ailing, beating Warriors would be upset of biblical proportions

The Columbian
Published:

PORTLAND — Having conquered Los Angeles, the Portland Trail Blazers keep on California dreaming Sunday in Oakland.

The Blazers, who entered the season with the league’s lowest payroll and were projected by Las Vegas to win less than 30 games, are facing the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who have the greatest regular season record of all-time, 73-9.

It’s a classic NBA David vs. Goliath, with one small twist. The Warriors will be without reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry for the first three games of the series, at least.

The Blazers briefly played the role of the favorite after injuries to the Clippers’ stars forced them into it. Even with Curry’s injury, the Blazers are comfortably back to playing as the doubted. “First of all the opportunity to play against the best team in the league,” Damian Lillard said. “That’s the thing I’m most excited about, having another challenge where people say we don’t have a chance, that’s the most fun part of it for me.”

Lillard, the Hometown Hero returning to his native Oakland going up against Shaun Livingston may not be the match-up most fans had hoped. But it certainly leads you to believe the games will much more competitive than it would have been if the Warriors were at full strength.

In the minutes that Curry sat on the bench against the Blazers in the regular season, the Blazers actually outscored the Warriors by 1.4 points per 100 possessions according to NBA.com.

The match-ups between Lillard and Curry were wildly entertaining, but all but one game were blowouts in favor of the Warriors.

Curry said Friday that he is “feeling better” since spraining his knee and is trying to get back on the court for the defending NBA champions before his target return date of May 9.

Curry suffered the injury last Sunday in Game 4 of the Warriors’ first-round playoff series against the Rockets. He was given a two-week timetable to return after an MRI revealed a Grade 1 sprain.

So the title of the best player in the series — which would not be a question if Curry were healthy — is now at the very least a toss up between Lillard and Golden State’s do-everything forward-center Draymond Green.

“It’s going to be a tough environment,” CJ McCollum said of heading into the famously loud Oracle Arena. “Draymond is the head of the snake now that Steph’s out. He moves the ball, he’s the heart and soul of the team. He gets everybody involved and Klay (Thompson) will be aggressive and looking to score without Steph.”

Against Portland, Green and Thompson both were dominant, and it will be interesting what the Blazers do to answer. The triumvirate of Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless and Mason Plumlee will all get their chances.

But strong finishes from Allen Crabbe and Gerald Henderson in the last series could be a crucial counter weight against the Warriors’ talent and experience.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Golden State’s place in this round is that they are still the unquestioned favorite, yet nobody really knows how they will play without Curry.

And although the Warriors’ collection of players are all more accomplished and are part of the greatest team ever assembled, the Blazers have enough athletic wings to get into a game of athleticism.

The Warriors’ trump card has long been “The Line-up of Death,” starring Draymond Green at center and the Blazers have a stable of wings they can use to match-up with that look by putting either Plumlee or Aminu at center.

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“The styles of play will be a good match-up,” Plumlee said. “They played really well against us in the regular season. It will be interesting to see what the coaches have for us. I’m excited about it.”

Portland gets to play the part they’ve always been destined to play against the mighty Warriors, who have looked always destined to play theirs over the last two seasons.

Portland’s young and hungry bunch with an under-the-radar mean streak face the NBA’s kings of buckets, brilliance and bravado.

David and Goliath doesn’t get any better than this.

Unless, that is, Curry returns. Then the darling Blazers become a cute story standing in the way of NBA history.

In the meantime, it will be worth watching because the Blazers have shown an ability to make their own history.

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