The Blazers’ Potential to go on a 2011 Dallas Mavericks Type Playoff Run
Led by an Overly Dedicated and Pissed Off Damian Lillard.
The 2019–2020 season was supposed to be the season where NBA fans saw the Portland Trailblazers as legitimate title contenders, coming off of their Western Conference Finals appearance the season prior. Regardless of a disappointing result that saw the team get sent home by a Warriors squad that lacked the presence of superstar Kevin Durant, the Blazers were equipped with the right pieces to come back stronger and more efficient in 2020. But questionable early and mid season struggles challenged the team’s overall trajectory, but a pandemic that’s shifted the course of the league may have become their biggest ally to revitalize themselves and resurrect a 2011 Dallas Mavericks run that took the post-season by storm. Who the league ultimately witnessed, winning it all.
Their new acquisitions brought them the talent they were looking for in order to push their game to a new level, despite the absence of one of their best players in forward Jusuf Nurkic. The team had collected some big names to fill their weakest points.
Center Hassan Whiteside became the big man the team needed during Nurkic’s injury leave, while 17-year veteran and potential Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony became the third scorer who would be able to complement one of the most impressive backcourts in the league.
It seemed like they had it all on both ends of the floor. Defense, rebounding, spacing, scoring, and talent. All with eight year head coach Terry Stotts at the helm.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well prior to the NBA restart in Orlando on July 30, the team was only 29–37 and well below .500 in an ultra competitive Western conference. Evidently, from the outside looking in when it came to playoff contention.
It seemed like it would be yet another disappointing season for the Blazers and its fans, especially in a year that was supposed to be very promising rather than riddling with chemistry issues and conflicting roles amongst players.
But ever since play continued, its like the team is a shell of their former selves, but in the best way possible.
Nurkic returned after a full recovery from his gruesome leg injury, as he has proven to be pivotal for the team more now than ever as an offensive and rebounding threat down low.
Anthony is finally demonstrating to the world why he is not ready for retirement just yet, showing out as that skillful perimeter scorer that the Blazers hoped to get out of him when they signed him. As he has scored 20+ points on multiple games in the bubble, draining clutch shots.
C.J McCollum’s offensive prowess is on full affect, as he’s also showcasing why he’s highly considered as an All-Star snub and as a player simply driven by will, playing with a fracture in his lower back.
To one of the biggest surprises, second year player from Duke University Gary Trent Jr. has unleashed himself in a way that sees him shooting the ball with absolute confidence. This new found tenacity has skyrocketed his impact as of late, as he’s made the second most three’s during the bubble stretch.
But their biggest anchor to accomplish the ultimate feat, is none other than their own version of a Dirk Nowitzki that willed his team to a title back in 2011, coming in the form of Oakland native, Damian Lamonte Lillard. The 30 year old phenom drafted from a small town college team in Weber State.
Now there is no comparing style of play when it comes to Lillard and Nowitzki, but a couple of characteristics that play vital as a commonality between the two, would be something that some of the league’s best players have been lacking for the past 10 years.
The perseverance of a leader who is willing to stick with their team through the highs and inevitable lows, and the utter and unquestionable loyalty to the franchise that drafted them.
It is apparent that there are many factors to consider why a superstar leaves their team, and each one of those players has the right to do so by all means.
But Lillard, along with Nowitzki, is breaking that trend so far in his career. Regardless of critics and others telling him to leave Portland to guarantee himself a ring, he’s following in the German icon’s footsteps and is sticking to his roots.
Lillard has been on such an extraordinary tear during the conclusion of the regular season, putting up 51 points against the Sixers, and an eye-opening 61 points against the Mavericks, and a close-out 42 point performance against the Nets to solidify their spot for the play-in game against the Grizzlies. A do or die match-up that saw Lillard pour in 31 points and 10 assists in a win.
But that type of monumental production didn’t fully surface until after his game with the Clippers. Where he missed two clutch free throws resulting in a loss that saw Paul George and Patrick Beverly take their beef with the Portland star to social media in a back and forth interaction.
But if NBA history has taught anyone anything in the past years, it’s a simple notion. Do not piss off Damian Lillard. Doing so has resulted in him going absolutely unconscious on the court to prove people wrong and keep his team on the radar by any means. As that is exactly what he did following his dispute with Beverly and George.
But, there’s a bigger picture that Lillard and his team are hoping to seize.
Now, more than ever, this Blazers team has an incredibly tough road ahead of them to become NBA Champions for the first time since 1977. Portland has a first round match up against a loaded (№ 1 seeded) Los Angeles Lakers team that features the awe-inspiring duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
But yet again, history has shown that the tougher the road, the more it brings out the absolute best of a team.
The 2011 Mavericks, with head coach Rick Carlisle, beat some of the most challenging opponents of the early decade to staple their name and legacy forever in one of the most unexpected runs. So unexpected because they were notorious first or second round exits the prior 10 years, as coming up short in the 2006 Finals against the Miami Heat was their biggest accomplishment to date. But as unanticipated as it seemed, that all changed.
2011 Dallas Mavericks Championship Run
First Round — The Mavs beat a Blazers team (4–2) that was stacked with players such as Andre Miller, Lamarcus Aldrige, Nicolas Batum, and three-time all star Brandon Roy.
Second Round — They swept the defending champion Lakers (4–0) in stunning fashion. A Lakers team that included players such as six-time all star Pau Gasol, dominant big man Andrew Bynum, and of course, the late, great Kobe Bryant.
Western Conference Finals — The team faced the most promising young team at the time, the Oklahoma City Thunder. A team that drafted three future league MVP’s. Nowitzki and the Mavs squared off against a 22-year-old James Harden, 23-year-old Russell Westbrook, and 23-year-old Kevin Durant. This series showed Nowitzki erupt for a 48 point performance, as experience proved to be triumphant over youth and athleticism, as Dallas came out on top (4–1) and saw them advance to their first NBA Finals in five years.
2011 Finals — Their last obstacle for glory. A rematch against a newly formed Miami Heat team that had a dream roster with players such as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James who came in a blockbuster acquisition in the offseason. On paper, it seemed like this Heat team were favored to win it all, as they had younger players, astronomical talent, and came off of a series win against the reigning MVP Derrick Rose. But, a 33-year-old Nowitzki was playing the best basketball of his post-season career, averaging 26 points and nine rebounds a game. All while having the perfect supporting cast on his side. Tyson Chandler, Jason Terry, J.J Barea, Shawn Marion, and Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd. The perfect players, because when it was time to step up to the plate, they all did so and more in order to shock the world. They were able to prove so many wrong, but more importantly, they were able to prove themselves right, as they believed in themselves whole-heartedly when others didn’t. The Dallas Mavericks beat the Heat (4–2) and gave themselves and their fans, one of the most improbable championship runs in NBA history.
So, are the eight-seeded Blazers built to be up next as the underdogs who come out on top?
Portland has all the pieces similar to that 2011 Mavericks team to challenge any opponent that comes their way. An ultra versatile group of guys that do not solely rely on their superstar player to produce, an underdog mentality that drives their inspiring dedication to go all the way while ignoring the noise around them, and a crucial on-the-same-page demeanor with Coach Stotts.
Most importantly, they have a generational talent in Lillard who lives and breathes the mission of the franchise, as someone who can single handedly shift the momentum to their advantage game in and game out. A leader who is probably the most fearless catalyst in the NBA and someone who has the ability to put fear in others with his undeniable will to win. As he simply lets his play do the talking, not his tweets.
