Playoffs Day 34
Pre Game: It’s the 34th day of NBA Playoff action as we have Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the #1 Golden State Warriors and #3 Portland Trail Blazers.
Game 1: It’s the one and only game of the night as we have Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between #1 Golden State and #3 Portland. Golden State won both games 1 & 2 behind Stephen Curry, and now the Blazers will have to win both at home to stay alive in the series. The Warriors will again be without Kevin Durant who is still dealing with the calf strain. Starting lineup changes for both teams, Myers Leonard starting for Enes Kanter and Damian Jones starting in place of Andrew Bogut. At the end of the 1st quarter, the Blazers led by 2, 29-27. Damian Lillard had 8 points, Curry and Thompson both had 9 points for the Warriors. At halftime, the Blazers had extended their lead to 13, 66-53. Myers Leonard had 13 points, Green, Thompson, and Curry combined for 39 points. As a Blazers fan, I fell deja-vu because we had a double-digit lead again and I hope that we don’t blow it. Of course, the Blazers blew it and were down by 3, 82-79 at the end of the 3rd. Stephen Curry had 25 points, Draymond Green had a triple-double entering the 4th. CJ McCollum leads the Blazers with 17. The Blazers got outscored 29-13 in the 3rd quarter. Draymond Green was attacking in transition and giving the Warriors easy looks. It was Green’s energy that fueled the Warriors back in front. I was just pissed off at the Blazers for blowing another lead and I did not pay as much attention from this point on. The Warriors ended up winning 110-99. Stephen Curry had 36 and Draymond Green had a triple-double. CJ and Dame combined for 42 points. The Blazers were outscored 57-33 in the 2nd half and had no energy in the 2nd half after a great 1st half. The Warriors are just too good. I was thinking that nobody can beat the Warriors, but the Warriors can kill themselves if KD, Klay, and Cousins all leave this offseason. The only time the Warriors have been faced with adversity in the playoffs was in 2016 when they were down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder. All in all, it was a great year of the Blazers that ended in a bitter way, but it was a great building block and if they stay healthy next year, they will have a better shot in the playoffs. All in all, the Warriors are just too good and the only threat they have right now is themselves (I don’t see the Bucks beating them.)
I hope you enjoyed today’s post of the NBA Playoffs, please leave a comment on how your team is doing and what I should do in future posts. Enjoy the rest of the NBA Playoffs!
