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WEDNESDAY/MAY 7, 2Ö14
Western Conference Sem ifinals
TEXAS
TWO-STEP
S ports E ditor
B lake T homason
gives
REASONS WHY THE
P ortland T rail
B lazers ’ playoff
JOURNEY WILL END
HERE.
A d M anager
Z ak L aster gives
REASONS WHY THE
P ortlad T rail
B lazers ’ rodeo
RIDE WILL MOVE
RIGHT THROUGH
S an A ntonio .
Here's how the Blazers'
duo matches up against
their second straight
Texas opponent, the San
Antonio Spurs.
Damian Lillard
T r a il w ill en d h e re
T h i s is n o c o u n t r y
fo r th e B la z e r s
fo r o ld m e n
The Portland Trail Blazers ended
the longest playoff-victory drought
in the NBA last Friday in dramatic
fashion. Fans finally got w hat they
wanted for so long, b u t it probably
took some years off their lives.
After a wild scramble for the ball,
the H ouston Rockets got a lucky
bounce and Chandler Parsons scored
w hat looked like the game-winning
basket that would sendthe series back
t o H o u s t o n fo r a s e v e n t h g a m e . O n ly ,
clock for the Blazers.
W ith 0.9 seconds left, Blazers
coach Terry Stotts drew up a play
for LaMarcus Aldridge. However,
D am ian Lillard cam e open after
running around a screen and dapped
for the ball. Seeing how open h e was,
Nicolas Batum w ent away from the
original play and inbounded the ball
to the second-year star.
In one swift motion, Lillard caught
the ball behind the three-point line,
planted his feet and flicked his w rist
The ball splashed through the net
and the crowd erupted. It was the
first game and series w inning buzzer-
beater since John Stockton did it in
1997.
Four o f the six games were decid
ed on the last possession o f the game,
and three games went to overtime.
These teams were so evenly matched,
and all six games could’ve easily
gone the other way. In the series, the
Rockets actually outscored the Blazers
672-670. However, as I predicted,
the Blazers w on in six games and
advanced for the first tim e since2000.
U p next is the defending Western
Conference champs. The San Antonio
Spurs hold the league’s best record
and are the num ber one seed in the
west. The veteran Spurs will provide
a tough test for the young Blazers, as
their experience and continuity are
far superior.
Tim D uncan was playing for the
Spurs while Lillard was in .second
grade learning basic m ath and cursive
writing. The original “Big Three” of
D uncan, Tony Parker an d M anu
Ginobili have been playing together
since 2002 and have been to four
NBA Finals, w inning three.
As a longtime Los Angeles Laker
fen, I’ve grown to despise the Spurs.
W ith Gregg Popovich at the helm,
the team always has a chance to win
the championship. In fact, I think this
year they will w in it
Home-court advantage might not
have seemed that big in m e last series
against the Rockets, b u t this series
will be different The Spurs will not
lose two games at home, meaning the
Blazers will have to steal one and win
best road team in the NBA.
In the regular season, the series
was split 2-2 w ith each team winning
a hom e and road game. These two
teams m atch up pretty well, an d have
similar personnel. The key difference
is the Spurs’ depth; as m any as 11
Spurs played consistently in their
first round series, including nine who
saw double-digit minutes. Com pare
that to the Blazers w ho only played
eight guys consistently. In feet, the
only reason other players got to play
was due to starters fouling out o r the
game being out of hand.
T he Blazers certainly did not
w in their first series because of their
defense; the Rockets scored over 100
in each game except the final one.
In ro u n d two, the Blazers certainly
have the weapons to match the Spurs’
attack, b u t tneir defense, o r lack o f
one, will be the reason they lose.
Easy baskets an d second-chance
points were detrimental to th e Blazers,
and the Spurs are one o f m ost efficient
offensive teams. In addition, the Spurs
have a true multi-dimensional attack
with role players like Ginobili, D anny
Green, M arco Belinelli, Patty M ills
and Kawhi Leonard who can go off
o n any n ig h t C oach Stotts won’t be
able to hide guys like Lillard and Mo
Williams in this series, and Popovich
will take full advantage.
This series should be a fun one,
possibly an o th er classic like last
round, b ut Ultimately the Spurs will
w in in six games.
6.7
assists p er game
LaMarcus Aldridge
29.8 points p er game
11.2 rebounds p er game
Tony Parker
M atchup
Date
T im e/
C hannel
G am e 1
Blazers @
Spurs
May'6;
2014
6:30 PM
Ch: T N T
G ame 2
Blazers @
Spurs
M ay 8,
2014
6:30 p M
Ch: ESPN2
G am e 3
Spurs @
Blazers
M ay 10,
2014
7:30 PM
C h:E S P N
G am e 4
Spurs @
Blazers
M ay 12,
2014
7:30 PM
C h :T N T
*Game 5
Blazers @
Spurs
M ay 14,
2014
TBA
Ch: T N T
*Game 6
Spurs @
Blazers
M ay 16,
2014
TBA
Çh: ESPN
*Game 7
Blazers @
Spurs
M ay 19,
2014
TBA
C h :T N T
20.3 points p er gam e
4.7 assists p e r game
Tim Duncan
17.3 points p er gam e
8.4 rebounds p er game
R egular season match up
SAS @ PO R
P O R W 115-105
Friday, Jan. 17
P O R @ SAS
PO R W 109-100
W ednesday, Feb. 19
SAS @ PO R
SAS W 111-109
W ednesday, M arch 12 P O R @ SAS
ad manager
Manu Ginobili
Saturday, Nov. 2
SAS W 103-90
ZAK LASTER
a to u g h seven gam e series against
th e D allas M avericks. T h e Blazers
are coached by T erry Stotts, w ho
Finally! T h e P o rtla n d T rail w as the. M avericks’ lead assistant
fo r four years before jo in in g th e
Blazers defied th e o dds a n d w ere
able to escape the first ro u n d o f the ’ Blazers in 2012. It’s d efinitely p o s
sible th a t Stotts w ill b e calling up
playoffs by defeating th e H o uston
his b u d d y for a few tips o n w hat
R ockets. It w as an exciting series
th a t w ent six gam es o u t o f a p o s w orked well against th e S purs a n d
w hat didn’t.
sible seven.
T h è o th e r th in g th e Blazers
T h e Rockets, how ever, didn’t
have going fo r th è m is youth. T he
m ake it easy o n th e Blazers w ho
Spurs
have fo u r players over th è
w ere looking to escape th è first
age o f 31, w ith th e ir oldest player
ro u n d fo r th e first tim e since
2000. T h ree o u t o f th e six gam es bein g 38; how ever, th e 38 year old
is T im D u n c an w ho is a tw o-tim e
w ent to overtim e a n d th e series
M V P t h a t h a s w o n f o u r titles. T he
■w w a e t i n e h t i - d b y a - D a m i a n L i l l a r d
average age o f th e Blazers how ever
th re e -p o in te r as tim e ex p ired .
is 25.5, w ith th e ir oldest starte r
Now , th e o n ly th in g sta n d in g
being 28. T h e Blazers sh ould b e
betw een th e Blazers a n d a sp o t in
able to ru n circles a ro u n d these
th e W estern C onference. F in d s is
o ld dinosaurs.
th e league’s oldest b u t best team ,
In 2000, w hich was the last tim e
th e San A n to n io Spurs.
th e B lazers advanced past th e first
T his P o rtlan d team is young,
ta le n ted a n d rid in g a wave o f great ro u n d , th e Blazers m ad e it to th e
W estern C onference Finals. I see
m o m e n tu m th a t’s h a rd to stop.
San A n to n io is ju st c om ing o u t o f P ortland doing th e sam e th in g this
year, beating the Spurs in six games.
by
by BLAKE THOMASON
sports editor
17.7 points p er gam e
4.6 assists p er gam e