National Basketball Association

Portland Trail Blazers: Led By Damian Lillard, Rip City Is An NBA Dark Horse

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Led by Damian Lillard and a slew of other deserving NBA talents, the Portland Trail Blazers are a viable NBA dark horse

In a season where everything seems predestined, it’s almost impossible to find any article online that doesn’t have the Super Duper team (in Golden State) playing the kid from Akron in an NBA Finals rubber match.

You can’t go a day listening to podcasts without hearing how Stephen Curry and the gang will break their previous win record from last season.. Basically, no other team has a chance to make it passed the conference finals, right?

There happens to be a quiet dark horse team and player no one has on their radar. It’s time to set your clocks.

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The Portland Trail Blazers, lead by all-star snub Damian Lillard, are this year’s surprise team to go to the NBA Finals. Last year, as a young 5 seed in the western conference, Portland never got the respect they deserved.

They beat a very talented but depleted Los Angeles Clippers team in the first round in six games. With a sidekick two guard in C.J. McCollum, and a new and improved Al Farouq Aminu playing out of his mind in that first round series, people started to notice the potential this young Blazers team had.

This year, they are poised to make an incredible run passed the second round of the playoffs and beyond. Coming off of a season in which he averaged 14 points, and snagged the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year award, C.J. McCollum is already in mid-season form.

Taking care of his body this offseason, he is already below last season’s playing weight. He gives you another Robin-like 20 points per game season alongside Batman in this dynamic duo.

Damian Lillard is Bruce Wayne of Rip (Gotham) City. After getting robbed of an All-star bid last season, justice was served when he went on to make 2nd team All NBA. He’s shown time after time in his young career that he can put the team on his back and hit the big shot.

If you go over the ball screen, he will make you pay by attacking the rack and finishing despite contact of 7 foot rim protectors. If you go underneath the ball screen, he will step back and hit the 30 footer at a close to 40 percent clip. There is nothing the defense can do to stop him from doing whatever he wants, which is why Damian Lillard will win the 2016-17 NBA MVP.

Just 26 years young, Lillard is surrounded by tons of young talent with oozing potential. Another year in the system for A.F.A. (Farouq-Aminu) who has magically developed a clutch gene and a pick-and-pop game, can really stretch the floor and create good spacing for Batman & Robin to do what they do best.

Potential 6th man of the year Allen Crabbe returns this season with an even better feel for what his team needs from him. Averaging double-digits off the bench last year, he is a big spark plug for the second unit. New addition Evan Turner will play with Crabbe off the bench at the SF position giving their offense a great ball handler and passer who has a great pace to his game.

Length at the 3, 4, and 5 position has been a strength for Portland, and the rich only get richer this season. Noah Vonleh’s freakish length and hand size are still patrolling down on the low block along with Maurice Harkless who could see more minutes at the small forward position this year. Ed Davis also has another year under his belt still developing a low post game but his natural athletic ability is there.

Myers Leonard continues to be a project but if he can stay healthy, his potential as a stretch 5 could be very promising.

At the center position, it will be a competitive battle for who will see the most minutes between Mason Plumlee and new acquisition Festus Ezeli. Both legit 7-footers who can protect the rim and make up for lateral quickness with length.

With all the new pieces, great depth, and future MVP of the league Dame Dollar, This Portland Trail Blazers team is poised to sneak to the top of the Western conference and no one is talking about it. Check your clocks NBA, it’s Lillard time.

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