(Photo by Jaime Valdez/USA TODAY Images)

A ridiculous turn of events.

There is that saying that anything can happen in the NBA, especially in the playoffs. Nothing is truly set in stone and there is always some event that changes predictions or moves the landscape every year during the playoffs.

Portland is in the middle of another major vortex that changes the Western Conference playoff landscape this season. The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 98-84 on Monday night to even the seven-game series 2-2.

Riding momentum from a tough game three victory, the Blazers kept surging, or at least it seemed that way. However, both teams were coming up dry on the offensive end. The Clippers shot 38 percent from the field in the first quarter, and hit just one three-pointer. Without Chris Paul’s 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the quarter, the Clippers would have been dug themselves a hole early.

The Blazers were not faring much better. Shooting just 27 percent from the field and 29 percent from three, Portland could not capitalize on a golden opportunity. What saved Portland was their work on the defensive end. Their hustle and ability to get stops kept the Clippers at bay for the majority of the game.

Al-Farouq Aminu put the memory of his forgettable three games in the series to rest with an electric performance. Swishing the first three-pointers of the game, he set the tone early that Los Angeles could not leave him alone on the perimeter. He had ten points on 3-of-7 shooting, 2-of-5 from three in the first quarter with three blocked shots and four rebounds.

Portland carried a four-point lead into the second quarter with C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard scoring just six points combined and attempting just three shots in the quarter.

That is unheard of. During the regular season, most of Portland’s good starts came from the fact that McCollum or Lillard got hot and rattled off points. This time around, it was the player that the Clippers have been daring to score this whole series. It seemed like a matter of time before Aminu felt comfortable and got into a rhythm, the question was, could he sustain it?

If game three was a scrappy affair, game four was a boxing match. Despite the Clippers offensive woes, Paul kept them afloat scoring 14 points in the first half, alongside Jeff Green’s ten points. What was hampering the Clippers was the combined 3-of-14 from J.J. Redick and Blake Griffin. Redick’s heel clearly was and is affecting his ability to hit shots off of screens and open three-pointers.

Portland is double-teaming Griffin aggressively in the post forcing him to give up the ball or attempt a tough lay-up, which has gone in Portland’s favor.

Still, with Lillard and McCollum combined for just 14 points in the first half, it felt as if the role players had to make the necessary plays.

Through it all, the Blazers seemed to be making the necessary shots to keep the Clippers from truly taking the lead. Even with the Clippers just down one, the Blazers would play sharp defense on one end and then make a critical three-pointer on the other to keep pushing the lead.

Already, that would be enough. The Blazers had great poise and still found ways to keep the offense churning without their two most dymanic players.

However, in the third quarter, the entire series changed. Gerald Henderson drove towards the basket and got around superstar Paul on the perimeter. What looked like a harmless hand on Henderson’s back turned out to be a severe injury for Paul.

Immediately after that possession, Paul was in considerable pain and asked to be taken out of the game. What transpired was Paul having to be taken to the locker room with his hand limp. As if it could not get any worse for Los Angeles, Griffin landed wrong after challenging Mason Plumlee at the rim and seemed to be hobbling as his quad injury seemed to be acting up again.

In the blink of any eye, the Blazers had the advantage and with the Clippers forced to play Austin Rivers and Cole Aldrich more minutes, Portland slowly found ways to break their defense down. In the fourth quarter, the Blazers scored 32 points and shot 65 percent from the field, Aminu going a perfect 4-of-4. With the Clippers reeling on the court and mentally from not having their floor general in Paul, the Blazers slowly dissected them.

With many players having to compensate in many defensive areas, it left shooters open on the outside and it played into Portland’s hands.

Regardless of the injuries, the Blazers have struck gold with their usage of Plumlee who has exploded in this series. Once again he provided a superb performance, finishing with just two points, but nabbing 14 rebounds (five offensive), dishing out ten assists and blocking three shots. He had a +15 on the night. Again, Portland is utilizing the open paint area. With DeAndre Jordan forced to come out at the top of the key, Plumlee is free to operate and pass the ball efficiently.

The Clippers switch well on the perimeter making it difficult to swing the ball. With Plumlee, the Blazers have a shortcut and a weapon to cut through all the defense as Plumlee finds an open McCollum on the wing or an open Aminu in the corner.

Furthermore, Mo Harkless’ ability to take advantage of mismatches underneath the basket has given Portland a massive lift. He aggressively challenged interior defenders and cleaned up missed opportunities.  He finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals. Harkless is the kind of player that just makes positive things happen for the Blazers. It seems ludicrous to think that Harkless was out of the rotation a mere month ago.

But, perhaps the most impressive performance was Aminu who finished with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, 6-of-10 from three with ten rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. Aminu took advantage of the open looks and got his confidence going. The rest was just him being in the rhythm of the game and making smart decisions in transition and challenging the basket.

The Blazers now have an opportunity to take control of this series. Despite the devastating injuries to Paul and Griffin, who will both be out for the reminder of the playoffs; the Clippers can still corral a victory in a scrappy way.

The series is up for grabs, can the Blazers take hold and seize it for good? Game five is set for Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. PST.

Stay tuned!