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Golden State Warriors: Preview/Prediction for the Trail Blazers series

By Justin Fried

PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 09: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket during the second half of Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center on May 09, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won 119-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 09: CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket during the second half of Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets at Moda Center on May 09, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers won 119-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors are now just four wins away from reaching their fifth straight NBA Finals. But first, they must go through the underdog Portland Trail Blazers.

In a classic tale of “David vs. Goliath,” the upstart Portland Trail Blazers are set to take on the NBA’s everpresent dynasty, the Golden State Warriors, in the Western Conference Finals of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

The Warriors story to this point has been well-documented. While this may not be the best iteration of the franchise that we’ve seen as of late, they are still the dominant Warriors of old and likely still hold the “best team in the NBA” distinction.

Even without Kevin Durant — who is still nursing a strained calf suffered in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals — the Warriors were able to finish off the Houston Rockets and are still considered the heavy favorites in this series.

As for Durant, head coach Steve Kerr has indicated that there’s a good chance that he returns at some point in this series and is he optimistic that it will be sooner rather than later. Of course, his return could be dictated by the level of necessity.

If the Warriors take the first two games at home with ease, Kerr could be tempted to keep Durant on the bench for the time being so as to not rush him back. But if they leave Oakland tied 1-1 in the series, don’t be surprised to see Durant return for Game 3 in Portland — a place the Trail Blazers have fared very well this season.

Golden State could also see the return of center DeMarcus Cousins this series although his return seems a bit further away than Durant’s. Cousins suffered a torn quad in the opening series against the Los Angeles Clippers and hasn’t played since. Initial reports indicated that he likely wouldn’t return until the NBA Finals but recent indications have him possibly returning later in this series.

But will the Warriors really need Durant and Cousins to handle the Trail Blazers? Well, don’t count Portland out just yet.

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The Trail Blazers finished the regular season with 53 wins, their most since the 2013-14 season, and were led by the star-studded guard duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Unlike the superstar guard duo that the Warriors just faced in James Harden and Chris Paul, Lillard and McCollum make better use of ball movement and motion offense.

Golden State will need to make good use of traps on defense to limit Portland’s movement, especially with the ball in Lillard’s hands.

With Durant still out, the Warriors will be unable to go with their “Hamptons 5” lineup and instead rely on the likes of Andrew Bogut and Kevon Looney at center. Looney has been phenomenal this postseason and is well on his way to earning a sizable contract this offseason.

The one area where Portland could have an advantage is with their bench depth. The Trail Blazers regularly go 10 deep with their rotation while the Warriors’ already insufficient depth has been tested with the injuries to Durant and Cousins. While the Warriors have been using more of their bench players, their minutes have ultimately been limited.

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Perhaps the success of the Warriors could hinge on the success of the team’s resident “Splash Brothers,” Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Curry and Thompson’s struggles this postseason have been well-documented but the duo seems to finally be picking things up in Durant’s absence.

The two dropped a combined 60 points in the Dubs Game 6 win over the Rockets and put up a total of 52 points in Game 5 accounting for at least half the team’s scoring in each contest. If Curry and Thompson are on, it’s going to really tough for the Trail Blazers to match the Warriors offensively.

Curry will also be entrenched in another significant storyline as he will square off against his brother, Seth Curry, marking the first time in NBA history that two brothers have faced each other in the conference finals. However, this storyline might just be more for show as the younger Curry has failed to do much this postseason coming off the bench for Portland.

Perhaps a little sibling rivalry could be enough to get him going but if the Warriors could limit his shooting, then they’ll be able to effectively shut him down.

The Trail Blazers may be a better team than many are giving them credit for, but they still can’t match up with Golden State from a talent perspective. If anything, Portland could hope to steal a game or two in Durant’s absence but it’s hard to see this series going past six games.

Next. Golden State Warriors: Strength in Numbers — the Sequel. dark

But stranger things have happened.

Final Prediction: Warriors in five

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