The top-seeded Golden State Warriors and third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers disposed of the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets in six and seven games, respectively. The two teams will meet for a third time in four years. Golden State beat Portland in a 2017 first-round sweep and a 2016 second-round, five-game set. How they got here Golden State: In their quest for a third straight title and fourth in five years, the Warriors lost DeMarcus Cousins to a torn left quad in Game 2 of the first round and Kevin Durant to a right calf strain in Game 5 of the second round. Yet, here we are, with Golden State installed as heavy favorites to beat Portland and become the first team since the Boston Celtics of the 1950s and ‘60s to reach five straight Finals. Cousins, somehow, is “on course” to return during the Western Conference finals, and Durant is scheduled to be re-evaluated this week, when we should know if and when he can play in this series. So, after all the hullabaloo over Durant’s impending free agency and Cousins’ decision to join a team already stacked with four All-Star starters, we are likely left with the Warriors of old for at least the start of this series. Are they still good enough with merely three All-NBA talents? They looked the part on Friday, when Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 60 points in a close-out win in Houston. The “Strength in Numbers” Warriors were back, with Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston and a cast of late draft picks filling roles around Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green. Andrew Bogut was there, too. There is still some suspense, and that is a good thing. Curry and Thompson both battled cold streaks through two rounds, and Golden State’s depth remains a question, even as 35-year-old Iguodala turns back the clock and backup center Kevon Looney emerges as a real threat. There are concerns about Bogut, Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, all of whom were called upon in Houston, and Livingston had been largely ineffective until Game 6. If you’re calling for more frontcourt minutes from Jonas Jerebko, you know you’re not completely at ease. Story continues If Durant returns by the time this series moves to Portland and is any semblance of himself, that’s a different story. Even as the Warriors went longer than expected in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers and were deadlocked entering Game 5 against the Rockets, the outcomes never really felt in doubt, because Durant was the best player in all the playoffs and nobody had an answer for him. Stephen Curry has historically been a step ahead of Damian Lillard in the NBA's point guard hierarchy. (Getty Images) Portland: How the Blazers got here is a hero’s journey. They were swept from the first round by the New Orleans Pelicans in last year’s playoffs, and the NBA intelligentsia largely left them for dead. But Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum apparently do not die. They somehow never stop coming back stronger and better. Lillard took out the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1 with one of the greatest close-out game performances in NBA history, and McCollum ousted the Denver Nuggets in Round 2 with an almost equally dramatic Game 7 performance. Both were marked by signature moments — Dame’s 37-foot game-winner and CJ’s late chase-down block — that finally pounded into our brains: Yes, you can win with two 6-foot-3 playmaking guards leading the way, or at least with these two. The Blazers were written off once center Jusuf Nurkic snapped his leg in two at the end of March, but the resilience of Enes Kanter and emergence of Zach Collins helped Portland answer some questions about whether they can win without him. That they have done so despite more inconsistent play from stalwart swingmen Al-Farouq Aminu and Mo Harkless is further testament to Lillard and McCollum. Portland’s backcourt is averaging 54 points on 44/39/80 shooting splits, along with 10.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game in the playoffs. You don’t need much help when they’re giving you that kind of production, and they’ve gotten more than they bargained for from midseason additions Kanter and Rodney Hood (who enter this series battling shoulder and knee injuries suffered against Denver, respectively). Mostly, though, Portland has gotten through by playing smart and hard and together. They rarely give away extra possessions and work to get more, playing with the import of a team marked by stability and a sense that everyone knows his place in the hierarchy. Whether that matters against a team that has proven time and again to be more talented, with or without Durant, we are about to find out. Head to head Since we aren’t clear whether Durant will be available and for how long, since Nurkic was really good against the Warriors, and since neither Curry nor Green played in a game Golden State won by 28, it’s hard to draw many conclusions about the first season series split of the Steve Kerr era between the two teams. Yet, it does feel like there is something to the Blazers winning in Oracle Arena for the first time since November 2013 — on another Lillard game-winner with 6.3 seconds left, no less — and then blowing the Warriors out at home in their most recent meeting. Both of those games featured the full Cousins-less contingent of Golden State stars, with Looney playing center, and that has to give Portland even more confidence than they already exude, especially if Durant remains sidelined. Durant was remarkable — and remarkably consistent — against the Blazers, averaging 28.8 points (on 57.5/41.2/76.2 shooting splits), 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and three combined blocks and steals over the four meetings. Likewise, Nurkic was really impressive against the Warriors this year, averaging 20.3 points, 10 rebounds and 3.3 assists in the four games. Both of their absences impact the apexes of the two teams in different ways, but neither is unaccustomed to playing without them.<doc-sep>There was a palpable sense of relief when the Golden State Warriors knocked out the Houston Rockets. Some of that is just the visceral joy of beating a team that created a new type of math around “potential points” and effectively sent it to the NBA via the media — the franchise equivalent of a Chris Paul flop attempt. But alongside it: the widely held sentiment that that series was the functional equivalent of the Western Conference Finals. The presumption being, of course, that the Warriors would now roll through whichever team came out of the Nuggets-Blazers series. Though many bemoan the predictability of the NBA season, very few had the Portland Trail Blazers making it this far. In order to make it past the heavily favored Golden State Warriors, they’ll need more of that magic, but just getting to this point is a feat in itself for a Portland team that got swept out of the playoffs last year. It took a quadruple overtime win, and overcoming a double-digit deficit in Denver to get here, but Portland gets no respite, starting the Conference Finals off just one day of rest. The Warriors will be without Kevin Durant and Demarcus Cousins to open the series. However, as James Harden and the Rockets found out: a team leaning on Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala is still plenty deadly, with or without Durant who will be re-evaluated on Thursday. Bigs and Smalls Curry bros, Klay and McCollum , and whatever else these teams can find This series has tons of intrigue, but none more riveting than the battle between two of the league’s most dynamic and impressive back courts. The three-time defending championship duo of Curry and Thompson is widely (and correctly) deemed to be the best in the NBA, but Portland’s duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is just a small step behind. Joining them, the Blazers have a bunch of fringe players that can turn dangerous real quick: Seth Curry is most familiar to Warriors fans, but Rodney Hood (listed as day-to-day with a knee injury) and Evan Turner are both going to require some attention. Turner was phenomenal in a pivotal game seven. While Lillard went cold, Turner came through with a well-rounded 14 points (10 of which came in the 4th quarter), seven rebounds, two assists and one block. The Warriors will have Shaun Livingston who has historically been excellent against the Blazers — including some heavy lifting to cover for an injured Curry for the first three games of the playoff showdown between these two teams back in 2016. No Cousins, Durant (for at least a couple games) will put pressure on Green and Kevon Looney Reading between the lines, it sounds like Durant is definitely out for the first two games (Steve Kerr called him “not close” on Monday), but beyond that, his return likely hinges as much on health as it does on how well the Warriors are able to survive without him. Roll through the Blazers, and it’s likely the team would give Durant an extra game or two to get fully healthy. Kevon Looney said Kevin Durant was super vocal in film review. Even though Durant isn’t expected to play Game 1, Looney said Durant was as engaged as if he was playing. — Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) May 13, 2019 My guess is that Andrew Bogut will get the start. In addition to the non-inconsequential nostalgic energy boost, he is probably the team’s best counter to the inside rebounding threat of Enes Kanter... well, other than running him off the court because he can’t live on the perimeter against the Warriors motion offense. The backups look to be just as interesting as the headliners here, if not more so. Kevon Looney was outstanding against Houston, particularly in game 6. His ability to rebound and cover the switches that strand most other big men on the outside make him uniquely suited to these sorts of matchups. Notably, his season average offensive rebound rate (14.6%) is a fantastic response to those that may point towards Kanter’s usefulness (11.4%) against Denver on the offensive glass. Regardless though, expect Coach Steve Kerr to go deeper into the bench against Portland than he did in the previous series. The Blazers are respected, but are clearly a tier below the Rockets, Raptors, Bucks and other elite teams. Injuries forced him to go lower on the depth chart than he was comfortable with, but after coming away with a win over the Rockets, coach Steve Kerr implied that he might be more willing to use a wider rotation moving forward: “So we played it very close to the vest the first five games, just allowing our best defenders to be out there the whole time, thinking we got to do this. Then look, we’re forced to play the bench and they’re fantastic. And I’m like: ‘Well, what the f___? What was I thinking? I should’ve played them earlier.’ But I’m just proud of them.” Biggest X-factor: Draymond Green Ok, I’m cheating a bit here. The biggest X-factor coming into this series is really Durant’s health. Due to be re-evaluated after game 2, his return could serve as the nitro boost that leaves the Blazers in the dust like a Mad Max movie. But that’s boring because it’s ultimately unknowable. Durant will return when he can, and there’s not much to discuss beyond that. Instead, let’s turn our eyes towards Draymond Green. On both offense and defense, Green figures to play a larger than usual role in this series. Because of his ability to alleviate pressure when teams trap and double team Curry, as well as his monstrously impactful interior defense, Green will often be the fulcrum upon which the series’ outcome swings. In 65 minutes this season with Steph-Klay-Draymond on the floor and Dame-CJ in for Portland ... the Warriors had a +10.9 net rating and assisted on 77% of their made shots. With KD and Nurkic's injuries, the data in this regular season series is almost useless — Shane Young (@YoungNBA) May 14, 2019 Prediction<doc-sep>Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: Schedule, time, TV channel Date Matchup Time (TV channel) May 14 Game 1 at Golden State 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 16 Game 2 at Golden State 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 18 Game 3 at Portland 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 20 Game 4 at Portland 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 22* Game 5 at Golden State 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 24* Game 6 at Portland 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) May 26* Game 7 at Golden State 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) (*if necessary) Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: The backstory For the Warriors, the Western Conference finals are old hat. They’ve reached that stage five straight times now, winning the previous four series with a record of 16-7. The Blazers, on the other hand, are treading new ground — the franchise has not reached the conference finals in 20 seasons. The fact that the Blazers are still alive at this point is something of a miracle. It looked like their postseason future might be doomed back in late March when center Jusuf Nurkic — who had been so critical to the team’s offense this year — went down with a broken leg. But Portland made quick work of Oklahoma City in the first round and somehow survived a seven-game marathon against the Nuggets despite trailing the series, 3-2, and falling behind by 17 points on the road in Game 7. This team has faced a series of gut-checks and keeps coming through. There’s no gut check quite like going against the Warriors, though, even a Warriors team that is down a star player itself. The series and the rest of the playoffs for Golden State could be determined by who is healthy enough to put on a uniform. The Warriors are patiently waiting for Kevin Durant’s calf strain to heal, and there is a chance center DeMarcus Cousins (torn quad) could come back during the conference finals. Durant has carried a major load all postseason, averaging 34.2 points on 51.3 percent shooting and 41.6 percent 3-point shooting. That’s helped to offset some inconsistency from Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. But Durant hurt his calf in Game 5 against Houston, and there’s just no knowing when he will be ready to come back. The Warriors have the talent and know-how to beat Portland without Durant, but the injury narrows their margin for error. Golden State could get a boost if Cousins returns. Without Nurkic, Portland has leaned on backup Enes Kanter, who has played well but would have difficulty guarding Cousins. Ultimately, this series will come down to the backcourts. Curry and Thompson came up big in Games 5 and 6 against Houston when Durant went out. Damian Lillard has had four 30-point games and one 50-point game in the playoffs, and when he struggled in Game 7 against Denver in the conference semis, fellow guard CJ McCollum came up huge, with 37 points on 17-for-29 shooting. There will be plenty of exciting scorers in this series, and that should make things entertaining. The Blazers would need an all-time upset to knock off Golden State, but anything’s possible — after all, few thought they’d still be around at this point. LIVE: Today's NBA scores, updates, TV schedule Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: The key player McCollum will be a key to the offense as Lillard’s running mate, but he’s going to have his hands full defensively with the assignment on Thompson. If Durant does not play, there’s a chance the Blazers can withstand an offensive barrage from Curry, but they can’t allow both Curry and Thompson to get going. That will fall to McCollum, who defended Thompson on an average of 40.5 possessions per game in the regular season, allowing 11.0 points and 50.0 percent shooting from the field and the 3-point line. Those are generous numbers. Thompson is averaging 18.3 points on 45.2 percent shooting, making 41.2 percent of his 3-pointers in the playoffs. With Durant getting hurt in Game 5 of the conference semifinals, Thompson notched 27 points in each of the Warriors’ last two games. McCollum is not much of a defensive player to begin with, but Thompson’s ability to space the floor and force McCollum into awkward closeouts will be especially challenging. He does not need to shut down Thompson altogether, but McCollum must force difficult looks and keep Thompson from going on one of his dangerous shooting streaks. (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/6a/b1/klay-thompson-ftr-052718jpg_ogx6ur8j4uj71jne19gleoe2r.jpg?t=-1553193213&w=500&quality=80 Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: The big number 111.8. The Warriors have survived the first two rounds of the playoffs, getting some good swings from the Clippers and KO-ing their nemesis, the Rockets, to reach the conference finals. But they’ve done it without playing the elite-level defense to which they’ve been accustomed in recent years. Golden State was No. 1 in playoff defense last year, and No. 2 the previous season. The Warriors' regular-season defense has been slipping in recent years as fatigue sets in, but they’ve always been able to snap their defense back into place at this time of year. Not this year, however. Golden State has a defensive efficiency of 111.8 points, which ranks 12th in the NBA. Trail Blazers vs. Warriors: Xs and Os One reason the Blazers wanted to integrate Nurkic into their offense more this season was to reduce the team’s reliance on the pick-and-roll in the playoffs. Generally, as defenses tighten up in the playoffs and opponents get accustomed to players’ tendencies and coaches’ play calls, the pick-and-roll becomes easier to defend. During the regular season, the Blazers ran the pick-and-roll 18.9 percent of their possessions, which was 11th in the league. That was down from 21.6 percent (third) last year. With Nurkic out, though, the Blazers have had to scrap a lot of their revamped playbook and return the PNR. They ran it on 22.7 percent of their possessions through their first 11 playoff games, with pretty good success — Portland gets 0.92 points per possession on the play, which ranks fourth among playoff teams. Because the Warriors have versatile, switch-friendly defenders, most teams don’t attack them with pick-and-rolls.<doc-sep>After Trail Blazers starting center Jusuf Nurkic went down with a broken leg just a few weeks before the end of the 2018-19 regular season, most assumed their chances of securing home court in the first round of the 2019 Playoffs were sunk. That didn’t end up being the case, as Portland won seven of their final nine games to secure the three-seed and home court in the first round, where they’d meet the Oklahoma City Thunder. But without Nurkic, the safe assumption was that Portland didn’t have enough talent to take down the likes of Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The Blazers, behind Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, might put up a fight, but the overwhelming majority of NBA observers picked the Thunder to win the series and send Portland on yet another vacation. But that didn’t happen either. The Blazers would eventually defeat the Thunder in five games, with the final blow coming on a 37-foot series-ending, buzzer-beater from Damian Lillard in Game 5 at the Moda Center, to advance to the second round. There, they would meet the two-seed Nuggets, a team that advanced by virtue of defeating the seven-seed Spurs in seven games. While a slim majority picked Portland to win the conference semis, after Denver took two-in-a-row, capped by a blowout win in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead, the prevailing theory was that it would be Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap and the up-and-coming Nuggets would be the team to advance to the conference finals. The Blazers won Game 6 in Portland by their most comfortable margin in the series, but when they went down by 17 on the second quarter in just their fourth Game 7 in franchise history, that theory seemed astute. But behind the play of McCollum and Evan Turner, the Blazers rallied to defeat the Nuggets 100-96 in Game 7, and thus, secured a trip to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in nearly 20 years. There, they’ll meet the one-seed Golden State Warriors, a team that has won the NBA Championship in three of the last four seasons and eliminated the Blazers in two of their last three postseason appearances. As one would expect, the Warriors, despite both Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins likely sitting out the series due to injury, are the prohibitive favorite, with few, if any outside of Rip City, giving the Blazers much chance of advancing. There might be plenty of storylines in the series, from Damian Lillard returning to his hometown one last time before the Warriors move from Oakland to San Francisco to Seth and Stephen Curry being the first brothers to face each other in a conference final, but none of those seem to involve Portland coming out of the fray victorious. Considering what they've done to get to the conference finals, it's only fitting for the Trail Blazers to enter the series as the underdog. Between injuries and recent past playoff failures, almost nobody (at least outside of the "Inside The NBA" studio) thought they'd make it this far anyway, so they might as well lean into what got them here for the first time since 2000. So before the Trail Blazers begin another daunting playoff task, let's take a look at some of the specifics of the matchup versus the Golden State Warriors prior to Game 1, which tips off Tuesday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland. SERIES HISTORY REGULAR SEASON, ALL-TIME: Trail Blazers lead, 125-104 IN PORTLAND: Trail Blazers lead, 84-31 AT THE WARRIORS: Warriors lead, 72-41 PLAYOFFS, ALL-TIME: Warriors lead, 8-1 IN PORTLAND: Warriors lead, 3-1 AT THE WARRIORS: Warriors lead, 5-0 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SCHEDULE PORTLAND - GOLDEN STATE CONFERENCE FINALS SCHEDULE GAME DATE LOCATION TIME (PDT) Television Game 1 Tuesday, May 14 Golden State 6 PM ESPN Game 2 Thursday, May 16 Golden State 6 PM ESPN Game 3 Saturday, May 18 Portland 6 PM ESPN Game 4 Monday, May 20 Portland 6 PM ESPN Game 5* Wednesday, May 22 Golden State 6 PM ESPN Game 6* Friday, May 24 Portland 6 PM ESPN Game 7* Sunday, May 26 Golden State 6 PM ESPN *if necessary SEASON SERIES NOTES • The Trail Blazers and Warriors split the regular season series in 2018-19, 2-2. Portland won the season series against Golden State in 2017-18, 2-1. • In four games against the Warriors this season, Damian Lillard averaged 28.3 points (47.6% FG, 50.0% 3-PT, 85.0% FT), 2.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.00 steal. Lillard scored 40 points against Golden State on Dec. 29 and scored 21 points at Golden State on Dec. 27, including a game-winning three-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining in overtime. • CJ McCollum averaged 18.0 points (36.6% FG, 30.0% 3-PT, 84.6% FT), 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in four games against the Warriors this season. McCollum has made at least three three-pointers in seven of his last nine games against Golden State. • In four games against the Warriors this season, Al-Farouq Aminu averaged 10.0 points (37.1% FG, 35.3% 3-PT, 100% FT), 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. • Stephen Curry averaged 28.7 points (41.5% FG, 35.1% 3-PT, 79.2% FT), 5.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.33 steals in three games against Portland this season. Curry has made at least five three-pointers in eight of his last 10 games against Portland. • In four games against Portland this season, Klay Thompson averaged 21.8 points (41.6% FG, 40.0% 3-PT, 78.6% FT), 5.8 re-bounds, 3.0 assists and 1.50 steals. Thompson scored 30-plus points in both of Golden State’s victories over Portland this season. • In four games against the Trail Blazers this season, Kevin Durant averaged 28.8 points (57.5% FG, 41.2% 3-PT, 76.2% FT), 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.00 blocks and 1.00 steal. Durant has scored at least 30 points in seven of his last 10 games against Portland. PLAYOFF SERIES NOTES • Portland and Golden State have faced each other twice previously in the postseason, with the Warriors winning both series. • Entering the series, Golden State leads Portland, 8-1, all-time in the playoffs.<doc-sep>
Portland and Golden State meet in the postseason for the third time in four years. Can the Trail Blazers push for a different outcome against a potentially shorthanded Warriors team? Both the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors enter the Western Conference Finals after incredibly taxing series-clinching wins on the road. Portland endured a seven-game slugfest with the Denver Nuggets that included a four-overtime game while the Warriors, already without DeMarcus Cousins who has not played since tearing his quad in the 1st Round, outlasted the Rockets despite losing Kevin Durant in Game 5 with a strained calf. These teams know each other well as they met in the playoffs in 2016 and 2017. The Warriors swept the Blazers in the 1st Round in 2017 and beat them in five games in the Conference Semifinals in 2016. Series Schedule Game 1 - Wednesday, May 15 at Golden State Game 2 - Friday, May 17 at Golden State Game 3 - Sunday, May 19 at Portland Game 4 - Tuesday, May 21 at Portland Game 5 (if necessary) - Thursday, May 23, at Golden State Game 6 (if necessary) - Saturday, May 25, at Portland Game 7 (if necessary) - Monday, May 27, at Golden State Recapping the Season Series Result: Series split 2-2 Best game: Dec. 27, 2018 - Trail Blazers 110, Warriors 109 (OT) Best performance: Damian Lillard - 40 points, 14-23 FG, 6-13 3-pt FG on December 29 Although the teams split the season series, only one of the four games - the overtime thriller on December 27 - was particularly close. Each team had a blowout win (Portland won by 22 in February and Golden State won by 28 in November) while the Warriors led by double digits throughout almost the entire fourth quarter of their other win. In the overtime game on December 27, Portland blew a 10-point lead with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter before ultimately pulling out the win in overtime thanks to a game-winning 3-pointer by Damian Lillard with 6.0 seconds left. Both Lillard and CJ McCollum played in all four games as did Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green each played in three of the four meetings while DeMarcus Cousins did not play in any of the four matchups. Key Storyline: Which backcourt decides the series? https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/NBA_Global_CMS_image_storage/d4/86/damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum_u53us424v7ak1xd5m4xqpsdhh.jpg?t=-1316423294&w=500 The easy answer is the injury to Kevin Durant which looms large over the series. How many games will he miss? Nobody know for certain and it's a question that tugs at the strings of this series. MORE: Medical expert weighs in on Durant injury What we do know is that if Durant is out, the series will fall into the hands of the dynamic backcourts of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for Golden State and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum for Portland. These are the two best backcourts in the NBA and both are cooking. Lillard was perhaps the biggest star of the opening round when he torched Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, slamming the door hut with an emphatic 50-point game and game-winning buzzer-beater to clinch the series. Last round against Denver, it was McCollum's turn to take over as he scored 41 points in Game 3 before dropping 30 and 37 in Game 6 and Game 7, respectively. For the Warriors, both of the Splash Brothers are coming off signature performances in Golden State's epic road win in Houston without Kevin Durant in Game 6. Thompson erupted for 21 points for the Warriors in the first half to keep them in it with Curry going scoreless before Curry atoned for his poor showing with 33 points of his own in the second half including 23 in the fourth quarter. Each of these guards has shown an incredible knack for timely shot making at various points in this postseason and especially given the uncertainty regarding Durant's strained calf, whichever backcourt steps up will give their team the upper hand. Three Players to Watch Kevin Durant vs. Portland in 2018-19 (four games): 29.8 points (57.5 FG%), 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 blocks The longer Durant misses, the greater opportunity that Portland has of making this a competitive series. Prior to limping off during the third quarter of Game 5 against Houston, Durant was playing the best basketball of his career.