Postseason Success is a Long Time Coming for the Blazers

Damian Lilliard

Damian Lilliard's miraculous three-point buzzer beater to down the Houston Rockets in Game 7 didn't make Portland fans completely forget, but it certainly did help. Throughout the history of the franchise, Blazers' fans have seen an amazingly abundant amount of NBA Draft busts and struggles in the postseason. Now, led by budding superstar Lilliard, who won last season's Rookie of the Year award, the Blazers won their first playoff series since 2000 and will get a chance to down the No. 1 seeded San Antonio Spurs. Portland has suffered long enough, and they finally have shot to win it all this season. Taking a long look back now, it is amazing how they have gotten back to the postseason and back to relevance.

No franchise has been wrecked by injuries quite like the Trail Blazers. There are loads of examples of players losing their careers to injury, but perhaps the most infamous may be Sam Bowie, who has been labeled by many as the biggest NBA Draft of all time. The 7'1" center from Kentucky had injury concerns coming into the draft, but the Blazers (after missing out on Hakeem Olajuwon, who would go No.1 to the Rockets and have a Hall of Fame career) still felt he warranted the first overall selection. Bowie played just 139 games over five seasons with Portland, equating to just under 28 games per season. To make things worse, Michael Jordan was the No. 3 pick of that draft and we all know what happened there. Years later, the Blazers wanted to add a big man to their roster to lead their franchise. Ohio State star Greg Oden was the obvious choice, he was called a once-in-a-generation by a number of scouts. Knee injuries cost him his career with Portland even though he was great in the little court time he managed to see. To make things even worse, much like Bowie, Oden was selected over a superstar as the Blazers selected him over Kevin Durant, who will most likely win MVP this year and for years to come. Along with these two, Portland has also missed on Brandon Roy who was fantastic for his first couple years in the league, before knee injuries ruined his career and LaRue Martin, the first pick in 1972 who was selected over Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

Those draft misses are what made Lilliard's trey ball so sweet. Lilliard was a stud at Weber State, a strong program in the Big Sky that is located in Ogden, Utah. Lilliard was an elite-caliber scorer throughout his career with the Wildcats and Portland hoped he could give them the scoring punch they desperately lacked after a rough 2011 season. They selected Lilliard with the sixth pick, a pretty bold move considering many people wondered how his scoring and playmaking would translate to the next level. Lilliard's career started with a bang, he joined Isaiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to have 20 points and 10 assists in their NBA debut. He went on to win the 2012-2013 Rookie of the Year and followed it up this year with an All-Star appearance this year. Along with Lilliard, the Blazers have built this postseason team around a number of other successful draft picks. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge has developed into one of the best big men in the NBA and had a fantastic series against Houston. Nicolas Batum has developed into one of the more explosive swingmen in the NBA after Portland drafted him with the 25th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.

After years of struggles, it is great to see Portland competitive again and in the hunt for the Finals, filled with a team of budding stars like Aldridge and Lilliard. San Antonio is a fantastic team; they have a ton of depth and still have the core three players who have won them so many games and titles in Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli. But, Portland will give them a competitive series for sure, even if they are very inexperienced still in big games. Even if they don't win the Finals this year, the excitement has been restored in Portland and the future is as bright as ever.

NBA Playoff Predictions: West

Ty Lawson

West

First Round

1 Oklahoma City vs. 8 Houston
James Harden returns to Oklahoma City with a dangerous Houston team behind him. Even if he has a great series and gets some help from guys like Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons it will be tough to pull the upset against a deep Thunder squad.
Oklahoma City in five

2 San Antonio vs. 7 Los Angeles Lakers
Two teams who struggle with transition square off in this one. We always say San Antonio's championship window is closed until they go out and get one of the highest seeds out West. The war in the post should be evident as the Lakers finally are getting the Dwight that they wanted when they traded for him this offseason. It will be interesting to see if Howard and Pau Gasol can continue their hot play against the experienced Tim Duncan. If they do, who knows LA could go on a little run. But, the Spurs shouldn't let that happen.
San Antonio in seven

3 Denver vs. 6 Golden State 
The Denver Nuggets are ready to show that they can hang with the big boys in these playoffs. They get the surprising Golden State Warriors who can shoot the lights out when Stephon Curry and Klay Thompson are on their game. They need to have an amazing shooting series in order to keep Golden State in games against a team that run all over them if they don't play smart. This one could be a close series, or it could be all Denver.
Denver in five

4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. 5 Memphis Grizzlies
The high-flying Clippers look forward to a deep playoff run but first they have to get through a scary Memphis team. It will be tough for LA to score against a Memphis team that plays fantastic defense and is tough all around. I'm very worried about the weak free throw shooting Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan that will hurt them in close games.
Memphis in six

Semis

1 Oklahoma City vs. 5 Memphis
This one could be a true battle. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will wage war against Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. Both Randolph and Durant can stretch the floor and can also do damage in the post. The team that gets bigger contributions from the rest of their team can win the series. My money is on Oklahoma City who has Westbrook, Kevin Martin and Kendrick Perkins to rely on.
Oklahoma City in seven

2 San Antonio vs. 3 Denver
The Spurs could have real issues against the Nuggets' transition defense led by Javale McGee, Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson. The Nuggets are fantastic at home meaning they should likely win the games there. The Spurs play well but not fast enough to shut down Denver.
Denver in six

Conference Finals

1 Oklahoma City vs. 3 Denver
Speed and talented youth collide in this one with a chance in the Finals on the line. Denver is without Danilo Gallinari who could have been the perfect defender against Durant because both are very mobile. Westbrook and Lawson square off with Westbrook going off. Though Faried's powers done low and great shooting ends the Thunder's season earlier than expected.
Denver in seven

 Denver wins Western conference 
 
 

NBA Playoff Predictions: East

LeBron James

East

First Round
 
1 Miami vs. 8 Milwaukee
Imagine that Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis dominate in this series. The Heat should still win, maybe even sweep Milwaukee.
Miami in four

2 New York vs. 7 Boston
Are the Knicks, who many consider the biggest threat to Miami in the East, ready to handle the strain and pressure of the playoffs? They have a MVP candidate in stud Carmelo Anthony, experience in Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler and a lot of depth. Now it is time they have enough to beat a Boston team who has had a home in these playoffs over the years. The Celtics have been resting Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to prepare for a run but no Rajon Rondo means the Knicks move on.
Knicks in six

3 Indiana vs. 6 Atlanta
The Hawks will look for one last playoff run before Atlanta moves into complete rebuild mode. They will need a lot from Josh Smith in order to beat an Indiana team that has proven they can beat quality teams out East. Atlanta should have issues handling Paul George who uses his large frame to bully opposing guards down low and can hit shots consistently on the perimeter. The question for Atlanta is whether they have the size to handle Roy Hibbert down low. They don't.
Indiana in five

4 Brooklyn vs. 5 Chicago
Brooklyn will play in their first playoff game since moving to Brooklyn. Luckily, they get a Chicago team without Derrick Rose and a pretty banged up Joakim Noah. The Nets have been on a tear since firing head coach Avery Johnson. Deron Williams must be his old self in this series in order to score against a Bulls team that plays shut down defense. Even if Chicago plays fantastic defense they need a difference-maker on the offensive end. Carlos Boozer has shown he can play in the playoff s and he'll have to in order to handle these Nets.
Brooklyn in seven

Semis

1 Miami vs. 4 Brooklyn
The first round shouldn't give Miami too many issues, so they should consider this match up their first series in these playoffs. The key of this series should be in the paint. The Nets have depth and talent down low, headed by Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries. Though, Brooklyn must prove that they can shut down Chris Bosh and high-flying center Chris Andersen. The team that is better in the post could end up helping themselves to the conference finals.
Miami in six

2 New York vs. 3 Indiana
With Miami snatching up one spot in the conference finals this one should decide the other. New York used their sharpshooting to handle the Celtics but they should run into a Pacers team that be just as dominant from deep. George goes off and Kidd struggles to contain the faster and more aggresive George Hill who should be healthy in this series.
Indiana in seven

Conference Finals

1 Miami vs. 3 Indiana
The Pacers, a team that hasn't had true playoff success in a while meets up with the Heat, who we all know is the reigning champ.  LeBron shows up in a big way throughout this series and Indiana struggles to contain Miami's amazing transition offense. The Pacers should give Miami their toughest match up in this year's Eastern Conference but the Heat should still end up winning the East.
Miami in six

Miami wins Eastern Conference