What a wacky end to the season! The Trailblazers found themselves in a weird situation on Wednesday night, facing a final game which by many accounts they'd have been better off losing. Minutes before tip-off their arch rivals, the OKC Thunder, beat the Milwaukee Bucks, meaning the Blazers could face the the Utah Jazz if they lost, and the Thunder if they won. The Blazers hadn't beaten the Thunder all season so conventional wisdom had them leaning towards playing the Jazz, whom they had defeated twice. This was likely the thinking when coach Stotts opted to start the deepest bench players, the least tested guys on the team, and rest nearly everyone else. He played only six guys the entire game, not usually a winning strategy. Everything the Blazers did seemed to say, "We don't care what happens here, and in fact we wouldn't mind losing." But these best laid plans went awry in an odd and spectacular way. At roughly 9pm PST, in a span of about fifteen minutes, everything changed within the western conference playoff picture. The Denver Nuggets climbed out of a hole and beat the Timberwolves in the final seconds of their game and the Blazers rookies and bench guys mounted a crazy comeback in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 28 point deficit, and taking down the Sacramento Kings, 136-131. This elevated Portland from fourth to third place, and now they face the dreaded OKC Thunder, a playoff series which is sure to hold some serious drama.

Was it supposed to happen? Anfernee Simons, the 19 year old rookie who had never scored more than nine points in a game, blew the roof off the place with 37 points. Skal Labissiere, who was nearly cut by this same Sacramento Kings team a few months prior, torched his old team for 29 points and 15 rebounds. Heads on the media row were shaking as the final minutes played out. "I don't fucking understand this game," someone said. None of us did!

The night started off much as one would expect. The Blazers bench guys, Simons, Labissiere, Gary Trent Jr., Jake Layman and Meyers Leonard, came in with energy and something to prove. The Kings are an up-and-coming team, full of young talent and promise, sitting just outside the playoff picture this year. Although their team didn't need the win, there was pride on the line. They were legitimate NBA starters and it wouldn't look good to get outplayed by the Blazers deep reserves. Defense was in short supply for the Blazers and the Kings took full advantage. They put up a record 87 points in the first half. With the Blazers down by 25 at the break, the game seemed all but over, and no one really cared. Here's a look at some of the fans in the hallways at halftime.

Blazers style!

Blazer/Lumberjack chic:

Father/Son:

Having fun!

No one really expected the second half to hold many surprises. These would be minutes for the hardcore fans only, the last moments of the regular season and a chance to see the future Blazers strut their stuff during extended time. Those that stuck around did so simply to cheer for the young guys and celebrate a season well played. Fans even cheered for former Blazer Caleb Swanigan who was swapped to the Kings midseason for Skal Labissierre. Each of those guys seemed to have something to prove, and it was Skal who made the best impression, scoring from all angles, put-back dunks, smooth hooks, and even a couple step-back threes. Anfernee Simons also found his groove, lighting up the floor from all over.

The Blazers were down by 15 at the start of the fourth quarter and a large portion of the the fans had headed for the exits, deeming the game over. But it wasn't! Sacramento opted to rest its starting five and the remaining players went ice cold. Was it the Blazer zone defense? Something really began to click on the Blazer side. Those fans who had chosen to stick around got energized as the Blazers cut the lead down piece by piece. Wait a minute, were they actually going to win this game? It didn't seem possible, but Simons kept draining long three pointers and Gary Trent Jr. made some key steals and suddenly the Blazers took the lead and damn if they didn't ever give it back. The crowd was jubilant. Lillard and the the other Blazers went wild, celebrating the unlikely success of their young guns. Simons, the game's hero, got doused by his giddy team mates. His 37 points was the most put up by a Blazer rookie since ol' Damian Lillard wowed us all back in 2013:

So now the Blazers face the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, a team which gave them trouble all season. Make way for an epic showdown between Damian Lillard and his nemesis, Russell Westbrook. It's hard to favor the Blazers in this match-up, especially without the services of their starting center Jusuf Nurkic, out indefinitely with a brutal leg break. Back-up center Enes Kanter used to play for the Thunder himself, and will have his hands full against his replacement, the giant New Zealander Steven Adams. Maybe we'll see more of this young hotshot Simons after his big night against the Kings? The first game is this Sunday in Portland. Get ready to battle, Rip City!