(USA TODAY Sports Images)
A whole new realm.
Experiencing the playoffs, even if a team has loads of veteran experience, still takes some adjusting. Cruising through the regular season and dealing with normal environments makes the playoff atmosphere seem shocking and surprising.
The new era of the Portland Trail Blazers got their first taste of playoff basketball, and it was not pretty. The Los Angeles Clippers ran away with the victory over the Blazers 115-95 to take game one of the series and gain a 1-0 lead.
There were a lot of positives, but also a lot of concerns. The Blazers were struck with some uncomfortable circumstances when Mo Harkless got into quick foul trouble in the first half, nabbing his third foul early in the second quarter. In just 3:39 of playtime in the first quarter, Harkless recorded five points on 2-of-3 shooting, with one block and quick defense.
Portland looked sharp to start it off. Even with the head coach Terry Stotts dipping into the bench early, the Blazers held their ground, even as the Clippers started getting comfortable offensively and refining their defensive strategy. In the first quarter, the Blazers shot just 38 percent and took the first punch from Los Angeles and stared at just a five-point deficit at the end of the quarter.
Almost immediately, the Clippers showed their game plan to stop Damian Lillard and, not surprisingly, that is simply denying him the basketball.
Big man DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin all committed defensively to show hard and to provide quick double-teams to force Lillard to not only give up the ball just over half-court, but to also prevent Lillard from throwing it to Mason Plumlee or Ed Davis for an easy bucket in the middle. A couple of turnovers happened simply with the ball bouncing off a defender’s hand as Lillard or C.J. McCollum attempted to pass over the defense.
The Blazers’ blunders came from sloppy passes and a crack in the poise. In the first half, the Blazers turned the ball over seven times, which resulted in eight Clippers’ points. Aside from Lillard scoring in double-figures, no other Blazer reached that mark in the first half.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, shot 50 percent in the first half as Griffin and Paul scored 13 and 14 points respectively. Simply put, the super tandem for the Clippers was still able to do their damage, whereas Lillard and McCollum struggled to keep it going. Despite all of these factors going against the Blazers, Portland scrapped to a one-point lead in the second quarter, but that was quickly erased.
McCollum, in particular, had a forgettable night, finishing with just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting, 1-of-5 from three with three assists and two rebounds. When Lillard was not getting trapped, the Clippers clogged up the lanes, not giving McCollum enough space to work his magic. Even when he got open looks, the quickness and second thoughts affected the shots.
To top it off, McCollum was keeping up with sharpshooter J.J. Redick, but he seemed to constantly swish mid-range shots, even with a hand in his face.
The Clippers utilized a late run in the first half to take momentum into the second half and, ultimately, the rest of the game. The Clippers dropped 31 points in the third quarter, while shooting 61 percent and taking as a big as a 21-point lead.
Portland struggled to even score baskets to stay afloat. The main worry for this Blazers’ team has been the other offensive options. If a team takes away the explosive backcourt, who steps up to fill the void? Recently, it has been Al-Farouq Aminu, Harkless and Gerald Henderson carrying some of the load.
While Henderson was the lone bright spot on the bench, finishing with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 2-of-2 from three, Portland came up empty in many areas. Aminu and Allen Crabbe combined to score 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting, 2-of-9 from three.
The Clippers left Aminu wide-open on the perimeter, but there was a reason. Aminu is still wildly unpredictable with his three-point shot, but Portland has to have him shoot, otherwise, it is going to a dog fight just to get the ball near the rim.
The good sign is that Portland can keep up with the Clippers. The question becomes, how does it change? The Clippers are full of veterans and are extremely crafty. Paul played magnificent defense on Lillard, while also getting underneath Portland’s skin on the other end, drawing contact and making calls happen.
What Portland cannot do is get locked into a battle of winning over the referee. The Clippers and head coach Doc Rivers are known for their frustrated and emotional antics when it comes to calls during a game. Portland cannot expect the same calls in the regular season and, as such, should not be attempting as many shots based around getting to the foul line.
The Clippers were red hot from the field and the Blazers went cold, it is a simple problem. This question will really be answered throughout this series as to whether or not Portland has enough firepower outside of McCollum and Lillard to make a difference.
If Harkless does not get into foul trouble, this game could have a completely different outcome. With Redick guarding Harkless most times down, that is a matchup that Portland can abuse relentlessly.
It was not a close game, but there were areas that were promising. Game two is the most important game of a series; it makes a series interesting or begins to tip the scales.
Game two is scheduled on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. PST in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned!