Northwest Division Power Rankings: A New Leader?
By Blake Holmes
2. Portland Trail Blazers.
When it comes down to talent, I still believe that the Blazers are the best team in this division.
This being said, they haven’t given me much help in proving that statement, as the Thunder have been playing great basketball, especially Russell Westbrook. The Blazers are explosive and have the possibility to light up another team’s defense in every game they play. With one of the best back-courts in basketball with Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, they can wreak havoc on a vulnerable defense. Lillard in particular has been putting together a pretty impressive campaign so far, as he has put up MVP caliber numbers in the early going.
The sad part about Portland is that they have to revolve around their back-court. If they aren’t hitting, then the whole team takes a huge hit, as they feed off of each other. It’s no secret that Lillard and McCollum run the show in Portland, but there aren’t too many other players that will step in and make some of the plays that those two can make. There’s still time for the Blazers, as I’m not sure that Westbrook and the Thunder will be able to keep up this fantastic play.
Their scoring and assists leader is Damian Lillard, who is playing great basketball so far. Unlike the Jazz, this is an offense-first team. They are 6th in the league in points per game, but 25th in points allowed.
The Blazers are 4-3 right now, and look to get revenge in their next game against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns beat them in overtime off of an Eric Bledsoe three at the buzzer in the first contest between them. After Phoenix, Portland takes on the Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings, and Denver Nuggets.