The Moda Center rocked hard on Tuesday night as the Blazers captured game two of their seven game first-round playoff series with fierce rivals OKC. The Blazers now hold a commanding 2-0 lead, with the next two games to be played in Oklahoma City. CJ McCollum led all scorers with a blistering 33 points and Damian Lillard was fantastic, with 29 points of his own. The Blazers defense flummoxed OKC stars Paul George and Russell Westbrook all night long. The game stayed close until the final minutes of the third quarter when the Blazers blew things open and then coasted to a raucous 114-94 victory.
During the team introduction, the Blazers blasted the Rolling Stone’s “Gimme Shelter”, the part where the backup singers belt out, “War, children, it’s just a shot away…” and the arena filled with that famous playoff intensity. Both of these two teams have a lot to prove after first round exits last year. Since then both the Blazers and the Thunder have faced questions about the effectiveness of their respective rosters and it’s safe to say that the team which loses this series is looking at some kind of shake-up during the off-season. Emotional rivalries aside, this is why this particular series has been dubbed “the highest stakes” of all the first round contests. The winner, in effect, gets to hold their team together.
OKC came out swinging after their game one loss and took an early lead in the first period. Things got chippy right away as both teams scrambled for loose balls and the refs issued technical fouls in an attempt to keep tempers in check. The marquee match-up between point guards Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook did not disappoint. The crowd booed nearly every time Westbrook touched the ball and Lillard, not known for his defensive prowess, stayed tight on his man, harassing him at every turn. Late in the second period both players wrestled for a loose ball and Westbrook flopped to the ground hoping to draw a technical foul on Lillard. It was a tactic that had worked well for him during the regular season when he goaded Jusuf Nurkic into getting kicked out of the game. This time Dame kept his head and no foul was called.
OKC led by ten points midway through the second period and it looked like they’d carry that lead into the break, but then the Blazers went on a wild run, capping it off with this killer three point shot by CJ McCollum to tie the game at the buzzer:
BACKCOURT MAGIC IN ACTION pic.twitter.com/0d7C7ACiRt
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
It was of course, a sellout crowd, and fans poured into the hallways during halftime, chanting “Let’s go Blazers!” and soaking in the playoff atmosphere. Here’s a look at some of the Blazer faithful.
A father/son duo:
Rip City couple:
As is always the case when OKC comes to town, there were several people sporting Sonics jerseys which you might think is a show of support for OKC, but this guy explained that it’s actually a form of protest against the team’s move to Oklahoma in back 2008. He was rooting for the Blazers.
Showing love for the new guys:
The Blazers came out firing in the third period. Lillard announced his intentions with a series of crazy three point shots. Check out this long distance bomb:
.@dame_lillard is that dude. pic.twitter.com/DJDqetOwza
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
Raymond Felton, the infamous former Blazer who did not receive much love from the crowd, did his best to defend Lillard, but the guy just could not be kept down. Here we see Lillard drain a ridiculous shot, another buzzer beater, to close out the third period and give the Blazers a 16 point lead going into the fourth:
The Letter O Show. pic.twitter.com/e3F17fyApz
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) April 17, 2019
Poor OKC did their best in the final frame, but the Blazer lead only grew. Enes Kanter, who had played so well in Game 1, made just a short appearance in the second half of this game. Part of this may have been due to a wrist injury suffered in the second period, but it was also because third string big man Meyers Leonard turned in a surprisingly strong performance, shutting down OKC center Steve Adams and hitting a couple of key shots. The crowd loved it.
Even the deep bench guys got to see some playoff minutes as OKC raised the white flag and pulled their starters with 3 minutes left in the game. This was a very satisfying victory for the Trailblazers who had lost every regular season meeting with OKC this year. Conventional wisdom had them losing this series after starting center Jusuf Nurkic went down to injury, but these Blazers have held tough. Now they must travel to Oklahoma City, where the crowd is equally fervent, and try to steal a game down there. Afterwards Lillard, always a sage, said, “I know that a series doesn’t really start until you win a game on the road.”
The next game is Friday night at 6:30 PT on ESPN. The series is far from over and OKC will be looking to right their ship on their home court. Should the Thunder be able to win both games down there, the momentum would swing back to their favor and make things difficult for Blazers as they return home for game 5.