Portland Trail Blazers Becoming Legitimate NBA Title Contender
The Portland Trail Blazers are making a name for themselves in the talent laden NBA Western Conference. Win after win, Portland is reminding the rest of the West and the NBA that they are in the mix as a legitimate NBA title contender.
Portland is 30-8 on the season, has won four straight games and 8 of its past 10 overall.
The Trail Blazers are second in the Western Conference standings trailing only Golden State by 1 game.
The West is by far the most talented conference with four teams having a chance to win 70% of their games and eight possibly winning 60% or more of their games.
Eleven of the past 16 NBA titleholders are from the Western Conference, but with so much talent, some strong talented teams are overlooked.
It is tough to stand out in the West, as it is full of title contenders, which caused Portland to play under the radar, while creeping up near the top of the conference standings.
At this point, the 29-5 Golden State Warriors are the top team in the conference, Dallas has a high-octane offense, the Clippers and Rockets have some of the biggest marquee names in the NBA, the Spurs are the defending champions and then there are the Trail Blazers.
The Blazers are a team that has been left out. Last season Portland’s hot start propelled them into the postseason, but skeptics remained and to date are still around.
However, Portland owns the second best NBA record and is firmly in the mix with the top names of the conference as a genuine threat.
Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge is a talented big man who can knock down a shot from anywhere. He can score from three-point range, which has made his opponents, come out and guard him, opening the court for teammate Damian Lillard to work his magic.
Lillard is now a legitimate NBA superstar. He is averaging 22 points, 4.8 boards, 6.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He averages 38.8% from three-point range.
There are just three other players besides Lillard averaging a minimum of 20 points, 4 boards, 6 assists and one steal, while hitting 36% or higher from downtown. Those other three are Stephen Curry, James Harden and LeBron James, which is not bad company to be with.
Crunch time is when Lillard becomes king. During the last three minutes of a game in which Portland is tied or trailing by five points or less, Lillard is shooting an incredible 60%, with is seventh amongst 53 players who have attempted 10 shots or more in those situations.
Add to Aldridge and Lillard, Wesley Matthews and you have a premier threesome that can play with anyone in the league.
Look out for Portland the rest of this season and into the postseason. The Trail Blazers are legit title contenders.
